Decide that going to any sort of museum or other tourist attraction is going to involve too much stress in ensuring I can get a taxi or bus back to the hotel in time to get the shuttle, so settle for walking to a nearby park – the Parque Vale do Silêncio – Google maps seems to show some strange sort of sculpture, that, when I get there turns out to be some artificial climbing walls.

It is very hot and sunny, so I am glad when I leave the park I am able to find a café where I have a drink, followed by a second drink and some lunch, before heading back to the hotel, passing a small supermarket, where I buy a large bottle of water (and wish I’d passed it on the way out!).

Sit and read at the hotel and wait to see if the booked taxi turns up. When it doesn’t, I instead take the hotel shuttle. Check in and bag drop at the airport is all “self-service”, but trouble free. Queue through security is very long. Unlike Manchester and Horta, they don’t care about removing cameras or tablets from either hand luggage in general or their own bags – they are only interested in whether you have liquids. My bag is shunted on to a separate conveyer belt rather than proceeding to where I can pick it up, so I suspect that contrary to what they had said, they will want to check one or the other, but they just hand it back to me with no further questions.

The departure gate is at the far end of the airport, but there appears to be a plane already docked there, so I get something to eat and then wait for boarding. There is a strange sense of déjà vu when part way through the priority boarding, the people who have already gone through the gates return and we are told boarding will be delayed by at least half an hour…

When boarding eventually starts again we discover that our plane is not the one connected to the gate as we are loaded on to busses, which continue to go nowhere. A driver gets in, moves us forward half a bus length then gets out again, before eventually re-boarding and driving us to the far side of the airport where our plane awaits (I gather the delay was waiting for staff to arrive from an incoming flight).

We do make up some time on the flight to Manchester, where I am astonished that my passport, which has stubbornly refused to be accepted at the electronic gates every time I have travelled through Heathrow works first time (it runs out next year). When I get to the luggage carousel I call the taxi I have booked back to Birmingham. My bag arrives promptly, and I get to the rendezvous point before the driver. (I am his last job of the day, and he lives in Stoke, so Birmingham is at least in the right general direction for him!)

My flight is not until this evening, so I get one last whale watching trip with Norberto Diving. Good weather and Sperm Whales diving and showing their flukes.

Lunch in the Volga Café again, it seems busier than last week, but maybe I’m just here a little later? Then back to the hotel to wait for the taxi. I have vouchers for the transfer to and from the airport, and for the Hotel I’m staying at in Lisbon. The one for tomorrow’s transfer says I need to confirm it on line, and, when I look closer, that the Taxi will be picking me up at around departure time, which doesn’t look right! I try to check on the web site, but it refuses to accept the booking no on the voucher, so I send Ben at Wildlife Worldwide a mail asking for advice. He comes back to say he’s not sure why the voucher says that, and the taxi is definitely booked for 5. I say I will sort it out at the hotel in Lisbon.

Flight is trouble free, and following the instructions, I make my way to the meeting point in the arrivals hall at Lisbon. There are a number of taxi firms with signs bearing names there, and I soon find mine, and am told to wait. Once there are around half a dozen of us we set off (the voucher does say it’s a “shared minibus” taxi) following a courier to the front of the airport, where it transpires that I have a taxi to myself.
He sets off and seems to be travelling in circles. He asks me again for the name of the hotel, and I tell him it is the Star Inn Hotel. He says something about Hotel Melia (that we definitely passed earlier). I repeat Star Inn. It turns out that the Star Inn is opposite the Melia, and they share an entry road, just off a roundabout – and we had, indeed passed it earlier!

The staff name badges seem to have both their own names, and, more prominently, the name of a celebrity, so I am checked in by Whitney Houston. I discover that they have a free 15 minute shuttle service to the airport (shared with the Melia), so am less concerned about the booked taxi now (just as well since the website continues to not recognise the voucher no).

This morning’s trip is with Norberto’s, where along with the ubiquitous Common and Bottlenose Dolphins we also see first Long Finned then Short Finned Pilot Whales. (One of the Long Finned obligingly rolls over to show us his fins, but sadly I don’t manage to get a photo).

Norberto doesn’t have a trip this afternoon, so I am out with another different company. This time it is Dive Azores. One of the spotters on Pico has seen Sperm Whales quite a long way off, but heading towards Faial, so the plan is to head off in that direction, stopping for anything we see on the way, and hopefully intercept them en route.
It is little surprise that we encounter Common and Bottlenose Dolphins, probably the same ones we saw this morning, but other than a passing flying fish, we don’t encounter anything else until we reach the Whales. There are initially four of them, but eventually seven individuals, a mix of females and juveniles socialising on the surface with the occasional shallow dive. The start to disperse, and, just as we are preparing to leave one of the females finally dives and shows us her tail.

Dinner tonight, as for the last night of my last trip, is at the “hot stones” restaurant, where you are given a selection of meat and fish to cook yourself on slabs of hot stone. Very tasty, and I can recommend the chef!

