Too Many Sad Endings

I've just recently heard that SOS Algarve Animals: Quintinha dos Animais at Goldra is to close down by the end of May. This imprints a large question mark upon the lives of the many cats and dogs who have been abandoned, rescued by SOS Algarve Animals, and now again face an unknown and potentially undesirable fate.

You can help. Why not visit the website and read the blog? There you will find information about what's still needed between now and closure, along with pictures of some of the animals waiting to be re-homed.


Maria de Lourdes Ingle set up her animal sanctuary in the hills above Loule in Goldra back in 1999. The land, some 7000 square metres, was originally bought by her in 1985 to develop in to villas. However, Lourdes, who was living in England at that time, frequently returned to her native Algarve. Each time she returned, the more distressed she was by the sheer number of cats and dogs roaming the streets, some starving, some diseased, all neglected and scavenging for survival amongst the rubbish bins. Some, of course, were feral, others family pets that the family no longer wanted.

Sadly, with the closure of the sanctuary, all this must now end. Maria has cared for over a decade. Now it's our turn.

Algarve Events 2010

The list below is a summary of a variety of events taking place in the Algarve during 2010.

As and when more information becomes available about any individual event, we will make a separate posting with those details and links directly to those articles will be available from here.

January

Too late now - just woke up from 2009 - I'll do better next year!

February

6-7 February
SkySurf Pro Tour - Portimao Municipal Aerodrome (Alvor)

13-21 February
Carnival Week - Venues across the Algarve - Loule, Albufeira, Portimao

17-21 February
Tour of the Algarve Cycle Race

March

7 March
33rd IAAF Almond Blossom Cross Country Race - Albufeira

24 March...

Vilamoura Equestrian Tour 2010 - Centro Hípico e Desportivo de Vilamoura

26-28 March
WSBK - World Superbike Championship - Euromillions Round - Autodromo do Algarve

April

1-4 April
Portimao Trophy Windsurfing Championships

...18 April

Vilamoura Equestrian Tour 2010 - Centro Hípico e Desportivo de Vilamoura

May

14-16 May
Portuguese Touring Car Championship - Autodromo do Algarve

21-23 May
Superstars - International Ferrari Challenge - Formula 3000 - Autodromo do Algarve

27-30 May
Vodafone Rally de Portugal

June

5-6 June
International Algarve Fair - Fatacil - Lagoa

July

2-4 July
World Touring Car Championship - Autodromo do Algarve

16-18 July - Le Mans Series - Historic Group C Racing - Autodromo do Algarve

August

September

17-19 September
FIA-GT World Championship - British Formula 4 - Autodromo do Algarve

October

15-17 October
Algarve Historic Festival - Historic F1 Racing - Autodromo do Algarve

November

13-14 November
Portuguese Touring Car Championship - Autodromo do Algarve

December

REMEMBER - This summary will be updated throughout the year - Check back regularly!

Crimes Against Tourists. And Residents.

Assault and battery, extortion, break-ins, theft, highway robbery and murder. Just a few of the crimes commited against motorists using the EN264 road between Algoz and Sao Bartolomeu de Messines in the concelho (county) of Silves, in the Algarve.

Anyone using the road between Algoz and Messines knows how their vehicles have been assaulted by the unmaintained roadway, how their cars have been battered into a state often requiring expensive remedial maintenance. Visitors hiring cars know about the way that car-rental companies extort money to hedge their position against the many irreparably damaged tyres that festoon cars which have had the mis-fortune to use this 'road'.

Broken suspensions are frequent, stealing away from car owners the longevity of service that they expect when purchasing a new vehicle. The cost of this is not borne by the council or the state. The real cost of using this public road is paid by the motorists, the residents, the visitors, the taxpayers.

Will it take death on this road, a municipal homicide, to cause the local government officials to act on behalf of the people who elected them to serve?

Support the action against these crimes - WWW.EN264.INFO

A New Year, A New Cause

First and foremost, a very Happy New Year to all readers of Algarvean Daze. Thank you for your support in 2009. I will try to be a bit more active during 2010, a bit more consistent with my blogs.

My first posting this year is in the form of an appeal. I need the help of each of you, and of all of your friends.

The road, the EN264 between Sao Bartolomeu de Messines and Algoz, is a deathtrap. Successive terms of government by Isabel Soares as head of the Camara Municipal de Silves have done nothing to remedy the situation, in actual fact, the condition of the road has deteriorated under the stewardship of Mrs Soares.

Now that she has been re-elected, all impetus for action has been effectively removed. She can again coast until the next election.

To help keep her attention focused on the issues which affect her constituents and visitors, Algarvean Daze has launched an online appeal in the form of an e-petition, which will hopefully garner enough support to cause her to take heed and to take action.

Please support our endeavour by signing the petition. You may do so directly by clicking HERE, or visit the Boulevard Isabel Soares WEBSITE or the Boulevard Isabel Soares BLOG.

And please pass this quest for action along to all your friends. If you blog, add a link, if you use social network sites such as Twitter or Facebook, please make a posting. Write to the newspapers and ask for their support. We will all benefit from unified action.

Again, Happy New Year and hopefully, in respect of the EN 264, this appeal will not need to be repeated in 2011.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

For the second noticeable time, my good lady wife (GLW) has missed out on feeling the earth move beneath her feet. Or, as it was in the early hours of the morning, her back.

The first earthquake I ever experienced - and she failed to - was probably about two years ago. GLW was at the local market, and crushed amongst the throngs of shoppers and pickpockets, she missed noticing the brief figure of eight motion that the ground beneath her feet made.

Last night, blissfully asleep, she missed again. My first thought was that an unscheduled train passed by, but it was just a little too quick and a little too 'shakey'. When I concluded that it must have been a terremoto, I attempted to validate this by using the incredibly good meteo.pt website's seismology section. As access was impossible, I went back to bed convinced that GLW had missed another opportunity.


This morning, when I was able to get onto the website, confirmation of the magnitude 6.0 earthquake off the coast of Sagres was there, along with detail of the additional twenty tremors which occurred between 1:43 and 11:29.

Life is never dull in the Algarve.

Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag

Pardon the pun. Sometimes things that are particularly close to me cause me to get a bit carried away. Case in point, the Gala Dinner & Dance that will held on Sunday 13 December 2009 at the Hotel Paraiso de Albufeira, located, strangely enough, in Albufeira.

I don't often wax lyrical about events such as these, but this charity event is being co-sponsored by AGA, the Amigos dos GATOS do Algarve, along with two other animal charities. The work that these charities do is often thankless, and frequently unknown. I will do my best to right this wrong.

Before you dismiss this as of no interest to your good selves, hear me out. This is the best WIN - WIN situation you may find this year. OK, let's assume you are a cat lover, as I am. There is little you wouldn't do to help ease the plight of stray and abandoned moggies here in the Algarve. We enjoy a reasonable standard of life here, why shouldn't our furry friends?

OR, let's assume that you are a cat hater. This is right up your street. The AGA runs programs aimed at providing an environment where feral and stray cats are caught, neutered and released back into their environments.

From the perspective of the cat lover, this affords a better life to the cats living wild, and for the cat haters, this means a reduction in the number of cats who have the audacity to approach you while you are sitting in one of Algarve's numerous restaurants.

So, regardless if you couldn't be without cats or if you can't abide cats, here's your chance to champion your own cause. Tickets for the Buffet Dinner and Dance at the Hotel Paraiso de Albufeira are on sale at the AGA charity shop in Montechorro at €27.50, or will be available on the night at the venue.

For more information, or to reserve tickets, have a quick chat with Lesley on +351 96 241 4584 or email her at normington@live.co.uk