Before I begin I want all future AP groups know that having a member who can drive stick shift is a must. This weekend Ranjan was our incredible stick shift driver who swiftly navigated the entirety of the little island. Without him, we would have been 6 hopeless wrecks trecking by foot to see maybe...one lake in 48 hours.
If you are a road rager you're typically pissed off at those who attempt to text and drive, those who cut you off, those that drive at a crawling speed to stare at the accident on the other lane, and those who drive 5 below the speed limit. However, never underestimate driving conditions in the Azores.
After a rough start in the morning, we finally get on the right road to Lagoa das Furnas when low and behold this is what we see as we turn the corner.
As Ranjan slams on the breaks the neighborhood stares at us as if we were aliens. Clearly a mini van with 7 crazy Americans is a more unusual sight than a horse tied up to a pole on an Azorean side street.
The next obstacle was the sudden appearance of insanely thick fog. As we turned the corner of the mountain, we seemed to enter what Aisha cleverly referenced as "sleepy hollow." Not only were were turning sharp corners and avoiding crazy island drivers, we were also squinting and ducking to try to see farther than 20 feet in front of the van. So by 12 noon we'd dodged a horse and driven in clouds. No big deal.
But then, leave it to the Azores to get stuck behind a marching band parading before the traditional festa. While we got front row seats and enjoyed quite a performance, it became slightly awkward when our impulsive Laura Rozo jumped out of the car to get up close and personal with her video camera. She stood close to the other photographer and didn't seem like too much of a tourist, thankfully!
I think that these, "what the heck??" moments pieced together one very memorable trip.Over and out,
Erin =]
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