Inside the Kite Temple: An Australian on the other side....(part II)

After numerous emails back and forth across the globe, I took that job which turned out to be in a called "Portugal", apparently just next to Spain.

Portugal from what I had heard was famous for being one of the largest producers of cork and their custard pastries.


Pastel de nata

I didn't see Kiteboarding destinations on the guide so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Together with my loyal Kite board, ipod and a bag capable of blocking the Panama Canal, I bought a one-way ticket, packed up my house and headed to the shores of this far and distant land with little knowledge of what was to be my home for the next 4 months.


The other side of the World

"Ola, my name is name is João and I am from Kite Temple, I hope you had a good flight."

Wait wait wait, first hurdle. How the hell do you pronounce João?

I was taken to my new house 15 minutes or 2 hours depending on the traffic south of Lisbon in an area called Charneca da Caparica.


25 Abril's Bridge

I've dropped my bags and headed to the last day of the Portuguese National Kiteboarding Round at what was to be my new office, Nova Vaga Beach. It was there I met the majority of the KT crew for the first time and where I got a glimpse of the conditions that lay before me.


My new office

The one thing everybody seemed to ask me when I first arrived was whether or not it was scary to come over by myself and not know the local language. It probably should have been if not for the magic of Kiteboarding.



From the moment I jumped off the plane everything felt so normal, sure they drive a lot faster than what I am use to and they eat some crazy stuff but Kiteboarding was our common interest, we were all part of the same mad wind obsessed family.



So the days rolled past and after a week of checking out the sights and sounds I was assigned my first class. A group of three Portuguese friends ready to start from scratch, to have a Baptism. Having not taught a group of 3 before and definitely not three Portuguese, it was daunting but like the rest of the locals on the beach, they were incredibly nice and easy going.


Teaching at Lagoa de Albufeira's Beach

Before long teaching was enjoyable and if not anything else, exciting due to the fact that every couple of minutes there was a kite smashing on the ground or tangles 25 meters in the air. At the peak of summer, I was happy to be on the beach and not out on the water, you could argue sea traffic lights needed to be installed.


Small swell hiting Nova Vaga's Beach

(to be continued...)

Angus Kitchin