Cruising down the west coast of Portugal, the summer breeze throwing strands of hair and flakes of dead skin around the car. I have been told by many of my elders that you can’t properly experience a country until you get a car and just do it yourself. The Portuguese Pelicans decided to give it a crack. In only a matter of moments, they were introduced to Suavemente.

Suavemente (suave-a-men-tay) is the Spanish word for smooth and so what other name could we call this 68 000km old beauty. Suavemente drove us from Lisbon to Sines, down through the towns to Vila Nova De Milfontes where the Pelicans stopped off for a cheeky swim. A town where hardly anybody spoke English but instead spoke their native tongue. Finally! A challenge! As a traveler, you start to get a bit sick of everybody being able to understand you. I mean this in the sense that I have saved a lot of money to experience another culture, language being a major factor in the search for cultural difference, yet the majority of the time you only experience the touristy side of things. Vila Nova De Milfontes was authentic Portugal.

Suavemente got us to Lagos in the early evening where we had nowhere booked to stay. A quick phone call to a recommended hostel and we found ourselves with a bed and beer in our hand at the Rising Cock Hostel. The woman running the show has to be in her 50s or 60s at least and she only responds to Mama. She takes crap from nobody but understands the needs of young backpackers who are at her hostel for only a handful of things. I don’t know how she does it day in, day out because after two days it started to do my head in. All the Australians I mean. 95% of Lagos is filled with Aussies. I reckon I only spoke to about 5 Portuguese people the whole time I was there.

Unexpectedly freezing cold water but a sun that is hotter than the bottom of your laptop, the Pelicans walked to the beach to cure a hangover. Each beach is its own little cove, divided by headlands with a walking track above. The Pelicans decided that they would walk the track and look at every single beach and then decide the best one to go to. That plan fell short after two beaches when eight women swimming in the water were spotted. They were wearing half priced bikinis. I’ll let you make of that as you wish. We had found our beach.

An early morning with Suavemente charging up the west coast. Pre coastal cruising, a detour to Sagres was made. Sagres is a surf town that sees groms slashin cutties and gettin bazzaed in the g room, shakkas braaaa. An onshore wind and zero swell saw Sagres in poor form so after only half an hour, Sauvemente was again leading the way.

The Portuguese Pelicans are off on their separate ways, Chad heading to the south of France and the Wizard of Aus flying down to Morocco. Only five days of immaturity and mischief but they were phenomenal. It’s always hard to finish a chapter regardless of how many pages it is but you have to do it to start the next one. Back to being a Suitcasing Scallywag as I adventure into another continent, my fourth for the year.