Both trips today are with Norberto Diving, although the afternoon trip is actually chartered from Pedro who has a group of 30 booked in.

The Humpback from yesterday is still in the area, so we set off in that direction, passing a flying fish on the way. As well as the Humpback we also find Sperm Whale, and more Common Dolphin. Another flying fish on the way back to the harbour, in both cases we pass them while travelling quite fast ourselves, so no chance for a photo.

This afternoon’s trip is supposed to start at 2:30, but none of the clients have arrived. Pedro calls them and they say they have been delayed and ask if they put back the departure until 3:30. A Compromise of 3:00 is agreed.
The thirty people are divided between Pedro’s boat and ours, and as we prepare to board, Lisa warns me that it will probably just be dolphins. We set off in the same general direction as this morning and encounter a large group of Common Dolphin with several young. After we have been with them a while, we move on in search of Bottlenose Dolphins. We manage to pick them up, but soon lose interest when a group of False Killer Whales appears. These may be a resident population, but they are not seen often enough to be certain (although Lisa does recognise a couple of individuals from their distinctive dorsal fins).

Pedro receives a call from one of the spotters that there may be a sperm whale not too far away, and as he has a hydrophone on his boat, we head off in search of it, and are rewarded with a nice tail fluke as it dives.
Time is running short, so just time for one more quick stop with the Common Dolphin before returning to Horta.

A much better day today. Last night after dinner was the first time I could see Mt Pico from my window, and although it is a bit hazy on top, I can still see it this morning.

This morning’s trip is with Norberto, and we see Common Dolphin and Humpback and Sperm Whales. I am sitting at the back of the Zodiac, and find every time the whales dive, the boat manages to move to interpose someone’s head between my camera lens and the action. (I do get some clear sightings, bit not really any good photos).

Norberto doesn’t have a tour this afternoon, so I am joining the Naturalists boat. This has been set up out of Lisbon University to help in their research projects. Mindful of this morning’s photo problems, I manage to get a front seat, which brings a different set of issues. Although the views are mostly uninterrupted there is quite a lot more spray, meaning my camera spends more time sheltering in its case, leading to fewer photos all round. We mainly see the humpback whale from this morning, and more (or more of the same) common dolphin. There is also a (very) brief view of a loggerhead turtle, but it doesn’t hang around to have any photos taken.

The forecast rain is very much in evidence this morning. Lisa calls to say there are no trips at all this morning, and just one from Pico this afternoon, which is already full. She suggests a trip to the Capelinhos volcano museum and lighthouse this morning, then she can check again if there is any change after lunch.

The museum is very interesting, with film clips to explain volcanoes, and “talking head” clips, subtitled in English, giving eyewitness accounts of the 1957 eruption. We climb the lighthouse, then wander over to the boathouse, a separate museum, run by the local community which tells the story of the old whaling operation in the area.

Lisa calls in while we are having lunch, but there is no change, so she offers a walk with her dog, Robbie, in the afternoon, dropping me back at the hotel to prepare. However, a late change of plan sees her drop me off at the botanical gardens instead, arranging to pick me up a couple of hours later after she has given Robbie his exercise. This turns out to be pretty much the right length of time for a slow amble around taking photos. (I get back about 10 minutes before she arrives, but only because it started to rain again, and the entrance was the best and closest shelter).

In addition to the assorted trees and flowers (including a large collection of Orchids), I also find a Cat tryng to find some shade, and more wall lizards.

A morning of rapidly changing plans! I had originally booked the Blue Tuk tour for 9:30, so at 9:00, just as I am about to slap on the sunblock, the phone goes – it is reception – Rui, the Blue Tuk guide, is asking if we can postpone until 10:30 as it is still quite dull, but the views should be better by then. I say this is fine and put the phone down. It immediately rings again – it is Lisa, Norberto has called her to say the spotters have seen a Humpback, do I want to go out to see it? So a hurried re-arrangement (via reception) of the Blue Tuk tour to 2:30 this afternoon, only to get another call from Lisa to apologise – Norberto can’t get enough people to make the trip viable (he was hoping to be able to persuade some people to switch to this morning, but to no avail). I decide against any further attempts to rearrange anything else!

I had thought I’d try lunch at Atlantico, the ice cream shop, but the only thing I can positively identify on the menu was chili con carne with tapioca, and it seemed a bit too hot to be eating chili, so instead I went to the Volga, another nearby café and had a very nice toasted steak sandwich and chips.

While I was eating, I saw a blackbird trying to catch a small lizard who was having none of it (I don’t think the bird was expecting it’s lunch to fight back…). After I had paid, I wandered over to the scene of the battle, not expecting to find anything, when a flash of movement caught my eye, and I was able to spot the lizard hiding in some vegetation at the base of a tree. A bit of subsequent research suggests it is a Madeiran Wall Lizard, a species accidently introduced by hitching rides on ships travelling between Madeira and the Azores.

