The Algarve Revisited -- Part One
I used to write Letters from the Algarve. The reason was simple. That's
where I lived. Then I got fed up with the place. I thought: it isn't
going anywhere, and isn't likely to in the foreseeable future. In fact,
it seems to be stuck in reverse gear.
I sold up, cut my ties, and moved. I went to Central America, where I
settled in Grenada on Lake Nicaragua. I liked it there, and decided to
stay awhile.
Circumstances have brought me back to the Algarve temporarily to help a
friend, and it is interesting to look again at the place with a
foreigner's eyes. So, what have I found?
The first thing I noticed was a complete opposite to the world I had
just left. Nicaragua is a poor country in Central America. It is
advertised as the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,
after Haiti. I was therefore astonished to find the Algarve in many
respects way behind Nicaragua. I'd forgotten just how much derelict
land there is. I'd forgotten just how few people seem to work in the
Algarve. Even those who work seem to have a day off every week so they
can sign on.
In Nicaragua I noticed a pattern I was familiar with from my days
living in Spain. Along the roads, and in the village squares, were
groups of men waiting in the morning to be picked up by trucks to take
them off to work. There is a place in each village where the men go to
seek day work. If they are in luck, someone hires them, and they pile
in the back of the truck, and off they go.
In the Algarve they seem to congregate in the bars and lean against
walls all day. It reminded me of parts of Africa.
The other thing I noticed almost immediately was the driving. Where I
now live on the other side of the world they drive slowly, carefully,
and safely. Admittedly, the bus drivers shout at each other, and
overtake with much revving and good humoured obscenities, but I was
surprised at how gently they behave in the cities. Back in the Algarve
there is a habit I hadn't noticed before. They drive with one arm
waving out of the window nonchalantly. It's almost as if the driver is
boasting that he isn't paying attention.
It took a few days before I noticed many other stark differences
between my old home and the new, but I'll leave them to the next
installment.
john
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