These are the paintings at the harbour
This is the beach at near Horta harbour
This is the view from my bedroom ... Monte da Guia is on the right while the neighbouring island Pico can be seen on the left.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Pictures from first 2 days ...
These are the paintings at the harbour
This is the beach at near Horta harbour
This is the view from my bedroom ... Monte da Guia is on the right while the neighbouring island Pico can be seen on the left.
Tuesday 30th August 2011
Woke up before the alarm as i set the mobile clock to the correct time as i didn't want to be 2 hours late for diving. Tiptoed down to the kitchen in bermudas and CPD t-shirt, had some milk and made use of the loo downstairs not to wake anybody up. The cat insisted on being present during this important daily routine ... she didn't seem to be bothered but definitely in need of attention and stroking. As i prepared my stuff to make a move at around 7.45am i could hear movement above and so quickly gathered all i required, washed my glass and quickly slipped out of the house like a cheating partner.
The walk to the marina was now routine ... after 5 minutes i walked past my friends at the Continente supermarket, and by 7.55am i was at the harbour ... checked for wifi access and huray there's free access ... checked some mail, logged onto gtalk, and had my daily TimesOfMalta moment ... still there, but Gaddafi still missing :)
By 8.30am i logged out and made my way to the Diving Azores hut who were still setting up with some other clients just as looking forward as myself waiting outside. I cooly walked past the hut and watched the fishing tours guy set up his boat with massive rods and thick thread while the whale watching crafts were also preparing their vessels for the welcomed invasion of clients. As soon as i saw that the other diving clients were asked to walk in, i calmly joined them and approached Tiago to notify my presence. He asked me to start the paperwork and i decided to go with the Master Instructor card instead of the AOW only as i realised from the wall certificates that Tiago had only reached 1 level below Master instructor ... well i wanted to avoid the hasstle that beginers go through when at a dive centre ... but ... and i must say that i have been warned by wiser instructor trainers i met in previous years ... this is usually not a good move ... and in fact Tiago decided to buddy with me a dutch guy who was a bit hesitant while kitting up.
7mm Cressi suit with hood and 1 ankle zipper dead, Cressi mask, unknown size 41 boots, and Cressi fins ... 12 litre tank with International regulator and a Cressi large BCD ... all relatively new. All i had myself was Luke's Stinger which made me look cool next to the others ... who were 2 Portugese, a Spaniard and Tiago in drysuit ... Joanna was the skillful boat(wo)man ... and i needed 6 kilos of lead to push the 7mm down. Keep in mind that my swimming trunks were in my luggage still in Lisbon but i had practised this drill so many times that i make it look normal that nobody even notices ... i hope.
1st dive site was the Caldeira do Inferno ... yes the underwater mouth of one of the volcanoes ... right at the rear of Monte da Guia. The crater itself is a protected reserve but we could dive on the outer border of the crater and drop into the mouth, around and back. We drop off the rib all 6 together over the crater's rim on Tiago's 1-2-3 ... and off goes his weight pocket to the bottom ... :) ... i can't help it ...but i wouldn't want that to happen to me when diving with a higher-level diver ;) I offered to scoot down to retrieve it as the bottom inside was 25m and he correctly did not allow me leave the group but decided to descend all together close to approximately where the weigth pocket was. All this commotion was too much for my buddy who at 10m during the descent ... visibilty not so good, strong swell over the crater's rim and into the mouth ... decided to hit the surface again. Well i was free falling ofcourse and 'amazingly' my drop was right over the weight pocket :) ... Tiago approached and with Vendetta all over his hood asked me for my buddy ... damn idiot ... i started my ascent and could see him frogging at the surface swimming towards the rib. Joanna was not sure what to do and in true 'Dutch Courage' my buddy declared that he can't do the dive and asked me to go on with the dive ... this meant €80 less for the dive shop most probably as he wouldn't want to do 2nd dive either ... so Tiago took a shot at him and encouraged him to calm down and hold on to him ... started a descent to 10m now and Tiago was still hanging on to his new buddy ... but at least he was down ... shaking and breathing like a single-lunged smoker ... but underwater right on the rim. Portugal 1 Holland 0 ... Malta & Spain are now partners ... watching the event.
The rock formation of the crater is crazily uncommon with cracks and slopes allover ... naked of any vegetation. I dropped to 25m with my Spanish buddy slightly above ... 2 divers infront and 2 behind ... heavy swell but plenty of fish ... and good fun.
We swam around the outer rim for some good 15 mins and then reached the entrance to the crater where lava used to flow out, swam through the opening and made a turn back on the inside of the rim. Numerous Moray eels entertained the others while i noticed a nice group of Baracudas threading above us. Tiago understood my slicing hand signal over the other hand to inform him about the presence of the striped creatures - he was grateful ;) and informed all others. Another highlight of the dive was a massive grouper that the front divers must have set in motion and so swam in our direction ... magnificant animal who elegantly snobbed us all and as quick as it appeared, it descended. Surfaced, hit the rib, and made our way back to port while admiring the roughness of the far side of Monte da Guia which can only be seen from a distance from Pico as it's on the opposite side facing Horta.
