The family dog was curled up on the step outside the house when I went to the toilet in the morning.

Nearly all of us had washed in the river yesterday, so there was no need for a shower. To be honest, I only used the family shower once whilst trekking, we mainly just used baby wipes morning and night.

We had coffee, tea and a delicious breakfast of pancakes and mango.

After breakfast, I wandered around the outbuildings.

We packed our bags and put them in the bus, and then headed off on another hike.

We followed the Na River and passed more Dao hamlets as we climbed up the valley.

It was a tough hike with lots of ups and downs.

We passed a papaya tree and a hardwood tree that had a preservation order on it.

Towards the end of the hike, we headed down into a valley. Some people down below shouted at us to stay where we were, and shortly after there was a massive explosion – blasting into the stone.

Obviously, there were bugs and butterflies on the way, too. We didn’t disturb the wasps.

As we came to the bottom of the valley, there was a local wedding going on.

The wedding guests were really friendly and invited us to partake in a few shots of rice wine

And then it was the final 2km to where the bus was picking us up.

Ot was then a 1-2 hour drive to Cao Bong.

Cao Bong is the centre of many of Vietnam’s revolutionary movements. Once we arrived, we checked in to our hotel – Max Boutique Hotel. It was so nice to be in a hotel room again and have a proper bed to sleep in – as well as a nice shower!

I put all my washing into the hotel laundry, which meant that I didn’t really have anything to wear that evening, except long leggings and a long sleeved top, which were too hot. So Mandy, Maxine and I decided to explore the local market, and Mandy and I ended up buying a dress each for £4.

We walked along the promenade by the Quay Son River, and it was quite and picturesque.

After a quick change, it was back out again for dinner. Cao Bong was colourful with lots of lights, and after 7pm, the road was allegedly closed off to traffic.

We walked by some really nice restaurants but ended up going to a local cafe for dinner. It was traditional Vietnamese food, but this time, we had duck, which was extremely tasty.

After dinner, we wandered around for a bit, looking for a bar, but there was none to be found, so we ended up having coffee and smoothies. It is very difficult to get a coffee in Vietnam that is not already sweetened. As we walked through the town, we saw people exercising and practising a dance routine.

We also saw a very cute dog!

It was then time for bed.

We woke up to coffee, tea and a breakfast of pancakes and fruit.

The family’s children and neighbouring children came to pay us a visit. We all gave the family some extra money, which will hopefully help them through the winter.

We took some photos of the surroundings before we set off, including some silly panoramic ones.

The photos below are looking back at the house where we stayed.

Shortly after we set off, we walked through a bamboo forest. The bamboo is used for houses and other structures, and the bamboo shoots are used for food. Chopsticks are made from bamboo and exported to Malaysia, China  Singapore and Europe.

As we passed out of the bamboo forest, we came across a small local. quarry.

We passed through narrow valleys inhabited by the Hmong people.

We headed up through the valley towards the hamlet of Lo Lung Xitun, past some incredible scenery. All the landscape is caused by wind and rain erosion only. There is a 1km limestone ridge all through Vietnam.

We continued on through pristine primary forest to Co Phat and then on to Nam Ngu.

We also took some group and individual photos at one of the summits.

There were also more bugs and flowers to see.

We also came across a rat snake. Originally, it was on its back, but we flipped it over.

I chatted to Nhan about illegal drugs. Although a lot of hemp is grown in Vietnam, the plant is used for weaving and indigo dye and is not smoked. However, if a person is caught in possession of 0.5kg or more of heroin then they could be sentenced to death. Vietnam is on the way to China, so drugs do come through. The same rules apply to foreigners.

On the way, we came across a Vietnamese man carrying a heavy load of 40kg, and he was just easily walking up the hill.

As we approached our new homestay, we came across a plantation of ground nuts, which some of the group tried.

We also saw crops of soya beans, some of which were drying in the sun.

We walked down into the Nung hamlet. Three different tribes live in this village – Tay, Dao and Hmong people.

Once we arrived at our homestay, we were reunited with our larger bags, so we repacked a bit before lunch. We also had WiFi, so we were all on our phones.

After lunch, we headed down the road to the river to have a welcome refreshing dip. The water was extremely cold.

We took a few beers down to the water, too.

