Hearing the groans and the agony this morning form my group is hilarious. Nobody can make it down the stairs without looking like a geriatric. The plan today is that we ascend the 500m from Bomerano to the top of Monte Tre Calli (10.5 km round trip). The group is split – some want to do it and some of us want to recover from yesterday. Jane & I join the group for the first mile or so of the walk to see the view over Bomerano.
Tomorrow we are meant to be climbing Vesuvius and we want to have recovered from yesterday and be able to enjoy it. We sensibly decide to take the bus into Amalfi and have a lazy day sitting in a bar, people watching and just exploring the town.
9th Century CathedralThe beautiful 9th Century Cathedral in Amalfi
We enjoy a snack and beer before exploring the town
A beer and people watchingA lemon shop
We explore the back streets and discover a wonderful speciality food shop which overloaded us with food samples of scrumptious confectionery. It was a good sales technique as we purchased quite a few items – many containing chocolate! We made our way down to the seafront before catching the return bus.
This morning we are going to walk down to Amalfi. However, first we will see how mozzarella is made. The little cheese factory is situated on the farside of Bomerano and it’s probably a 15 minute walk from the hotel, mainly uphill. Bomerano is very poor and when we arrive at the farmstead we are greeted by ancient, slightly mangy dogs and led into the rather shabby buildings. Personally, I was not a fan of the hot milk smell mixed with farm-yardy odours. I quite liked mozzarella before this experience but having seen it boiled, stretched and plaited, it may take a while before I eat it again. We were able to sample it – I declined!
We then set off on a walk back through town to commence the 13km trek down to Amalfi.
View from Bomerano
Bomerano is 723 metres above sea level and the descent is down a combination of old mule trails and derelict steps of assorted shapes and sizes. Unbeknown to us our guide wants us to see another village high up on the cliffs. This means we walk downhill on loose gravelly trails for an hour and then uphill for 45 minutes (it seemed longer!). The sun was shining and it was hot for October. I don’t know how people do this in the summer. Eventually we reach the village and settle at a cafe in the main square for a well deserved coffee.
Steep terrain to be negotiated before reaching the village in top left for a coffeeA much needed breather!
After our short break we commence the descent down to Amalfi. Initially it is easy going along rustic paths and even more rustic steps. We occasionally cross the road which traverses the steep cliff face and is peppered with numerous sharp hairpin bends. The hike is brutal – 2800+ steps and we’ve already walked at least 10km up and down steep slopes. Every so often the terrain flattens out but then to our horror there are more steps. It is relentless. However it goes from bad to worse. Our guide takes us down a steep path, on which a section has suffered a landslide. We had to side-slip down it; putting our poles ahead of our feet to stop an uncontrolled descent on the loose surface. Having survived that we didn’t think it could get worse…. How wrong can you be? The path was blocked for repairs. We had to climb onto a wall over a precipitous drop and manaouvre ourselves around the barrier. It actually was very funny, particularly watching Tim – not the most athletic of us and the person who had fallen earlier.
Absolutely no health and safety protocol!
Walking poles helped but by the time we finally reach Amalfi, everyone’s legs had turned to jelly. I tried at one stage to dart across the road when I saw a car coming. My legs were like lead. Actually quite scary! I cannot imagine how Exodus Travel consider this easy to moderate. It has taken us so long to descend to Amalfi that there is no time for even a drink at a bar. We clamber willingly onto the waiting coach and plonk our weary bodies onto the seats.
View down to Amalfi
We meet in the bar for pre-dinner drinks. They are good – ridiculously cheap and very large. Exactly what is required after such a gruelling day.
One of the couples in our group start complaining to our tour leader that the trip was not what they expected. They thought it was a private tour and were clearly not happy. The husband had really struggled on the walk. Over dinner the situation escalated. Suddenly there were raised voices at the far end of the table, chairs were flung backwards, fingers pointed and the difficult couple stormed out of dinner. The husband clearly had some issues and had been seen with a well depleted bottle of whiskey before dinner. Their room was above mine, with thin walls and floors. At 5 in the morning suitcases were being wheeled around and the husband was saying “But Caroline, you don’t understand. I had to take the higher moral ground”. They flew back to the UK in the morning, which seems pretty extreme behaviour.
