Wonderful Portugal!

I've always wanted to visit Portugal. After watching Samantha Brown, I was enticed. But all of my travel-potential friends didn't seem the least bit interested when I mentioned it. So I just buried Portugal deep in my heart. When I learned that I could actually apply to go to a conference overseas once throughout my PhD studies, I was elated, and started looking for a conference, with the hope that I could find one in Portugal! I got my wish, and until today it is still hard for me to fathom out how lucky I was :-)!

My application for funding was approved after 3 months. Earlier on I had geared my paper to suit the conference's varied themes on trauma. Luckily, a small part of my on-going thesis touches on trauma. As usual, the minute I knew it was approved  I started to worry how I was going to travel to Portugal alone. I suppose if I were a man I wouldn't worry at all about travelling alone. When I submitted an abstract to the conference committee, I 'd forwarded it to Kak Wan, my colleague, with the hope that she would send an abstract too, thus can go with me. It turned out she didn't. I didn't know what to say. I told a few of my friends and Muse about the Portugal trip, but nobody seemed to be able to accompany me, for one reason or another. I started to think that I was doomed. Worst case scenario: I would have to go alone. I shuddered every time I thought about it. Luckily, Kak Wan said she would go with me, even though she wasn't participating or presenting a paper at the conference. I couldn't believe my ears! I asked her over and over again, not convinced she was serious. She rarely went overseas and I knew she wasn't the traveller type. Until we booked the flight tickets on-line and went to KLM office to make payment, then I knew she was serious! I was so lucky and until now I am so grateful that she had forked out her own money just to accompany me *happy tears*

Weeks that led to the conference saw me working hard on the paper and reading hard on what to do and where to go in Lisbon. Then an ex-student, who has become a dear friend since his matriculation and master's days, approached me and asked if I'd like to accompany him and his girl friend to Paris. The dates were near to the dates where I'd be in Lisbon. I 'd always wanted to go to Paris, so I jumped at the chance! So the plan was for me to go to Lisbon, then head to Paris. The day I arrived in Paris was also the day he arrived, only he arrived very early in the morning whereas Kak Wan and me arrived in the afternoon. I was worried that Kak Wan wouldn't want to go to Paris but it turned out she was as excited as I was! But we couldn't stay for long. Kak Wan couldn't take leave for long as the semester was still on. Plus, I would need to justify why I didn't return to KL from Lisbon *grimace*. So I did my homework on Lisbon and came up with an itinerary.  Kak Wan left everything to me as she was busy with classes and  student supervision and all that jazz. Paris was left to my ex-student, which means when I'm in Paris, I would just follow his itinerary.

The day came when we departed for Portugal. Flight was delayed to the next morning and I got a 150 Euros compensation in the form of a travel voucher. Bummer. I was annoyed as this meant we would arrive in Lisbon at night, instead of afternoon, as scheduled initially. Which means my plan to explore Lisbon on the day that we arrive would have to wait until the next day. Another bummer.

Day 1

From the airport we quickly bought the Lisbon Card, which is valid on all buses, trains and trams for 72 hours. Plus, we get either free or discounted fares to gain entry into the historical/touristy sites. Taking the train was easy, but when we got to the station near the hotel, we were lost. It was also freezing. A kind Portuguese woman and later, a man, showed us the way and we arrived at the hotel. Phew.

But the most dreaded thing happened. As we were busy checking in at the reception counter, someone had stolen Kak Wan's hand luggage! It was just next to her and in an instance, it was gone! Earlier on, I had put my glasses and my contact lens stuff in her bag. Plus two perfumes I had bought during transit at Amsterdam! *yes, I'm a sucker for perfumes, especially if they cost one third of the price in Malaysia* The booklets which contained free entry passes to the historical places were also in the bag! Luckily Kak Wan had the good sense to put the Lisbon Cards in her handbag! The card cost 39 Euros each! We were upset and totally dejected as this unfortunate thing happened at the lobby of a 4-Star hotel! But I consoled myself and Kak Wan: at least we still had our passports and money with us!

