Madeira Day 4 - Last Day

On our way down to breakfast Thursday morning we got a call at the front desk canceling our tour of the eastern part of the island. We were disappointed and unsure how to fill our last day. We headed out on our own and used the public bus, traveling to the north eastern tip of the island. Once we got off the bus we saw a sign telling about a 8km hike that took you further out on the tip and offered spectacular views to the north and south. Since we had the day free and didn't need to be to the airport till evening, we decided to go for it. The downside of taking the public bus was that we had all our luggage with us. We had packed in one duffle bag and a back pack, but I insisted we go on the hike anyways -- how else would we fill the time? Off we went with me carrying the duffle (since it was my idea).

About 1-2km into the hike Allison insisted that we stash the bag off the trail somewhere. After all, it was a round trip hike and who would want to steal our bag since we didn't even want to carry it? By that time, I was more than happy to agree and gave in.

The last part of the hike was a very steep incline for about 100 meters to the peak - Allison even ditched her backpack at that point. We were huffing and puffing and I kept asking myself why we were doing this - but the view was worth it!

Thankfully we had food with us but no water...I knew we'd need to get some as soon as we got back to civilization. Towards the end of our return trip we joked about there being a hot dog stand in the parking lot - but thought it was only wishful thinking. To our surprise and relief there was a single vendor there. At that point we were willing to pay any price for water. Under a palm tree we found some shade and rested for a few minutes before the bus arrived. We headed back towards the airport with our bags (no they weren't stolen).

We enjoyed one last traditional dinner of fish with bananas. This time it came with a passion fruit glaze - amazing mix of flavors! Tired, sore, and horribly sunburned we were ready to get on our flight back to Lisbon. It was a great trip - a once in a lifetime experience together!