The first bottle of gas got empty on Thursday and I decided to go and fill it up right away. And since the filling station is on the way to Baleal, I went there to look at the surf conditions. They did not disappoint!
Baleal, sweet Baleal
I parked and went straight surfing. Everything was so easy and I got all the waves that I wanted. At least almost. It was like magic and so much easier that Caparica that I made a decision to stay here for a while now.
Yesterday the waves were rough and I had three days of surfing behind me, so I went for a run on the beach instead. It was really pretty and nice. I had missed running barefooted on the beach almost as much as surfing. This morning I slept past the sunset surf and when I got in, it was already really crowded. But I had fun until I had a couple of close calls with other people. If the conditions are ok in the evening, I might give it another go. Most likely though I will leave it until early morning tomorrow. I may even set an alarm.
Parking situation at Baleal
I don’t remember if I already told you that the hippie park I used last fall has been closed off for vans. It’s a pity, but no wonder really considering how messy some people there were. So the parking situation here is a bit different now. There are plenty of nice options, but you have to play by the rules more now. I’m parking right next to Baleal surf camp (beach entrance parking lot) for now, but I think I will have to move soon just to avoid trouble.
Talking about trouble, I also visited the city hall of Peniche because I wanted to pay the fine from almost a year ago. I got a letter in February (in Portuguese) stating the evidence and asking if I wanted to challenge the fine. Since they have my old address, I went straight to the source and asked if I could pay the fine. That didn’t work out, because they were still waiting my possible challenge and no decision had yet been made. But they promised that I could pay it next Friday. That’s another reason to stay here for at least a while.