Portugal Day 3 - Activity Day

15/05 – The day of activities!

Good morning! Today is finally the day I've been looking forward to: kayaking and diving! What I'll do after that, I'll see, but first this adventure! 😁

I started the day with a hearty breakfast near my hostel: a typical English breakfast.

The people were super nice. They were just getting started when I came in and said: "Hey, can I come in and eat something?" 😅 In Belgium, many people might get annoyed by that, but they remained very friendly. Especially very gentle. They even came to ask twice if everything was to their liking. And yes, out of habit and professional deformity I always clear my own table. Simple breakfast, but tasty! And I thought: I'll eat well, so that I don't get sick from hunger on that kayak again like in Croatia.😂

After that I ordered an Uber and went to the departure point of the kayak tour. I was one of the first, together with two guys from Brazil. The tour guides were again super friendly. They asked a few questions to get to know us better, and then we started.

I think we did almost all the beaches I saw on the boat ride yesterday during the tour. We paddled between cliffs to get to the other side. At one point we came to a place where the water was really low and rocks were sticking out of the water because of yesterday's full moon. The guide gave me a challenge: "Who's first?" A couple next to me said: "You go first," and the Brazilian guy behind me also encouraged me. I thought: okay, let's do this. 💪

So I paddled towards the opening between the rocks, and just as I was in between, a wave came and lifted me up... and put me on the rock.😅 I thought: shit, I'm stuck! I tried to push myself forward, but it was hard. I waited for the next wave and as soon as it lifted me up again, I pushed myself free and paddled on. Mission accomplished and then it was the rest's turn. 😂

We also went ashore on a beach, where we searched for shells. Mainly the guides and I. One guide always found exactly the shells that I wanted to find myself. And the best part? He gave me everything he had found! All put in my pocket, I was super happy. At the end of the tour we got a card with the information where we could find the photos that were taken during the tour. I also got a rare shell that was supposed to bring luck. I now have that in my wallet se. 🐚

Time for activity number two! I was hoping it would go as smoothly as the first one.

I still had 2.5 hours left, so I decided to eat something because water activities require a lot of energy. A friendly young man of my age (also 28) asked me if I wanted to eat at their restaurant. And he was wearing a lovely perfume. 😍 Eventually I said yes and I was sitting by the water again, coincidentally at the exact same place as yesterday after my boat trip, but at a different restaurant.

After dinner I sunbathed for a while and then... it was time: diving! My dream would finally come true. Diving in the sea!

First we got a short briefing about underwater communication and the basic rules. Then we were allowed to practice in the pool. And that's where things started to go wrong... I was nervous, but that wasn't the problem. My coordinator, who called me "the girl with the beautiful eyes" 😳 was very pretty and had beautiful eyes himself. He helped me breathe through the mouthpiece, which was okay, but the goggles pressed against my nose, which made me feel like I was suffocating. That made me breathe faster and deeper than normal. We went under water a few times, but every time water got into my goggles. We had learned how to get it out, but every time I tried, I panicked and gasped for air. So, up again, gasping for air 😅

Luckily, the coordinator had a lot of patience. He reassured me underwater, and we did an exercise together. For a moment, I forgot everything around me. And yes... I had to look into his eyes. That really helped. But after a few attempts, my lungs started to hurt and I had to stop. Unfortunately.

He said I couldn't dive with him, and I totally understood. He asked if I would go on the boat with him, and I said, sure.

Unfortunately, on the boat, my lungs started to hurt even more. It felt like there was noise in my breathing, like with a bad cold. And then it started: I got nauseous. Just like in Croatia. I felt the headache, dizziness... and yes, I had to go to the small toilet to throw it all out. 🤢 Sorry to whoever had to clean that toilet.

When everyone went into the water, two of them quickly came back: one said it wasn't for him, the other thought it was too scary to dive down because it was dark. I thought: come on, I would have loved to do that and you have the chance and are returning...

I was so happy when everyone was back on the boat and we could sail to the harbor. The sea was so wild that I wondered how the boat didn't break in half. 😂 While it was still super calm in the morning.

Once we arrived, we had to take off our suits and shoes and put them next to a white bucket so they could be cleaned. I didn't dare look at anyone, especially not my coordinator.😅But he reassured me: "It's completely okay, it was your first time, that can happen." Still, I was disappointed, especially because I had been looking forward to it so much. I'm someone who wants things to work out right away and usually I manage the first time, except this time.

When I went to get my locker key, he was there. Again I said sorry and looked down and again he said it was no big deal. “Don’t give up. Better luck next time.” Then he said, “Wait, I have something for you.” He walked over to his jacket where his diving gear was hanging and pulled out a shell. “I found this for you while diving.”

So sweet! That was a sign to me that he was thinking of me underwater. After that I went straight to my hostel and crawled into bed. I felt so bad. I slept from 5:30 pm to 8 am.

I had set an alarm for 8pm so I could still eat and walk around, it was my last night after all, but every time I woke up I felt that pain in my lungs again, so I just kept sleeping.

At one point I woke up to the bells of a church playing a beautiful melody. It calmed me down so much. Then I went back to sleep.

And that was about it... my activity day. A day I had been looking forward to so much. 😂