Our flight to the capital Ponta Delgada on the bigger island Sao Miguel first stopped over on the smaller Santa Maria. We had met a guy from Switzerland at the airport who gave us plenty of tips and ideas on where to go. We had a few hours to kill on Santa Maria so we thought we would walk into the town. As we had flown in over the browning island we spotted the town which didn't look far from the airport. A few hundred meters down the road and our Swiss friend from the airport pulled up in his mates ute and we hitched a ride into town.
It was a sleepy Sunday as we walked down the Main Street to a large fort overlooking the harbour. Santa Maria was attacked by privateering a lot due to its position being the closest to the mainland. Privateering is an interesting concept in that is really just 'legal' pirating where governments would sanction Privateers to go ransack the islands and kidnap people to ensure the island are not becoming dominant. The fort was built to watch out for ships sailing towards Santa Maria. It provided a great view point while we were hiding in its shade. As we only had our small day pack we didn't have any sunscreen and it was a scorcher of a day. It seemed to be the locals hangout too with plenty of scooters and cars stopping to meet people and wait around. When the fort no longer provided any shelter we walked down to the harbour. There was a small beach around the corner where a few local had set up their umbrellas and were enjoying a Sunday afternoon at the beach. With no shelter or sunscreen we stuck to a small cafe reading our books and watching the small fishing boats come and go. |
Arriving into Ponta Delgada we were surprised at how big it seemed from the air. Having spent the day in the small quiet Santa Maria we had naively assumed the other islands would be similar. As we would soon find out Sao Miguel has so much to offer you could spend weeks exploring. Ponta Delgada was also our first couch surfing experience. We were greeted by a Spanish guy looking like we had interrupted him mid nap but he showed us around and pointed us in the direction of the supermarket. We were staying with several girls from Croatia and the Spanish guy for the first couple of nights before we found somewhere to camp. After a few sleepless nights camping on a slight hill it was good tolay horizontal on a solid mattress again.
Up early the next day we caught the only bus in the morning to Sete Cidades. The bus wound through the narrow streets of every single little village along the coast as we left Delgada. Dozing off I missed a lot but awoke as we turned inland up a windong road. We were climbing the crater of Sete Cidades which dominates the western landscape of Sao Miguel. Once we were dropped of in the small town we began walking towards Lagoa Verde or the green lake. Rain clouds came and being unprepared without a jacket or a map we headed back into town for a quick cafe expresso. Chatting to the lady at the information centre we were told that there were only two buses a day out of Sete Cidades so we needed to plan our route accordingly. We shared a taxi with a few other walkers to the other side of the crater.
At the top there was no rain but the mist was so dense you could not see the three lakes that would normally make for a great picture. Our driver dropped us off and pointed in the direction of the walk. A steep climb up a concrete path eventually led to a dirt track surrounded by cows grazing in the paddocks. Slowly we made our way back down and the lakes started to appear through the clouds. The next few hours we spent climbing up and over the small ridges of the crater with the coastline on one side of us and the blue and green lake below us on the other. We came across a few dirt bikes and cars coming the opposite direction not realising that the dirt track is actually a road. The clouds never lifted over the mountains completely so we were unable to see the third crater lake but the views everywhere were stunning. Shades of green lined the valley below and bright flowers grew on the side of the track. The walk had been pretty easy mainly as we got a lift to the top but the last half hour was torture. Both Jake and I have dodgy knees and the dirt road veered off into an intersection with one path for cars and another for walkers into the township. It quickly became a very very steep lumpy track that only a 4wd would be able to come up and down and the other walkers we seen all had walking sticks to help guide them. My legs were trembling as they tried to support my crappy knees down the slope. |
Once at the bottom we needed a long stretch purely because of the last 30 minutes of walking. Our knees definitely prefer walking up hill. The long bus ride home seen us falling asleep again and we woke back in Ponta Delagada.
That night we walked through the back alleys admiring the mix of old church buildings next to artistic graffiti painted on nearby walls. Sandra who we were staying with had recommended a good cheap restaurant but warned us it was normally busy. We arrived early and there were plenty of empty tables but they were apparently all reserved so we walked and found a small restaurant down a side street. In the end there were only two types of fish available on the menu that day so we both went for the tuna. I am not a huge fan of seafood but we ordered a plate of the local dish 'Lapas' or limpets. They came out on a steaming hot plate drizzled in butter lemon and garlic. I can't say I would order it again but I helped Jake finish the plate. The tuna was superbly cooked and the bottle of local vino went down a treat. A nice treat after our day of walking. |
There were plenty of fish and bright jellyfish swimming around the jetty I didn't even bother using the mask and snorkel we brought with us. Surprisingly the water was beautiful and I am a chicken with the cold. Our first proper swim in the Atlantic as it had always been too cold to hop in past our knees on the mainland. Later on in the week the Redbull cliff diving competition was to be held on the tall rocky crags on the outside of the islet. Several workers were busy slaving away in the heat building the high platforms the divers would jump from. It would have been exciting to jump on a boat and watch these divers but there are so many attractions and natural sights to see on Sao Miguel we didn't think we would be back. Back on shore we hit another sandy beach and let the clear blue waves wash over us as we whiled away the afternoon. |