The things I did in Lisbon

It was a city with an Indianmission and I fulfilled it wonderfully only to get stuck many numbers of days in Lisbon. That said I did lots of mundane things in Lisbon which I almost forgotten but while I recall good friendship that I made in Lisbon and some even rekindled it reminds me of what I partake in and a smile creep across when I think about it.


City of Lisbon - Portugal

The Home for a while – We Love Hostel

I stayed at a petite hostel named – “We Love Hostel” of 3 rooms which squeezed at most 14 bed max with a tiny weeny cosy kitchen (but still manage to cook a full meal) and a common area one must gently butt someone else to nip ones way around. That said the hostel was awesome. At 12 euro a night it was not the cheapest in town but it was the cosiest there was. People come and go but with a hostel that small you can’t really run/hide away from conversation. Even the most shy and introvert will open up for a chatter. That said I found two new friend to explore the town together …. Jay and Combo.

The standard touristy stuff

Walking around Lisbon

Coach Museum Balem - Lisbon

Walking around the old city of Lisbon is a given and if you happen to be in town during the first Sunday of the month like I was; museums are free that one day a month.

A trip down to Balem in Lisbon where most of the museum congregate themselves together, monuments of historic landmarks, and a very eye catching Jeronimos Monastery. Most of the museums barely cost 7 euros but chalking them up together could be painful. A free Sunday and museum hopping saved me nearly 30 euro, while some is really dependent on one’s personal taste the Monastery was a must catch.

Extra bonus if you get yourself one of the oldest still surviving and famous Portuguese egg tart

Lisbon is a great city to explore on foot. Each district has its individual flavour and best explored at different times. The nightlife district of course is best explored at night and the monuments in the early morning but letting the wind carry my feet was the best thing in Lisbon for one can end up in a completely quint neighbourhood but with amazing views with almost no soul nearby.

A Park in Lisbon

Tram 28 - Lisbon

Small enough to explore on foot but large enough that it would take you a few days on foot+tram to cover it toughly
The famous elusive tram 28 which goes around the old city at local price ( some trams goes the same tracks but are 10 euro a ride while this cost about 3 ).

It was a splendid way to explore Lisbon and after eluding me for nearly a week I decided it was time to hunt it down with Jay. Best to find the starting line where one could get a seat and just enjoy the view out the window and watch how the tram narrowly avoid parked cards in incredibly tight corners.

Daytrips – Sintra & Cascais

Tile  Painting

When in Lisbon visit Sintra. Sintra was a short train ride away about 20 minutes and is set at the south western tip of Portugal which had a Castle at the top of the hill which watch out for ships entering the straits.

Mouros Castle was a challenging hike for the unfit. There was a few ways the get there but the cheapest and best way was walking along the back alley / forested footpath that leads to the castle. Walking along the main road is even more longer and treacherous with hazard of being knock down by bicycles, daily rented buggy’s, scooters, cars and huge ass tourist bus.

Mourns Castle - Sintra Portugal

Mourns Castle - Sintra Portugal

The view is worth my lungs torture I must say.

Other than the castle, Sintra is also filled with other monuments, palaces, building that seems to compete for the title “look at me”. A UNESCO heritage site, Sintra can be a costly affair for a budget backpacker if you want to visit the insides of everything. That said the outside is pretty amazing too.

The second daytrip was Cascais the beach. It is a beach town ….. good for swimming and tanning and just lazing. Being from Malaysia I must say I have seen better beaches …. Overcrowded beaches are not really an appeal compared to a desolated lonely beach but then again a huge crowd in an Ang-Moh setting is best for eye candy watching.

Cascais Beach

Graffiti Art in Cascais Beach - Portugal

Things I did not expect to do in Lisbon

I attended of all things a meditation group in the middle of a noisy city. Everything was explained in Portuguese so and so on but I could never be comfortable with people who have the Zen eyes. The pity eyes and the look that says all is well as the cosmic energy surround you and free you of burden. I just don’t get that shit. Meditation is something that I do with a glass of beer watching the sunset pondering life. Don’t quite get the sitting and closing eyes thing.

I had too much time in Lisbon …. Carpe Diem ….

Evora in Portugal

Evora sounded like a video game when I saw the name. Like a mythical blue planet MMORPG but it was really just a small historic town with a castle wall around it. I was stuck in Portugal, held hostage by the Indian Mission while my passport was being processed for an Indian Visa. I decided to visit nearby places around Lisbon and Evora seemed like a nice quiet place to getaway even from the backpackers.

Evora itself was so small one could see it in 3 hours but I stayed there for 3 days to renew my burnout backpacker soul. If you have travelled long enough you’ll understand the feeling and Evora was the perfect place to do just that. Cheap hostels, quiet and peaceful yet with a tinge of old flavour and a good kitchen and cheap grocery hypermart to fill any cravings for 3 days. Not to mention the lack of tourist and backpacker party scene helps me just sit back and unwind to a good bottle of Porto.


Roman Ruins in Evora

The buildings of Evora was mostly white with red roof tiles. A small hill on the centre of town where some old roman ruins still reside and a little park along the side. It cost about 13 euro one way from Lisbon to Evora and the same back.

Town of Evora - Portugal

An Indian Mission in Lisbon

To tell the story right I have to start from the beginning. All the way back to when I started the trip planning the waypoint route of travelling the world. Where should I go and when would I reach there. India was a possibility but there was hurdles.

I considered very hard how to get to India. With my work being in construction especially in Singapore, I work with loads of Indian community of various status. 

