 |
| We finally arrived at Boa Morte, a small neighboring village. |
Last night Gina stopped by with some documents she had to complete with our travel and passport information as a regulation for property owners and managers when renting properties to foreigners on the island of Madeira.
 |
| We headed out on the good roads through the heavily treed area. With no place to stop, I had no choice but to take this photo through the windshield glass. |
 |
| As beautiful as the trees were, we wanted to get a peek to see the villages at a distance. |
Any error we made sure is fixable, no matter the complexity. However, fixing an error always requires time and most often, money. Tom made an error while we were in Kenya, paying in full for the hotel in Paris when all we needed to do was reserve our room. The two weeks (to become 15 days after we’ll book July 31st later today) booking was US $3124, EU $2308, and it made no sense paying in full 10 months in advance.
 |
| On occasion, we’d find an opening enabling us to take a photo. |
I wasn’t upset or even annoyed when he’d made the error. It easily could have been me. Unfortunately, Tom made himself crazy worrying needlessly for days with frequent reminders from me that it was no big deal.
As the time nears, we’re thrilled to have paid in advance, lessening the outlay for the combined total month we’ll spend in Paris and London, from July 31st to August 31st. Our added expenditures will be for the London hotel which is comparable to the rates for the Paris hotel, meals, entrance to tourist sites, cab fare, and tips.
 |
| With towering trees cast shadows on the roads. |
My error will result in our paying for one more night in the Paris hotel which will be US $223, EU $164. Today, as I researched at the rental agreement for this house in Madeira, I see that the rental did in fact end on July 31st. If this was a “job” and I had a “boss” this would have kept me awake at night.
Tom doesn’t so much as squeak, as I didn’t when he prepaid for the hotel. We only have to deal with self-recriminations for our occasional incompetency which I’ve done and will let go.
 |
| The dense forest reminded us of Boveglio in Tuscany, Italy. |
Yesterday, we drove through a long tunnel we’d yet to enter to see where it would take us. The further we drove, the more it reminded us of Boveglio, Italy where we spent last summer from June 16 to September 1, 2013.
The winding roads, hairpin turns, dense forests with towering trees, and drive up higher and higher into the mountains was interesting and a lot less unnerving than in the past. From the scary four hour drive in Belize to the winding roads here in Madeira, we’re becoming more comfortable on these less than ideal roads.
 |
| The billowing clouds are ever-present on Madeira. |
It wasn’t easy taking photos with narrow roads without a shoulder. Plus, the dense forest made it difficult to see through the trees. We drove a long distance to find a turn around spot with no road returning to Campanario, other than the road in which we drove into the village.
After our few hour drive, we returned to Campanario for a stop at the local grocer where we purchased two free-range chickens that had been delivered that morning. As we noticed in our travels chickens aren’t as meaty as they were in the US.
 |
| We spotted a lush green valley in an opening on the road. |
Without the use of chemicals and grain-based feed, chickens don’t grow as meaty and plump. The two chickens we purchased for US $10.83, EU $8, were well cleaned with little fat when not fed grains and are allowed to roam freely to peck at the ground for food sources.
 |
| Finally, we spotted an expansive view. |
I guess it further proves that we were created to take advantage of unprocessed foods readily available in our environment for our hunting and gathering or in the modern age, for others to hunt, breed, and gather.
Oops! We hear music coming our way. Tom is on the veranda saying that he can see and hear the music of the produce guy coming down the road. Gotta go!
 |
| These tall flowers grow wild in Madeira, are often blue and occasionally white. |
____________________________
Photo from one year ago today, June 11, 2013:
 |
|
This letter was in our cabin the night before we docked in Izmir, Turkey where we were scheduled to go on an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus. For the story and photos of Ephesus please click here. Photos of the tour will follow in this section tomorrow.
|
"Without the use of chemicals and grain based feed, chickens don't grow as meaty and plump. The two chickens we purchased for US $10.83, EU $8, were well cleaned with little fat when not fed grains and are allowed to graze.
By nature, chickens are carnivores. They eat bugs for protein, nuts, seeds, and some vegetation. Hummm…sounds familiar to my way of eating minus the bugs, instead adding other animal based forms of protein. "
This is simply not true, Jessica. Chickens are BIRDS. Birds eat. . . seeds. That's why stores sell "birdseed."
Guess what seeds are.
Grain. Corn is simply the seeds of the corn plant. Rice is the seed of the rice plant.
Yes, they also eat bugs and worms and stuff, but they do not "graze" like a cow. They cannot digest grasses like cows do, any more than you can. They are not ruminants.
The chickens you're finding are smaller because they are a different breed from the chickens raised in the USA for consumption (Cornish crosses). Their genetics are very different. It has nothing at all to do with their diet and everything to do with their breed.
Sally, I definitely need to educate myself about chickens. I've corrected the post and will definitely spend time learning more. Thanks for your input.
Warmest regards,
Jess & Tom