The first and last camping trip in Portugal.
The temperature outside when I pitched the tent last night was 35 degrees. It was probably over 40 degrees inside the tent.
There were no mosquitoes, but there were quite a few flies flying around.
I chose a shady spot, but as the sun went down, the fly sheet was hit by the setting sun.
The sun set around 8:30, and even at that point, it was like a sauna in the tent. I couldn't stay still for more than 10 minutes.
It was so ridiculous that I would get dehydrated and suffer from heat stroke in a tent (lol).
The sun went down and the temperature gradually dropped, but I didn't stop sweating until around 10 o'clock, and it felt like all the water in my body was turning into sweat.
I bought three bottles of 1.5 liter-water at the supermarket, but by morning I had drunk a little over two bottles.
It was around 2 a.m. when the sweating finally stopped and I got into my sleeping bag. The mattress was soaked with sweat.
I remembered a similar experience I had while traveling through the Midwest when I ran across the US.
There would be toilets and water in a campsite, but this is a corner of a park, in the woods, and there is nothing.
In the middle of the night, you can hear the distant howling of pet dogs here and there. Before sunrise, you can also hear chickens crowing...
Because I was far from the national highway, I couldn't hear the noise or vibration of cars, but the conditions were too bad for a good night's sleep.
The sun rose at 6:30 in the morning, and when I got out of the tent, it was so cool!
At this point, I didn't have the energy to run today. There happened to be a vacancy at a hotel in the town of Amareleja, so I booked it online.
46 euros is a bit expensive, but I had no choice.
I took down my tent and went to the supermarket in town.
I bought water and food and sent an email to the hotel to confirm whether I could check in early.
After 9 o'clock, the temperature started to rise and the sun started to shine so hard.
Even in the shade of the trees, it was hot and thirsty without any wind. It was the same even if I wasn't running.
Thankfully, I was allowed in at 12:30pm, despite the check-in time being 4pm.
Solar do Encalho, which has a restaurant on site, is located in the quiet town of Amareleja.
I took a shower and washed my clothes by hand. During the day, they dried in 20 to 30 minutes.
This summer trip made me truly appreciate the value of civilization...
In this scorching sun, a roof provided shade, and the air conditioner allowed for a cool breeze.
A refrigerator allowed for cold drinks, and a shower allowed me to wash off my sweat.
These are all things that we use in everyday life, but traveling teaches us that we can't take them for granted.
This week is going to be tough with temperatures exceeding 35°C across the board.
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