Although I've only been back in the U.K. for a few days, really it feels more like a month as I spent most of late July and August here (in the U.K.)
My overwhelming feeling is that I'm glad to get out of Portugal - not because it's a bad place to live, quite the opposite, it's got a lot going for it, but really I'd got so sick of not being able to understand a word anyone said to me it was getting silly - being anxious to speak to anyone or even go out, and relying mainly on just waiving to the neighbours!
Maybe it was a bad idea to have moved out of my little, very isolated cabin in Vale de Prazeres and into a more crowded town where my neighbours, all non-English speaking Portuguese were literally in my face because the streets were so narrow, but then again that was the idea - to force me to learn the language!
Packing over a few beers a few days ago!
I mean the point was never to move over to another country and just hang out exclusively with the English speaking ex-pats - for the most part EVERY foreigner in East Central Portugal speaks English whether they are from England, France, Germany or Israel - but hardly any local Portuguese people speak English.
So you've got this situation where there is a very strong expat presence, and all very pleasant and alternative off-grid types for the most part in that part of world, but for me it just was all a bit wrong - integrating myself into that British speaking group of people but not being able to speak to the actual native-locals.
On one level this is a real shame - the cheap cost of land, the Expat community, the ease with which you could build on your land with no hassle from the State, the climate all made for a situation in which you could live for really minimal income, and especially with the beneficial zero tax on crypto - Portugal really DOES have a lot going for it.
But I dunno, it just wasn't right for me - I gave it a good couple of years, spent quite a lot of money I won't recoup (a few thousand), and now I'm leaving it all behind and actually I'm VERY HAPPY to be back in the U.K.
However I can't regret anything - at the time, in mid 2020, I had to go do this and try the whole off-grid thing, but it just wasn't for me in the end.
I've given my friend POA to sell my land so I don't need to go back again, and if necessary the house, but I'll cling onto the later for now at least, I think that'll go up in value and requires zero maintenance unlike the land....
The land in late August 2022 - crispy!
Thus is life, back in Medway, the town where I was born, and unexpectedly the town (Well, city), where I feel like I just belong right now, and of course having a new bird in the area helps too, not entirely the reason I left Portugal, that was already decided, but certainly the biggest pull back to Medway by a long way!
