Open doors on the Silver Coast

Being from South Africa you get used to staying in doors after certain hours, you get used to the fact that you can't walk to the shops or to a friends house after 8pm, you get used to the fact that you have to drive everyhwere and you get used to the fact that when you go to sleep you have to lock the gate, lock the door, lock the security gate behind the door, lock the security gate in the passage, put on the alarm and even then, after you've done everything short of planting land mines in your front garden you still have a restless sleep worrying about intruders coming in the night. This is normal for people who live in South Africa.

So imagine my surprise when I moved to a place where I could walk on the beach, walk on the street, walk to the pub at any hour I choose. This is an odd experience for someone like me, but one that I now embrace. The other night I was walking back to my apartment through Sao Martinho Do Porto at around 11:50pm and I was amazed at how many houses and apartments I walked past where the doors were open, wide open! Never mind no security gates or no bars on the windows, but the front doors were open. It just makes me smile, I'm living in a place where people leave there front doors open at night.


This is a truly amazing place, beautiful, safe ........ home.



By Dylan Herholdt