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I am sat in the back of an old orange jeep along I am heading off-road inland of the Algarve in Portugal. The sky is clear and the temperature is warm for November. When I joined this excursion I was curious to see what else this area had to offer besides the strip for revelers. A police car that passes us exits our eyesight we stand back up and hold on for dear life on the metal bars of the jeep. Our driver steers the jeep of the road and picks up the speed. We climb higher into the red hills that laid before us. You can see the damage that the dry summer has done to the surroundings, the ground is dead. Every now and then I get to catch my breath when our driver stops the car to let us smell some herbs he sees growing beside the road or when he picks fruit from one of the fruit trees that has thrived through the summer. As I smell the fresh fruits and try to guess what herb I am smelling I am overcome with a sense of peacefulness. There is nothing in sight but a small farmhouse, the house is surrounded by a fence that seems so old that one gust of wind could blow it away, An old man is benched over beside the house and working on an old tractor, he is surrounded by a few goats and does not seem to notice us there that we are there, our driver tells us that we are only one of around twenty-five excursions that pass the old mans house. As we leave the old man behind to continue on our journey I notice that the road is becoming narrower and steeper. I strike up a conversation with the older gentleman sitting across tells me he is a retired school teacher and so is his wife. He tells me some inspiring stories and others just flat out hilarious ones, his wife joins us during the conversation and I forget my fear about the high hills and the speed we are traveling at. As I start to take in the views of the red earth hills. Our driver parks the car on a small parking lot and points to a small barely visible path leading down the side of a hill. ´If you follow that path down you will reach the waterfall´ He lights a cigarette ´ I will wait here for you guys´ A sense bravery comes upon me I decide to take the lead down the path. The path turns out the be very slippery from the mud. I scratch my legs open on the bushes that flank the path. We eventually make it down to the waterfall only to find out that it is practically run dry because of the weather. As we are about the make our way back up the slippery path one of the guys notices a sign ´ We can go back up the way we came down or we could just take that small road there´ as we walk the concrete road back to the top I see our guide laughing and I know we are not the first ones he made go down that path. As we get back in the jeep for the final leg back to the hotel I am struck with the fascination of the fact that we can speak for hours to strangers on our travels. I think the limited time with has to spend with thee people is what makes us open up about our lives. I have valued to time we spend in the back of that rusty jeep and took to heart all the stories they were willing to share and the advice they bestowed upon us. In those four hours, I have been more willing to make the most of the time we got to spend with them knowing we would not see them again. The whole excursion, exhilarating at some times, educational at others and some and has made me grow as a person without even realizing it myself at that moment.