degouveia980

Hi my name is Mike, you are more than welcome to call me Mick if you wish. I was born in South Africa, where I spent most of my adult life selling dodgy second hand cars (lots of them). I then emigrated to England with my family five years ago, where, together, we now run a 630 year old country inn.
I am also a Portuguese citizen; it’a all a bit complicated, so don’t ask. If anything I am most proudly Portuguese, embracing my heritage with gusto - especially the culinary side of things, hence my portly appearance. I am an amazing cook, good looking, charming and never brag. I love my life, even though I see it through rose tinted glasses. I sport a Nando’s tattoo on my ankle (Nandos - a well known Portuguese peri peri franchise, now world wide) because of my belief that I can do it better.

I guess I am a bit of an accidental tourist, having not travelled much in my earlier years (a two week Honeymoon trip to Mauritius was about as exciting as it got.) In 2005 my life changed, I took my wife and kids on a seven week vacation, compliments of......... Yes, you guessed it, dodgy used cars. The rest, as they say, is history. The travel bug had bit and a hard bite it was.

You could not hold me back! Three months volunteering in the Amazon Jungle in Ecuador; three months cooking in Sorrento, Italy; three months solo trekking through France and Spain; and as recent as five months ago, I cycled 1200 miles solo through South India.
Between September 2010 and now I have walked 2700 miles, doing most of the camino pilgrimage routes through France and Spain. Tomorrow I set off on another 500 mile trek, repeating the camino Frances.

I hope you join me as I stumble, slip and slide my way to Santiago de Compostela - on the way I will do my best to tell you why (after having promised myself, ‘never again’). I will try to remember the good and the bad - nearly getting locked up by the policia; sleeping in fields; and taking extreme evasive action from a rampaging bull, to name but a few of the narrow escapes.

Please be patient with me as this is my first attempt at blogging, writing or anything similar. Excuse the mistakes, there will be plenty and of course feel free to correct me. I am pretty thick skinned, so bring it on. All I plan to do is have a lot of fun and of course, walk, stumble and slip.

In search of myself and the perfect hangover, I find one!