Well boom! is a thing of the past and the next phase of my journey has begun.

The beauty of my experience, especially in last 2 years, is that I am learning a

great lesson in trust....taking life a day at a time and even, on occasion, an hour

at a time...it is exhilarating, challenging and gratifying. With no planned way to

get out of boom!, which is about 60km from nearest town (small villages nearby),

and lift opportunities dwindling rapidly, I only had my thumb, legs and smile to

help me and they sure did the trick...caught a lift in a vehicle with Inez, going to

Lisbon and with my baggage in Johanna's van! The day before I went back to my

tent to contemplate the options, wondering how I was going to lighten my load so

that I would be more free to travel to remoter places...within 3 minutes Bilal, one

of the healers came and chatted, offered that I could use his home in Lisbon as a

base to leave things and come and go from there as required!! He arrived like an

angel (which he is!!). And so all our needs are met. We arrived at about 7pm and

he came through to collect my excess stuff...he helped me with directions etc to a

backpackers in the centre of old Lisbon. I was going to board the Metro thought I

must check if bed still available and it wasn't??!! Eish, that would have been hectic

to arrive there so late with no place to sleep..I called Bilal and he graciously helped

again..came back, tried to find alternate accommodation, but none, so I slept over at his

place - like a 5 star hotel after 2 weeks of rough camping. He has been soooo

gracious and kind...life is amazing when one´s heart is right.

It´s a WOW!!! for me. So today I weigh up all the options....look for WWOOFER

farmwork opportunities, possibly teaching English here or in Spain, may meet up

with another friend who is going to work in the Pyrenees, visit some eco-villages,

go to a very remote farm in the north of Portugal where Sophie lives and works...

it´s great. But the best of all is that I have been offered to house-sit in Sintra - a

deeply spiritual area north of Lisbon - it is the place where royalty used to go for

the summer holidays - amazing castles and villas - the original home of the Knights

Templar here in Portugal, so it is steeped in mysticism and legend. I have full

access to Valentina and Francois´ home - she was the manager of the healing area @

boom and they will be staying there to breakdown structures or going to Italy for a

few weeks. I basically just need to air the place as it can become damp - lots of

mist most of the time - you know me and that kind of weather - and feed the 2

chickens!!! Whoopeeeee....so might just hang there for 3 weeks...or months!!!