We spent a couple of hours down at the water before the sun started to fade. On the way back to the homestay, we passed some banana trees where the locals were harvesting the banana flowers.

We had some more delicious traditional food before another early night.

The ginger cat left me at some point during the night, and in the morning, he was curled up by the fire.

Today was Mandy’s birthday, so we all sang happy birthday to her and gave her a card that we had all signed.

This morning, we packed our bags, and they were taken by mopeds to where the bus was parked.

We said goodbye to our host family, who had looked after us really well.

We walked back through the village, past some workers, and the communal shower / washing area.

We were just loading up the bus when a truck came the other way, so the bus had to reverse into a small lay-by area.

Before we got on the bus, we did some stretching in the lay-by.

After a few minutes drive, we arrived at the local village market and we had a few minutes to walk around the stalls.

We found a local rice cake. Nhan bought some and we tried it on the bus, it was very sweet.

We drove for a little while longer before leaving the bus. We were going to be walking to our next homestay, which was a very remote hamlet. The previous evening, we packed a small overnight bag, which a moped was delivering to the next homestay, so we had to pack light.

We trekked along the edge of the Thong Nong mountain range with some lunar-like landscape of limestone pinnacles and granite outcrops.

We passed through a number of remote hamlets inhabited by the Dao people. We also came across pigs,chickens, cows and dogs wandering around.

We had a packed lunch with us, so we just stopped and ate in the forest.

It was a pretty tough hike,with lots of scrambling up and down steep paths, I was grateful to have my walking pole.

Luckily, there was a bit of a breeze as we were walking to cool us down. There were some pretty flowers and a bug or two that we spotted on the hike.

After around 4 hours of hiking, we could see the small hamlet where we would be staying. It is extremely remote, and it is inhabited by the Red Dao tribe. The Dao tribe migrated from China around 400 years ago as they tried to escape the Chinese dynasty. The hamlet is made up of around 4-5 houses, which all belong to different relatives. The Dao tribe chose to live in the higher areas of the mountains because they arrived later than many of the other tribes. The Dao people believe that nature, not people, ultimately controls how things change.

The family we were staying with were very young. The mother got married at 14, and her oldest son was 11. She also had 3 other children aged 9, 3 and a 1 year old baby. Her husband was around 8 years older than her. The local government gives permission to marry once the girl is 18, before that, it is illegal, but it happens anyway.

As we arrived, we were met by some adorable puppies and also some cute kids from one of the neighbouring families.

The whole hamlet relies completely on the rainwater that is collected during the rainy season in the massive urns. They don’t have any other water supply, so they have to make the water last all year round.

As we arrived, the sun was starting to set.

The children of the family came to see us, they were very shy but liked to watch us. The oldest daughter took on a mothering role to her youngest sibling.

The family were extremely poor, and it was hard to see. At this time of year, there are no crops to harvest and not much work to do in the fields.

Chris and Nhan had arranged a birthday cake for Mandy, and amazingly, it arrived completely intact. I have no idea how it was transported to such a remote place without any damage.

After a delicious dinner, Mandy cut the cake, and it was shared out with everyone. The children really enjoyed it. It was a really nice orange and coconut flavour.

The toilet was in a shed, quite a distance from the house. But it was a normal toilet, but you had to chuck water in from a bucket to flush it, and then the waste just emptied into the field behind.

And then it was time for bed. The duvets felt a little bit damp, so most of us slept in our sleeping bag liners. Men and women slept on different sides of the room out of respect for the family.

I didn’t sleep that well as my mattress was uncomfortable, but most of us were awake by 630am. The little cat was lying on a cloth by the fire.

After breakfast, one of the women from the host family led our trek through the mountains. She did the whole walk in sliders and long sleeves and hardly broke a sweat. Again, we walked through some amazing scenery.

We crossed through paddy fields and cornfields and saw some women working, drying the rice in the sun.

We passed by more tapioca and star anise plants and through remote villages where the livestock were kept in small barns.

The hike was pretty strenuous, with lots of uphill sections and very little flat.

But we had a few rests in-between to help keep our energy levels up.

There were also more bugs and butterflies to spot, as well as cows wandering through the forest.

After trekking for around 3 hours, we came back to our homestay. It’s the one right at the back in the photo below.

We had some lunch and a cup of tea /coffee before embarking on the afternoon activities.