The surface interval was done back at the hut with some lemon squash and weak tea for all ... accompanied by some 'biscuits' which is really an offence to the word, because all they were soft finger of what i can relate to Plasmon sticks you push into a baby's bottle ... but better than nothing. During the break Tiago offered to chase the luggage at the airport and so he called the lost luggage desk to enquire but nobody replied ... probably at 11am the airport was still closed as the first flight of the day arrives at around 1pm ...might as well pay everyone on half days :)
'Want to do the second dive today or tomorrow?' ... i could tell that Tiago wasn't a dive fanatic but the Dutch guy had now gained some confidence and stated that he would rather do it today not to leave his wife alone tomorrow ... i was game for anything to be honest as i had already decided not to go to the whale watching tour as strong winds were being predicted.
Prepared the kit for the second dive and pushed it on the rib ... only the Dutch guy and myself were in for it as Tiago prepared his drysuit and just in time for his father to turn up to accompany us with the rib as Joanna tended to the shop in the afternoon. Sweet old man who promptly looked at me and instictively uttered 'Obrigado' as i offered to take the stern rope which he had just released from the jetty. Tiago started briefing us about the next dive which will again be behind Monte da Guia but inside 2 small caves. Well i think its very convenient to drive some 5 to 10 minutes only out of port to get to a different world and pick a dive site in this protected natural reserve. Tiago took no chances this time and buddied with the dutch guy while i was free to roam alone :) When we got to the site i was told that i can jump in when i'm ready and to wait by the majestic vertical wall very similar to what we're used to at Ta'Cenc in Gozo but black and wet with dark cracks running down in all directions.
As i jumped in i could immediately realise that visibility was way better than this morning as the deep blue was evident especially as i turned my attention towards the still descending vertical wall which now changed sort of shape ... instead of vertical cracks i could notice like thick liquid that solidified as it lumped over each other giving a sense of bulging thick custard as it drops from the pan over other setting custard :) I must have been hungry. I waited by the wall as i could notice Tiago explaining how to best wear the mask. I had pinched a second mask this time and quickly collapsed in the usual contingency position through my breast strap ...i'm sure that if i had to dive some more days with these guys i would end with a full technical kit made up from bits and pieces i could scavenge from the hut. Finally they're in and Tiago is already picking on the poor guy at the surface ... 'Don't kick at the surface - you will get tired' ... he's right of course but that was a clear signal of uneasiness.
All set! Off we go ... and i quickly descended to experience the touch of these bulging solidified lava as they accompanied me to a depth of around 25m. Tiago gave me the OK signal from a safer depth and signalled the direction to take to approach the first cave. The sweel was like 2m at the surface and so we were being pushed to-and-fro as the swell moved in and out of the cave ... a sweet dance underwater but which can be easily enjoyed once you get used to it and given that it doesn't make u sick or drive you into one of the massive lava chunks scattered all over. So when the swell pushed me in i finned along with it and identified a stone to hold on with one hand as the swell moved out carrying Tiago and his Dutch extension back out while i stuck there waiting for the next drive in ... which resulted in me going in first into this wide cave with minimal light as my eyes adjusted accordingly to the weak darkness. I could see the surface very similar to the Inland Sea tunnel but littered with fish at the surface who practised the same dance but had far more experience. As the cave became narrower the movement became dangerously amusing but as i looked back i could see Tiago signalling with the only torch we had that he was turning around ... so i wisely turned around and made my way back out of the cave in a similar way skimming over the bottom rocks and slipping out into the sunlight before the other two.
During the brief Tiago explained that the 2nd cave was right behind the corner so we could easily swim to it as we exited the first one ... he had also hinted of some wreck between the caves so i was looking for anything as i made my way to the second cave when at around 30m i noticed twisted sheets of metal on the sea bed ... while inspecting the rusted thick pieces of metal i noticed a small section of a boat which i could swim through ... huray ... penetration ... :) ... it was only a 2m tunnel ... oh well better than nothing.
We swam into the second cave much in the same manner but this time the wider external section was longer and so we could swim for a longer time inside, and as soon as it got narrower we made our way back out. We could notice a couple baracudas chasing small fish in the blue as the Dutch guy notified Tiago that he was out of Air ... so off he went to the surface as Tiago and myself waited for his father to pick him up and then continued the dive together to consume the rest of our 80 bar. We pursued our dance along the vertical wall as we proceeded to check out other small crevices where cray fish could be seen, as well as other small clusters of different fish who amusingly accompanied us. At around 45 minutes into the dive, according to the brief, we surfaced following a short signal to myself and a DSMB to his father ... the 3mins @ 5m were excessively respected during our wall crawl :)
Back to the hut, rinsed my kit, put it in place, discreetly changed back into my bermudas, and made small talk with the loud Dutch guy who was very happy with his accomplishments. After paying €80 for the dives and full kit rent i asked Tiago to call the airport again and this time he got through. The luggage was arriving with the 2nd flight of the day and will be delivered at the house ... fantastic.
