Madeiran,Toboggan,Ride,Without travel,insurance Madeiran Toboggan Ride Without Snow

Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chile’s national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w

Madeira is a choice port of call for the many luxury cruise liners that criss-cross the Atlantic.  It is also a choice destination for young newly weds. However, for many people, it is a holiday destination that often goes overlooked.Unfortunately, Madeira is often considered to be an insignificant island with very few attributes to attract the pleasure visitor.  Nothing could be more untrue.The wicker basket sleighs of Monte are just one example of the unrivalled attractions that the Madeiran Archipelago can boast of.Traditionally, transport in Funchal, Madeira's capital, did not include wheeled carriages. The unsophisticated cobblestone roads, steep hills and sharp bends, meant that horse drawn carriages and, later, automobiles were regarded as unsuitable.  Rather, the locals opted for various other, more original, forms of conveyance.Unsophisticated wooden carriages, mounted on wooden runners, lubricated with grease and pulled at a sedate pace by oxen were a favourite.  These "carros de bois" were, legend has it, said to have been introduced to the island by a British Army Officer who required a means of conveying his invalid wife about town.Whilst riding in the carros de bois was acceptable on the flat, it was, of course, a painfully slow way to climb the steep inclines that dominate the landscape as soon as you leave the narrow coastal plain.Another, solely Madeiran, means of conveyance was the transporting hammock.  Here, a length of cloth was slung between a couple of long wooden poles. Two men, one at the front and one to the rear, would lift the assemblage in a mode rather akin to that of a sedan chair.  The passenger reclining in the hammock, usually a woman, was thus transported in what must have been a rather uncomfortable fashion.The transporting hammock was particularly popular with British society women who were resident on the island in the eighteenth century.  Often, to the delight of their fare, the hammock bearers would sing in the local Portuguese tongue as they made their way to the final destination.  A gratuity for this additional service was invariably given.  What the passenger did not realise was that sometimes the songs were extremely disparaging of their customer.  It is reported that on one occasion the bearers of a rather overweight passenger were singing to the effect: "The fare we are allowed to charge is fixed, but just look at the size of this load!" These popular forms of conveyance were used everywhere on the island, including the mountain village of Monte.  Cumbersome oxen drawn carts and hammocks were the normal way to convey both people and goods.Progress, in more than one sense of the word, was slow.  The three mile journey down from Monte into Funchal would take anything up to three hours.However, the run from Monte into Funchal was one long, steep, downward slope.  Accordingly, it was little surprise that one day, in the late 1840s, one of the locals decided to explore a more radical means of conveyance.  By mounting a flimsy wicker basket on two ski-like wooden runners it was discovered that you could glide headlong down the hill and reach the city centre in a mere 10 minutes.The logistics were simple.  All that was needed was one hefty push to get going and someone to stand on the rear to steer.  In no distance at all, you would soon reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.Suddenly, there was a fast, and cheap, means of transport from the outlying mountain village into the commercial centre of the island - the snow less, Monte wicker basket sleigh was hence invented.In addition, the local inhabitants soon discovered that rich Europeans and Americans would take the journey just for fun - hence, the original Madeira tourist attraction was created.  Indeed, Ernest Hemingway famously described his Monte toboggan wicker basket sled ride as the "most exhilarating experience" of his life.Today, the toboggans persist, but they are for tourists only.  Two carreiros guides, dressed in traditional white with straw hats, will propel you down a shortened route from Monte.  There are no seat belts and the only brake you can rely on is the rubber sole of your driver's shoe.  The views can be stunning, if short-lived and the usual souvenir photo awaits you at the end of the ride.The ride is priced rather expensively by Madeiran standards. But, if you want to treat yourself to an experience that you are unlikely to find anywhere else, then give the Monte toboggans a go.For further details of this delightful suburb of Funchal, Madeira's capital city, read the Monte Tourist Guide.© All Rights Reserved.  You can freely republish this article provided the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.  You may not publish any extract of this work unless the paragraph with the active links and this copyright notice are included.