The ladies of the family showed us how to embroider the bags and also how to weave using a very basic weaving machine. Some of the group had a go at weaving.

A number of the older generation in Vietnam have black teeth. Partly this is due to the fact that they don’t brush their teeth and can’t afford to see a dentist – there are always toothpicks on the tables in Vietnam. But it is also due to the fact that they chew tobacco leaf filled with ground betel nut or betel leaf and limestone,allegedly to be able to keep their teeth longer. The betel nut and leaf juice makes their teeth red from and then over time, black. Betel is addictive.

And then it was time to go out and cut some grass. In the mountains, it is mainly the Vietnamese women who do all the hard physical work in the fields,as well as looking after the animals and children. But we did see the elder man of the house doing a bit of chopping too.

A number of women who live in the mountains often end up committing suicide. When the women get married, often at a young age (14+), they move to their husband’s house. They are often mistreated by their husband or his family. If they were to get divorced, they would have no income and nowhere to live. They would rather kill themselves. Only 7% of the Vietnamese population get divorced.

One of the ladies of the family showed us how to cut the elephant grass and tie it up into a bundle.

And then we were all able to have a go. It was easy to cut the grass, but it was backbreaking work in the heat.

We then carried the grass to the barn where it had to be chopped into smaller pieces using a small hand chopping machine. The lady showed us how it was done and then fed the grass through as we chopped. Normally, she does both the feeding of the grass into the machine at the same time as chopping it. It was hard work.

Once the grass was all chopped, it had to be bagged up and left to dry for a few days.

And then it was time to feed some already dried grass to the pigs and the cows.

The chickens were also hanging around for some food.

Back at the homestay, the sun was setting, and it was time to cuddle with the cat.

Dinner was once again prepared over an open fire, and it was very tasty, especially the spring rolls.

After dinner, as it was still early, we played a game of charades. Alex downloaded it on her phone, and you had to guess the person or activity that everyone else acted out. It was quite funny, but we had to be careful not to be standing up with our backs to the shrine in the house as that was disrespectful. In this homestay, the men and women had to sleep on different sides of the room.

Shortly after, we went to bed. The little cat came and cuddled up with me and went to sleep on my bed.

We were all up pretty early again, even though breakfast wasn’t ready until 730am. Before leaving the retreat in the boats, we tried on some of the Vietnamese attire – the hats were really quite heavy. Mandy and I also ended up wearing the same top and shorts – both from Sweaty Betty!

We said our farewells to our lovely host family before setting off.

On the way back to the bus, we stopped off at Puong Cave. This cave is 300m long and over 30m high. It was formed when the Nang river ran through the limestine mountains.

There are lots of beautiful stalacmites and stalactites within the cave. But the main attraction is the bats, there are tens of thousands of them and they are very noisy. One of them was lying on a rock and looked quite dazed, but after a couple of minutes, he flew off.

We obviously took some posey photos in the cave, too.

We reunited with our bus and then drove via Ban Na and Na Phax villages across the Pia Oac mountain range.

We stopped off at a local cafe for a lovely traditional lunch. There was a massive spider there, luckily on the other side of the room, and some cute dogs.

After lunch, which we shared with the dogs, we continued our journey into the mountains along narrow, windy roads. A couple of times, we came face to face with trucks, and either us or them had to reverse.

The minibus couldn’t get to our homestay, so we had to walk a short distance through the village to get there. The homestay was slightly more basic than the previous one but also had flushing toilets and showers (in the same room).

Our hosts were from the Lola tribe who migrated south from China in the 18th century. They tried to make an autonomous area within China but were unsuccessful, so migrated to the mountains in Vietnam.

Once we were settled in, we started a hike up to a pass overlooking the village and surrounding villages. The views were stunning.

As we were walking, we chatted to Nhan about healthcare in Vietnam. The health service is funded by the government in terms of hospital care but only covers the cost of cheap medicines. Vietnamese people have to pay for the more expensive and effective European medicines. Vietnamese people have to buy health insurance. The government does support people over 70, but again, only via the cheaper options. There is a main doctor in the bigger towns, but each community has a small emergency centre run by a nurse.

Many people who live in the mountains just accept dying as it is too expensive to go to the hospital, and they don’t have health insurance as they can’t afford it. The Shaman pray with the people who are dying and try to get their energy back. They used to use medicines sourced from wild animals, which then became extinct in Vietnam, such as tigers.