Rui arrives at 2:30 for the Blue Tuk Tour. We start off going to the Espalamaca Belvedere and the statue of Our Lady of the Conception, then down to Almoxarife beach, where we see crabs, but no people (it being a dull weekday afternoon, no one is thinking about sunbathing…), then back up through Horta, including a visit to the main church, which was built by Jesuits, and took over a century to complete before going up Monte da Guia – It is much easier ascending by tuk tuk on a dull, windy afternoon than it is on foot on a sunny one! Our tour then takes us past the Atletico restaurant that I recall visiting 10 years ago and had thought I might try again tonight – Rui recommends it as a good place to eat, so that makes my mind up. We continue up the coast to a viewpoint overlooking an arch in the cliffs and some sea caves before returning to the hotel – an enjoyable and informative tour.

I walk back down to the Atletico in the evening, and while it is busy, I am able to get a table (with a pyrography map of the island) outside. It is warm enough, but there is quite a breeze at times which blows loose serviettes etc off the table, and at one stage threatens to take the placemat while they are trying to serve my dessert.
The rib-eye had been recommended and was offered as either “beef” or “steak”, the difference, according to the diagram in the menu, being that the steak was a thicker cut. I ordered the beef, and the resulting meal would have been served a “steak” in any UK pub (two steaks in a Wetherspoons!).

When I got back to the hotel, there was a message waiting from Lisa to say there would be no whale watching trips tomorrow (probably due to the weather, rain has been forecast), and she would call at 9:30 to arrange what was happening instead.

Another cloudy and damp start. Norberto has a trip booked, but Lisa is not sure if it will go ahead, If it doesn’t then this will become one of my “free days”.

Although it dries off and brightens up in Horta there is still a lot of low-lying cloud, and apparently it is quite windy out at sea. Norberto gets a call from one of the lookouts and we all kit up in waterproofs and lifejackets – but it seems he was a bit overeager and the decision is made to cancel the trip. I head for the Tourist Information bureau to pick up a map, with the intention of visiting one or more of the local museums, and then a little grocery store to get some drinks to stick in the fridge in my hotel room. I then return to the Hotel to change into “non-boating” mode and catch up on my diary before I forget what we saw when. I have the sandwiches that are provided for “boat days”, so my plan is to eat these on my balcony, then set out again this afternoon. I decide the Aquarium looks like an interesting choice, so after checking the map, I set off towards Monte da Guia.

There is an important rule which says that there is no point in having a map if you don’t look at it, and by turning left rather than right, I end up walking most of the way up the hill to the Chapel of Our Lady of Guia. The views are spectacular, but not what I had planned. Realising my mistake, I retrace my steps back down the hill, and see the path I should have taken (It is much clearer from this direction, it has to be said), but I can only get so far along it before the path is blocked by a wooden barrier, just past the Dabney House – a museum telling the story of the Dabney family, three generations of 19th Century businessmen and American consuls to the Azores. I ask a couple of staff members about the Aquarium, only to be told it is closed. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! I walk back across Porto Pim beach and stop off for a coffee at Peters and an ice cream from Atlantico to fortify myself for the walk up the hill to the hotel.

I had seen an advertisement on the hotel notice board for “Blue Tuk Tours”, so I investigate their website to pick a tour I fancy for tomorrow. Rather than risk trying to book in Portuguese over the phone, I go up to reception to ask them to arrange one for me. They phone up and say someone will call at the hotel in 5 minutes to arrange it with me – Rui will pick me up here at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

I eat in the hotel tonight (a buffet) then sit on my balcony watching the bats flying over the pool.

A damp & drizzly morning with low lying cloud making it difficult for the spotters to see anything. It looks brighter over towards Pico, which is handy as the boat has a party of 11 passengers to pick up there.
The spotters on Pico have sightings of whales to the North, so we set off, and after collecting the passengers at Madalena we go looking for them. We find Sperm Whales, as well as Common and Bottlenose dolphins (along with a few showers along the way).

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After eating my lunch, and exploring a different bit of Horta, I get a coke from Peter’s and sit outside watching them lift a yacht out of the harbour before returning for this afternoon’s excursion. Norberto doesn’t have a trip this afternoon, so we are booked in with Azores Experiences, piloted by Pedro, who Lisa had introduced me to on Sunday evening. Clouds around the island are still making things tricky for the spotters, but Pedro has a hydrophone, and hopes this, along with the knowledge of where the whales this morning seemed to be heading will enable us to find them. Everyone is in agreement so off we set.

We encounter Common Dolphin first, but while we are watching them he hears from another boat that they know roughly where the Sperm Whales are, so we head off to join them, managing to get there in time to see them dive. From the shape of the flukes Marta (the guide) and Lisa are in agreement that it is one of the whales we saw this morning.
We spend the afternoon interspersed between the Whales and Common, Striped and Bottlenose Dolphin (and fewer showers than this morning).

We are back slightly earlier tonight, so Lisa decides she will pick me up at seven and try Peter’s again. This time there is room (maybe because the weather in Horta has improved, so more people are outside?) and we are able to get a seat.