Day 2

The next day we woke up with a zest! As the conference would only start the day after, we had the whole day to explore Lisbon! But not before sampling the buffet breakfast! Nothing elaborate, just buns, pastries, cakes, quiches, cereal and fruits, the usual continental breakfast, but I fell in love with the coconut buns,  and the croissant. Simply scrumptious and out of this world! So I had the same things over and over again for the rest of our stay *omnomnomomnomnom* I learnt a new Portuguese word: manteiga (butter).

We couldn't go to those historical places like the St Gorge's Castle,  because it was Monday, and these places close on Monday! So I thought we might as well visit the squares - they never close! We took the train and went to our first destination:  Commercio Square. The Portuguese, it seems, are fond of squares and what nice squares they have!  The train business was easy for two reasons. First, I'd had good training of taking trains (and reading maps) whilst I was in Korea and Japan. Aida and Ann trained me well. LOL! Second, the train system in Lisbon was superb, clean, well-connected,  and user-friendly. With my experience (and confidence), our rides were a breeze. Most times I felt like I was  the leader and Kak Wan was the follower. LOL! Commercio Square faces the sea and we could see the longest bridge in Europe in the background (I wasn't sure back then whether it was the bridge that the Protuguese are proud of). It was really breezy and felt nice! We walked around the square and ended up in souvenir stores - one was actually run by a Bangladeshi who'd worked in Malaysia and could speak decent Malay! I bought some souvenirs and because of the Malaysian "connection", got a lot of good discounts *wink wink*. Bought mostly fridge magnets and some rosaries for my good friend Pat and his wife Cecilia. Pat had said that the Portuguese make good, nice rosaries. So I bought him one that was made of wooden beads. For Cecilia I bought a crystal-like one. I was truly  indebted to Pat  for proofreading my paper for the conference. Getting him the rosary was the least I could do :-). From Commercio Square we went to Rossio Square. There were many people here, the place was crowded. In the background we could see the magnificent St. Goerge's Castle on top of a hill. Since I had planned to visit the castle in the next two days, we just admire its majestic beauty from below the square.  From Rossio we went to Avenida Liberdade Square, a more up-scale square, lined by rows of high-end boutiques. There were less people here. I had known that Hard Rock Cafe was located here so we ended up there, and  I bought a t shirt! We were damn tired  by the time we got back at the hotel. Kak Wan, being the encouraging soul that she is, asked me to rehearse my paper. I did, though I seriously doubted I could remember all of my lines.

Learnt another Portuguese word: sapato (shoes).

                Avenida Liberdade Square

Day 3

Since the registration for the conference didn't begin until 12.30, we decided to head to the airport to try to get the booklets which contained free entry passes to the historical places. We had lost these when Kak Wan's bag was stolen. The lady at the counter didn't hesitate at all in giving us the booklets. Phew. If I remember correctly, we had lunch at Vitaminas, a fast food restaurant that serves healthy, low-calorie food. We each had some vegetarian pasta and some carrot/orange juice. It was yummy, nevertheless! We wondered if such fast food restaurant would survive in Malaysia. Nah, don't think so!

The conference began right after registration at 2.00. Kak Wan was left to fend for herself in the hotel room  Hehehe. But I guess she welcomed it, as she gets to rest fully, something she doesn't get to do very often in Malaysia.  I was a bit jittery since most of the participants were Western, mainly from the States. But opposite me I could see a Chinese guy. He must  be the only other Asian at the conference. Earlier on while going over the conference program book, I'd noticed that he is attached to the University of Hong Kong. I was immediately intrigued because his paper discusses Malaysian writer, Tan Twang Eng's latest novel. I'll catch up with him during the wine reception later, I thought.

I was supposed to present my paper on the first day at 4.00 but was told that it had to be postponed to Thursday. Bummer. This means my plans to explore Lisbon is disrupted. Big time. There goes my Lisbon itinerary! But to a certain extent, I was glad that it had been postponed! I didn't think I was quite ready!

During the coffee break, the Asian guy from Hong Kong - Zach, had come to me and introduced himself. I was touched! I was also shocked when he told me he was Malaysian! I almost jumped with joy! What are the odds of meeting your fellow countryman at an overseas conference? A million to one, I guess!

During the wine reception Zach and I met Eugene, a friendly elderly scholar from Germany, who was really curious why I didn't drink. Hehehe.

