Adventures of NaDave: H'moon 10

Le Piton! We awoke early as the volcano hike would only tougher during the afternoon. We enjoyed our bungalow view during breakfast, and then jumped into the car for the 90 minute drive. As we neared the volcano, the terrain turned from typical rural hillside with homes, to very plants, to baron wasteland. We arrived at the hike by 8a and the parking lot was already full! The Frenchies now how to hike! We grabbed our day bags, applied our suncream, and set off for our first volcano!

Le Piton in Reunion is an amazing site. Not only is it an active volcano, but it also holds the record for the most rainfall in one continuous storm…253 inches! So as we hiked we knew this landscape was only for the series

The hike began with a view of the volcano in the distance, 2.5 hrs away. And then a smaller cone as an appetizer at about minutes. But first was 500+ steps (counted by Nadine!) down a 300 meter straight cliff into the basin. This got our legs pumping early! Once into the basin we set off at a rapid pace, as we wanted to get to the peak. The terrain was very tough, with always uneven surfaces, and past lava flows creating plenty of ankle-busters. We climbed and climbed, the combination of the cool ocean breeze and the blistering sun & black soil made for a rugged experience. But the constant flow of Frenchies and “bon-jours” made for a humanly experience.

We got to the edge Le Piton, and it was well worth it. We were above the clouds, overlooking the ocean. We were amongst Frenchies with bagguettes, wine, and a relaxed sense of “what took you so long?”. We looked into the volcano, and sure enough, smoke could be seen from the center, exciting! We could also see where the lava flow from 2014 spilled over the edge and down the mountain. We then ate the lunch that we packed (bread, cheese & red wine!) and headed back down. Again the terrain was challenging, but we were also loving a good workout after the previous day in the car. We visited the small cone on the way back, and then up the 500+ steps. Whew, our legs were burning again. We happily returned to the car and exhaled…we did it, we hiked Le Piton!

Our next stop was a true watering hole that Nadine found, down by the ocean’s edge. On our drive back down the mountain, a giant cloud bank rolled in and, just like that, we were in a heavy fog. Crazy how quickly the weather changes. We eventually got below the cloud bank, and then cruised back east to the watering hole. We changed into our swimsuits, and quickly found out where we had missed sun cream. The back of Dave’s left hand was beat red! The water was refreshingly chilly, but it was crystal clear. It was a river from the mountains. And it was also enjoyable to spend a bit of the afternoon with locals. They spoke a different language, has a different demeanor, but in the end, they were just like everybody else on a hot day…laughing and cooling off. We each jumped off the rock in the middle, and then decided it was time to keep moving. The final part of the day was driving around all the volcano to see lava runs.

Our first stop was Notre Dame des Lavas. Lava flowed through the town and this church back in 19??, and when the lava got to the church, it flowed into the church but didn’t take it down! Now it is considered a spiritual landmark.

The next couple stops were to see the old lava fields, where nature was slowly growing back. And also a few waterfalls, and walks along the ocean…everything so beautiful.

Our final stop was the ? Waterfall. It looked so beautiful from photos, but we were racing against the sunset to get there. And with no SIM card for GPS directions, we had to go old school. After a few turnarounds, we finally found the correct turnoff and made our way. We got there just at dusk, and the pulloff was just off this steep road. Parking would have been tough with multiple cars. There so many waterfalls coming out of the little mountain cove, all the white was a perfect backdrop for our honeymoon. We snapped some photos, then headed for our AirBNB.

The evening turned to dark as we sped along to our overnight in ? (in fact, we later were mailed a speeding ticket for 59 km in a 50 km! another international ticket for Dave!). We got to our address and parking was easy. However the lack of Cell Phone access made for a fun story to find our host in the apartment complex. Fortunately another couple coming in let us into the courtyard. After that, we just asking around for ?. We eventually had 4 people in the apartment looking for her, and we finally knocked on her door. AH-hA! We hopped on the WiFi, found a local restaurant, and it was so delicious! Again, the seafood and drinks were amazing, not to mention the ice cream finish.

We strolled home, hand-in-hand, and then back to apartment for some sleep! Tomorrow was our final day in Reunion, and even though we didn’t really have a plan, we would still explore.

Morning Breakfast View!