The best things in life aren’t things. They’re the experiences and connections that shape us and travel has always had a place in my life from the time I was a boy until today.
In 1998, Yim joined me on the adventure and our big trips are still to come.
I enjoy writing about our travels and using my photography to illustrate them as a way of recording a life I am grateful for. I hope you find something you enjoy.
The Fanal Forest – once I saw photos, it held a sort of mythical draw to me. Located high in the mountains along the Paul da Serra Plateau, it is a 40 minute drive from Ponta do Sol. We had read that it was best to try and visit the forest on a foggy day,…
Pico Ruivo is the highest peak in Madeira, standing at 1,862 meters (6,106 feet) above sea level. This was one of the hikes that I had to do while we were in Madeira. During my planning for the trip, I knew that one way to get to Pico Ruivo was by hiking PR1 out of…
Pico de Arieiro was the most impressive and awe inspiring hike for me during our visit to Madeira. Besides the breathtaking landscapes vying for your attention in every direction, the trail is impressive due to the well built stone pathways and obvious hard work Madeira allocates in maintaining it. This trail would not have been…
There are a few spots on Madeira I knew we would have to get up long before sunrise to really experience the beauty of. Bica da Cana was the most important on my list. In Madeira, it is called a Miradouro. Miradouro’s are viewpoints with spaces to sit and rest. They are scattered all over…
This was our first day of crossing the island from the south to the north, so some new territory for us today. Our plan was to make a stop at Seixal to see the black beach, then visit Ilheus da Ribeira da Janela, enjoy a swim in the Porto Moniz lava pools, have lunch and…
Prior to arriving in Madeira, I had done oodles of research on fun little stops we could make during our three week stay so we can explore when we have some extra time and one of them was Cascata dos Anjos. Cascata dos Anjos is a waterfall located in Ponta do Sol, close by to…
Madeira may be renowned for its hiking and breathtaking landscapes, but it is also a major banana producer. The south coast, where we stayed, is adorned with banana plantations, and Madalena do Mar boasts the largest one on the island – Rota da Banana – where we spent a delightful 90 minutes wandering through a…
This was our first hike in Madeira. Confusingly, there are two Levada do Moinho hikes in Madeira. The hike I am writing about is called Levada Do Moinho – Levada Nova and is on the south side of the island in Ponto do Sol. It does not have an official PR designation. I chose to…
Getting ready for a three week journey to Madeira, Portugal was a big deal this year. We planned it for almost five months before we left, finding a nice home we both liked in an area of the island that we both liked, rented an automatic car so we both could drive, considered all the hikes…
It’s been a beautiful Autumn this year. The weather seems to be getting slightly warmer for longer each year. This year, a full ten years in to our having begun work on landscaping the backyard as a clean slate, we saw our scrawny little red maple drop enough incredibly brilliant red leaves to blanket our…