first day of walk number one in Sardinia. When I showed the lady who runs the B and B I was at on a map what I planned to do she became positively alarmed. Insisted I take an extra bottle of water from her. Kept repeating "Attenzione!" – which I guess was her way of saying pay attention to what track there is, that it is easy to get lost. Encouraging start...
Finally got to the start point after waiting around for a bus for a couple of hours – was a disappointing day for the most part – spent the entire time on car tracks and even bitumen roads. Then when I got to the refuge I was supposed to spend the night at it was not open, did not look like it had ever been open, and was completely deserted – I heard ghosts howling. So I kept going with the start of the next day's walk, a bit of a side trip to this bronze age village which is in pretty good nick, given that it was built around 4000 years ago. Took some photos – there was a guide, but it was in Italian, so I really don't know much about it – and then wandered in to a couple of huge and impressive caves they have near the same site. Was wrong, by the way, about granite – this area at least is all limestone, with a basalt bit of country near it where they sourced some building stones from – but the limestone is the reason for all the caves and so on.
Kept walking, eventually found where the walking track proper starts after making my way through a complete warren of vehicle tracks in the bush – without a hitch, more by good luck than good management – the first two places where I was supposed to turn I did not see the things the Lonely Planet guide said were there to know where to turn – either because the researcher for the book never got out of his car, which I was beginning to suspect, or because the locals like to keep things interesting by moving what passes for signs. But am here now, at least I am pretty sure I am, so am a couple of hours up on tomorrow's stage – which promises to be a bit more interesting than today's – which was tedious up until the end – I don't know why they don't just call it a three day hike, tell you to take a cab to at least the village – not really a whole lot of point just walking along a road I think.
In hammock, off the reservation – was prepared to pay to be on the reservation, but there was no one there to collect my money, nor did it look like there ever had been. Startled a small scorpion moving a rock. This is a worry. According to something I saw, it might have been Man vs Wild, big scorpions, for the most part, are harmless, even friendly: you can play with them and they are great with children. Small ones, on the other hand, are always mortal. Eerily still evening and night – which is better than having to deal with a fierce wind like I did in Corsica – but eerie – my cigar smoke, once exhaled, hung there in a big still cloud in front of me. Also, I spilled most of my dinner, which was annoying.
No signal. So much for the promised land. But then I am in this weird steep sided valley out in the sticks, so maybe when I climb out of it a bit – will see.
Photos. 1. If you look at the right window, you can see the ghost. 2. Some kind of ancient water temple fountain dedicated to the cult of the deity of whatever– archaeologists are obsessed with cults. Frankly I think it was a spa. 3. Something mysterious and important. Explained in Italian. Remains mysterious. I judged the importance by the exclamations of the Italians who were there. 4. Inside one big cave, looking up and out. 5. Inside another. I clambered up to this door on a short knotted rope. There was actually a cold dank wind coming out of the chamber behind it. I left. 6. What passes for a sign in Sardinia. Believe it or not this is actually one of the better ones, ie, it exists.
Live update. Something, I don't know what, was
trotting loudly around in the bush near me. I made a hissing noise and it stopped for a moment – then trotted off – biding its time for another attack.
Update number two. Mystery trotter must have decided that mystery hisser was a monster with fangs, so did not come back, or at least I put earplugs in and went to sleep so assume it didn't.
Cheers, B.
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