Day 11
Door: Elke
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Elke
27 September 2021 | Portugal, Azoren
I was up earlier than planned and started to pack my stuff again. We were on our way to the island Faial, via Pico. Luckily we were going by boat, because much of my stuff was still wet, so I was glad I could carry it around in plastic bags rather than having to stuff it all in check-in luggage. The weather was still not great, it was cloudy and the wind was cold enough for even me to wear my coat.
For Faial I had opted for a boat tour to look for and swim with dolphins, but we heard it was cancelled. Therefore I mentally prepared myself for a stroll around Horta, which included interesting sightseeing options as well. But then the dolphin tour was back on again. The majority of the group went for whale watching and we were all first introduced to the marine wild life by a student/researcher of the local university, after which we were briefed by the skipper. This man was the caricature of all skipper caricatures and his briefing included words that were all English, yet the order of them was too creative to make much sense to me.
There were only 5 of us going on the dolphin trip and we first had to cram ourselves into the available wet suits, before boarding our zodiac. By that time the sun had come out, yet it was still very windy and particularly where the water was being pushed between the island of Pico and Faial, waves were at least 2 meters high, making for a bumpy yet spectacular ride even without marine life. But then we saw one or two dolphins and before knowing it, they were everywhere. On both sides of our boat as far as we could see. I recon it must have been at least 100 of them if not more. They were jumping out of the waves that we were riding, spinning 360 degrees in the sun, it was magical! Unfortunately the go-pro that our guide brought with him to document this adventure was broken, so all you will have is my word for it. We were told that we could not get out and swim with them though, because the waves were so high, that getting back into the boat without getting hit hard in or on the head by it would be too challenging. And then all of a sudden, as quickly as they had come, they were all gone again. I guess it was dinner time.
In a quieter place around the corner of Pico island we asked if we could swim and snorkel, which we could. I was quite excited as a few week earlier I received prescription goggles as a present from one of my PhD students. On previous trips I had never been able to see much when there were opportunities for snorkelling, but this time I could see in high definition that there was not much to see, yet a swim in the ocean always gets me excited.
Although I had packed light for this excursion, those few pieces of fabric that I did bring got soaking wet, which was well worth it. The only downside was that I was running out of surfaces in the hotel to hang stuff to dry.
For Faial I had opted for a boat tour to look for and swim with dolphins, but we heard it was cancelled. Therefore I mentally prepared myself for a stroll around Horta, which included interesting sightseeing options as well. But then the dolphin tour was back on again. The majority of the group went for whale watching and we were all first introduced to the marine wild life by a student/researcher of the local university, after which we were briefed by the skipper. This man was the caricature of all skipper caricatures and his briefing included words that were all English, yet the order of them was too creative to make much sense to me.
There were only 5 of us going on the dolphin trip and we first had to cram ourselves into the available wet suits, before boarding our zodiac. By that time the sun had come out, yet it was still very windy and particularly where the water was being pushed between the island of Pico and Faial, waves were at least 2 meters high, making for a bumpy yet spectacular ride even without marine life. But then we saw one or two dolphins and before knowing it, they were everywhere. On both sides of our boat as far as we could see. I recon it must have been at least 100 of them if not more. They were jumping out of the waves that we were riding, spinning 360 degrees in the sun, it was magical! Unfortunately the go-pro that our guide brought with him to document this adventure was broken, so all you will have is my word for it. We were told that we could not get out and swim with them though, because the waves were so high, that getting back into the boat without getting hit hard in or on the head by it would be too challenging. And then all of a sudden, as quickly as they had come, they were all gone again. I guess it was dinner time.
In a quieter place around the corner of Pico island we asked if we could swim and snorkel, which we could. I was quite excited as a few week earlier I received prescription goggles as a present from one of my PhD students. On previous trips I had never been able to see much when there were opportunities for snorkelling, but this time I could see in high definition that there was not much to see, yet a swim in the ocean always gets me excited.
Although I had packed light for this excursion, those few pieces of fabric that I did bring got soaking wet, which was well worth it. The only downside was that I was running out of surfaces in the hotel to hang stuff to dry.
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