Walking back to the house, now mid afternoon, i decided to visit the Continente supermarket as i couldn't eat pasta with tuna again ... so a stroll at my local would definitely give me some ideas ... baguette, cheese, ham, macaroni & cheese micro job, 8-pack of tiny magnums as Cornettinos were nowhere to be seen, tea bags, and Continente digestives :) Oh i love these guys ... total €15
At the house i sorted my stuff and waited in the groundfloor living room just in case the airport people turned up. During this time i was busy writing my blog as well as stroking the cat who was too lonely in the empty house ... probably at the department finishing the writing up. Couple of hours rolled by as i switched to the next day's blog ... and a cup of tea later and a ham & cheese ponta ta' baguette ... i received a local call on my mobile which i decided to take as i was informed that my luggage had landed and will be delivered shortly ... to expect them ... huray.
I'm so pleased that i can dig through all my stuff now ... was sort of sure that it would arrive so wasn't too worried ... yet as i saw my mobile ache for power i got concerned. Not even time to sort my stuff, armed with a mini magnum and a laptop i made my way to the harbour in search of wifi.
Seated close to dive huts where early that morning i managed to connect from my mobile, i could get a connection for some strange reason over the laptop even though my mobile in its final dying moments managed to successfully connect ... unfortunately i had no time to charge it even now that my luggage finally arrived. I continued my walk along the harbour towards the centre and where i suspect the department DOP is situated ... i have'nt been as far as here and as darkness lurked overheard the locals were all over the place ... so it was a pleasant walk. I finally came across a massive Banif branch (Simon had to told Juan that they're the main bankers here) which seems to engulf all the Maltese Banif branches into one. I decided to test my laptops wifi reception as a final attempt and got online through some strangely named access point ... who cares! I'm online :)
Checked the mail, created the blog, posted yesterday's entry, and surfed the usual suspects ... Times of Malta, Wind Guru, and FB. At around 10pm i decided to make a move back.
It was the first time i walked back home in darkness especially the shortcut went through some rough patches and some deserted ones as well ... but got home safely ... mind you Horta is a safe place ... so they say.
Last glass of milk and off to bed ... not even time to watch TV ... as the few resources i had left were used to sort all my stuff out and put the empty luggage at rest in one corner of the room.
Good night ... God bless you all.
The walk to the marina was now routine ... after 5 minutes i walked past my friends at the Continente supermarket, and by 7.55am i was at the harbour ... checked for wifi access and huray there's free access ... checked some mail, logged onto gtalk, and had my daily TimesOfMalta moment ... still there, but Gaddafi still missing :)
By 8.30am i logged out and made my way to the Diving Azores hut who were still setting up with some other clients just as looking forward as myself waiting outside. I cooly walked past the hut and watched the fishing tours guy set up his boat with massive rods and thick thread while the whale watching crafts were also preparing their vessels for the welcomed invasion of clients. As soon as i saw that the other diving clients were asked to walk in, i calmly joined them and approached Tiago to notify my presence. He asked me to start the paperwork and i decided to go with the Master Instructor card instead of the AOW only as i realised from the wall certificates that Tiago had only reached 1 level below Master instructor ... well i wanted to avoid the hasstle that beginers go through when at a dive centre ... but ... and i must say that i have been warned by wiser instructor trainers i met in previous years ... this is usually not a good move ... and in fact Tiago decided to buddy with me a dutch guy who was a bit hesitant while kitting up.
7mm Cressi suit with hood and 1 ankle zipper dead, Cressi mask, unknown size 41 boots, and Cressi fins ... 12 litre tank with International regulator and a Cressi large BCD ... all relatively new. All i had myself was Luke's Stinger which made me look cool next to the others ... who were 2 Portugese, a Spaniard and Tiago in drysuit ... Joanna was the skillful boat(wo)man ... and i needed 6 kilos of lead to push the 7mm down. Keep in mind that my swimming trunks were in my luggage still in Lisbon but i had practised this drill so many times that i make it look normal that nobody even notices ... i hope.
1st dive site was the Caldeira do Inferno ... yes the underwater mouth of one of the volcanoes ... right at the rear of Monte da Guia. The crater itself is a protected reserve but we could dive on the outer border of the crater and drop into the mouth, around and back. We drop off the rib all 6 together over the crater's rim on Tiago's 1-2-3 ... and off goes his weight pocket to the bottom ... :) ... i can't help it ...but i wouldn't want that to happen to me when diving with a higher-level diver ;) I offered to scoot down to retrieve it as the bottom inside was 25m and he correctly did not allow me leave the group but decided to descend all together close to approximately where the weigth pocket was. All this commotion was too much for my buddy who at 10m during the descent ... visibilty not so good, strong swell over the crater's rim and into the mouth ... decided to hit the surface again. Well i was free falling ofcourse and 'amazingly' my drop was right over the weight pocket :) ... Tiago approached and with Vendetta all over his hood asked me for my buddy ... damn idiot ... i started my ascent and could see him frogging at the surface swimming towards the rib. Joanna was not sure what to do and in true 'Dutch Courage' my buddy declared that he can't do the dive and asked me to go on with the dive ... this meant €80 less for the dive shop most probably as he wouldn't want to do 2nd dive either ... so Tiago took a shot at him and encouraged him to calm down and hold on to him ... started a descent to 10m now and Tiago was still hanging on to his new buddy ... but at least he was down ... shaking and breathing like a single-lunged smoker ... but underwater right on the rim. Portugal 1 Holland 0 ... Malta & Spain are now partners ... watching the event.