As we were walking, the sun began to set behind the mountains.

During our walk, we came across several beautiful flowers and also tapioca, cinnamon and hemp plantations.

When we got back to the homestay, we had time to relax as the host family prepared our dinner over an open fire in the communal area.

I made friends with the family’s cat, he was extremely friendly.

Dinner was served on top of newspapers laid out on the floor. It was very tasty.

The host family invited us all to partake in some homemade rice wine – it tasted like schnapps. Both Chris and Jackie weren’t drinking, but the rest of us tried a glass or two. It was very strong.

After dinner, we chatted for a bit before heading to bed.

Unfortunately, I had an extremely hard mattress, so I didn’t sleep that well. The family members slept behind us, just through the partitions.

Today was a trekking day around the lake. Although we didn’t need to start our trek until around 8-830am we were all pretty much awake by 6am.

I took a few photos early in the morning before breakfast.

The family we were staying with were from the Black Tay tribe. The Tay tribe is one of Vietnam’s largest ethic groups. They are the earliest known minority in Vietnam, who are thought to have arrived from inland South East Asia about 500 BC.

The traditional dress for black tay women is made from indigo dyed cotton. It is usually plain, with little embroidery or other decoration. The women wear a simple shirt with silver buttons down the front teamed with black trousers.

In the morning, I also met the family’s pet dog, who was very friendly but got scared if there were too many people around.

After breakfast – delicious pancakes and freshly brewed coffee – it was time for our stretches and some group photos before heading off.

Our hostess waved us off as we got back on the boats to the starting point for our trek.

We travelled down the lake for a little bit and took some more pictures.

Once off the boats, we trekked uphill for a while as we climbed to the high massif overlooking the Ba Be Lake.

We passed through different types of vegetation: jungle, giant ferns, twisting lianas, and various crop plantations.

It was very hot and humid, which made the trek challenging. We passed through a small number of villages, home to Hmong and Dao people.

We also met several animals on the way. The cows, chickens and dogs all roam through the forests and villages.

We stopped for our packed lunch of rolls, tuna, laughing cow cheese, eggs, tomato and cucumber in a large shack. It used to be a homestay as well, but had very little business following covid. We made sure the dogs had some food, too.

We carried on walking through more amazing scenery, everywhere you looked it was just beautiful.

We had several snack stops and opportunities to take photos along the way.

We saw a lot of bugs and butterflies on the walk, too.

Most of the villagers grow rice or other crops. The rice grows for around three and a half months. It is then dried in the sun and stored. The rice seeds are planted, grown into a seedling, and then replanted somewhere else.

Shortly before we got back on the boat, we had to navigate a rickety bridge, and we stopped at a little place for a well-deserved cold beer.

On the way back to the homestay, the boats stopped so we could get off for a refreshing swim – the perfect end to a hot and sweaty hike.

I took some more photos of the lake as it was our last night here.

Our lovely hostess was there to greet us when we arrived home. It was then stretch time to make sure we didn’t get aching muscles.

We had another delicious traditional Vietnamese dinner before heading to bed for an early night.

It was a fairly early start today. After breakfast at the hotel, we all checked out. I left a case with some of my non- trekking clothes at the hotel. We all piled onto the bus and set off on a 5-6 hours drive. There were 14 of us, including Nhan, our local guide.

During the drive, Nhan talked about Vietnam and gave us some interesting facts and figures:

• Vietnam means Vietnamese people living in the south of China
• Hanoi means city in the middle of a river
• The population of Hanoi is around 9.5 million
• 35% of the Vietnamese population live in the cities
• The red river runs through Hanoi. The river  is a 1,149-km long river that flows from Yunnan in Southwest China through northern Vietnam to the Gulf of Tonkin. The red colour comes from the large amount of silt it carries, which turns the water a reddish hue during the flood season. However, the river is gradually losing silt, and the colour is fading. The river irrigates the many rice plantations in Vietnam.

After a couple of hours of driving, we arrived at the Ethnological Museum in Thai Nguyen. The bus was pulled over by the police as we had driven down a street where tourist buses were not allowed. The driver had to pay a fine, a bribe to the police, to allow us entry.

