Learning a lesson from an older couple - People Watching In Sintra, Portugal.

People watching from a small cafe in Sintra

I love to sit back and watch people when I travel.  I know some where some place there is some one sitting back watching me also.  But it's all part of being a traveler. So I am sure there is a photo of me doing something that someone else found amusing or unusual.   I was in Sintra, Portugal in June 2015.  It was very hot and Mark and I had done a lot of walking.  It was time to sit down for a while, have a cool glass of Vino Verde and maybe a chilled can of Pepsi on the side.  We found a little cafe just out side of the tourist center of the city.  We took some time to talk about some of the things we had seen in Sintra.  We looked at some of the photos each of us had taken.  Then we ordered some lunch.   While waiting for lunch to be served it was time for me to do some people watching.

I saw a older gentleman walk toward a table near ours and take a seat.  He had two braces attached to his arms that he was leaning on for balance as he walked.  He took his seat and removed the braces and placed them against the side of his table.  He appeared to be alone.  A few moment later an older lady came to the table.  She had very large swollen ankles as a lot of senior citizens develop at her age.  I am getting close to that age myself.   They placed an order with the waiter.  A few moments later they were served to cold beers.  They smiled and raised the glasses to toast each other silently.  It made me smile.  I thought it was very sweet.

A little later our lunch was served.  It was a delicious lunch.  I ordered a meal a little heavy for a hot afternoon but it was so good I did not mind.

I was drawn back to the older couple.  I glanced over to see what they were doing.  I noticed that the lady had taken off one of her shoes.  I thought poor thing. Her ankles must really be bothering her from all of the heat and the walking in Sintra.  She casually took her foot and tapped the gentleman's foot under their table.   He smiled.  Then she slowly ran her foot up his leg and massaged his leg with her bare foot.   He smiled even more and reached across the table and held her hand.  This went on until their food was served.  It was something totally unexpected and I could not stop watching.  There was something so sweet and so loving about that moment.  They were oblivious to every one around them and they were having a very intimate moment.  

I enjoyed my glass of wine.  Lunch was excellent.  But I do think this couple had a much better lunch experience than I did.  God bless them.  An elderly couple still in love and not afraid to show their affection for each other.  I thought about them for a while and thought how

sweet it must be to still be romantic with each other after all of their years together.  But then I thought perhaps I was wrong.  Maybe they were new lovers who had both lost their previous spouses.  Whatever their story is does not matter.  They left me with thoughts of getting older and still enjoying all that life has to offer.  And perhaps I should put down the camera more often, stop editing photos over lunch, and just reach over and touch my spouses hand.   Maybe some one younger will see it, sneak a photo and write a blog about it later.

Tuk Tuks - not only in Southeast Asia

Tuk Tuk's and traffic in Chiang Mai

  
When I think of tuk tuk's I immediately think of large Southeast Asian cities with lots of traffic and tiny little tuk tuk's weaving in and out of the traffic to transport tourists quickly to a special destination.  I took my first tuk tuk ride while I was in Bangkok, and yes it was  large southeast Asian city with lots of traffic.   The guide books all said to be careful of tuk tuks.  They over charge.  They are expensive when compared to using a bus or a tram.  I did not find them all that expensive in Bangkok.  Once I assured the driver I did not want to visit the tiger sanctuary or any other tourist trap on his list it was a pleasant and quick way to get to my chosen destination.  Mark and I used tuk tuks' several times while in Bangkok.  We found it fun to zoom through the busy traffic blocked streets.  And the breeze blowing through the tuk tuk was a welcome relief to the heat in Bangkok.

Mark and I in Bangkok in the back of a tuk tuk

After leaving Bangkok we visited the city of Chiang Mai.  We decided to hire a driver with a taxi in Chiang Mai instead of using tuk tuk's.  Our driver was a very nice lady named Ebon.  We spent an entire day with her for only $45.  She was delightful and showed us many interesting places and taught us a lot about the city of Chiang Mai and surrounding area's outside of the city.  We met her at the airport when we arrived in Chiang Mai.  She drove us from the airport to our hotel and gave us her business card to use if we were interesting in hiring her the next day.  After our day with Ebon we decided we would spend the rest of our time in Chiang Mai on foot visiting the many side streets, temples and shops. As we walked the streets we say many tuk tuk drivers parked along the streets.   Each tuk tuk we passed called out to us "Tuk tuk?"  After a day of hearing "Tuk tuk?" at least a hudred times I started to find it humorous.  We saw one last tuk tuk driver on a very hot afternoon and as he called out to us I responded with a friendly laugh "No. No tuk tuk's today".   I was looking back at the driver and was not watching my step very well.  Mark had walked on ahead of me.  I slipped on a curb and had a very bad fall right in front of the tuk tuk.  I called to Mark ahead of me frantically.  I knew something was wrong and I could not get up on my feet.  I had broken my ankle.  I looked back at the tuk tuk driver I had just said "No" to hoping for a ride.  I must have made him angry when I said "No tuk tuk" the first time, as he just looked at me and started up his tuk tuk and drove away.   Mark helped me to my feet and I realized I could not walk back to our hotel.  Luckily we were able to flag down another tuk tuk and he took us safely back to our hotel.

After leaving Chiang Mai we flew to Phuket and stayed in the city of Patong.  I had no issue hiring tuk tuk's in Patong.  My foot was very swollen and it was painful walking.  At this time I thought it was just a sprain.  I did not find out it was actually broken until I returned home and went to the emergency room four days later.  Four days of tuk tuk rides in Phuket gave us the chance to see the variety of different tuk tuk designs in the city.  Some had fancy lights inside the cabin that blinked on and off.  One had a Winnie the Pooh decor which I found amusing.