The rock formation of the crater is crazily uncommon with cracks and slopes allover ... naked of any vegetation. I dropped to 25m with my Spanish buddy slightly above ... 2 divers infront and 2 behind ... heavy swell but plenty of fish ... and good fun.
We swam around the outer rim for some good 15 mins and then reached the entrance to the crater where lava used to flow out, swam through the opening and made a turn back on the inside of the rim. Numerous Moray eels entertained the others while i noticed a nice group of Baracudas threading above us. Tiago understood my slicing hand signal over the other hand to inform him about the presence of the striped creatures - he was grateful ;) and informed all others. Another highlight of the dive was a massive grouper that the front divers must have set in motion and so swam in our direction ... magnificant animal who elegantly snobbed us all and as quick as it appeared, it descended. Surfaced, hit the rib, and made our way back to port while admiring the roughness of the far side of Monte da Guia which can only be seen from a distance from Pico as it's on the opposite side facing Horta.
The surface interval was done back at the hut with some lemon squash and weak tea for all ... accompanied by some 'biscuits' which is really an offence to the word, because all they were soft finger of what i can relate to Plasmon sticks you push into a baby's bottle ... but better than nothing. During the break Tiago offered to chase the luggage at the airport and so he called the lost luggage desk to enquire but nobody replied ... probably at 11am the airport was still closed as the first flight of the day arrives at around 1pm ...might as well pay everyone on half days :)
'Want to do the second dive today or tomorrow?' ... i could tell that Tiago wasn't a dive fanatic but the Dutch guy had now gained some confidence and stated that he would rather do it today not to leave his wife alone tomorrow ... i was game for anything to be honest as i had already decided not to go to the whale watching tour as strong winds were being predicted.
Prepared the kit for the second dive and pushed it on the rib ... only the Dutch guy and myself were in for it as Tiago prepared his drysuit and just in time for his father to turn up to accompany us with the rib as Joanna tended to the shop in the afternoon. Sweet old man who promptly looked at me and instictively uttered 'Obrigado' as i offered to take the stern rope which he had just released from the jetty. Tiago started briefing us about the next dive which will again be behind Monte da Guia but inside 2 small caves. Well i think its very convenient to drive some 5 to 10 minutes only out of port to get to a different world and pick a dive site in this protected natural reserve. Tiago took no chances this time and buddied with the dutch guy while i was free to roam alone :) When we got to the site i was told that i can jump in when i'm ready and to wait by the majestic vertical wall very similar to what we're used to at Ta'Cenc in Gozo but black and wet with dark cracks running down in all directions.
As i jumped in i could immediately realise that visibility was way better than this morning as the deep blue was evident especially as i turned my attention towards the still descending vertical wall which now changed sort of shape ... instead of vertical cracks i could notice like thick liquid that solidified as it lumped over each other giving a sense of bulging thick custard as it drops from the pan over other setting custard :) I must have been hungry. I waited by the wall as i could notice Tiago explaining how to best wear the mask. I had pinched a second mask this time and quickly collapsed in the usual contingency position through my breast strap ...i'm sure that if i had to dive some more days with these guys i would end with a full technical kit made up from bits and pieces i could scavenge from the hut. Finally they're in and Tiago is already picking on the poor guy at the surface ... 'Don't kick at the surface - you will get tired' ... he's right of course but that was a clear signal of uneasiness.
All set! Off we go ... and i quickly descended to experience the touch of these bulging solidified lava as they accompanied me to a depth of around 25m. Tiago gave me the OK signal from a safer depth and signalled the direction to take to approach the first cave. The sweel was like 2m at the surface and so we were being pushed to-and-fro as the swell moved in and out of the cave ... a sweet dance underwater but which can be easily enjoyed once you get used to it and given that it doesn't make u sick or drive you into one of the massive lava chunks scattered all over. So when the swell pushed me in i finned along with it and identified a stone to hold on with one hand as the swell moved out carrying Tiago and his Dutch extension back out while i stuck there waiting for the next drive in ... which resulted in me going in first into this wide cave with minimal light as my eyes adjusted accordingly to the weak darkness. I could see the surface very similar to the Inland Sea tunnel but littered with fish at the surface who practised the same dance but had far more experience. As the cave became narrower the movement became dangerously amusing but as i looked back i could see Tiago signalling with the only torch we had that he was turning around ... so i wisely turned around and made my way back out of the cave in a similar way skimming over the bottom rocks and slipping out into the sunlight before the other two.
During the brief Tiago explained that the 2nd cave was right behind the corner so we could easily swim to it as we exited the first one ... he had also hinted of some wreck between the caves so i was looking for anything as i made my way to the second cave when at around 30m i noticed twisted sheets of metal on the sea bed ... while inspecting the rusted thick pieces of metal i noticed a small section of a boat which i could swim through ... huray ... penetration ... :) ... it was only a 2m tunnel ... oh well better than nothing.
