December 2014
After a few sleepless nights and busy days, trying to find a place to stay for the next month, I finally got some offers from people in the “village”. I made the decision a few days before, to stay in Portugal for a while, as I just love it here. It was impossible to find any more house sits, so I have to rent a place, which isn’t easy. Somebody told me about the lady of a very small supermarket in an even smaller village, close to Gorgoes. She knows everybody and everything! So I went to see her and she is immediately on the phone with her neighbour, and the friend of a neighbour and even with her husband. They all know somebody, who has a rental place. The first visit is to an adorable farmhouse with lots of atmosphere, but with 5 barking dogs in the garden of the house next door. The landlord reassures me that they are indoors during the night. Yeh yeh, in Portugal? I don’t believe it! Very early next morning I have an appointment with a lady in the same neighbourhood, who has a cottage at the side of her house. No privacy, very basic and …….two barking dogs right beside the cottage in a kennel!
A few days ago, I called the owner from the sign “for rent” of the house in Cacela Velha. She tells me that her house is partly rented, but there is also the house of her aunt, right next door. I can rent it for 400 euro a month, including the heating. That is a very reasonable price.
I decide to go back to Cacela Velha, to try and meet the people, who are renting this gorgeous little house at the seaside. Coincidentally, they just came back from shopping. People from Guadaloupe (of all places), also exploring Portugal and Spain with the purpose to live there in the near future. As Cacela Velha is situated very close to the border with Spain, it is a perfect spot to explore the Algarve and Andalusia. The guy from Guadaloupe offers kindly to show me the house. It is cute with a very small living room, two bedrooms, a big bathroom, simple kitchen and an enormous rooftop terrace overlooking the sea. The view is something else. The location of the house, right beside the narrow alley to the Cemetary, is also one of a kind! Everything looks Greek to me; white houses with the typical blue (Greek) color. The view of the beach with the lagunas is unbelievable beautiful! I will most certainly enjoy the sunsets here……..The church in the village seems to be a famous spot for weddings. The village of around 15 houses even has a restaurant, which is open for lunch and dinner until 10.00 p.m. From Cacela Velha it is a short drive to my favorite town of Tavira and also very convenient to explore the back country. 
I make my decision; this place is something else, has good karma and to stay here for a month will be very special.