The

Azores An in-depth Travel Journal

I (Student D) am very happy to present the world with my 32nd travel journal of the
beautiful island series. 7 months have passed since I visited the Northern Mariana
Islands. I have visited many amazing and fascinating places such as the Easter Islands,
the Galapagos Islands and French Polynesia; however, the Azores have surpassed every
other island I visited. Before I visited them I did not have high hopes, as I was under the
illusion that only Pacific Islands could be beautiful. The
Azores have turned out to be a utopia, probably the only
one in the world.

About the Author

Student D is a 28 year old author, who writes travel journals,
diaries and reflections of places he has visited. He is a
German-Chinese traveller, who grew up in Singapore, an
island nation. He has always been interested in islands and
their potential beauty.

Friday, 18 March 2016

8:45
Here I am in cold and snowy Zrich, at the airport, about to
disembark on my journey to the Azores. I have heard that
the Azores are often called utopia islands.
I am quite sceptical about this fact. Every
country must have some negative aspects
such as corruption or poverty.
9:53
We have arrived at our travel height. I
find it quite humorous, that I have been
placed next to a young boy of approximately 8 years, who is
Above are three maps that show the
flying for the first time. He has been screaming since the
position, layout and topographical features
flawless start of the Austrian Pilot. I could not imagine
of the Azores or the Main islands Sao
anything more relaxing. It is peculiar that everybody on this Miguel.
flight can speak German and is of German, Swiss or
Austrian heritage. I asked the Bavarian stewardess and she told me that there is a strict
immigration policy, which only allows people of Germanic descent into the country. I
heard about this immigration policy at the embassy in Switzerland; however I did not
believe the polite official, as I thought she made a joke. The informed stewardess, who
lived in the Azores for 5 years, told me that only 200 people of non-Germanic descent

are allowed to visit the Azores in a year. These people are mostly state-representatives or
similar. Because I have Germanic blood in me, I only had to wait 2 days for my visa to be
accepted.
12:55
We are about to land and as I gaze out
the window I see beautiful oceanic
scenery and a similarly beautiful, azure
sky. I set my eyes upon green fields,
lush forest and rolling hills. This has to
be one of the most beautiful sceneries I
have seen. I quickly snapped a picture
with my camera. I have not edited it at
all. The picture is genuine.
1:35
I have arrived. The cool air brushes my
hair and the people I have met are
friendly and helpful. The national language here is German; however there are also
Austrian and Swiss accents. I am currently on the main island of Sao Miguel, in the city
of Marienfels, which is the capital city of the Azores.
6:32
I have made it t0 my hotel, in which I will be staying for one night. I am looking out the
window and I see the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. The air here is moderately humid
at 40% and it is fresh and clear. For dinner I told the chef to surprise me with one of the
local delights of the Azores. 5 minutes ago I received a crispy and fragrant Pork knuckle
with potato salad and Sauerkraut. Trust me, it tastes delicious.
11:33
I make it a habit to stay awake late on the first night on a new island. This is because I
want to look at the stars. Stars can tell you a lot about the island you are on. One might
not be able to read the exact geographical location (37.7804 N, 25.4970 W), but it is
easily seen, if a country causes or suffers from light or air pollution. The Azores
definitely dont. Good Night!

Saturday, 19th March 2016

7:30
I woke up early this morning because of a heavy rainfall that seemingly occurred out of
the blue sky. The hotel staff told me at breakfast, which started just now, that this
happens quite often. They also recalled that there are major earthquakes every 25 years,
as the Azores are over a Tri plate boundary. This means that three continental plates

form the Azorean triple junction, in which all three plates are
moving towards each other and folding upwards and creating
the Azores. This also creates a lot of volcanic activity, which
makes the soil of the Azores very fertile and allows farmers to
collect up to 4 harvests a year. Volcanic eruptions do not
occur very often, a waitress said. The last eruption of the
most active volcano, the 2351 metre tall stratovolcano Mount
Pico located on Pico island, was in 1720, however little
damage was caused, as the lava is highly viscous and does not
flow very far before it cools down and hardens. An eruption
today could cause totally stop the local air traffic and could
also affect airports and flight in African and West Europe. The pros definitely outweigh the
cons here because the large amount of geothermal energy that can be harvested from the large
amount of volcanic activity. This is how none of the German people must pay electricity taxes, as
they have enough.

9:36
Today I am meeting with Mr. Frederick Maier, who is a former minister of the Azores; he will
explain to me why there are these different immigration laws, which are considered racist by
some. There are multiple groups working together for the abolishment of these laws, however
they are not taken very seriously, by the Azorean government. I have translated the German
conversation into English:

Mr. Maier: Hello Mr. Schwarz, I have been awaiting you.

Mr. Schwarz: Greetings Mr. Maier. How were the Azores first colonized?
Mr. Maier: We were colonized in 1854, when the German Kaiser Rudolf II. Started to look for
overseas territory. The reason why the Azores were not colonized before is because the
Portuguese, British and Spanish did not believe that the Azores were of any strategical or
economical significance. We were part of the German motherland until 1947, when the United
Nations gave us two options. Become annexed by the United States or another country, or split
away from Germany. Of course we chose to become our own country, although hesitantly.
Mr. Schwarz: I see that you are a very patriotic man Mr. Maier. What about the rest of the
population here, do they feel similarly?
Mr. Maier: Most people here do feel like they would like to become a part of the motherland
again. You know, most of the people here are either of Austrian, Swiss or German heritages and
feel German, which is mainly due to the colonial attitude that is still present today.