We swam into the second cave much in the same manner but this time the wider external section was longer and so we could swim for a longer time inside, and as soon as it got narrower we made our way back out. We could notice a couple baracudas chasing small fish in the blue as the Dutch guy notified Tiago that he was out of Air ... so off he went to the surface as Tiago and myself waited for his father to pick him up and then continued the dive together to consume the rest of our 80 bar. We pursued our dance along the vertical wall as we proceeded to check out other small crevices where cray fish could be seen, as well as other small clusters of different fish who amusingly accompanied us. At around 45 minutes into the dive, according to the brief, we surfaced following a short signal to myself and a DSMB to his father ... the 3mins @ 5m were excessively respected during our wall crawl :)
Back to the hut, rinsed my kit, put it in place, discreetly changed back into my bermudas, and made small talk with the loud Dutch guy who was very happy with his accomplishments. After paying €80 for the dives and full kit rent i asked Tiago to call the airport again and this time he got through. The luggage was arriving with the 2nd flight of the day and will be delivered at the house ... fantastic.
Walking back to the house, now mid afternoon, i decided to visit the Continente supermarket as i couldn't eat pasta with tuna again ... so a stroll at my local would definitely give me some ideas ... baguette, cheese, ham, macaroni & cheese micro job, 8-pack of tiny magnums as Cornettinos were nowhere to be seen, tea bags, and Continente digestives :) Oh i love these guys ... total €15
At the house i sorted my stuff and waited in the groundfloor living room just in case the airport people turned up. During this time i was busy writing my blog as well as stroking the cat who was too lonely in the empty house ... probably at the department finishing the writing up. Couple of hours rolled by as i switched to the next day's blog ... and a cup of tea later and a ham & cheese ponta ta' baguette ... i received a local call on my mobile which i decided to take as i was informed that my luggage had landed and will be delivered shortly ... to expect them ... huray.
I'm so pleased that i can dig through all my stuff now ... was sort of sure that it would arrive so wasn't too worried ... yet as i saw my mobile ache for power i got concerned. Not even time to sort my stuff, armed with a mini magnum and a laptop i made my way to the harbour in search of wifi.
Seated close to dive huts where early that morning i managed to connect from my mobile, i could get a connection for some strange reason over the laptop even though my mobile in its final dying moments managed to successfully connect ... unfortunately i had no time to charge it even now that my luggage finally arrived. I continued my walk along the harbour towards the centre and where i suspect the department DOP is situated ... i have'nt been as far as here and as darkness lurked overheard the locals were all over the place ... so it was a pleasant walk. I finally came across a massive Banif branch (Simon had to told Juan that they're the main bankers here) which seems to engulf all the Maltese Banif branches into one. I decided to test my laptops wifi reception as a final attempt and got online through some strangely named access point ... who cares! I'm online :)
Checked the mail, created the blog, posted yesterday's entry, and surfed the usual suspects ... Times of Malta, Wind Guru, and FB. At around 10pm i decided to make a move back.
It was the first time i walked back home in darkness especially the shortcut went through some rough patches and some deserted ones as well ... but got home safely ... mind you Horta is a safe place ... so they say.
Last glass of milk and off to bed ... not even time to watch TV ... as the few resources i had left were used to sort all my stuff out and put the empty luggage at rest in one corner of the room.
Good night ... God bless you all.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday 29th August 2011
Arrived in Azores ... precisely it's Açores ... The airport is on the shore of the island close to a small place called Castelo Branco, just past the harbour and the runway is very close to the ocean (North Atlantic) just like a decking at a marina ... so the approach was spectacular as the volcanic rocks got closer and closer until the runway finally appeared and we had a perfect landing. The Azores archipelago is an entire volcanic formation that erupted deep in the ocean thousands of years ago and amazingly formed 9 islands ... Sao Miguel, Pico, Terceira, Sao Jorge, Faial, Flores, Santa Maria, Graciosa, and Corvo ... in order of magnitude.
The island i will be based on is Faial and Horta is the main city, where the house i live in is found.
The house is very close to the main port of Horta, around 10 minutes walking and 3 minutes by bike, while the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) of the University of Azores, is only 5 minutes away from the port itself.
My luggage failed to arrive as it missed my plane and after waiting for 10 minutes and all the other passengers left i decided to approach the lost luggage counter. The thing is that only 2 flights a day land at Horta airport so 5 minutes after the passengers pick up their luggage the airport is deserted. Well the driver who was waiting for me outside with my name on his board gave up after few minutes that all other passengers left. I tried or attempted to tell the girl at the lost luggage counter that my 'pick-up' guy is waiting outside and that he will probably give up on me and leave ... but once i got out of the arrivals lounge there was no way back in to complete the lost luggage report.
