After a previous day of delayed flights and a late night arrival, the sound of the sea drew me outside with my coffee onto our balcony in Ponta do Sol in the pre-dawn light. Terraces of bananas, vegetables and fruits filled the hillside below us, goat and rooster calls joined bird song as we drank our coffee under a huge bougainvillea bush.
Our guide Carlos picked us up at 9 am and we headed off for an exploration of the south eastern part of Madeira: our route shown on the map below.
Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal located south of Europe off the coast of North Africa. Weather is a balmy 20-24 degrees during the day, a nice treat after the AC/DC behaviour of the climate on mainland Portugal over the past 2 weeks.
One of our friend Henry the Navigator’s expeditions “discovered” Madeira in 1419, uninhabited at the time. There is evidence of visits by passing mariners in the first century, as well as Viking visits in the 10th C. There are also accounts by a 12th C Muslim cartographer – of ships that stopped at the main island of Madeira or one of the accessory islands in the group and came upon a huge quantity of sheep: indicating that people must have lived there at some point. The first settlers from Portugal arrived around 1420 and began the process of transforming the Island via deforestation, terracing hillsides and the digging of irrigation canals known here as levadas. We passed through several micro-ecosystems today – moving from the lush north west/central to the very dry southern parts of the island. The levadas were originally constructed to carry water to these dryer southern regions.
The footprints of the Moors and Knights Templar never reached this Island, resulting in a place that lacks the architectural/historical complexity of Portugal. The cruise ships arriving daily, new expressways being built around the island (taking the place of the old winding roads that initially circled the island) plus km’s of new tunnels built through hillsides to facilitate the ongoing highway expansion have created a very different vibe – one that feels oddly displaced. Agriculture is present but as with many other places in the world, the farming community is ageing and young people are leaving. The island is self sufficient in water and has some solar and wind turbine electrical generating capacity. However a major amount of the fuel and natural gas is imported. Wouldn’t be my choice to be when the SHTF.
Madeira has gone through several phases in its development over the centuries from sugar production to the madeira wine trade to tourism. This is the perfect time to visit Madeira. The summer crowds are gone, yet it is still warm enough for swimming and T-shirts. Colours, patterns and photo ops are everywhere! An interesting view from one of our climbs showed a contrasting black pebble and white sand beach – the white sand imported from Dubai to create a more welcoming area for visitors ….
A quick visit to a fish market resulted in us becoming acquainted with a black scabbard fish – little did we know it would turn up later on our lunch plates, served with a baked banana and pomegranate sauce, absolutely excellent! – despite the impressive set of teeth.
Dryer ecosystem at the south end of the island
Below – Fish farming, enclave for the super rich and a plane just landing at the airport – accuracy is everything on this approach and touch down.
Central southern area of island
Some amazing rock work evident in the winding trail along the southern coast, stairways and the swimming pool. Sedimentary rocks and granites are common here with depositional layers showing environmental changes over time.
We hope you enjoy the photos! Our plan tomorrow is to go on two long hikes focusing on specific ecosystems on the island. Stay tuned!
