I-spy Portugal – The Results


Ferry crossing, 14 April 2013

How did we get on?
1) Sunshine:   one hour/ all day / too hot / sunburnt
We soon got an hour of sunshine, a full day had to wait until Sagres, but before that I got a sunburnt face at the secret beach. And the warmest time was Santander Port queuing up to go home… Ahhhh
2) Almond Blossom.
No, we don’t think so. This suffered from a lack of research we did not know what it looked like or what the season was! Not much hope here. But the huge variety of fragrant wild flowers, herbs and fruit trees was glorious compensation – so we declare this a success.
3) Waves:  Bigger than me/ Bigger than the Tardis
Yes, bigger than me.
4) Religious Procession.
Yes, on Maundy Thursday in Salamanca.
5) A vehicle that is stuck: any other one/ ours/ one we help

Yes, yes and yes, sadly. We helped some Portuguese men, who had their bonnet stuck, by lending tools. We came to a stop near Aguas de Mura when the exhaust broke. I fixed it in place at the roadside and a good “temporary repair was made at  a garage 10km further on.

6) A motorhome like ours.
No, nothing like ours …. What do you expect. We saw a Bimobil Husky on a pick up. A ford tramsit with no winows and a couple of large merc based conversions.
7) Standing Stones.
Yes, near Evora
 8) Dinosaur footprints.
No, those are near Lisbon, not Sagres as I had thought. We gave Lisbon a wide detour.
9) A deserted beach.
Yes, more than one. We could nothave hoped for more. And the freedom to camp right on the shore. And a sunsetwatched from the Tardis at the same place.
10) Drink water from a mountain spring. 
No but we found scalding hot thermal springs. 
11) A barrel of Port in Porto.
No, we missed out Porto, maybe we could fly there one day.
       12) Christopher Columbus.
Not quite, but we saw Henriquethe Navigator. 
13) Roman ruins that are: big/ interesting / breath-taking.
A big temple in Evora, extensive ruins near Santiago, but  nothing that deserves the description breath-taking. 
14) Sea creatures dolphins/ whales / mermaids / others.
I saw Dolphins on the way out, but Karen missed them and I don’t have photos. A dead turtle on the secretbeach. Ray fish in the harbour at Sagres – I think they gave rise to themermaid folklore.

The judges (self-assessment) award us 10 (out of a possible 14 ish)
You have seen most of the photos, but here are a few extra:







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cold Start system Thermostarter

Image
November 2020 Update See notes further down for the latest. The Iveco has a cold start system, or so I thought. But the pattern of flashing lights when I started was not the pre heater, but an error code. The cold start system was not connected. It is now. Our engines don't have glow plugs. Instead there is a single preheater that heats up some diesel fuel and squirts it into the air inlet. It works below zero. The unit does so diagnostic tests and flashes the pre heat light to show the outcome. Normally the light goes on for a couple of seconds and then off. The electronic manual on Ivecodaily4x4@groups.io posted by Hugo has an invaluable diagnostic guide. There is a module behind the fuse box that takes the signals in and send power to the preheater. In my case the main power cable was missing. Also the crucial temperature sensor was faulty. A new one solved the problem. No error codes now. Iveco Daily Genuine Iveco Coolant Temperature Sensor Part No.4857248 5010293265 £18 from V
Read more

Fuel tank

Image
The original daily had a fuel tank of about 60ltr I needed to extend the range (we do about 20mpg) and wanted to stay with Iveco parts as much as possible. So chose a tank from a 7.5 Eurocargo from a scrap yard for £40. collecting the tank: new straps painted and ready to assemble: In place on the Tardis: best decision staying with Iveco, all the electrics and fixings worked easily... worst decision picking a tank without a locking fuel cap We can now do over 1000 km without filling up, enough to drive all through Spain on Moroccan fuel at 60p a ltr.
Read more

Alternator upgrade

Image
Alternator failed again (lasted 5 years). Did some research and got a lot of help from Grahame on an upgrade to a 90Amp version (from 55Amp). Note that the Sterling B2B is rated at 50Amp so it could be drawing power at the alternator maximum for long periods. That should not be so serious now that I have 280W solar as well. Alternator model: Lucas LRB197 (Bosc 0986035770) Needs longer brackets  - 40mm longer, obtained by buying two new ones (Vexi were selling them for £2.55 to clear stock). Welded beautiful by Lee at work. Two different part numbers for alternator bracket. Mine was 99449305   Longer fan belt 10 x 950mm All in place Issues: It was to awkward to put in a bigger cable from alternator to the starter motor (main battery connection). I may do a separate longer cable back to the battery. The ignition light does not come on until the alternator is energized by the revs going up to 1500. People say this is not a problem. A potential fix is to put in an ex
Read more