Showered when i was sure nobody was using the bathroom and dressed quickly to have some b'fast and scoot out. Had a coffee, bit of cereal and 2 biscuits ... opened the back garden door to walk out and enjoy the back view which is exactly same as my room above ... and could see a nice chubby cat playing the grass beyond our back garden ... called him but he seemed to walk to the neighbours back garden ... so i thought. He diligently entered their back garden, jumped on their bar-b-q, onto the seperating wall, onto our gas shed, and into our back garden.
Another cat that needs cuddling and attention ... stroking against my feet and dropping on the floor to caress him ... thought he was going to make his way inside so i quickly closed the back door but even though he had the chance he sort of did not attempt as if he knew is not allowed inside. As soon as i finished my coffee i walked in and grabbed some ham from my shelf in the fridge ... yes someone is making it clear that we all have to keep our stuff distinctly seperated and isolated ... so i was given my room, 1 shelf in the fridge, 1 cupboard door in the kitchen, 1 shelf in the bathroom cabinet, and i corner of the bath to place my shower gel :) Its a bit pathetic but well i dont want to bother anyone and i'm here for less than 4 weeks ... so i will definitely collaborate.
The cat was very pleased to eat morcels of ham, so i got him some more and said good bye as i locked the door behind me and pulled down the shutter ... grabbed all my stuff and walked out of the house before anyone came downstairs.
I walked back the same route i used yesterday evening from the department only this time much of it was downhill. I had the ipod playing some music but its being such a pain as it switches itself off every 90 seconds ... so i have to wake it up and press play every time ... but its good company especially with Anastasia blowing her fantastic vocals out into my ears ... her voice is amazingly powerful and incredibly gave me a push to switch my pace faster to keep up to her rhythm ... only to stop every 90 seconds to put her back on :)
Arrived at the department around 9am and amazingly it was nearly empty ... was quite surprised but apparently others turn up around 10am ... nice! Went to my desk on the 3rd floor open space and got online.
Stuff i needed to do today was mainly to submit some papers, sort out the Internet key, and check email of course apart from the routine web browsing ... needed to find a fix for the flippin ipod as well ...which i didn't manage unfortunately. The plan was that around 11am i leave the department and walk to Tiago's dive shop to have a chat and then see from there.
On the way to Tiago i stopped by the Banif bank and confirmed that the card is working as yesterday the Voda girl did not manage ... so that works ... fantastic ... i withdrew €10 which i didn't need and which will carry some €12 charges :) Bankers - Bastards - Bitches ... all with a B ... as in Bullshit :)
Tiago & Joanna were not around ... i guess business is slow ... and so decided to walk home and at around 2pm return to harbour as Tiago would be there and then walk up to Monte da Guia. The walk home was very hot even though its slightly windy so i was raising my t-shirt to have some breeze blow through it to reduce sweating as much as possible. Got home, showered, and relaxed on the bed writing the blog waiting for 2pm to hit me.
Out and off to the Harbour to meet Tiago but he wont be around unti 5pm and so off i go to Monte da Guia ... which is not far away from the harbour area.
As i walked past the old department building i could see the divers preparing for their afternoon dive ... i hope that in exactly 1 week I will be with them on the Caulerpa project. Basically these guys are trying to control its tremendous growth. Just today at the department i was speaking the researcher on the project, Jorge, and asked him why they're not using Nitrox. He said that they have'nt had funds to get the set up and none were blenders ... so obviously i offered to help in that area too. Asked him to think about it and we'll have a chat in a week.
The tarmac road towards Monte da Guia started right off the breakwater and so i could easily find my way to the natural reserve ... signs were all over to show where the reserve started all around the black beast. As i arrived at the foot i saw some signs that showed where the old whaling station or Port Pim stood and that now was converted into a beach resort for the locals to enjoy. No way i was going that way ... i wanted to go high to the top ... i was sure that the views of Horta must be fantastic ... so off i started my ascent still on the tarmacroad that zig-zagged to the top. At one point i noticed that i could get to the top faster if i cut across the zigzag and climb 'off-road' vertically up the hill. It was a bit tough & rough but its for this reason that i had my trainers on ... otherwise might as well have worn the flipflops.
