The small talk was over quickly and conversation turned to the terrible condition of the albergue. "This is crisis", as our new amigo put it, "very dirty. No breathe."
His friend easily opened the door that we had all tried, opening our eyes to new levels of dirt in the main sleeping quarters. Lines of dust covered bunk beds with moldy blankets neatly folded and a funky smell. They had already decided not to stay there. Mr Chatty whipped out his mobile phone and made a few calls. Neither of the numbers associated with place answered so he called a nearby inn and reserved two rooms-- one for he and his friend and one for us. In the dark, we backtracked 1.5 km to a place we'd passed hours before.
It was a nice place and we were relieved. They arranged for a local restaurant to transport us to and from dinner. That's how bad the economy is. The driver came, waited on us, and drove us back.
Today was the first time that my positive spirit has flagged. Why is it so difficult to find accommodations? I know we are off season but so far only 2 out of 7 albergues have been available, and since they are privately operated, they don't really count.
We lay in bed trying to relax by reading ebooks. A fly buzzed by, trying to land on the screens, alternating between JH and me. A fly!?! It was unswattable and shooing it away was useless, the screens were too tempting. Phones off, eyes closed, we tried to sleep. A dog barked. And barked. And barked.
We agreed that, instead of staying at Valenca, we would walk the extra 4 km tomorrow to Tuy, Spain so we would not have to spend another night in Portugal. No more scrambling for accommodations! no more dogs barking! No more rice with french fries! I immediately felt relaxed enough to sleep. It was 8:45.
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