Day 174
2 hrs, 10 .8 kms
Day Totals: 16 hrs, 41.3 kms

And finally I reach the peaceful town of Luz. The coast is flatter here--but there are still some cool rock formation fingers reaching out into the sea. Here, where the houses are snuggled right up against the sea I sing to my last sunset of 2012, and smile as I remember all the amazing places my road has taken me this last year.

Lagos Post-visit: Welcoming the New Year
January 1, 2013, Day 175
10 hrs, 5.0 kms

I reach Lagos well after dark and figure I've had enough adventures for the day and am ready to ring in the new year with snores. But a couple of young folks at the hostel invite me to join them for a New Years celebration. Its a Belgian brother and sister, a Chinese girl and a Chinese-American girl. We start out in the hostel lobby, I try to think of what songs in my repertoire would be appropriate for a New Year's party for the end of 2012

How about "End of the World?" Yep, that's in my repertoire .

Then we head off to town, where everybody is out in the streets--and it seems to be mainly local folks, not just tourists. it's a lot of fun to see folks letting their hair down and just enjoying themselves. Definitely more of a festive feel than what I felt in Napoli last New Years.

I tell you, when groups of Portuguese are forming circles and and doing the horse dance to the beat of the Korean "Gangnam Style" THAT'S the sign that the world is coming to an end!

We head into a dance club where I feel quite underdressed and overage, but enjoy in nonetheless. Finally I figure It's time to head on back and get some rest.

But no... back at the hostel, we head up to the roof and start talking. We talk about questioning what is real... about other dimensions... about the concept of "layers of reality" which I've been thinking about during this trip--particularly about my favorite layer, the "timeless realm" where you break free from time and simply exist above the puny joys and worries of chronological human life...

An unforgettable night of finding inspiration with someone who thinks and communicates on the same wavelength as me...

But then, of course, you can't stay in the "timeless realm" for too long... It's 4 in the morning and I will need to sleep at least a little if I want to do any hiking today!