WAGS 10.10.2018: Lagos Limited Edition or The Walk that Nearly Wasn't!

There was an almost complete lack of enthusiasm from the WAGS for a walk from Lagos on the Double 10 National Day of the Republic of China.

Republic of China National Anthem (only to be opened on 10/10 )



 Only Yves signed up, and when I telephoned him on Tuesday evening, his Frogginess had extended to his throat, and he did indeed sound as rough as a swampful of amphibian Ranidae. We persuaded him not to carry his germs down the Frog to the healthy end of the Algarve.
    Other excuses were less convincing, including this meisterlich dissemination from Hilke, who I may add has not walked for eons:-

Hi, Paul,

why for heaven's sake don't you start at the usual time for the WAGS? It is not that hot anymore.

I am not coming until you get back to a comfortable time ( I am not here anyway for the 24th9.

     The '24th9' is history anyway, but it has actually been quite hot after 10am, and popular agreement has had us starting earlier, and there is no such thing as 'normal' applying to WAGS walks.  In fact I wish more WAGS would offer to lead whatever walk they consider normal, at whatever is a 'comfortable' time for them!

     The National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan, or once Formosa) is celebrated (not too widely outside of Taiwan) on the 10th of October (10-10 or Double 10).  
       It commemorates the start of the Wuchang Uprising of 10 October 1911, which led to the end of the Qing Dynasty in China and establishment of the Chinese Republic on 1 January 1912.  
       During the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Government of the Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, were overthrown and fled to Taiwan leaving the mainland to the Peoples Republic of China led by Mao Tse-tung, whose descendants are now taking over the World, including my apartment in Lagos!!
     Anyway, we decided , as there are no WAGS rules about quora, that the two of us would embark on a Limited Edition, urban/rural/cultural tour of our local area.
     Sadly no starter photo, as I am lost without John's expertise and magic camera, and anyway there would be enough chance for photos of Myriam on her own later.  I did remember to start my beta Locus Map app and it functioned satisfactorily for the first time.

Lets get the Stats out of the way early too.

Yes, we clocked in at 8.74 km and an altitude gain totalling 285 m. Well within 'normal' WAGS walks.

I must confess to an ulterior motive, in that as there were only two of us, the walk could be used as a Geocaching maintenance walk (without whinging) for my Cachewalker Lagos Rural Wilderness Series of 10 caches plus a bonus, and we managed to cover at least half of them.

Another bonus was that near the first of the series is the Lagos Pet Cemetery, I believe the only example of such in the Algarve. It was opened a year ago, and doesn't appear to have attracted more than a few occupants to date.

Entrance to the 'Cemeterio para Animais'

Is this a repository for complete pets or just ashes?

Anyone interested in booking a place for their beloved pet, contact Lagos Camara.

The Pet cemetery is at the back corner of the Human cemetery, and we made our way through the untamed fennel along the back wall to our next cache.

Back wall of the cemetery

Further on, Myriam found an Algarve Workers Rural Kit............

......wheelbarrow, tools, ropes and a mattress for the obligatory Soneca

   At the next cache, an old ruined farm building we found that a street Artist from last year's ArtURB Festival had been here.

'O  rapaz' 

Life imitating Art

After completing the rural bit we circled round to try and catch my elusive TV man at his place of work, but he must have had the spotters out and had disappeared.

   By now it was about 11 am and hunger pangs were gnawing at me.  I decided to eschew the traditional WAGS post walk snack of a tosta mista or bifana in favor of a visit to the best Breakfast joint in the Algarve.  This would have been impossible if there had been a greater nuber of WAGS, but ideal just for the two of us, so we repaired to Cafe Odeon.

Cafe Odeon - a scruffy little hole-in-the wall, that does sensational breakfasts at amazingly low prices, but only seating for about 12. Always busy.

Myriam went for the Veggie Breakfast,( Euros 4,50) basically a Full English less bacon and sausages, and with tomatos, but cooked on the same griddle!

Luckily she feels no remorse for pigs and just wanted a really healthy fry-up.

I of course went for the Super Full English with sausages (Euros 5.00).......

..... but was too excited and got stuck in before I remembered I was lead photographer. 

BTW I put my hash browns to soak up the runny egg yolks, an old trick I learnt in Hong Kong.  The breakfasts here are a bit hybrid for the purists among us, as the owner Thomas, is an American and does all the cooking himself propped up at a tiny range, and he has developed it into an art form. And of course HP Sauce and Colmans mustard on every table.

    We left groaning under the weight of the belt-strainer breakfasts, and unfortunately for me had to return home via the town centre. This meant stopping to look in shops and an exhibition of artisan art.

There are some very talented artisans around and lots of inventive objects were on display.

Also a marvellous long-haired cat that was fascinated by what Myriam had trod in on our walk.

And so the honour of the WAGS was maintained, another week crossed off the calendar. Hopefully next week we may get more interest, but it doesn't matter, we only need one subject and one blogger/photographer and some decent tucker at the end to fulfil the virtual WAGS charter!

An elegant WAG Myriam LO,

Wasn't short but she wanted to grow

     She ate a Full Greaser

     She thought would increase 'er

But it all ended up in the Po!!