On Friday we woke up ready for more hiking, so we hit the closest walk to us, the levada-dos-marocos. It was a very easy but nonetheless very enjoyable, hiking along a levada down into a valley. We made the end of the main leg, and started on the second leg that climbs out of the valley, but after a few hundred meteres of vertical gain we gave up. Too hot and humid to be climbing stairs!
After that it was back home to try and finish off some of the beers that Yanan had decided we needed (30 beers...). We tried to grab some lunch from the local snack bar but all they were doing was coffee, beer and crisps, so we headed back up the hill to our place, grabbed the car, and drove off to a nearby Churrascaria. We had an awesome meal of grilled meats and drinks for something like 20 euros!
We were still keen to see some more sights so we visited the local fruit market (which was not for locals at all), then drove up a winding mountain road to the top of the Pico Ruivo, the tallest peak in Madeira. We got started on the hike to the summit from the car park but after only about 20 minutes we were passed by a local coming down the mountain, and he warned us the park gates closed at 8pm... it was 7.30 already so we decided to persevere for a few more minutes, and then bolted back down the hill towards home.
Having wet our appetites for some high mountain escapades, we decided to try and reach another mountain peak, Pico do Arieiro, later that evening, to see if we could spot any stars.
We headed home and had some burgers as a late evening snack, then hit our beds for a quick 30 minute nap.
Then it was out into the darkness, winding up some mountains roads to reach the top of the peak. It was so worth it. We tried to find a place to watch the stars from the observatory which is located on the peak, but decided to just park the car and sit with the windows down watching the falling stars. Jack saw her first shooting star so success on that front. We sat there for something like 2 hrs till around 1.30 am, then headed home to bed.
The next morning we woke up and had another leisurely breakfast, before deciding on what to do on our last day. Victor and Yanan hadn't really seen much of the west side of the island so we decided to drive all the way around, aiming for the Ponta Do Pargo, the lighthouse all the way on the west side of the island.
So we had an uneventful drive across the island, stopping for lunch quite early and having some huge pizzas next to the rolling surf. We got home in the early afternoon, and then tried to hide the bump on our rental by driving up the hill behind the house to a dirt road. We made a small puddle of mud and then tried to wipe the mud onto the cars body in a not so obvious way that would camouflage the damage. It didn't work at all... We ended up just washing the mud off the car and deciding that it was best if we didn't bring too much attention to it.
We went home and tidied up, then had a final dinner. I went out and watched some lads playing football on the pitches near our house under the lights, and then we packed it in for night.
The next morning we checked out without a problem, drove in to the airport and then decided on a plan to avoid the rental car excess which was thousands of euros...
We drove in to where you drop the car off and found a park located next to another hire care. I edged it in as close to the other rental car as possible, as the damage was quite low down almost under the car body and you had to stoop to see it. We walked up to the rental desk and the chick came over to inspect the car; but as she was nearing it, the people renting the car next to ours walked over and were about to drive off making it easy for the car rental girl to examine the car! Luckily the other renters delayed for long enough, and the inspection lady couldn't get enough room to see the underside of the car, and we were free!!! I didn't realise how much stress it had been putting on us until we were passed that moment and headed to the check in desk - it felt like a huge weight had been lifted. We usually get third party rental excess, and in fact for this rental I had grabbed it just after we had picked the car up (probably was void in that case), but we will always make sure we have it before getting the car in future - lesson learned. We flew home without a problem, then found out the bus back to Victoria would take 2 hrs (when it took 1 hr coming) and was leaving in forty minutes, so we decided to just get the train to Clapham, and then take the overground... Worked out well so we know for next time
After that it was back home to try and finish off some of the beers that Yanan had decided we needed (30 beers...). We tried to grab some lunch from the local snack bar but all they were doing was coffee, beer and crisps, so we headed back up the hill to our place, grabbed the car, and drove off to a nearby Churrascaria. We had an awesome meal of grilled meats and drinks for something like 20 euros!
We were still keen to see some more sights so we visited the local fruit market (which was not for locals at all), then drove up a winding mountain road to the top of the Pico Ruivo, the tallest peak in Madeira. We got started on the hike to the summit from the car park but after only about 20 minutes we were passed by a local coming down the mountain, and he warned us the park gates closed at 8pm... it was 7.30 already so we decided to persevere for a few more minutes, and then bolted back down the hill towards home.
Having wet our appetites for some high mountain escapades, we decided to try and reach another mountain peak, Pico do Arieiro, later that evening, to see if we could spot any stars.
We headed home and had some burgers as a late evening snack, then hit our beds for a quick 30 minute nap.
Then it was out into the darkness, winding up some mountains roads to reach the top of the peak. It was so worth it. We tried to find a place to watch the stars from the observatory which is located on the peak, but decided to just park the car and sit with the windows down watching the falling stars. Jack saw her first shooting star so success on that front. We sat there for something like 2 hrs till around 1.30 am, then headed home to bed.
The next morning we woke up and had another leisurely breakfast, before deciding on what to do on our last day. Victor and Yanan hadn't really seen much of the west side of the island so we decided to drive all the way around, aiming for the Ponta Do Pargo, the lighthouse all the way on the west side of the island.
So we had an uneventful drive across the island, stopping for lunch quite early and having some huge pizzas next to the rolling surf. We got home in the early afternoon, and then tried to hide the bump on our rental by driving up the hill behind the house to a dirt road. We made a small puddle of mud and then tried to wipe the mud onto the cars body in a not so obvious way that would camouflage the damage. It didn't work at all... We ended up just washing the mud off the car and deciding that it was best if we didn't bring too much attention to it.
We went home and tidied up, then had a final dinner. I went out and watched some lads playing football on the pitches near our house under the lights, and then we packed it in for night.
The next morning we checked out without a problem, drove in to the airport and then decided on a plan to avoid the rental car excess which was thousands of euros...
We drove in to where you drop the car off and found a park located next to another hire care. I edged it in as close to the other rental car as possible, as the damage was quite low down almost under the car body and you had to stoop to see it. We walked up to the rental desk and the chick came over to inspect the car; but as she was nearing it, the people renting the car next to ours walked over and were about to drive off making it easy for the car rental girl to examine the car! Luckily the other renters delayed for long enough, and the inspection lady couldn't get enough room to see the underside of the car, and we were free!!! I didn't realise how much stress it had been putting on us until we were passed that moment and headed to the check in desk - it felt like a huge weight had been lifted. We usually get third party rental excess, and in fact for this rental I had grabbed it just after we had picked the car up (probably was void in that case), but we will always make sure we have it before getting the car in future - lesson learned. We flew home without a problem, then found out the bus back to Victoria would take 2 hrs (when it took 1 hr coming) and was leaving in forty minutes, so we decided to just get the train to Clapham, and then take the overground... Worked out well so we know for next time
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