The Vietnamese population are made up of 86% traditional Vietnamese people, and 14% are from minority groups. There are 53 different ethnicitiesand many of these originally came from China. 5% of the population are Buddhist, and 6% are Christian or Catholic. Vietnamese are free to choose their religion, but many celebrate the lunar calander.

After wandering around the inside of the museum, we explored the beautiful gardens.

There were many Casuarina trees in the garden. These trees can stand waterless climates and can help to keep soil from erosion and can prevent string wind and sandstorm, protecting villages.

We visited the replica of the Poklong Grai Cham Tower, which was built in the 13th century on the peak of Trau Mountain. This tower consists of 3 towers; the main tower , gate tower and fire tower. The main tower is for worshipping King Paklong Grai, and every year, traditional festivals of the Cham take place here.

There was also a 50% restored miniature of the whale-worshipping temple in the garden. Whale worshipping is the specific trait of the belief of the people living along the north to the south coast of Vietnam. Every year, fishermen organise a festival and pray for good luck in their fishing, for protection and safety whilst fishing in the open sea. They also pray for peace.

It was very hot wandering around the gardens, so we decided to take a rest and drink a nice cold beer!

And then it was back to the minibus and another 2 hours driving before lunch. On the way, Nhan told us about how the Vietnamese bury their dead.
In Vietnam, the tradition is to bury dead people twice. The first time, they are buried in a wooden coffin. After 5 years, they are dug up, the bones are cleaned up, and they are then arranged in a ceramic coffin. They are then buried in a different place to the original hole.

For lunch we stopped at a local roadside cafe and the food was really nice and plenty of it.

And then it was back on the minibus for a bit more driving. Nhan spoke to us a little bit about how the country is governed. Basically, the general secretary of the communist party is the most powerful person, although there is also a prime minister and president. Members of the communist party ate highly regarded and you can obtain such a position by paying for it, being part of a family whete a family member is part of the party or by working for the government, such as a doctor or teacher.

Eventually, we arrived at Ba Be Lake.

Ba Be Lake is formed from 3 natural rivers and is the largest natural lake in Vietnam, covering 6.5km². The lake itself is actually three small lakes joined together – Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng.

We were taken on boats to our homestay for the evening.

The scenery around the lake is gorgeous. The area was established as a national preserved forest and tourist centre in 1978, before being established as Vietnam’s eighth national park in 1992. It was recently recognised by UNESCO as the third Ramsar site in Vietnam – an important wetland of the world. Located 145m above sea level, the lake has an average depth of 20-25m, and its deepest part is 35m. The lake bed is made up of limestone with millions of crags and crevasses that are ideal for a large variety of marine life – there are over a hundred species of freshwater fish in the lakes.

We went through a large cave, which we were told was full of bats before seeing more beautiful scenery.

Not long after we arrived at Ba Be Retreat – our destination for the next 2 nights.

Gill had a new pet – a massive grasshopper attached to her shoulder.

After settling in, claiming our beds in the communal area, and putting up our mosiquito nets, we gathered together downstairs for dinner.

We also had the family’s cat join us, his name was Mon Mon.

The beds were actually really comfortable, and with an eye mask and ear plugs, I had quite a good nights sleep.

This is actually day 1 and day 2 as we travelled from around 1pm on Saturday to around 7pm on Sunday evening, local time.

Mandy picked me up on her way to Heathrow, and we parked the car at a meet and greet car park. At the check-in desk we met up with Maxine and our Discover Adventure leader, Chris.

I had to wait for a while at the check-in desk because, for some reason, they hadn’t released all the seats, so there was nowhere for me to sit. But because of the delay, Mandy and I managed to get 2 seats together.

Once we were through security, we did a bit of shopping and then met up with some of the other people going on the trek – and another couple who were doing a different tour. Mandy and I shared a bottle of fizz to start the holiday in the right way!

The first flight to Ho Chi Minh was around 12 hours. I watched a couple of films and tried to sleep a bit.

The airport at Ho Chi Minh is like a maze with very little signposting. We had to pick out bags up and then drop them at the domestic flights terminal, but it took us a while to find it. And then it took us a while to find the departure area – but we got there eventually.

Unfortunately, our flight to Hanoi was delayed by around 3 hours, so we just sat around and drank coffee and chatted. The Vietnamese coffee is very sweet, and they use condensed milk, which makes it even sweeter.

Eventually, we boarded our flight to Hanoi, and that only took a couple of hours.