Done that i exited the arrivals lounge to find a cleaner, a car hire guy, and 3 taxi men (they're like cochroaches ... you find them every where). Here goes my first 20c in Horta ... a phone call to Sofia Cordeiro, the science officer who has been giving me all the details of my stay here. She was very apologetic and told me that she will ask the driver to come back for me ...which he did after 5 minutes. Useless to say he had no doubt who i was, as i was the only guy dressed in travel gear with a hand luggage in radius of 3 miles. The DOP driver, Jao something was born in Faial and his driving was excessively dangerous going round bends on the coast road from the airport like a rollercoaster ... but at this point i was already lost in the scenery.
We went through the next small town called Feteira like gangsters leaving a place after robbing its bank, but Monte da Guia was getting closer and closer and little did i give notice to the screaching of the tyres as we went round the only roundabout in town.
Monte de Guia is a typical volcano tip but emerging from the sea and connected to an adjacent smaller Monte Queimado that marks the begining of Horta port. The rough dark rock formation on these two magnificent hills is impressive with a thickness of vegitation on top which is just as impressive as my notion that no life existed after lava was incredulously disproved.
I could see the running shore line as we approached Horta was dark and as rough as the hills themselves with numerous pointed rocks like meteorites that have just landed, sporadically jotting out of the sea.
'Can i swim here?' i curiously enquired to the promising Formula 1 driver ... 'No no - danger - break head' he quickly put together and delivered with a dismissive look as if i had just kissed his girlfriend. The swell was truly strong and the rocks were visibly penetrating the surface as the waves moved in and out of the shore.
Before reaching Horta port Jao made a sharp turn towards a housing estate where the university had some houses that served as accommodation for students. The neighbourhood looked clean and decent while the general feel was like being in a small Welsh village by the sea with small houses each having a small from garden interrupted by a path ... this time made out of lava tiles carved from some lava quarry ... they must have loads of this stuff.
I was hoping of having a house all for myself but aparently there were some plumbing problems and so was accommodated in the next house right next door which had 1 bedroom already occupied and a cat who owned the living room.
Introductions were made following which i had no recollection of the names at all, but very nice people who are busy finalising PhDs ... so i wanted to be least intrusive as possible. Given Room 2 to settle in i was asked if i wanted to go with them to the department ... but quickly dismissed the offer as i needed to wash and rest ... and again ... rather stay alone while trying to find my bearings.
As a matter of fact, within an hour, i was already on the road walking towards Horta harbour with Monte da Guia clearly visible from my bedroom window serving as a bearing to guide me as i explored the neighbourhood. The walk down to the harbour took some 20 minutes as i stopped to admire the old coastal dwellings and take some photos. The harbour itself was bustling with activity as a ferry was preparing to cross to the closest neighbouring island Pico. People were packing themselves on its deck as i noticed that some of them were on the same flight as myself and had been waiting for the ferry to cross over.
I quickly located where numerous diving shops were stationed on the border of the harbour, conveniently right on the edge of the long jetty with boats all over the place as far as one can see. All types of boats with small sailing boats for kids to massive cruisers for rich guys, and numerous fishing, whale watching and diving vessels clearly advertising their business to people like myself.
Amongst the diving centres i could easily identify the one i had made email contact with but wanted to confirm if it was busy or not ... a clear sign of a good business ... and in fact the Dive Azores rib was just about to berth next to where i was standing and so i could scrutenise exactly what was going on and how they managed the 24 foot rib with 10 satisfied divers coming back from a dive.
The dive shop was now busy sorting these divers and so i decided to go for a walk further down the harbour until they settled down and then enquire about diving tomorrow.
While walking down the harbour i remembered about the seafaring tradition that was religiously practised by sailors when staying at Horta port ... i read this on the plane magazine as i went through it page-by-page as usual ... that they leave a painting at the port for good luck during their travels, and avoid any unlucky events after leaving Horta if they failed to do so. When i read about this sweet gesture i couldn't fail not to imagine how these paintings looked like, or how did they manage to place a painting at the harbour without it getting wet, blown away or even stolen ... so this was interesting & looked forward to solve my little mystery. The clue word is 'painting' and i was misled. All it meant was that small sections of the paving on the jetty was 'painted' in colourful designs, with vessel names, dates, crew members, logos, maps of the trip, anecdotes and various other quotes. Some even went into the trouble, or maybe an easy way out, to fibre-glass a flag or t-shirt with enscriptions on it to commemorate the trip and crew.
I got practically lost step reading the diverse and colourful mementos or should i say 'prayers' as the harbour seemed like the holy sanctuary of Ta'Pinu where believers anchored their trust in the enscriptions as well as the graphic image that each vessel insisted on leaving behind. I could notice old 'paintings' that were fading away while shinny 2011 ones were beutifully renewing this sweet tradition.
Time to think 'diving' ... and off i headed to the Diving Azores cabin on the shore, in my weathered TDI cap and Maltese/Gozitan suntan. Tiego managed the place together with his partner Joanna, both Marine biologist, probably in their early 30s. We agreed that next morning i turn up at 8.30am with my diving cards and log book ... ye right!
That sorted ... next on my agenda was food for the evening ... what a waste of time. Well walking back to the house i noticed that a supermarket was jotted down in my little airport map of Horta ... so i walked that way and hold & behold i could see people swarming in and out ... just my luck ... a busy place ... must be a Lidl joint ... called Continente ... its a begining of a relationship and i stepped in.
