Magical Madeira
This unique island belongs to Portugal, but is located in an archipelago about an hour off the coast of Africa.The day we arrived, it was too windy to land our plane, so we circled the island for about 90 minutes, and finally managed to slip in to the runways built right on the cliff by the ocean. I was happy to land – 10 planes were diverted to other islands close by the day before we arrived!
Our home for the duration was a 4 star resort with an enormous oceanfront room near Canico. One of the most noticeable things about the island from the start was the friendliness of the people ~ from the hotel receptionist who emigrated from South Africa 18 years ago; to the family that emigrated from Russia 13 years ago and owned one of the little restaurants in the village; to the waitress at the pool snack bar, born & raised in Madeira, always friendly and wearing a big smile.
The hotel offered a free shuttle into the capital city of Funchal, the so we wandered the old quarter shopping in the markets, enjoyed cappuccinos in cafes on the waterfront, and then took one of their famous cable cars up over the city to the botanical gardens and Nossa Senhora do Monte church at the top. The church was built as a tribute to Our Lady of Monte, a protector of Roman Catholic mariners.
We decided we HAD to try one of the world’s “coolest” commutes. The Monte toboggan sledges have been used since the 1850’s, sliding at speeds of up to 48km/hr on the narrow, winding streets down to Funchal. These two-seater wicker sledges glide on wooden runners, pushed and steered by two strong men wearing white cotton clothes and straw hats, using their rubber-soled boots as brakes when our speed got to high!
Being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, they boast whale watching all year round in Madeira.
…so even though I haven’t cured myself of being seasick on boats
…even though most whales are a whole lot larger than the boat you ride out on
… I had to “push myself out of my comfort zone” and go out on the catamaran if I wanted to try something new, and see something I’d never seen before.
What I was positive about is that the whales certainly weren’t going to come over calling my name & looking for me on dry land!
And we saw it all ~ we had several pods of bottle nose dolphins leaping around our boat, playing in the waves, having a blast !
We saw several of the Minke whales, who rarely surface and avoid boats.
We even saw a few loggerhead turtles on our way to the cove to swim.
I’d say a successful day with a lot of sightings ~ I couldn’t have asked for more!
It’s kind of like your Surge business ~
…it might be uncomfortable going out to that social event & meeting new people
…it might make you feel sick to your stomach to go out and talk to complete strangers on the street
…you have to “push yourself out of your comfort zone” and try something new, if you want results that you’ve never seen before.
Because I guarantee new Surge Business Partners aren’t going to jump out in front of you to introduce themselves and ask if you have a home based business they could join…
We rented a Smart car, (my goodness they are TINY) & decided to drive up the coast exploring little one lane roads that wound up & down the mountainsides. We made it to the top of the Pico de Facto lookout point & met a Park ranger who told us about an incredible walk along rugged cliffs on the eastern tip of the island.
It was a journey through moonscape vegetation with wild winds, hidden stone islands like pinnacles, and jagged peaks with breathtaking ocean views. There was even a completely sustainable restaurant at the end of the peninsula of Sao Lourenco – they use solar for electricity and desalinate water from the ocean and carry their supplies in and garbage out. I walked over 17,000 steps today!
We headed up to the northwestern corner of the island to Sao Vincente, driving through all kinds of tunnels – long, curved, up, down, and even a few with forks. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen so many tunnels in my life as I did driving around the highways on Madeira.
But we were headed for the underground caves that are ancient lava tubes that have evolved into a system of tunnels.
We walked through all 5 of the main lava tunnels, and then went to their Interpretation center to learn about the volcanic formation of the island.
We continued our coastal drive over to Porto Moniz, one of several sites around the country with Natural swimming pools created at the edge of the ocean. Swimming in the basalt lava pools filled with seawater is one of those things “not to miss” in Madeira – check the tide if you want to choose between an exhilarating or relaxing experience…
A trip to this island wouldn’t be complete without trying the Scuba diving.
Back to Overcoming Fears !!!
I did my first dive on the house reef, getting accustomed to climbing up & down the stone stairs with my equipment on, as well and overcoming my personal fears of being bitten by a fish, & feeling claustrophobic.
The 2nd dive with my buddy Manny from England was unique. They called it the Blue Hole because we jumped off the pier, headed out to a small reef, and then had to dive down a hole, and through a tunnel to come out at the other end to the Blue Hole, where we saw a lot of fish, eels and crabs. At the end of the dive we swam back through the pitch black tunnel one by one, and up through the hole to head back to shore.
It was an incredible dive, other than my “less than graceful, belly flop, entry !
But most importantly, every time I “Overcome A Fear”, I get a little bit stronger.
I feel like I “came out ahead”…
I feel like I am Stronger than the Fear…
We were both trying for different outcomes & I Won and the Fear LOST!
It’s a Great feeling, team !
But you have to be willing to push past your rational fears, be stronger than what you’re scared of, and know that when you’ve managed to “do” that thing you were afraid to do, you’ll feel so good about yourself, and gain confidence in yourself and your inner strength.
Santana
We headed over to the Northeast coast of the island to Santana to visit the infamous thatched roof houses, and see the original rum factory. We decided to hop in another of their cable cars that took us almost directly down the side of the cliff, past a waterfall coming out of the side of it, landing us on an impressive, jurassic beach. The cable car system is used by some of the locals who have no roads, but most of them walk the steep path to get up and down the cliffs to their homes.
The food was incredible everywhere we went, from beachside bistros to restaurants with glass floors overhanging the ocean, and the buffet at our hotel coerced me to eat more than I needed – there was just so much good stuff!
I managed to convince my friend Susan to hike with me from the 3rd highest mountain peak Pico Aeiro to the highest peak on the island – Pico Ruivo. The literature all said it was a “moderate” 3-4 hour hike, and you could catch a taxi back if you were too tired to walk back at the end.
Well…the literature was WRONG !
I wouldn’t classify it as moderate – we were climbing up & down thousands of stone stairs carved into the mountainsides. On our way, we passed a young guy with his parents on their way back, and the father was trying to catch his breath & repeating: “I am an idiot, I am an idiot…” .
You’d think we would have listened… it was over 3 hours just to make it to the Top of Pico Ruivo, and there were a lot more steps going down than up!
Just as we made it up to the top it started to rain. Susan had enough and was ready to jump in that taxi, but we found out there was no road anywhere close to that peak, and we had to walk back out.
We understood the sentiments of that father we met on the path earlier…
During the last half hour, it was sheer willpower that kept us going up and up and up those stone stairs ~ it was raining, we were in the clouds and could no longer see the sheer cliffs on either side of the path, and the wind was blowing us sideways ~ my legs were like jello!
But we made it back to the starting point, got out of the rain and had a hot drink to warm us up.The infamous Steak on a Stone with fried maize and sustainable pasta straws for your drink was Susan’s favorite meal ~ make sure to give it a try when you go!
But we made it back to the starting point, got out of the rain and had a hot drink to warm us up.The infamous Steak on a Stone with fried maize and sustainable pasta straws for your drink was Susan’s favorite meal ~ make sure to give it a try when you go!
ALL TOLD, IT WAS AN AMAZING TRIP !!
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