After a 45-minute drive in a minibus, we arrived at our hotel – Hanoi Botique Hotel.

We had a little bit of time before heading out for dinner, where we met up with Karen, Zoe and Gill, who had come out a few days earlier.

After a traditional Vietnamese dinner, which was delicious, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

Today was my last day in Madeira. Nicola had a really early flight, so we were up at 530am. so she could get her taxi to the airport. It was really sad to see her go, but we would be seeing each other a few days later in England.

Once Nicola had gone, I went back to bed for a couple of hours. At breakfast, I got talking to our host, Stefani, and she suggested a trip to Cámara de Lobos.

So after breakfast, I checked out of the room, leaving my suitcase at reception. I then walked down the hill into Funchal.

I hopped on a bus going to Cámara de Lobos, and on the way, we went past the church in Santo Antonio.

I got off the bus just outside the town so I could walk in via the bay.

It was a really nice walk, and I obviously made a furry friend along the way.

The area is used as an open-air boatyard, and the traditional fishing boats, Xavelhas, are repaired and painted here. The boats are morred during the day as most of the fishermen are fishing for the scabbard fish. These eel like fish only come to the surface at night, during the day they stay at depths of around 1500m.

The town is very pretty, with lots of little bars, shops and restaurants. The terraces are mainly used for banana plantations.

Amongst the bars is a little church, the Fisherman’s Chapel, Nossa Senhora da Conceição Chapel. This is where villagers give thanks for the safe return of the fishermen after a long night at sea.

I wandered around the bay. Cámara de Lobos was the first settlement on Madeira, between 1420 and 1424.

The name Lobos, meaning wolves, refers to the monk seals that used to live here and bask on the beach.

I carried on walking around the town. I was intending to go down to the beach, but they were doing some work on the promenade, and the path was blocked.

So , instead, I walked up the hill to Coroa do Ilheu. This sculpture was placed at the top of the hill in 2019 to commemorate 600 years since the discovery of the island.

The views from the hill were pretty impressive.

After a bit of time at the top, I walked back down to the bay, passing the Winston Churchill statue. Winston Churchill was invited to Madeira to the reopening of Reids Palace Hotel in 1950, after WWII. He and his wife took a trip to Cámara de Lobos, and he fell in love with the place. He found his favourite spot and started to paint. He was supposed to stay longer in Madeira but had to return after 12 days due to a general election being called.

After all that walking around, it was time for a little refreshment, so I ordered my last Poncha. This one was very lemony.

As I had quite a bit of time before I had to be back at the hotel, I decided to walk back to Funchal along the Cámara de Lobos promenade. This is 2.2km long and then connects with the Lido promenade in Funchal.

Part of the promenade is built on pillars to lessen its impact on the environment. I passed lots of lovely beaches on the way.

At one point, I had to walk through a small tunnel, the Doca do Cavacas tunnel, at Ponta da Cruz.

Eventually, I came to Funchal and the Lido Gardens.

From the park, I walked into the city past some of the lovely hotels and the marina.

I caught the bus back up to the hotel. I got changed and freshened up in the toilet before getting my taxi to the airport, Cristiano Ronaldo Airport.

Unfortunately my flight was delayed by over an hour so I had a beer and watched a couple of planes land.

I took a couple of photos as we took off as I was lucky enough to get a window seat.

I arrived home in the early hours of the morning and went straight to bed.

It was a very early start today as we were picked up shortly after 6am. We had booked a sunrise trip to Pico do Arieiro.

It was around a 40-minute drive to the mountain. As we drove towards the peak, you could see the outside temperature drop by about 8 degrees.

Once we had parked up, our guide Hugo showed us the hill where you could watch the sunrise. There were already quite a few people there, so we walked around for a bit and then picked a spot where there were no people in front of us.

It was cold and windy at the top of the mountain.

After around 20 minutes, we could see the sun start to rise above the clouds.

Maderia started to form around 18 million years ago, with lava bursting up through the ocean floor to create layer upon layer of basaltic rock. It took 15 million years for Pico do Arieiro to reach the height it is now.

Once the sun had fully risen, we walked around and took some more photos.

The views were absolutely stunning, and you could see the clouds rolling in over the peaks.

Pico do Arieiro is 1818m tall and is the third highest peak in Madeira. From here, you can look out over the other peaks, including the highest peak, Pico Ruivo.

