Monday, June 8, 2015

Walking through Hell

Hello, everyone.
We left Anambuja today at 0630. We had enjoyed a dinner of bar food last night. Not much was available unless we walked the mile or so to the bullying to eat barbecued bulls. We were tired and besides, those defeated bulls were sure to be tough and stringy.
We wandered into a local bar and ate cold stuff that was on hand while watching bad bullfighting from Spain on the two TVs in the bar. Guess that makes it a Portuguese sports bar!
This morning we started out under cloudy skies, resolved to make as much distance as we could before the sun came out and cookies us.
At the village Relengo we found a cafe, after walking 3 hours, and DH had 5 cookies. I had a hard boiled egg. That was all the food we found all day. And we walked 32K in the horrid humid heat. We saw lots of tomato fields, some of the as big as North Texas cotton fields. Precious few places to eat and find a WC!
We drank at least 3 liters (quarts) of water each, and some laid down on a random cardboard sheet to rest.
About 1530 we hit Santarem and,between buying water bottles in bars (2) w e found the tourist office. Who gave us directions to the N1 hostel. Unusually for an able r guest, there are sheets and towels. But we're in a dorm with 8 bunk bed sets. We were so trash ed the we both picked bottom bunks! But we're here.
We ran into the lovely Spanish couple we met yesterday and the gentleman told me that today, for them, was like hiking through Hell. Same for us!
We checked the weather forecast on DH's kindle and decided to take the express bus to Fatima tomorrow. It's not worth ruining your health over to be able to say, "I walked to Fatima."
Temps varied between 32 and 34 C today. Everyone who lives here says it's a killer heat wave. The temps are like home at this time, but we don't hike 20 miles with 20 pound packs and no refreshments in it at home.
We decided that pushing on on these conditions is pure egotism. Since we have an alternative, the 1100 express bus to Fatima, we will take it.
Dinner this evening walking a wonderful local soup. We are too tired to eat anything else.



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