Apart from feeling part of nature rather than walking on tarmac, i saved myself walking some 1 km of road ... where i could see some 'normal' tourists sticking to the track. I kept looking behind me to see the view and incredibly after only some time i was reaching great heights and majestic views. The rough track i chose was a bit tricky because there were bamboo bits sticking out of the soil and told myself that i wouldn't want to fall and end on one of those sharp edges. I had hanged all my stuff behind my back to ensure my hands were free and my mobile was with me just in case something horrible happens ... accidents especially when alone could be unmanageable ... so ensured to be one step ahead. As i reached the top i went past a chapel built out of lava but thought i'd stop there later as i wanted to check the top ... which was only few minutes away.
The incredible thing about this place is that once at the top one could see both sides of the hill ... Horta, Porto Pim, and the rest of the Faial island on one side ...
... and back of Monte da Guia, the sunken craters i had dived two days ago, and the entire North Atlantic Ocean on the other side. I stood there mesmerised at the vastness of the place ... and to help it all there were no other tourists to be seen except for wild big birds flying high above enjoying this protected haven. If only i was not alone ... and could share with someone else to express and live the moment ... i will take photos :) ... hope u like the cheap paint job i did :)
Photos done on both sides ... it was time for lunch ... yes i had thought of that too ... and so i walked down 50m to find the chapel and lay down on its front step to consume my tuna can and a small bottle of water ... it was enough and delicious as well ... collected the stuff to discard as well as an empty bottle of Smirnoff breezer which someone must have left there probably during one of these past summer nights as they sat there enjoying the same views but at night ...now thats an idea :) Well i was proud to have contributed to keep the place cleaner than i found it.
As i started my way downhill i noticed stone steps leading to some area so i decided to stay off the tarmac again and check where these steps lead to. The stone steps only lasted for a few moments and the rest were carved into the rock or enforced by a log ... made the route much more rustic and enjoyable ... again nobody to be seen.
In a few moments i was at sea level ... amazing how these steps dropped ... needless to say i was sweating ... and naturally i was looking where i can jump in and enjoy the nice blue sea. As i walked along the rocky beach i noticed that it became a sandy beach in around 300m where locals were swimming so i decided to stop right away and jump in ...
The rocky beach was lava of course and was courious to see what it felt like under my feet ... not slippery ... rough ... and as i jumped into the refreshing sea i could not think of what the bottom looked like ... so i dived a number of times to the bottom to touch and check it out. Some kind of gray vegetation with a thich sandy texture and feel was evident ... and as i ascend i see a cloud of small fish swimming past me on either side.
This shot ... another photo job of mine is exactly where i was swimming with Monte da Guia behind me (i'm at its foot) and a smaller version in between the Monte and the harbour ... you can see my shadow as well as the sandy beach.
No towel of course ... who needs a towel ... not even a swimming trunks :) but i had my skipants on as i had ensured to wear them before any long walk. It didn't take much to dry myself completely, wear socks and trainers, and move on towards the sandy beach and to the old whaling hut ... so this is were that sign led to ... cool.
As i reached the tarmac again i quickly made my way to the breakwater and to the harbour ... off to meet Tiago.
Plenty of diving talk with Tiago and Joanna who are both PADI instructors and told them what the different options were. Even though they had diving and whale watching services, their season is pretty short and the locals were not interested at all ... so they depended on tourists only. I left them with much to think about but i hope to get some good diving with them and pay them in kind with some courses that they might want to do.
Quickly walked home and thought of what's for dinner ... must be the swimming. I fancied the pesto i had bought couple of days ago ... and right after i walked in the house and drank half a litre of cold water, i started boiling water to push in the spaghetti ... al dente ... pour the pesto in ... and voila' ... dinner ... yummy.
The rest of the evening is planned ... relax as tomorrow i'm off to the department again ... tea & biscuits later ... shower ... tv ... and off to sleep.
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