Yearning for Portugal

#portugal #portugalthesimplelife
Joao Correia is a former professional cyclist who now manages some of the biggest names in the cycling world. Tune in to hear his memories of moving to the United States at the age of 11, how he never lost his connections to Portugal and rediscovered the country as a young adult. Joao also shares his love for Portuguese food & wine and what yearning for Portugal means to him.

“Portugal – The simple life”, an Insider’s Perspective to Portugal – Season 2, Episode 94

Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:25 – About Joao Correia
2:26 – His memories of moving to America
3:34 – What he missed about Portugal
5:13 – Always go back to Portugal
6:18 – What Portugal has to offer for Americans
8:56 – Food in Portugal
9:45 – Riding a bike in Portugal
10:18 – One thing for people to remember
10:48 – Portugal, the simple life? Why?

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When you think about Portugal as such a small country you can drive from east to west or from west to east in 2 hours or less north to south in six or 7 hours you think about the diversity that you find within a 3-hour drive it’s insane

So even though you left the country you almost didn’t really leave the country and I think today Portugal has probably you know some of the best hotels you know anywhere on this week’s episode I’m joined by Z Korea Z is born in Portugal but moved to the us as a young boy just

The age of 11 Z is also a former Portuguese cyclist who represented Portugal on the international stage andj is a business owner where he represents and manages some of the world’s and Portugal’s best cyclists we discuss amongst other things Z’s memories of moving from Portugal to the us as a

Young boy how that connection and link to Portugal continued throughout his adolescence and as a young adult rediscovering and ref falling in love with Portugal as a 19-year-old and and why he loves coming back to Portugal we also discuss food cycling in Portugal wine and what yearning for Portugal

Really means forel for those of you listening head over to our YouTube channel to watch some of this episode and for those of you watching click down below and subscribe and for the full podcast episode go to Google Stitcher Spotify apple or wherever you get your podcast and now over to my conversation

With SW welcome back or welcome to another episode of Portugal simple life and it’s a real honor to be joined by K uh bondia for you all the way in uh in California thanks for being on the podcast how are you I’m very well thank you very much for having me it’s an

Honor to be here originally the idea was that we’d be doing this while you were in Portugal but here we are we’re we’re 8 hours apart from each other so thank you for doing this so early have you had some coffee at least to start the day

Yeah I had I started with a cup of coffee already why don’t you start off um telling us a little a little bit about you sure uh my name is Jan Kaya that’s that’s how you say it although you know it’s in English it’s really really hard uh I’m a sports agent I

Represent professional cyclists that you see in the tour to France and I own a a luxury bike touring company called inamba uh which is based uh actually based in in Portugal um I’ve been living in the US since I was 11 years old uh

And now I I spend most of my time back and forth between the US and and Lisbon in Portugal what were your memories um Jo about the mov um about moving from from you know this this sort of Village environment that you grew up into to to America can you

Remember much about that yeah you know I I don’t I don’t remember a ton but I have some very specific memories you know I remember arriving in JFK and running to my dad you know and seeing him I remember it was the first time I saw you know a moving walkway and I

Thought that was really strange and I remember running on it you know I remember making the drive from JFK to Terry town where we were going to we’re living and uh the buildings the cars the brick buildings which we didn’t really have in Portugal so it looked like you

Know at the time there was a TV show we watched called Hill Street Blues you know we knew about what I knew about America at least as an 11year old boy was two things Dallas and Hill Street Blues that was it you know so so I

Remember like the cars the big cars of the 80s you know and and the big Highway which was not usual in Portugal and then just these big buildings these tall buildings these brick buildings what were some of the things when you thought about Portugal even as a as a teenager

And then as a young adult were you like these are the things that bring me that sa ddge these are the things that I miss that you had in your mind those memories and and the things that you kind of longed for uh in Portugal I remember distinctively about five years ago I

Would start getting messages from people saying hey can you tell me about Portugal you know and and because I was the only Portuguese person they knew you know I’m thinking of moving to Lisbon and I remember thinking what really and all of a sudden it was like five six

Seven eight 10 of these folks that I I had PDFs I would send people and some introductions I would make for people and and I kind of like almost went in that wave as well and thought Oh wait maybe there’s something here you know I should look deeply into you know so I

Think it’s very different as a kid to think about the country I think for me it wasn’t it wasn’t until I was 19 that I did my first sort of solo trip around the country by training bus where I really started to fall in love with the

Country and actually the very first trip we did in Portugal for inamba uh which was a trip um that went to the through the Doro Valley finished in muu you know and started in SE it was really a trip to with all of these little hotels that I had discovered that were just

Absolutely amazing and this was about 10 years ago places like Kazu in Marva Kaz in you know um these amazing little properties that have popped up in Portugal and I think today Portugal has probably you know some of the best hotels you know anywhere Inu is probably my favorite

Hotel anywhere in the world were there anything that you remember from what your parents told you um that resonated with you um about about your your about Portugal you know I mean you you obviously you stay connected to the cuisine because at home you continue to eat Portuguese food and then and then

