It is the second part of an island tour with holy name.
It was the most remarkable experiences in my trip, a dive in the ocean where the water was a mixture of cold and hot, flavored with salt and metal at the same time and no, I'm not exaggerating. São Miguel is famous for its large number of unusual hot springs experiences, my favorite was at Ponta da Ferraria in Ginetes. This is a small hollow on the shore where the sea expands while comes out hot water from the interior of the island is a bizarre and exciting feeling diving on a mixture of metallic salt and warm water and we can feel immediately the difference on the surface the comfort of a hot water bath and under a fiery cold sea current that is dispersed on the ground, without exaggeration we can have half of our body heated by volcanic hot springs and the other side are "massaged" the cold waves of the Atlantic, was surreal in every way, literally. Our bodies try to adapt to this strange new dinamyc that happens at the same time whare there is also a termic shock and we are invaded by a shared sense of euphoria also shared by the people who have also decided to dive in these strange waters.
But it was not my only surrealistic adventure, counting down, the next stop was in Furnas, not by the fumaroles, but the Terra Nostra Park. It is a bicentennial garden, with 12.5 hectares of gardens and forests, divided by different botanical collections. For specialists in gardens and botanists, I estimate that should be a dream come true, but for the remaining ordinary mortals, is simply a path not to be missed for its great chromatic beauty. There is an area only dedicated to the endemic forest of the Azores, one for the giant ferns, then there is an area for vireyas, some plants from Malaysia that bloom throughout the year in various shades, there is a Azaleas site and cycadelas, plants of millions of years, endangered, looked like Jurassic park, seriously, it would be a great place to shoot a scene with dinosaurs, but ... moving on, only in this space there are 85 different plant species and for the most romantic at least several spaces with camellias. The lakes that connect these different areas are populated by koi fish, huge and various shades which gives an air even more exotic to this whole atmosphere and there are different species of ducks.
The jewel in the crown for me at the end of this tour, was dip in the thermal water tank is a huge underlying pool to the main house of this property that is surrounded by a garden, the water is orange color because of the iron, it is 28 celsius degrees celsius and I assure that we not became orange, but the swimsuits change tone, and again here I had one of those experiences for a life time, I was in the water with hundreds of tourists surrounded by large trees and plants of different species and behold, it began to rain, a group of ducks joined us and it was again those moments of another world. I was heated from the metal waters bubbling from the belly of the island and from the sky drops of cold fresh water refreshed my face. But the day was not over here, after this visit a few meters further on there are the so-called pools of Dona Beija, with five tanks iron water of around 40 degrees and if you want another Kodac moment to later remember, I can say that these pools are open until 10 pm, and there is nothing better for the body and weary mind than being surrounded by a mixed vegetation sauce, in various shades of green to the sunset over the horizon and the only chills you had are an immeasurable happiness and I could not help admiring once again the strength of this untamed nature.