A Winnie The Pook Tuk Tuk in Patong

We traveled to Portugal in June 2015.  The last thing I expected to see was a tuk tuk.  We were not in Southeast Asia.  We were in Western Europe.  We took a day trip from Cascais to the city of Sintra.  We had been in Sintra in 2009 for a day also but did not get the chance to really explore the city.  We made the big mistake of walking to the Castle of the Moors our first time in Sintra.  We had wanted to see the Castle so when we saw a sign pointing to the trail to walk to the castle we thought it would be a good idea.  We did not really research this very well.  The sign made it look like just a brief hike.  In reality the Castle of the Moors is on a very high hill way above the city.  We spent our entire day climbing the hill to the castle and we too tired afterwards to really explore any of the city itself.

Castle of the Moors - high above the city of Sintra

When we were at the Castle of the Moors in 2009 we were able to see the beautiful Pena Palace located above the castle on an even higher hill.  We did not have the time or energy to visit it that day.  So on our return trip in 2015 we planned to take explore the many side streets and alleys of Sintra and then take a bus up the hill to visit the Pena Palace.  As we explored Sintra we walked past a tuk tuk stand.  What kind of sorcery was this?  Tuk tuk's in Portugal?  We also noticed that the drivers of the tuk tuk's were very attractive young men.  

We were enticed to take a tuk tuk

So it was decided.  We would hire a tuk tuk to take us to the Pena Palace.  It was a bit more expensive than the tuk tuk's in Thailand.  But it was worth the price.  We had a very pleasant driver who took us to the palace and showed us quite a few beautiful over looks on the way to the top of the hill.  It was a lot easier and more fun than the long climb we had on our first visit.

Pena Palace

Our driver was not only pleasant and a good guide but he was also a very attractive young man which made the day all the more pleasant for these two "older" gay men.   At the end of our trip I asked the driver if we could take a photo.  His thought I meant for him to take a photo of Mark and I together.  When I explained that I wanted a photo with him he kind of blushed, smiled and said of course.  

Our friendly tuk tuk driver in Sintra

So if your in Sintra take my advice.  Do not follow the sign to the walking trail to the Castle of the Moors or the Pena Palace.

Hire a tuk tuk instead.  

Surprises in Portugal - Making Friends and Memories in Alcochete

Mark and Miguel walking through Alcochete

Surprises always happen when I travel.  Sometimes they are unpleasant surprises like missing plane connections or breaking an ankle in Thailand.  Sometimes they are wonderful surprises.  It can  be a toss up.   We traveled to Portugal in June 2015 and each day it seemed we had one good surprise after other.  I was almost afraid to mention them to anyone before the trip was completed for fear of jinxing the experience.  The trip to Portugal was one of the most pleasant in my memory from the ease of getting through security at the airport in Philadelphia right up until the ice cream service on the plane on our return flight home.

Mark and I visited Portugal for the first time in 2009.  We did not really know what to expect.  Portugal had never been on our radar as a location we had to see.  We went to Portugal to attend a meeting of the travel group we belong to called Virtual Tourist.  We went to spend a weekend partying with friends.  And in the end we also found a destination that really spoke to us and made us want to return. We did meet two people, Miguel and Gloria,  who became very good friends to us.  We kept in contact with them through Virtual Tourist and Facebook for the next six years always talking about returning and seeing them again.

When we returned to Lisbon, Miguel wanted us to visit the town here he lived named Alcochete.  The town is located across the river from Lisbon and is a bit isolated from the hustle of the capitol city.  We met Miguel after he finished work on Friday evening and he drove us to Alcochete.  We took time for a couple of beers and watched the sunset over the river from a small tavern on the waterfront.  Then we took some time to stroll slowly back through the town to see the church, the city hall and the side streets.  And as for all travelers it allowed us time to take many photos.

Igreja Matriz de São João Baptista. Church of St. John The Baptist - Alcochete

Miguel told he that he had had planned dinner for us at a restaurant managed by his friend Daniel.  He also told us he had ordered dinner for us that was prepared by Dona Conceição,  Daniel's mother.  As we walked through the town to the restaurant Miguel pointed out a sign to us that said Alcochete was celebrating it's 500th anniversary this month so we were there during a very special time.

We arrived at the restaurant and met Daniel who was very friendly and very glad to have us as his guests.  The meal was, in my opinion, the best we were served our entire stay in Portugal and we had a lot of very good meals.  Daniel told us there was a very special vintage of wine prepared specifically for the 500th anniversary.  The wine was not available to the public yet but he a bottle reserved for us.  

He told us this was the very first bottle to be opened so we would be the very people to taste this special vintage.  What a wonderful surprise for us.  The wine was very good.  The meal was excellent.  We finished the bottle of white wine and prepared for a dessert made by Daniel's mother when Daniel mentioned he also had one bottle of the red vintage if we wanted to try it also.   How do you turn down an an offer to be the first persons to not only taste the white but also the red wine made for this celebration?  To me this was one of nicest experiences I have encountered in all my many years of traveling.  So here is a toast to Daniel and his parents and their wonderful restaurant Don Peixe in Alcochete.

Larry, Mark, and Miguel toasting friendship and Daniel and his family

We had many surprises in Portugal.  All of them were good surprises.  But non surpassed this moment drinking the special vintage with our friend Miguel and our host Daniel.

Thank you Daniel for a very special evening

I will be writing about the food we ate in Portugal in another blog where I will give detail to the meal prepared for us at Don Peixe.  

Restaurant Don Peixe

I will be writing another blog about all of the food we ate in Portugal with special mention of the meal prepared for us at Don Peixe.