Day 173
4 hrs, 10 .0 kms

I still don't know if I'm actually going to make this a Superhike or not, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a start, and see how it feels. After a quick tour around Sagres--grabbing some canned food for a cheap lunch, I head on down the road, where there's a peaceful bicycle path running parallel to the road, past open plains and orchards.

Then there's a sign pointing to ridge to the side, saying there are ruins of a prehistoric site. Cool. I'm liking this potential Superhike more and more. Sure enough, up on the ridge are some circles of rocks, where ceremonies took place back in the Stone Age.

So as the sun sets over the Endless Western Sea, I sit at this ancient site, joining my voice with the long lost echoes of these people of the past. People who sought answers... living and dying with the limited knowledge of the world.

Somehow, in another dimension, there is a connection between us .

Right at the base of the ridge is a village, Vila do Obispo. Unlike Sagres, which feels more like a place catering to tourists, surfers and vacation home dwellers, this feels like a real Portuguese village--the most authentic Portuguese village to date.

It has a different feel than Andalusian Spanish villages. a bit more rustic--simple tiled roof, one story houses. A but grubby--but the blue or yellow paint around the doors and windows, as well as the plants in front, give them some charm. This feels like the way real, hardworking Portuguese farmer folk live and have lived for hundreds of years--a stark contrast with the spattering tourism and vacation home developments that cover much of Algarve region.

In fact, it's so authentic here, that I feel very out of place. All the old men I pass give me the glaring look that says "Who are you and what the hell are you doing tromping through our town?" It gives me the impression that they've never seen a tourist in there village before--even though they're only a few kilometers from major tourism area.

There are also a couple of cone roofed round buildings with a giant wooden pole jutting out of the roof. Hmmm... Oh... they're windmills--or what's left of them...

I like windmills--they symbolize man's early attempts to harness natural energy, the first baby steps of modernization. Hopefully I'll come across some that are still intact.