Tonight i will cook some pasta ... got some milk ... tuna ... sausages ... orange juice ... and checked out ... less than €5 ... yupee :)
Got home in 5 minutes, struggled to find the correct house as i failed to take the address with me ... but quickly remembered that the door knob was broken and quickly made my way in to start the pasta ... 150g which turned up too much ... with sausages & tuna, and elegantly olive oiled for good taste ... note that i never said that i bought olive oil ;)
I needed to walk after this consumable endeavour ... so decided to hit the town again and watch it sort out sunset. This time i found a short route to get to town and i had to memorise the routes for tomorrow morning and so decided to do without a map. The harbour was now quietly preparing to sleep as all the diving/whale watching/fishing huts were closed. The lava harbour made me wonder how hard it must have been to cut through that hard material to produce massive blocks laids down some hundred years back or so ... but their effect with a soft sunlight stroking them after a tough day made it all magical.
Damn my luggage ... i hope they dropped it at the house ... if not i will have to call tomorrow morning ... to be honest did not worry much ... good job i had my bermudas, 3 t-shirts and some other stuff in my hand luggage ... so decided to walk back home.
This time i took a longer route from my shortcut to figure out other routes as well as check out what lies beyond my housing estate ... a petrol station ... with an Algida box :) ... perfect timing ... a cornetto and a nice coffee ... the attendant asked me if i'm American ... and quickly corrected his vision ... as i methodically explained Malta's strategic position. He was very friendly throughout my stay at his small mini-market as i quietly took a small bottle of water to wash everything down, paid, and strolled back to the house.
It has been a long day, and as i arrived at the house i noticed that some guests were around and so i quickly said hello & goodbye and disappeared to my room ... switched on the small hanging TV with numerous cable chanels in Portugese, English and Spanish ... consumed 3 jellytots ... watched some news and the end of a Russel Crowe movie i had watched before about a kidnaping in Vietnam ... and blissfully slipped into a drowsy state until i slept few minutes after turning the TV off.
The island i will be based on is Faial and Horta is the main city, where the house i live in is found.
The house is very close to the main port of Horta, around 10 minutes walking and 3 minutes by bike, while the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) of the University of Azores, is only 5 minutes away from the port itself.
My luggage failed to arrive as it missed my plane and after waiting for 10 minutes and all the other passengers left i decided to approach the lost luggage counter. The thing is that only 2 flights a day land at Horta airport so 5 minutes after the passengers pick up their luggage the airport is deserted. Well the driver who was waiting for me outside with my name on his board gave up after few minutes that all other passengers left. I tried or attempted to tell the girl at the lost luggage counter that my 'pick-up' guy is waiting outside and that he will probably give up on me and leave ... but once i got out of the arrivals lounge there was no way back in to complete the lost luggage report.
Done that i exited the arrivals lounge to find a cleaner, a car hire guy, and 3 taxi men (they're like cochroaches ... you find them every where). Here goes my first 20c in Horta ... a phone call to Sofia Cordeiro, the science officer who has been giving me all the details of my stay here. She was very apologetic and told me that she will ask the driver to come back for me ...which he did after 5 minutes. Useless to say he had no doubt who i was, as i was the only guy dressed in travel gear with a hand luggage in radius of 3 miles. The DOP driver, Jao something was born in Faial and his driving was excessively dangerous going round bends on the coast road from the airport like a rollercoaster ... but at this point i was already lost in the scenery.
We went through the next small town called Feteira like gangsters leaving a place after robbing its bank, but Monte da Guia was getting closer and closer and little did i give notice to the screaching of the tyres as we went round the only roundabout in town.
Monte de Guia is a typical volcano tip but emerging from the sea and connected to an adjacent smaller Monte Queimado that marks the begining of Horta port. The rough dark rock formation on these two magnificent hills is impressive with a thickness of vegitation on top which is just as impressive as my notion that no life existed after lava was incredulously disproved.
I could see the running shore line as we approached Horta was dark and as rough as the hills themselves with numerous pointed rocks like meteorites that have just landed, sporadically jotting out of the sea.
'Can i swim here?' i curiously enquired to the promising Formula 1 driver ... 'No no - danger - break head' he quickly put together and delivered with a dismissive look as if i had just kissed his girlfriend. The swell was truly strong and the rocks were visibly penetrating the surface as the waves moved in and out of the shore.
Before reaching Horta port Jao made a sharp turn towards a housing estate where the university had some houses that served as accommodation for students. The neighbourhood looked clean and decent while the general feel was like being in a small Welsh village by the sea with small houses each having a small from garden interrupted by a path ... this time made out of lava tiles carved from some lava quarry ... they must have loads of this stuff.
I was hoping of having a house all for myself but aparently there were some plumbing problems and so was accommodated in the next house right next door which had 1 bedroom already occupied and a cat who owned the living room.
Introductions were made following which i had no recollection of the names at all, but very nice people who are busy finalising PhDs ... so i wanted to be least intrusive as possible. Given Room 2 to settle in i was asked if i wanted to go with them to the department ... but quickly dismissed the offer as i needed to wash and rest ... and again ... rather stay alone while trying to find my bearings.