Within These immigrant communities these Portuguese pockets and different places you live in a Portuguese community in a way I mean we lived in Terrytown in Westchester County about 45 minutes north of New York City on the Hudson Valley and we lived within a Portuguese Community there were Portuguese clubs

There was Portuguese stores you know most of the people didn’t really speak English you know even though they spent so much time in the United States they work construction jobs they cleaned houses they worked in gardening you know they were those were the traditional sort of of Portuguese immigrant um jobs

And they’re working with other Portuguese people so even though you left the country you almost didn’t really leave the country for a lot of these folks my parents included it was all about Economic Opportunity for them give their children a different way of life you know but the the idea was

Always we will they will always go back um what do you think Portugal has to offer from for people from from the states I think it has a lot to offer I mean I I think you know the the the climate in the United States has really shifted in the last 10 years

And especially in the last five years I think there’s a lot of people that you know are trying to get away from that they want something a little calmer you know you talking political climate political climate yeah political climate sense of safety you know people just kind of seeing things like school

Shootings on a regular basis you know this this polarization of of both sides of the political Spectrum you know completely I think is turning off a lot of people where they just don’t don’t want to be in that environment the cost of living is I think is a huge Factor

You know Portugal is incredibly safe you hardly ever hear of true violent crime in the country you know it the weather is absolutely amazing the cost of living for most foreigners coming in is incredibly low uh and it has infrastructure that is relevant where people are still feeling like they’re

Living in a modern society you know it’s I think it’s a combination of that you know safe friendly Place lots of sunshine absolutely beautiful in terms of history and what your eyes see what your senses uh feel the concept of the connected ATM machine to different banks

Was actually born in Portugal yeah you know so so it’s yeah it is you can pay everything through your ATM through a small code that somebody gives you you can pay something you know so yeah it’s funny how in some of those things it’s incredibly Advanced yeah you can even

Get a fishing license at a at a ATM if you want to go fishing for the day have you done it that I didn’t know no I didn’t know that yeah I learned this the other day you could just go there get a fishing license for the day uh from my

ATM which is pretty which is pretty cool what are things that you appreciate um about Portugal when you come when you come here as I’ve gotten older that my yearning for Portugal has gotten stronger you know and I started spending more time more time in Portugal and then

When my parents reim back you know I started spending even more time there and and now it’s like I I kind of did the full you know I’m I’m you know basically back you know basically back in Portugal and it’s really surprising because I never thought that would

Happen you know but it’s something that I think is very Primal it’s the yearning of your body to go home the yearning of your body to connect with a place where in a way you know in a primitive way everything kind of makes sense you know you’re grounded in that place well let’s

Uh you mentioned a couple of times food uh I do follow you on Instagram and uh I do see the the many Publications where you’re you’re sitting watching the GU cycling at a a nice Portuguese tashka um what do you enjoy about the food I love the difference in the cuisine from meat

To fish I think it’s a very rich Cuisine you know it’s a Cuisine that’s super underrated I love the the the mixture of it the the emphasis naturally on just everything natural you know it’s just something that know comes very natural to Portuguese people that you know one

Of my favorite places to eat is actually the house of the Portuguese national team coach cycling coach who I’m very close to and he basically grows everything you know and when you’re you’re cooking with with natural ingredients that were grown locally food is just going to taste different but

Portugal you know for when you think about Portugal it’s such a small country you can drive from east to west or from west to east in two hours or less north to south in six or seven hours you think about the diversity that you find within a three-hour drive it’s insane Mountain

Sea desert you know I mean from minu to the doru to Algarve to the coastline it’s all sort all Inu you’re within two three hours so you know generally for cycling it’s a wonderful wonderful country to ride a bike in Joel what’s what’s one thing that you would like

People to remember and take away from our conversation just one thing Ah that’s that’s that’s a you’re really putting me on the spot that I think it’s what people already know that it’s it’s a it’s a wonderful country to spend time in and the people are really you know

They’re really amazing people and very welcoming welcoming people I I think that’s you know but I think most people already know that anybody who spent time in Portugal whether it’s tourism or whether it’s living there generally they’re they’re pretty happy with the experience they had SCH um before you go

One question that we ask all of our guests Portugal the simple life why the people are simple the people don’t don’t uh don’t need for much and there is you know today especially in today’s fast-paced life I think there’s a real truth to that I think there’s a real I

Think everybody’s coming back to that that things don’t need to be as complicated as they are you know it’s in the it’s in the DNA of the people that you go forward a little bit every day doesn’t have to be in a hurry uh things get done and there is a real premium

Paid to life especially family life to food and wine to sitting around a table with people you care about whether it’s your family or friends you know socializing is a is is a big part of of our of our DNA and and and and I think

There’s a a a very beautiful simple way in that that you don’t need much to to have a a wonderful quality of life yeah well said thank you so much I’ve Loved this conversations well thank you for for being on the podcast that’s a wrap so thank you once again to our

Guest and thank you to all of you for listening Please Subscribe share with your friends give us a thumbs up and please leave a comment or a review we always love to hear from you don’t forget Portugal the simple life also has a magazine so download it it’s for free

We’ll be back next week with a brand new episode and as we say in Portugal Cesar bang vindu welcome to the simple life