A trip to the centre of the earth II

In S. Miguel we were told that all the islands in the archipelago of the Azores are different. We started to believe in it as soon as we got to Faial. This time our plan was to stay in Horta and use it as a base to explore the surroundings.

Our first day on the island was spent walking. In the morning, we went up to Monte da Guia - a lovely place, which provided us with magnificient views over Porto Pim - and in the afternoon, after what felt like the most unsuccessful shorcut in the history of walking, we reached Praia do Almoxarife and made our way to the ocean through unbelievably black sand.

Throughout all this time Mount Pico stood there as if inviting us to pay a visit to its peak. And so we did. The next day we took the boat to Madalena and then hopped on a taxi to Casa da Montanha located at 1250m above sea level. The landscape on the way up was more than beautiful and it continued that way throughout our entire trekking adventure.

The path was a bit too tricky for me from the beginning but I must say that I started feeling more insecure above 1500m, which was when it became increasingly steep. Somewhere between 1700m and 1800m we came to terms with the fact that that would be the highest point of our journey and decided to start heading down.

Shortly after we got back to Casa da Montanha, we were picked up by the taxi driver who had driven us up. He convinced us to go on a tour of the island just before heading back to Faial. The opportunity to check out the rest of this precious gift of nature was great; having to listen to the prick going on and on about the people who left the mainland and are now living there; having to endure his lack of professionalism and end up involved in a car crash was not. But, hey, at least we got a good laugh out of it; and some great snapshots of Mount Pico.

We woke up the following day with muscle pain all over the body. It was so bad that it was actually difficult for me to lye on the beach. In an attempt to make the day count anyway, we decided to try and watch whales. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be seen, which was the reason why we ended up driving to the Capelinhos Volcano, an unforgettable natural site, and then walking circa 2kms down the western coast of the island.

On our last day, we decided to try and see if we could spot whales. We started having fun as soon as we got on the boat; plus the views over S. Jorge and Graciosa were so beautiful, that it actually occured to me that it wouldn´t be so bad not to spot any. But then I heard that they had been seen 2 miles ahead and that we were heading that way.

The first couple of times we saw them, they didn´t look like much. So much so that when the dolphins showed up, we were completely taken by their friendliness. But then I saw a 7m to 8m long sperm whale dive and realised just how exquisite those animals are. We were really happy when we got back to Horta. And farewell dinner plus gin tonics at Peter´s might have tasted better because of the whole experience - it was definitely a good way to finish a holiday in paradise.

It was sad to start the following day leaving those beautiful islands behind and saying goodbye to Sara shortly afterwards but the truth is that for one trip to begin, another one has to finish. And you can´t even begin to imagine just how much this is true...

A trip to the centre of the earth

It was exciting to land in S. Miguel, the biggest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Our plan was to stay in Ponta Delgada, the administrative capital of this autonomous region, and use it as a base to explore the rest of the island.

We spent the first day checking out the city, which turned out to be quite small. My highlights would have to be the amazing views from what seemed to be an abandoned church up on a hill, a beautiful peaceful corner in the Garden José do Canto and having coffee in the main square, which allowed us to have a glimpse at a bride being driven to the entrance of the church in a Jeep.

The next day we paid a visit to Furnas, a civil parish located in the easternmost of three active volcanoes. It took me a while to cope with the fact that the earth under my feet was pretty much alive and that the wrong steps in the wrong place at the wrong time could cost me dearly; but it didn´t take me any effort whatsoever to make the best out of the positive side of it all, which includes thermal baths, a very tasty dish cooked using the earth´s heat and a wide variety of mineral waters, some of which with healing properties.

We were unable to make plans for the day after this because a tropical storm by the name of "Gordon" was making its way to the island. As it turned out, it wasn´t as destructive as anticipated and we ended-up having coffee by the sea, spending a couple of hours in the swimming pool and, in the evening, eating dinner in the fancy marina.

On our last day on the island, we arranged to go to Lagoa das 7 Cidades and what a nice idea it was for it felt great to stand up in the mountains and stare at all those precious gifts of nature around us. A couple of hours after that, the time had come to move on to another island.

To be continued...

Run Marcia Run

Just when I thought that life was settling into a quiet routine, something happened that turned my world upside down.

All of a sudden, it was no longer possible to spend afternoons in terraces reading "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera, watch old movies on VHS and listen to 90s´ music; all of a sudden, there was only time to make plans and act.

It was in the middle of all the hustle and bustle that Sara arrived to Porto. She was nice enough to understand my situation but I felt pretty bad for not giving her the city tour I had intended. What made me feel better was realising that she still had a great time.

Also, we both agreed that it was a good thing for me to deal with as many issues as possible before we made our way to the middle of the Atlantic...

DJ Basic Experience

This morning I got a taste of what life is like as a DJ. So. Cool.

My impression is that, behind all the profession´s glamour, there´s a technique you cannot go around if you want to make a career out of it. Not to mention the importance of the taste in music, the ear for the beat and the feeling for the rhythm, which can surely make the difference between touching the starts and touching nothing at all.

I´m happy to have participated in such a workshop and I´ll definitely start looking at a DJ´s workstation differently from now on. And just in case you´re wondering, yes, there´s a point to each and every button on it - they´re not there to make people look trendy - and no, DJs won´t necessarily go deaf; there are measures they can take in the work place, which can prevent it.