Funchal
Lotus
Thu 15 Oct 2009 17:30
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Yesterday we hired a car and drove to the interior
mountainous region of Madeira to do a walk which was inaccessible by public
transport. unfortunately, it was not inaccessible to countless other
tourists that had hired cars or came on organised trips. However, the
scenery was fantastic and we walked alongside aquaducts which were cut into and
skirted the mountainsides between waterfalls and numerous springs. The
whole aquaduct system was started in the 15th century shortly after the island
was inhabited and is still vital to Madeira's water supply today. The walk
started with a 500m descent which unfortunately meant a 500 m ascent at the end
after a couple of hours walk. Many of our fellow tourists gave in and paid
a shuttle bus which covered the last tarmac section, but we plodded on and boy
have we suffered today. One walker had twisted or broken her ankle 4 miles
into the walk but when John offered his help he was waved away. Some time later
we heard the sirens of an ambulance and saw the local mountain rescue team
landrovers. If only they'd been going the other way I think John would
have feigned his own injury to get a lift.
  
 Cave
Entrance
 We then drove to Porto Monitz which is on the north west tip of the island and made our way slowly
back on windy steep roads with small hamlets amidst lush vegetation and plants
that wouldn't seem out of place in the jungle. It was really great to get
an impression of other parts of the island which are quite different from
Funchal.
 Porto Monitz
Hopefully, all being well with the weather and the
wind we plan to depart for the Canaries via the tiny uninhabited Salvagen
islands, half between Madeira and the Canaries,
tomorrow.
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