Heck my boss is an Indian from India. 2nd round travelling and this time friends and family knew that I was serious when I said I was taking a year off. From all my Indian colleague in work the saying was unanimous …. YOU MUST GO INDIA

India was one of the few countries that I had to apply for Visa. India visa expires six months after approval so I was stuck. Plan to visit India was at the end of my 1 year trip where I could cruise along on a low budget if I somehow burn it all along the way. 

I decided to fly to Kathmandu instead where they give Visa on arrival for a fee. Midway of my journey and I was now within that six months window and I decided to try and get that Indian visa since the idea has been bugging me for a while now. 

Lisbon had an Indian Mission, or consulate where I could get a Visa and the next nearest place would be London. No harm trying I thought since I was going to Lisbon anyway.

Prior to arriving in Lisbon a few days earlier I had send in some enquiry through the email provided online. They told me to just apply and fill in someone’s name for reference in India and a sponsor in Portugal. They also told me to print out proof of money that I have to travel India. 

I filled out the online application form and actually put NA for the reference people in India and Portugal and it went in online. 

In Lisbon I went to the embassy but have no idea if they would turn me down for I had no reference in India and definitely no sponsor in Portugal. 

Took my queue number and went in for the wait. I was there early, 9 am and numbered within the single digits. Waiting about I saw other attachment that was held by people around waiting to apply their visa.

The application form specified 2 inch by 2 inch photograph but I only had the 2 inch by 1 inch photograph …. Paranoia ran through my mind the whole 2 hours that I waited in line.

Interview for an Indian Visa, Joana the officer did not ask much of proof. I just passed her the application form and viola it was being processed quietly. Two question was asked which was expected.

Are you a resident of Portugal? No ….. and I explained that I was backpacking and hence could not apply from my home country

When are you going in India I fly into Kathmandu on 25 July I explained and would take either a bus or train to India from there

That was all Joana asked of me. The carefully prepared and printed out proof of finance was held in my hand and never shown to her. Proof of flight ticket was not shown either. 

In fact she did not even asked if I have a plane ticket in and out of India nor did she ask where I would be staying in India. I guess a backpacker charm was understood that we poor backpackers can never make up our minds.

67 Euro I paid for the Visa and she told me to return 2 weeks later. Shit. ….. after a slight begging I got her to agree to a week later. 

Now I am stuck in Lisbon …. Having 8 days to burn before retrieving my passport and able to leave Portugal. I am in a dilemma to figure out which country do I skip in Europe while I wait for my passport to be returned.

A week later I got my passport back without any troubles with the beautiful sticker of an Indian Visa. 

I AM GOING TO INDIA AAAAAAAA

A Stop in Coimbra - Portugal

Coimbra was the halfway break between Aveiro and Lisbon for me. I heard it was a nice charming old town full of history. What I did not hear was that the hostel was a long hike uphill from the train station. 

The terrain of the city was a bit ridicules to me, like a city cutting though a valley yet as a tourist other than the winded lungs and strain legs plus physiological effect that keeps making me go downhill further away from any destination I want to go just so I can avoid going uphill; it made a wonderful place for exploration.

One of the oldest University in the world is in Coimbra and in a way it is like a university town. I was there during either the enrolment period or graduation but either way as I stroll into the old university compound students with fliers were approaching me to take up courses. 

One of them told me a blatant lie …. “It’s the oldest University in the World” …. Even without google …. I sensed something wrong …. But I could see the pride and confident she had of her university. 

Viewing Tower in University of Coimbra 

The university sits on the top peak of Coimbra and has a viewing tower that is absolutely breath-taking. It literary takes your breath away as you climb the narrow spiral staircase up all the way to the top. Best view of the city is from this tower.

View of Coimbra from University Tower 

Small Town Aveiro, Portugal– Bad things happens in threes

I got on the bus easily from Toledo to Madrid and took the local train to the long distance bus station. I had not book any hostel in Aveiro nor a bus ticket nor a train ticket. 

Getting to the bus station I used the self-service machine and bought myself a ticket to Aveiro which was easy enough for 54 euro. 

Playing around with the machine later on to get more information for future reference and I realized something. There was a promotion button which if click will list discounted rate if available. The Aveiro route had one and a discount of 21 euro. I just wasted 21 euro for nothing.

Night bus and quite comfortable I slept all the way to Aveiro reaching there at 530 am in the morning. Woke up groggy and hurried down the bus only to forget my water bottle in the bus. Fuck. 

That was a good water bottle which I liked and cost a bit of money. Guess I was bound to lose it sooner or later during the travels. Then I lit a cig and forgot my lighter on the bus stop. I was sitting and went looking for the hostel in the wee early in the morning which was a bad idea.

I did not realized that there was a time difference between Spain and Portugal. 530 am was actually 430 am so I was super duper early. Buzzer the hostel and the reception refuse to open the door for me for they thought I was some crazy guy lurking around 430 am trying to cause trouble. 

No bed they said and shoo me away. I walk around and found City Lodge …. The lady was also weary of me keeping the glassed door locked while attempting to understand me who do not speak a word of Portuguese. In the end she determined that I was harmless and let me in to check in.

35 euro a night …. What ??? I think I was not in a hostel but a motel really. So I got two night for 70 euro the best accommodation I have had in this entire trip. 

A double bed in a room all to myself with a TV and a private bathroom. Can’t complain I guess since I am relaxing like crazy in Aveiro.

Aveiro is pretty small and I guess I could have done it in half a day. Lovely place, some colorful boats and tiled old buildings and a slow life. 

I had a lovely room so I guess I spend most of my time lazing away …. Its really really small … 2 hours would have been enough to see it but when on a long holiday 2 days of pure boredom can be blissful joy

On to Coimbra next .

Traditional Boat in Aveiro - Portugal