Boa Sorte Portuguese Coast
My family had planed to meet me in Portugal as a I had not seen them for almost a year. I was excited about a family reunion. They fell in love there 29 years prior and wanted to take me back to where it all began. It was a beautiful coastal town called Ericera,
They decided to invite Inka along as well who is like family to us, mum and dad adore her and how exciting to have my sis and bestie in tow. 
The plan was we all meet in Lisbon, . I arrived from Italy , Inka from London and my Mum and Dad all the way from Bali . Mum and Dad Picked up a fully decked out gypsy travel van which was going to be our home for the next few weeks. I was so excited to hit the road.
My mum pulled out her suitcase and handed me a bag of all this new beautiful crochet her and Inka have been working on the past months with my input from afar . She said “we will find some beautiful places to shoot and you will bring Akoia back to life, with this beautiful new designed collection. “
Off we went. My parents took us to the most beautiful beaches that they went to almost 30 years ago. We went to old towns that my parents said never changed. We saw pristine beaches with no one on them for miles. just miles and miles of unspoilt coast.
Life in the van was awesome, cooking , sleeping and exploring some amazing places.
Navigating our way around, no plans, pulling up to some random locations, sleeping where it felt right.
Nestled amongst the dunes in some incredible locations, we got to camp for the night, falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore,. Nights spent making fires to keep us warm and to make some yummy cooked meals and showering in the bitterly cold Atlantic ocean
Inka and I got to shoot in such a diversity of amazing landscapes, beach towns, caves and incredible pristine beaches.
We met beautiful Portugese people. Everyone was so humble. the further we travelled the more incredible people we met.
As we roamed the streets past old traditional homes, this lady saw us armed with cameras and gear and she invited us to shoot at her house. She welcomed us with a warm loving smile and we were able to snap some incredible pics with her.
The Beach towns were so lovely, still carrying the old Portuguese tradition with beautiful churches, cool architecture with the most beautiful colour palates. The Portugese have a beautiful eye for art , they have these amazing antique tiles everywhere. Colour overload!
We set of on adventure that seem to go for miles trying to get to secret beaches through hills and rock cliff drops. This is one of my favourite photos i have taken of Inka in the middle of the hills at dusk. It is always easy to shoot Inka in such raw beauty , i can shoot her any time of the day capturing her at any moment , thats how much natural beauty she holds. Don’t you agree?.
If you keep following down that path there is the Praia Arabaita, our favourite beach.
We had so much driving to do, travelling from beach to beach. Winding down the coastal roads. It was great as we made use of the time in the back of the van adding touches , our creative juices flowing, even redesigned some pieces of the collection . Our collection grew in this time from only a few pieces to one of our favourite collections so far.
We had such beautiful bonding time, the four of us. It was a trip that will always remain in our hearts. Portugal has so much raw beauty, amazing people and great food.
All photos were taken by me, @reopfilm and my dad who is also a photographer.