Hello again readers!!

There has been no internet for a while now since we have been up the river like I mentioned in my last blog post. So I didn't get a chance to publish my post before.

We left Alcoutim on the 16^th of March and headed a mile or so upriver to Las Lajas where we anchored for four days or so. We did some biking up there and Jay and I filled the ducky with water, let it warm up in the sun and then used it as a floating paddling pool!! Mum, Dad and I cycled to El Granado – about 35km altogether and Oz ran along beside us!! It was a hot day and he was very tired by the end. El Granado was a medium-small sized town with hardly anyone living there so the streets were very empty (it could have been because it was siesta time!!). We had a very good local lunch there beside the church and I got a puncture at the end of the cycle on the way back. Luckily it wasn't half way through the journey so it wasn't a big problem!! Also, we met Karl (who was going the same way as us) coming up the river carrying some fuel that he had got for our generator from Villa Real for us.

After Las Lajas we went upriver to Pomerao – another small portuguese village on the riverside – where Karl was. We did some more cycling and on the 26-27^th there was another fish festival. There was loads of traditional music,singing and dancing. They had a big white tent which they held the performances in at one end and at the other end there were some stalls selling cheese, fish and meat. We arrived the day before they started building the tent and it was very interesting to see it spring up, first the bare metal structure, then the floor, then the roof, then the other bits and bobs. It was finished only the day before the festival started!!

Jay, Dad, Mum, Karl and I all cycled up to Mertola while we were in Pomerao and it took us two hours to do 20km. We had lunch there and did some food shopping and got some bike parts. The very next day Dad and Karl went on the same route again to see how fast they could do it on their own!! They did it in 42 minutes!!

On the 1^st April (we forgot it was april fools day) we sailed a couple of kilometres upriver to a small settlement with only a few houses and a very loud dog. The day after we arrived we went on a trip up to Mertola and did some shopping. We took the bikes in the ducky halfway, which we towed up with the dingy and cycled the other half

Oz is very well now and has lots of hair on his body. He loves his long walks and goes mental for the meals Mum cooks especially for him.

School is hard but I am doing okay. I do six hours a day now and have Saturday and Sunday off.

Bye for now,

Sam.