We are Paul and Ali and we live in a beautiful Quinta in the quiet hills of central Portugal.

Details

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  Description

  Hi there..
  
  I’m Paul.. I'm a musician, writer and artist and my wife Ali is a real polymath. Cook, baker, chef and teacher. Safari / tour guide and organiser. Research scientist, Ethologist and explorer. Buddhist scholar and teacher.. to name a few.. ;9) We are both long term mediation practitioners.
  
  We are currently looking for some help with some general land maintenance, gardening and tidying..
  
  We bought the Quinta 5 years ago and began with great energy clearing Eucalyptus and building raised beds and turning the stable but very basic house into a comfortable home. We were just about to start the second phase of converting our ruined outbuildings into a small retreat centre when Covid and Brexit hit.
  
  My UK based theatre work stopped and with that the funds for larger construction projects.. I began working at home online. At first the stop was frustrating but in the long run it’s been a blessing. With time to live here and get to know the place many of our plans have changed.. Very permaculture..
  
  The main realisation is this. The quality that drew us here and that we love about this place is the peace and tranquility.. We still plan to do something with the outbuildings eventually but instead of making them into a ‘retreat centre’ we’ve started building a few smaller cabins around the site in the hills.. The idea being that we can have fewer people here for longer periods and so maintain the quietness..
  
  The first cabin is just complete and has had a few solo retreats in there already.. It feels now like the world is just waking from a long drowsy sleep and it’s time to get going again and time to welcome people here to share in our beautiful rare piece of this wonderful planet.
  
  We’ve got a slightly larger retreat group coming in April.. probably only 5 maybe but they are old timers and old friends of Ali’s. They might make it a yearly retreat if they have a good experience here so we're keen to get things as spick and spam as possible.. This involves a fair bit of tidying and clearing in the next few weeks.. more than I can do myself so I thought about a work awayer.
  
  When we first arrived we had a gang of gorgeous workawayers help us set up the place and we they are all still dear friends.. I’d love to see if we can add a few new faces to the clan..
  
  Ali is an extraordinarily experienced chef so the food will be wholesome and tasty fair. Our intention is to create a space here for transformational inner work so we have a strict no intoxicant policy on the whole site. Including alcohol and tobacco. We are looking for someone strong who is not afraid to put their back into a bit of physical work but who also likes to spend time being quiet and peaceful. Hopefully that’s not too rare a combination.. We are happy to take a couple too but no pets thanks..
  
  Please get in touch if you have any questions. Thanks Paul

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are in a very beautiful rural area and will be happy to show you around.
  I am happy to help anybody who is musically inclined. I play a LOT of instruments and particularly enjoy obscure traditional ethnic music and sound healing.
  Ali is happy to teach people anything food related. From growing to cooking and nutrition. We are both very keen growers. The garden will soon be alive with a rich variety of colourful wonderful smelling edible fruits, veg, herbs and trees. We have made a small start already.
  We are both long term mediators and there will be a space to learn and practice meditation.

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  Help

  Land based gardening or forestry skills will be most welcome as well as any DIY.
  But mostly an open hearted willingness to engage and share and help with joy.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Hindi: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I speak fluent native English I need to learn European Portuguese I have a little French and German from school.
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  Accommodation

  You can stay in the first retreat cabin which is simple but stunningly located and very private. Meals and showers etc will be in the main house for now. Though there is a small wash area at the cabin and a ’nature shower’ with water piped up from the stream for the hardy.

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  What else ...

  Porto and Lisbon are both within 2 hours drive and we are not so far from the coast. Nazeré beach with some of the best surfing in the world is less than an hour away. The stunning São Simão Gorge is walking distance as is the lovely town of Maçãs de Dona Maria. The historic University City of Coimbra is lass than an hours drive as is the stunning C12th castle town of Tomar in the other direction. The renowned pilgrimage town of Fatima is also quite close. Local transport is good with lots of busses and trains from Pombal. I am happy to collect people and offer lifts as time allows.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have wifi in the house. It's not the fasted in the world but fine for e-mail and youtube etc.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Camper vans fine here

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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