Hello from Lisbon!
It's weird to type that, after a year and a half of work to go through the visa process. I actually have a draft blog detailing our whole ordeal, and I do mean ordeal. I'm dying to publish it, because we all know how popular those Netflix specials about European/Chinese/American government bureaucracy are. Unfortunately our paperwork drama is not over yet, but more on that later!
We actually didn't go directly from China to Portugal. It included a 4 day stopover in Bangkok, which was brief for sure, but we also lived there for 5 years - so, we're not exactly tourists. We saw a few new things that had popped up, mostly incredibly fancy malls. Man, Bangkok really knows how to do malls. The newest, shiniest is called Icon Siam. There is a floating market inside the mall, full of restaurants and shops. Is it incredibly shiny and Disney-fied? Yes. But is it good? Also yes. I'm going to throw some photos on Facebook, because really this place is very beautiful. We ate so much, and enjoyed how far our yuan would go before venturing out in Euro-land. In particular I had to get some Khao Soi, my favorite Thai food. For those not in the know, it's a northern Thai chicken curry soup - with a mix of cooked and crispy noodles. It was a bit pricey at 90 baht (~$3), and you can get one in a market for half that. But I was hungry, and it was there, and it had a Michelin rating.
A lot of Bangkok was reminiscing. We spent a good amount of time at Terminal 21, because it was conveniently (or purposely) near our hostel. I did the math, and no joke, I've probably eaten there 500+ times. I used to teach nearby a few times a week after work, and then I would meet Ella on Saturday when
she taught nearby - so that food court is kind of my 2nd home. It's also still the best deal in Bangkok, with amazing food for under $2 a plate. We even went back to where Ella and I first met. It used to be a bakery
chain called Bread Talk, unfortunately long gone from that location. It's now a dumpling/ramen shop, but
looking at old photos we found the exact spot where she and I sat. And
well, the rest is history.
Other than eating, we did walk around some old streets, including an artist village that has changed a lot since 8 years ago. But we also had a chance to meet with friends. We still know a lot of good folks in Bangkok, and we tried our best to squeeze as many as possible in. It wasn't easy, having only 3 full days plus everything else we wanted to do. But I also know we'll be back. Ella and I had talked for years about after we retire, we'll move back to Thailand, maybe somewhere quiet Hua Hin, and open a coffee shop or hostel. But honestly, walking around Bangkok, I think we may end up there instead. I don't know, everything just felt so right. The energy, the people, it really felt like home - much more than any other place I've lived, the US included. I don't know if anyone else visiting there would have the same kind of feeling that Ella and I do. But if you've never been to Bangkok before, you really should. It's chaotic, fun, and full of happy people.
But you could go back from 2013-2018 to see what I have to say about Thailand, so lets talk about Portugal. Somehow, the cheapest ticket from Bangkok to Lisbon was on Etihad. I was a little excited, because I had never flown on a Middle Eastern airline before. And yeah, they were pretty nice. While not incredibly spacious or luxurious, the biggest plus for me was the food. They really knocked it out of the park, and I maintain the cheese omelette was the best omelette I've ever had, plane or not. Unfortunately our connection in Abu Dhabi was brief, so all I got to see of that place is its very, very shiny airport.
Arriving in the morning, we didn't have anything to do for a few hours before meeting the landlord and signing the lease. In fact, we just waited at the train station, despite not catching a train, because it's a comfortable public area just a few minutes from our place. Which, we've really been batting a thousand with apartment choices. In Shanghai we decided the first place we saw was the best, and it was the same in Lisbon. I really, really like where we live. It's in Alfama, a very popular tourist neighborhood because of the hills and trams. Lots of people are milling around outside taking photos of the street, and I guess inadvertently of me because I like hanging out by the window. We're also just a few minutes walk from the main train station and a metro, so I'm very happy in that regard.
However, we have actually done very little in Lisbon that would be noteworthy. Most of our first week has just been trying to get settled - cleaning, getting utilities set up, registering with immigration, getting life supplies, etc.. Plus fighting jetlag and learning Portuguese, it has been a busy time. Like, we did not have a single kitchen knife. You would think any grocery store would have knives, and you'd be wrong. Instead we had to go to three different shops before we found anything. The really nice surprise was when we went to a city a few hours away for immigration, and ran into a Chinese bazaar. We came back from that trip with bags full of random stuff, because in true Chinese fashion, everything there cost half of what it does in a European shop. Somewhere in our getting settled time, we met up with a friend from Cincinnati that lives here in Lisbon, and that was incredibly fortunate. She has been a continuous source of answers to our dumb questions, and showing us how the locals drink wine in the park.
The good news is that I'm a (temporary) resident now, but since Ella applied as a dependent (long story), hers is pending - I need to get my permanent card first. But we'll get there, a little bit at a time. Until then, maybe better to just share some photos of our new home and neighborhood. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have something a bit more exciting to talk about. But until then we have space to host guests, so feel free to stop by.
