When one Paulo wasn't enough...
The next site irresistibly called to us. We retrieved Beth from the bush--where she was forlornly trying to track down a cuckoo--and drove
north to meet another carnivorous plant enthusiast.
Our rendezvous was at an indoor cafe in a mall, where we dined on fabulous coffee and strange pastries the likes of which I had never
before seen. Promptly enough, our addition arrived, suspiciously named Paulo--in this case, Paulo Salvador.
So I am supposed to believe that all carnivorous plant enthusiasts in Portugal are named Paulo?
Our car (driven by Paulo #1) followed Paulo #2's to the next site, about 80 km to the north. Very different in character from our
previous stop, this site was essentially a roadside population in an industrial district near Ortigosa. This is unfortunate from
a conservation perspective. Indeed, studying aerial maps upon my return, I could see that this little triangular patch of forest
only about 60 meters on a side is bound on all sides by highways and industrial lots. The probability seems high that within the next
ten years or so, someone will decide to level the place.