“And what was the argument about?”, I hear you ask? Apparently, someone had said they couldn’t stand Boris Johnson! Surely not a reason to cancel your holiday! 🙂
I am travelling with my good golfing friend, Jane and we arrive at Heathrow in good time. We booked business class seats because, with the presence of covid, we thought this would give us more space. The queues at Terminal 5 were horrendous, including business. We tagged on to the end of the queue and prepared ourselves for a long wait. Within minutes a BA lady asked us where we were travelling to. We told her and she said ”Follow me.” We were taken to the invitation only lounge where they told us to sit and drink champagne while they processed our bags. How very civilised.
The flight was on time and uneventful apart from the steward that took a shine to me. He continually asked if I had all I needed, always touched my shoulder when so doing, and served me extra drinks. We thought it was pretty amusing.
We met our guide outside Naples airport and he escorted us to our coach for the transfer to Bomerano; a small village up in the hills above Amalfi. We were staying in a small family run hotel – Hotel Due Torri. It reminded me of a chalet style, ski resort hotel.
My room was small, clean and functional and had a newly refurbished, very compact en-suite bathroom. The tiles were very ornate and Italian – not quite my taste. The good news was that the shower was really powerful with plentiful hot water and that I am not sharing the room with anyone. Jane has her own room which is bigger, but up more flights of stairs.
We convene in the bar for a briefing and to meet our group. There are 18 of us. We are split into two groups with our own guides. We go upstairs for dinner and retire to bed.
I wake at 04.30, wash and collect my last bits together then head down stairs for a coffee before leaving. The hotel gives me some banana bread and some fruit for my journey, I hug the staff goodbye then walk across the beach to the boat. Paola from guest services accompanies me. The sun is not yet up and there is a rosy glow to the sky. It is going to be another beautiful day in paradise. We speed across the bay. The trip takes 30 minutes and as we approach Puerto Jimenez we see the sun rising. I disembark and take the short car ride to the airstrip. Parrots and macaws squawk in the trees but manage to keep themselves well hidden. Even with their vivid red feathers the macaws are hard to spot until they take flight. This would be a great place to sit and watch the world go by if it were not for the fact that the airstrip is right next to the cemetery. No bad omens I hope!
The flight from Puerto Jimenez to San Jose this morning was very turbulent, with a pretty nail-biting landing, as the wind was very strong. The BA flight home was on time and smooth until we approached the UK. Thanks to Storm Dennis, the last few miles were very bumpy but the landing at Gatwick was textbook; much better than the San Jose experience this morning.
This morning I am making the 3 hour hike from the hotel into Piedras Blanco National Park. Details in my room say it will be a steep uphill ascent and I will get very hot and sweaty. This is an understatement. It is an exceptionally hot and humid day and once in the forest there is not a breath of wind. My guide is Alejandra and she is another research assistant.
My guide – Alejandra
We clamber over tree roots, climb up muddy steps carved into the path and just walk up and up – 300 metres vertical ascent. I am very pleased that I have walked up so many hills in the last two weeks as I am neither breathless or have aching legs. I’m just hot. Oh so hot and dripping wet. We take pauses along the way and listen to the forest and watch for any movement of birds or wildlife. Eventually, after an hour, the path levels out and there are occasional breaks in the canopy where trees have fallen. This allows light and a little air to penetrate.
Some of the trees are immensely tall and have impressive buttress roots. We sit on a fallen tree trunk and chat. The sound of cicadas fills the air. Ale tells me that she has set camera traps and has filmed pumas and ocelots on the path where we are sitting. None visit us today, though I did see ocelot tracks on the beach trail yesterday.
We start our descent then high up in the trees Ale spots a howler monkey. They are very shy and incredibly difficult to see in the dense canopy. Initially we just see one but then as we look we spot more. There are certainly two mothers with babies. I have an excellent view through my binoculars and we sit and watch them for an hour or more.
Howler monkey with babyMum and baby peeping under the branch
Reluctantly we leave the monkeys and head back to the hotel. The path down is steep and slippery in places and I need to side-step; occasionally holding on to tree trunks for support – checking first for soldier ants.
I return to my room and luxuriate under a cool shower. I spend a lazy afternoon by the pool and in the gardens and at last I see a toucan close up as well as a pair of curassows.
Toucan
Curassow
I decide to take one last walk along the beach track and to my delight see some more howler monkeys and they are a little nearer than those we saw this morning.
Howler monkeys
The hotel is preparing a special 5 course Valentine’s Meal tonight. This means there will be no choice of dishes. Victor, one of the the barmen, tells me what the menu will be at lunchtime and I ask if I can not have octopus for my main course. He orders me a tenderloin steak instead and gives me a Valentine’s hug!
I eat dinner then it’s back to my room to pack as I leave at 05.30 tomorrow.