As a matter of fact, within an hour, i was already on the road walking towards Horta harbour with Monte da Guia clearly visible from my bedroom window serving as a bearing to guide me as i explored the neighbourhood. The walk down to the harbour took some 20 minutes as i stopped to admire the old coastal dwellings and take some photos. The harbour itself was bustling with activity as a ferry was preparing to cross to the closest neighbouring island Pico. People were packing themselves on its deck as i noticed that some of them were on the same flight as myself and had been waiting for the ferry to cross over.
I quickly located where numerous diving shops were stationed on the border of the harbour, conveniently right on the edge of the long jetty with boats all over the place as far as one can see. All types of boats with small sailing boats for kids to massive cruisers for rich guys, and numerous fishing, whale watching and diving vessels clearly advertising their business to people like myself.
Amongst the diving centres i could easily identify the one i had made email contact with but wanted to confirm if it was busy or not ... a clear sign of a good business ... and in fact the Dive Azores rib was just about to berth next to where i was standing and so i could scrutenise exactly what was going on and how they managed the 24 foot rib with 10 satisfied divers coming back from a dive.
The dive shop was now busy sorting these divers and so i decided to go for a walk further down the harbour until they settled down and then enquire about diving tomorrow.
While walking down the harbour i remembered about the seafaring tradition that was religiously practised by sailors when staying at Horta port ... i read this on the plane magazine as i went through it page-by-page as usual ... that they leave a painting at the port for good luck during their travels, and avoid any unlucky events after leaving Horta if they failed to do so. When i read about this sweet gesture i couldn't fail not to imagine how these paintings looked like, or how did they manage to place a painting at the harbour without it getting wet, blown away or even stolen ... so this was interesting & looked forward to solve my little mystery. The clue word is 'painting' and i was misled. All it meant was that small sections of the paving on the jetty was 'painted' in colourful designs, with vessel names, dates, crew members, logos, maps of the trip, anecdotes and various other quotes. Some even went into the trouble, or maybe an easy way out, to fibre-glass a flag or t-shirt with enscriptions on it to commemorate the trip and crew.
I got practically lost step reading the diverse and colourful mementos or should i say 'prayers' as the harbour seemed like the holy sanctuary of Ta'Pinu where believers anchored their trust in the enscriptions as well as the graphic image that each vessel insisted on leaving behind. I could notice old 'paintings' that were fading away while shinny 2011 ones were beutifully renewing this sweet tradition.
Time to think 'diving' ... and off i headed to the Diving Azores cabin on the shore, in my weathered TDI cap and Maltese/Gozitan suntan. Tiego managed the place together with his partner Joanna, both Marine biologist, probably in their early 30s. We agreed that next morning i turn up at 8.30am with my diving cards and log book ... ye right!
That sorted ... next on my agenda was food for the evening ... what a waste of time. Well walking back to the house i noticed that a supermarket was jotted down in my little airport map of Horta ... so i walked that way and hold & behold i could see people swarming in and out ... just my luck ... a busy place ... must be a Lidl joint ... called Continente ... its a begining of a relationship and i stepped in.
Tonight i will cook some pasta ... got some milk ... tuna ... sausages ... orange juice ... and checked out ... less than €5 ... yupee :)
Got home in 5 minutes, struggled to find the correct house as i failed to take the address with me ... but quickly remembered that the door knob was broken and quickly made my way in to start the pasta ... 150g which turned up too much ... with sausages & tuna, and elegantly olive oiled for good taste ... note that i never said that i bought olive oil ;)
I needed to walk after this consumable endeavour ... so decided to hit the town again and watch it sort out sunset. This time i found a short route to get to town and i had to memorise the routes for tomorrow morning and so decided to do without a map. The harbour was now quietly preparing to sleep as all the diving/whale watching/fishing huts were closed. The lava harbour made me wonder how hard it must have been to cut through that hard material to produce massive blocks laids down some hundred years back or so ... but their effect with a soft sunlight stroking them after a tough day made it all magical.
Damn my luggage ... i hope they dropped it at the house ... if not i will have to call tomorrow morning ... to be honest did not worry much ... good job i had my bermudas, 3 t-shirts and some other stuff in my hand luggage ... so decided to walk back home.
This time i took a longer route from my shortcut to figure out other routes as well as check out what lies beyond my housing estate ... a petrol station ... with an Algida box :) ... perfect timing ... a cornetto and a nice coffee ... the attendant asked me if i'm American ... and quickly corrected his vision ... as i methodically explained Malta's strategic position. He was very friendly throughout my stay at his small mini-market as i quietly took a small bottle of water to wash everything down, paid, and strolled back to the house.
It has been a long day, and as i arrived at the house i noticed that some guests were around and so i quickly said hello & goodbye and disappeared to my room ... switched on the small hanging TV with numerous cable chanels in Portugese, English and Spanish ... consumed 3 jellytots ... watched some news and the end of a Russel Crowe movie i had watched before about a kidnaping in Vietnam ... and blissfully slipped into a drowsy state until i slept few minutes after turning the TV off.
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