In the evening after the conference, Kak Wan and I went to Chiado, specifically to find Livraria Bertrand, said to be the oldest bookstore in  the world. Founded in 1732. We found it! Mission accomplished! Aslo had dinner at one of the fancy restaurants in Chiado. And they served rice. And fish.  Ya-ba-da-ba-doo!

                          Livraria Bertrand

        

Day 4

I skipped the conference in the morning to go to the Belem Tower. I had to, otherwise I'd have to forget about sightseeing the historical places in Lisbon, which are open from morning to around 5 or 6. pm. We took the Lisbon hop-on hop off bus and got to the Belem Tower. Not really sure about the history of the tower but it has been around for centuries and was used to guard the Belem area from invasion. From the tower we hopped on the bus again to go to Geronimo Monastery. This monastery is huge and has been around for centuries, too. It is so majestic and regal. It is also where Vasco da Gama was buried. Oh yeah, da Gama is quite an icon for the Portuguese.

                             The Belem Tower

 Not far from the monastery is the famous Portuguese egg tarts cafe - a cafe which has been around for many decades! Earlier on I was kinda at a loss; wondering how am I ever gonna find the cafe. A friend who used to stay in Portugal had told me not to miss the famous tarts. I'd also seen the cafe on TV. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the cafe. I almost jumped with joy! The eggtarts were extremely delicious, nothing compares to it, nothing! Kudos to the Portuguese!

            The legendary Portuguese egg tarts. Yummy!

I went to the conference in the afternoon and sat in to listen to some paper presentations. It was so intense I squirmed all the time in my seat! I felt like what I knew about trauma was really peanuts compared to what those other participants already know! When the conference ended, Kak Wan and I joined Eugene and Zach on a cable car ride at the Oriente. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing and I didn't really have any specific plans for the evening. It was fun but I felt like the cable car rides in Lagkawi or Genting for that matter, are even more exciting and challenging. Somehow we ended up at the twin towers of Portugal, not sure what they were called. It was a refreshing view. The cable car site offers a modern take on Portugal, with the blue sea in the background, sprawling for miles. We then had dinner at one of the restaurants near the conference area, suggested by a hotel staff. Halal choices were limited of course but we were so glad they had rice dishes, laced with seafood. Some kinda Portuguese paella, I think. Delicious to the boot and I could still remember how it tasted! The thing about rice dishes in Portugal is that they're often laced with seafood, kinda like the briani gam here. Yummy!

                          The Portugal Twin Towers

Day 5

Again I had to skip the conference in the morning. My presentation was scheduled at 4.00. I should be weary but I wasn't. Hehehe. Kak Wan and I went to the National Tile Museum. This time, for the first time, we took a bus. The driver was friendly and let us know where we had to stop. The Tile Museum was awesome! Tiles really are one of the most important and prominent features of the Portuguese architecture. Tiles at the museum dated back to as early as 14-15th century. Works of art on the tiles really reflect the status quo of the time. Like those early ones, they depict stories related to none other than Christianity and its central tenets. Some of the tiles also depict the aristocrats' lifestyles. Some depict the adventures of the Portuguese.  You could also tell how old the tiles were by looking at the colour. Those early one were drawn with blue paint. Then after sometime, they added yellow.  Then the other colours. The modern take on tiles were awesome, too! I could also see restoration works being done to the old tiles and the building, which used to be a convent. The Protuguese really take pride in their tiles!  Later on, when we took the tram up to Alfama, I learnt that the tiles are not merely applied for aesthetic purposes but they also help in insulation. Cool! Learnt another Protuguese word: varanda (verandah).

               Centuries-old tiles at the Tile  Museum

Since we didn't have enough time to really go sightseeing, I decided to take the tram up to Alfama, so we could cover Alfama, a must-see suburb, and Porta do Sol, a view point up on the hill where people usually stop at to have a magnificent view of Lisbon.  The tram experience was a bit scary since the tram shares the road with other vehicles and had to stop so many times, either to give way to other vehicles or to stop from scratching cars! It wasn't a smooth ride, I squirmed in agony sometimes. Hehehe. I learnt that the tram has been around since early 20th century!

