In a shorter style of the Costa Rica blog post, here's a summary of our trip to Madeira from 12th August to 19th August 2019.
Our first day in Madeira started peaceful looking at the gorgeous gardens, until it devolved into childish water fights and schoolboy silliness!
Our second day, playing in the volcanic rock pools and soaking in some stunning views. All organised by G(ary) Adventures!
Our third day on this gorgeous island. Driving up perilously steep roads, impossible without Martin's skills behind the wheel. Worth it for the awesome views and levada walks.
Our fourth day, we explored the east coast and went up to the third highest point, Pico do Arieiro. Gary nearly succeeded in pulling down Martin's shorts but he's got lightning reactions!
Our fifth day was a lot more relaxing. We ended it with a fancy meal at the Culinarium and games by the poolside.
On one of the days, Me and Gary did a boat excursion to do whale watching, while Martin and Stu did a different boat trip. This was a dream-come-true experience! I later published this experience in separate blog post 'I saw my first Great Whale!', which includes a video of the awe inspiring moment - with expletives.
"Our skipper was told by the inland spotter that a whale was sighted, I felt a bit numb. Out comes Bryde's whale, not one but two, a mother and a calf. I know they are often sighted at this time of year, but it's not guaranteed, as wildlife tends to be. I was hoping to see one during the trip and I got my dream come true. Incredible experience that I’ll never forget. On our trip we also saw spotted dolphins, a 50+ group and a smaller juvenile group, a couple of loggerhead sea turtles and a flying fish."
