I woke up early this morning to surf a wave I had only heard about; a perfect right hander that goes for ever. I was told that the wave only works at high tide so I was up a 6 am (an hour before sunrise).  At 6:30 I was out the door with my backpack and my board under arm. 
During my first week in Portugal I was surfing with a guy from Denmark and a guy from
Holland.  The three of us were looking for a similar type of wave so it worked out really well.  Now however, the little fishing town of Peniche (where I am staying) is empty. 
I walked for 15 minutes, down a small street following the coastline out of town, without seeing anyone.  Then I heard the vroom of a large truck behind me and I turned sticking out my thumb. To my surprise the truck stopped and the man in the truck, a farmer, pointed to the back.  The bed was full of potatoes and I jumped on top bracing my board from the wind as we took off.  The morning sun warmed the thick sea air as we drove through rural Portugal.   
Thirty minutes down the road, close to where I hoped to find the wave, I banged the side of the truck with my palm and the driver stopped.  I jumped out and thanked the man in English.  My Portuguese is non existent.  I walked over a small sandy hill and was presented with a beautiful beach and three working waves.  The beach was empty with the exception of a lone fisherman casting into the surf.  I walked up to him and he started yelling at me in Portuguese. I guess he didn’t want me to surf near him perhaps because I would scare the fish. So I walked a 100m past him to the next peak and put on my wetsuite.  I was nervous surfing a new wave by myself so entering the water I was consumed with reading the surroundings.  I made it past the breakers quickly and set up to catch a wave. I looked back at the beach and noticed that the fisherman was gone.  Thinking that odd I looked over to where I had hid my backpack and I could see the man in the tall grass beside my pack!  Luckily, a perfect set came in at that moment and I caught the first wave to the beach.  My feet hit the sand running and with board in hand I sprinted over the hill.  I could see the man walking down the street with my bag and I chased after him.  He didn’t notice me until I was just behind him and I started shouting.  He turned and jumped in terror when he saw me.  He dropped my bag and took off in the direction away from the beach.  My stuff was untouched so I hide it better and had a killer surf.   
TRAVEL – Peniche is a small fishing town in the center of the Portugal Coast.  It is a peninsula that handles swell from multiple directions and is the most consistent place to find waves in Portugal. I am renting a room 50 meters from the beach for 13 euro a night.  Food is pretty cheap 3-7 euros for a big meal. 
SURFING – The closest wave to me is Lagide; a left breaking reef break.  During this time of year (winter) there are no crowds and the waves are most consistent.  I am wearing a 3/2 wetsuite that is keeping me plenty warm but I hear the water can turn cold. 
PHOTOGRAPHY – The below images are not altered.  I am working on a very slow machine in Peniche and I uploaded these for a quick look.  I am traveling with a digital SLR and portable USB hardrive.