At 3.30 I went to conference. Rob, the Chair of the conference was really worried since I wasn't around in the morning. Hehehe. Eugene, who was supposed to chair my session, was also sceptical that I would show up. Hahaha. I presented my paper and was nervous throughout the 20 minutes presentation! I got 3 questions, one of which was really tough.I was flabbergasted and didn't really answer the question. Bummer. Later, Eugene sort of  helped me to understand the question. This will be addressed in the final draft of my paper, which is due a few weeks after the conference. Phew. I am lucky to have met Eugene, who has a literature background. There were not many literature papers presented at the conference. Even if there were, most discuss films and theatre.

The conference had a cocktail party right after my session ended. It was the last session of the day anyway. A few of the participants came and said how relieved they were that I had used Marxism, a truly important but forgotten theory! I was happy and smiled from ear to ear!

After that Kak Wan and I went to Colombo, the biggest shopping mall in Portugal! Yup, it is big, as big as Mid Valley, I think. The best thing about this mall is that it opens from 9 am to 12 pm! Hehehe. I had read somewhere that the Portuguese have their dinner really late. This is probably why the mall closes late. True, at 10 pm, I could see people still having dinner at the mall. And people are still walking around to shop! I didn't buy much except a quilt cover set from Zara Home. 50% discount so why not, eh? I also bought some Portuguese music CDs. Those by Mariza and Amalia - fado divas. Also a compilation of fado songs by different artistes. 

When it was time to go back to the hotel, it rained hard. Like one of  those torrential downpours  in   Malaysia. Even when we got to the station near our hotel, it was still raining. It also became really cold that I had to hide in one of those  instant polaroid booths just to stay warm while waiting for the rain to stop. Hehehe.

Day 6

This was the day that Kak Wan I have been waiting for! Freeport Outlet! Said to be the biggest shopping outlet in Europe. At 10, we were already at the Marques de Pombal Square waiting for the bus that would take us to the outlet. The outlet is quite far from Lisbon, I read that we would have to cross the sea via the longest bridge in Europe! The bus came, after making us wait for more than 1 hour! I was already annoyed, and had contemplated going to the outlet via other transport services. 

The bus, it seems, has been having problems so the operator put us on a taxi. We shared the taxi with another guy *he's so cute*. It took almost an hour to reach the outlet. We were worried about the cost and Kak Wan kept looking at the meter! But when we arrived there, we didn't have to pay anything because the bus operator would bear the cost! We heaved a huge sigh of relief! Oh my, how considerate and generous! 

The outlet was huge, yes, but I ended up not buying anything. I don't know but I guess the brands, which are mostly European, are either not to my taste or too expensive. I tried on some Levi's jeans but they were too expensive, even more expensive than those at JPO! I was truly disappointed. To make up for my disappointment, I treated myself to some rice and fried fish at the outlet. Yummy!!!

We left the outlet at 4. 

In the evening we went to see a Fado show at Chiado. The singers were great and hot! The musicians were fabulous! One hour of pure entertainment! I guess I could identify with the blues, the longing and the nostalgia fado seems to be imbued with. I'm a gentle soul. Hiks!

                                    Fado show at Chiado

After the show we went to Commorcio Square again to buy some more souvenirs. I had forgotten about my supervisor! Ooopss. We ended up in a different souvenir shop and got even better bargains this time around! How lucky!  Learnt another Portuguese word: bandera (flag).

That night we packed. The next morning we will be leaving Lisbon for good *sob sob*

Day 7

We left the hotel after breakfast. I'm going to miss the coconut buns at the hotel, I thought. The hotel paid for the taxi. I guess they wanted  to compensate us somehow for the loss of Kak Wan's hand luggage. On the way to the airport, we saw  other parts of Lisbon. It was a refreshing sight. Lisbon is really clean, modern and organized. I left Portugal with a heavy heart. Really. 

Would I go  to Portugal again? Definitely. The people are friendly. The architecture is marvellous. The food is great. There are also so many interesting places that I didn't get to cover this time aorund. St. George's Castle for example. It was in my itinerary but because my presentation was rescheduled, the castle had to be left out. Bummer. It was a worthwhile trip, nevertheless. One that I truly enjoyed! I also had a marvellous travel companion, who's so freaking cool and open-minded! 

But Portugal has a peaceful feel about it. I sit on the terrace overlooking the vineyard there and I feel cut off from the world. You need that sort of thing. ~ Cliff Richard.