Madeira, Portugal (II) - Machito, Santaana, and Pico de Areeiro (March 2024)

We took a day trip to visit the eastern and northeastern parts of the island. The tour passed through the mountains and I did not want to drive on the winding roads in the mountain area.

The first place we visited was Machito in the southeastern corner of the island. It was a small town but well-groomed with attractions, such as a cathedral, beaches, and cafes. 

The next stop we made was at Portela. It was one of the highest points in the area with a panoramic view of the lower beach area. It was breath-taking and the following photos don't and can't portray the scenery and the impressions. 

We made another stop at a beach that reminded me of a Hawaiian beach.

This day tour's had a couple of highlights and the Town of Santana was one of them. A-shaped houses are symbols of this beautiful town and they were quite pretty as if we were in a fairytale. 

 

We made a stop at Roberto Frio, a town in the mountains where people go hiking. It was rainy and the road was slippery. Many chose to stay in town, but I decided to explore the area. Unfortunately, it was foggy with limited visibility, but I enjoyed the hike. 

The other highlight of the tour was Pico de Areeiro, one of the highest points in Madeira. We were above the clouds and we had a panoramic 360-degree view of the island. Standing above the white clouds was definitely otherworldly.

During this tour, I had to take part in a conference call with Dutch Nature, a missional business in Kyrgyzstan. Although I was not able to participate in active discussion, the contents discussed were encouraging. 

Kristin and I bought a bus pass and explored several buses in all directions. Once we were left out in one of the high points and had to walk down quite a bit because the next bus was not coming for a long time. In one the bus trips, we met a Canadian couple who were enthusiastically happy living here. They said that they have not had to learn Portuguese to get medical treatment let alone get by in their daily lives because almost all of the people they had met were speaking Engligh. That was a great news!

Definitely, Madeira is one of the places where we want to live for a month or two.  - Jeffrey