Sick in Caldas da Rinhas

Facts:
            Sick here for 5 days. July 9th through July 14th.

July 10th - Did not sleep until 2:30am. Woke-up thinking of toughing it out. That ´hard man´ technique proved to be a quick mistake. It was followed by the ´try another approach Sparky´ method, sending me back to the Hotel SANA.

Given the sleep issues, I picked up some extract and sleep-aid. Personally, I strongly dislike using any form of sleeping pills, but I should have done this earlier. Time change is always an issue but never as much as this trip.

July 11th - Feeling much better. Sleep helped significantly. I could have given it a go today, but it's probably better to recover some health before pushing it.

Walked around the town a little today. There is a nice park and a good mix of new\old buildings. There´s nothing in particular to recommend a visit, but it´s easy to see why people live here. It's pretty, has everything you might need, and families are strongly connected.

July 12th - Sick still. Planning on leaving in the morning. I will go to bed early and hope for an equally early start. Started coughing today.

July 13th - Sick still. Hoping this is the last day. Coughing.

Comments:

A. In order of vile, Top 5 things to ruin a bike-trip:

1. Get hurt
2. Get sick
3. Get a broken bike that can not be repaired at roadside
4. Get robbed
5. Get arrested (Specifically, arrested for doing something without realizing it illegal. Any other kind of issue with the law... well, you deserve what you get.)

All of them result in stopping you. They are expensive and steal motivation.

I am suffering number 2 on the list. Nasal Infection turned cold.

B. The one word description for Caldas da Rinhas it would be: Tranquil.

That might be true of all that I have seen in Portugal so far. Families are both young and tight. Measured by voice volume and physicality, you do not see the kind acting out easily found in our shopping mall. It´s fairly homogeneous, Christian (Catholic) and Portuguese. But there´s something deeper than that going one.

These are people under tremendous a debt crisis. The kind of debt crisis that would produce aggression in the U.S... noticeable aggression. Remember our cities in the 80´s? Here. Nothing. Some protests of course, but those are limited to specific targets. The news is noticeably absent of bleeding leads.

I've been talking to a few people. They are not happy. If they have a job, they will do anything to keep it. Without one, they do not have good chances in finding one. But, you do not get any crazy talk about the government taking away my handgun... ,nor crazy action...people shooting on the highway for example.

There is a drug problem and some crime, but this is not a violent society... not in any way that I can see. I watched a soccer (futebol) game. The Portuguese repudiate violence where we embrace it. There are limits to winning.

You might file this under, ´Be Careful what you assume. The traveler sees what their preconceptions more often that what is actually true´. That might be part of the case here, but I expected to see despair, riots, crime, and violence given the economy.
 

C. Translation of Caldas da Rinhas = Spas of the Queen. There is a hospital and thermal spa here.

D. Speaking some portuguese is great, but you might want to be careful with the phrase: ´Eu gosto meu cabelo pequeno´ when stopping in for a haircut.

My scalp requires suntan lotion... even with the helmet... for a while.