Tuesday 20th October (Lini’s Journal)

Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Fri 23 Oct 2009 21:24

 

   Ready with walking boots and maps it was a frustrating start to the day when the bar selling our morning bread didn’t open until 9am and then ran out of bread. If we’d known it would be well after 10am by the time it was baked we would have bought some en-route but eventually we were driving up into the hills in search of the Caldeirao Verde and a 5/6 hour walk along the lavadas. I was amazed. Our ancestors had gone to extreme lengths to bring water from the mountain springs to their crops on the terraces. How on earth they engineered the whole process is beyond me but we followed the old weathered concrete channels sloping so gently upwards the water within just flowed. We started on a wide path through woods where I got the scritchy, scrunchy walk through autumn leaves that I thought I’d have to forego this year. The paths narrowed, sometimes to just the edge of the levada, a foot wide concrete wall with luckily sturdy iron bars and wires to stop the clumsy falling over into the valleys way below. It seems incredible that the path is so well maintained when the levada is probably benefitting so few if any these days. Very, very slowly without noticing the incline, we found ourselves nearer the peaks and in the centre of the volcano with a picturesque waterfall spilling onto rocks. It was busy; everyone having their photograph taken against the pretty backdrop and eating lunch. We had only been walking for around an hour and a half, much less than expected, so we continued on to the Caldeirao do Inferno obviously not such a well trodden route. Some parts were a little scary just knowing what was below; I didn’t look down. Our reward was an echoy caldron with another waterfall and all to ourselves. Well that was for two minutes until our peace was shattered with the arrival of another couple of walkers. Revived after lunch we retraced our steps catching breathtaking views from the other direction.

  What a shame we had to follow our great adventure with provisioning. We found a supermarket, not the Modelo Simon was hoping for but sufficient to stock up for a while with food if not boy’s toys. After comparing walking notes with Phil and Linda back at the marina they suggested we use the two hire cars to go for a one way coast walk tomorrow. We invited them for drinks to discuss plans and return their hospitality. Shopping was thrown into lockers, nibbles made and wine uncorked before an evening with enthusiastic plans over walking maps.