February Diaries

After an eventful January when I got to go to Africa, I was very excited about February.

I spent its early days in Tavira, a small city in the Algarve where the sun was shining and life was slow-paced and peaceful.
There’s not much to do over there during winter so our days were spent working either at home or at a cafe, taking walks by the water and chilling at home watching movies or playing cards.

Although I’m a big city girl, I love spending some time in places like this. It’s nice to see the same faces every day, going to the local market and living a quiet life for a week. I got to see ‘Poor Things’, which became my favourite Yorgos Lanthimos’ movie so far. I loved its depiction of women and how we’re so much more than just one thing.

After Tavira, I got back to Braga for a few days and then headed to Panama for two weeks.
I meant to go to Panama for a while now. One of my best friends is Panamanian and I always said I’d visit her one day — and that day finally arrived, 10 years later.

Our flight took off from Madrid just after lunch and after 10 and a half excruciating hours, where we talked, ate, slept, watched movies and listened to lots of music, we landed in Panama City. We were greeted by my friend’s parents who, from then on, treated us like family.

The next day, we got picked up by a travel agency to head to San Blas, where we spent 48h off the grid. I can’t remember the last time I went 48h without my phone but there’s no connection or WiFi there, so I must say it was quite freeing. The islands are very pretty and perfect to spend a night in nature. We swam, sun bathed, took a couple power naps and ate lots of fried food.

Back in Panama City, we spent our time with my friend, her fiancé and her family visiting the most important places and getting to know more about the country. There was time for everything: from Chinese breakfast, to seeing how the canal works and even a day spent on a boat.

It was nice to finally take some days off work to enjoy the sun and spending time with a friend I don’t see as often as I’d like to. It was even more special to be there to witness her wedding day and share some of their happiness on such a special occasion.
I will cherish this trip forever and I’ll always remember the kindness we received.

I got back to Braga on the 27th and started packing immediately for my next adventure: Andorra. I’m writing this on March 13th, and let me tell you, what adventure this month has been so far!