We spent a little while at the top of the mountain, taking in the views, before meeting up with Hugo and heading back down. The photo below is looking back up to the peak.

Our second stop was at the Balcóes. This was a short walk from the roadside to a gorgeous viewing point through the Laurissilva forest.

Again, the views at the viewing point were amazing. You could see lots of laurel forest, which makes up around 20% of the island.

At the viewing point, there was a rock with a lot of bird seed on it, and the Madeira chaffinches were making the most of it. They were also very friendly and not frightened of us at all.

We walked back the same way we had come in and shortly after we stopped off for a coffee.

After coffee, we continued on our journey through Sáo Roque do Faial, which is one of the best cider producing areas on Madeira.

At Faial, we stopped at another amazing viewing point which is 26m above sea level. From here, you could see Penha de Aguia (Eagle Rock) and also an area where part of the cliff has fallen into the sea.

Faial is a small village named after a local beech tree – Myrica faya.

When we got back to the hotel, we had some breakfast before heading down into Funchal. Here, we took the cable  car up to Monte. The cable car station is a futuristic looking building made of glass and steel.

The cable car route replaces the old Monte Railway line. It opened in November 2000 and is 3,718m long and travels over 560min height.

The cable car travels high over the Joáo Gómez  valley.

The pink building in the photo below used to be a sanatorium, housing patients with TB.

At the top, we were in Monte, which literally translates as Mount. Monte was developed in the late 18th century as a genteel and healthy retreat from the smells and noise of the busy capital.

We decided to take a walk in the peaceful Monte Palace Tropical Gardens. This garden covers 70,000m². One of the first trees we came across was an old olive tree that was planted by the Romans in 300 BC.

Throughout the park, there are lots of different areas and different sculptures. It also houses one of the most important tile collections in Portugal.

We stopped at the Verona balcony, looking for Romeo!

There are also quite a lot of Japanese influences throughout the garden.

The garden contains over 100,000 plant species from around the world.

The garden also has some resident flamingos and swans.

The large lake in the middle of the garden is beautiful.

Monte Palace Gardens dates back to the ownership of an English Consul in the 18th century. Around 100 years later, the estate was bought, and a mansion built, which was later transformed into Monte Palace Hotel. In the 1980s, entrepeneur José Bernardo bought the property to realise his dreams of building a large public botanical garden.

We stopped in the Blue Cafe to have a Madeira wine that was included in the entry price before leaving the garden.

Our next stop was the church, Nossa Senhora do Monte. This church was inaugurated in 1818 and replaced a 15th century Chapel built by Adam Ferreira, the first person to be born on Madeira along with his twin sister Eve. It was rebuilt after the Earthquake in December 1818.

On the Feast of the Assumption, pilgrims climb up the church steps on their knees to pay homage to the statue of the Virgin Mary.

The church houses the tomb of Emperor Charles I of Austria, and there is a statue of him outside the church. Charles I was Emperor of Ausyria and King of Hungary, but when the empire was dissolved in 1918, he was forced into exile. He came to Madeira with his wife in 1921. He lived in a mansion in Monte until his death from pneumonia in 1922.

The church is beautiful on the inside. The ceiling is decorated with paintings, the main one showing the coronation of the Virgin Mary. The main image on the alter area is also of the Virgin Mary.

From the church, we walked back down to where the Toboggan rides began. Here, there is a drinking fountain built in 1777 by the former English consul of Funchal.

There was quite a long queue for the Toboggan ride, but it’s a ‘must do’ experience. As we were waiting, we tried to take some action shots of other people in the toboggans.

The toboggan ride is in traditional wicker basket sledges which date back to early 19th century where they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal. The distance is around 2km, and the toboggans are steered by carreiros.

The toboggan ride ended just at the top of the road where our hotel was, so it was a very short walk home.

Back at the hotel, we freshened up and finished our bottle of Madeira wine before heading back into Funchal.

Nicola posted the cards she’d written before we walked through Zona Velha to find somewhere to eat. We decided on Estrala do Mar.

After a starter of Poncha and shared Bodo, we ordered a prawn and monkfish cataplana. It was delicious. Cataplana is a typical dish from the Algarve and is a bit like a stew.

We didn’t stay out too late and treated ourselves to a taxi home.