Day 172
4 hrs, 2 .0 kms

I remember being pretty frustrated at how ridiculously long buses take to get across the Algarve region. All along the way there are tourism compounds catering to sun deprived northern Europeans, and the buses have to stop in every single one. It takes several hours just to cover 30-40 kilometers.

So it's not until late afternoon that I can finally add a new town: Portimao.

Actually, Portimao isn't an entirely new town. I stayed the night here back in 2009, while traveling with my wife, but since I didn't have my guitar with my and couldn't do a parkbench concert, I couldn't count this town as officially visited--until today.

I wasn't too impressed with the city the first time, nor am I today. I take a short stroll along the harbor, the up the long pedestrian street through downtown... do my park bench concert and decide to move on .

One memorable experience is a little bar that caters to Cape Verdian. There's a live band playing Cape Verde music--which is a bit different from any I've heard--sort of half West African, half Caribbean, with repetitive melody, accordian and quick tapping sound... and couples dancing at very close quarters...

Nice little glimpse into anothe culture I hope to explore more thoroughly some day...

1421. A Touristy Town (Por 015) Lagos, December 29, 2012, Day 172 4 hrs*, 2.0 kmsDay Totals: 16 hrs, 18.0 kms
I reach Lagos pretty late--but I'm not worried. According to the internet, there are plenty of cheap hostels here... I suspect this is the sort of backpacker hub of the region. Sure enough, when I reach the old city I find the alleys lined with restaurants catering to foreigners. A cozy, lively feel--albeit not quite an authentic Portuguese atmosphere. I don't care--all I want is a cheap place to sleep.  
After an unsuccessful search for a 10 euro hostel that is open and has vacancies, I finally settle on a 20 euro hostel... go grab a Turkish doner and call it a night. I'll explore this city properly later on.