Arriving in the Algarve

My final leg of the 3-day journey that could have taken 5 hours on the freeway led me south into the true Algarve. This region is not the same as my earlier experiences of Portugal. Perhaps it is the tourist influence, or maybe the architecture is actually different, but there is definitely a sense of being in a different district. I'm told the accent here is also different, but so far I'm not skilled enough to detect it. Hopefully that will come with time and exposure.

I found the little town of Alvor after a lot of winding roads and dead ends. It is a lovely little community - a contrast to the two big towns, Lagos and Portimao, on either side. I will enjoy becoming a local for the season.

There are a number of English tourists and pubs, so I looked around for work but it is currently all taken - just recently according to responses. And there are a number of Portuguese tourists also, so I may have a tough time finding a second job in the service industry. And it also sounds like the pay being offered makes it barely worth it.

I started looking as there are no kiting lessons booked until the end of the month (so much for having to hurry to get here!). I also have been making an effort to introduce myself to the other kite schools here - primarily to make sure I don't step on any toes, but surreptitiously to see if there is any overflow work available.