Mr. Schwarz: What is the reason for the immigration laws? Do the Azores want to isolate
themselves such as North Korea?
Mr. Maier: By no means! I am sure you have heard of the large amount of refugees that are
fleeing many East European, North Africans and Middle Eastern countries. Sadly a lot of these
people have lost everything and must find a home. There are multiple reasons why we close
ourselves to these refugees.
-The Azores are in the middle of the Atlantic, the
North African mainland is over 1640 kilometres
away. Any refugees that try to cross half of the
Atlantic would not survive and the Atlantic would
become a graveyard. Our Heeresmarine (Navy)
is trying to stop any refugees that do come, from
killing themselves. Last year there were over 2500
registered refugee deaths. And, we must remember
that this is only crossing the relatively quiet
Mediterranean Sea. Our analysts predict that if we
would open our borders, more than 10 000 people

On these boats, many refugees find their end, as they are

over-filled and often faulty.

would drown.
-The sad truth is that some refugees do not even have the right to seek refuge and only collect
the social benefits. I am not saying that all refugees do this, but some do and this would hurt our
economy. We are a small island nation and our economy must be held upright if we want to
survive.
-When we were colonized, the Kaiser of that time introduced strict immigration rules, as there
were many conflicts and he was very cautious. If we now let everybody who would like to come,
into our country, wouldnt we be losing some of our culture?
-Thank you for this insight-giving interview. Next I will meet with Theodor Schmidt, the
chancellor of the Azores. Goodbye!

11:15

I am now in front of the major government building of the Azores and am going to meet the
chancellor of the Azores, Theodor Schmidt. I will find out which government system has been
implemented and why this governmental system has been chosen.

12:45
In the interview Mr. Schmidt stated that the Azores have
strong, conservative right-wing government, however he
underlined that there are some liberal aspects such as the
free electricity bills and the access to clean water on each
of the 9 islands. He stated that the conservative attitude
was the influence of the German colonists and that the
country has continued being mainly conservative.
However, like Germany today, the Azores have adopted
many important social factors, which combat a wide array
of social problems. These include having food coupons
The government building of the Azores is very
that are given to every person and cover the nutritional
intricate and lies next to a man-made river.
needs. There are also supermarkets that operate through
the internet. Additionally, there are public hospitals that
have quite low fees and all of the 45 000 have access to clean water. This allow the Azores to
have a Basic Human needs score of 99.2/100 according to the Social Progress Imperative. The
homicide rates are extremely low because of the people that are originally let into the country.
This is closely related to the suicide rates, which are near zero. The Azores have introduced the
idyll programme, which aims to improve the happiness of different people in different ways.
This gives a sense of meaning in life.
The government provides many things for the Azorean people, it provides housing, healthcare
and does not charge fees for electricity and water. There are also Social benefits for people that
cannot work. It pays for the homes that the people design with the help of a state-employed
architect. This enables the people to have a close to perfect life; they are allowed to choose what
they want, when they want it and how they want it. It simply gives the joy of having something
one can call their own.
Schooling is also a state-provided social factor and no private schools exist. There are 4
universities across all of the Azores. The University of Marienfels is a world renowned University
that is open to all Germanic descendants.
The Azores should not be mistaken for an imperial and monarchist country because it aims to
achieve total gender equality which is another factor which ranks it very high on the Social
Progress Imperative. For example, the equal amount of women and men are working or staying
at home. There may be a family where the woman works and the man stays at home.

4:15
I am now on top of one of the large natural crates of San Miguel, which act as a natural water
reservoir. The sun is starting to set in the horizon and it is one of the most beautiful sights I have
ever seen. The hills and cliffs of the Azores are the natural barrier and they make the Azores
nearly impossible to invade. The British tried to do this in World War 2 and failed after 6
months of blocking trade routes and 4 invasions. The reason why the Azores are so rich is

because they do not sell their oil in U.S.

Dollars, they sell it in Azorean Marks.
This makes the Azorean Mark 46.5%
stronger than the U.S. Dollar. The
relationships between the U.S. and the
Azores have worsened since the end of
the war, so have the relationships
between the Azores and Portugal,
Spain, Morocco and Mauritania. You
might be asking why so many
countries are potential enemies.
Under the Azores there is the largest
reservoir of oil in the world. It could
last until 2075. However, the Azores
also have extremely fertile land and are in a strategic position in the middle of the Atlantic.
There are also many endangered animals living on the Azores, which some countries may desire.
I have seen many endangered birds and animals living here, for example the California Condor,
the brown kiwi, the German Habicht, the oriental stork and some macaw species. Some
endangered animals that also live here are the Pangolin, the snow leopard on the island of Pico,
the monarch butterfly, the red fox and many more. The Azores are renowned for their
biodiversity, but how can they sustain it and how can these creatures coexist? The Azores have
the suitable environment and with a little support, the creatures can adapt to the new habitat. In
a way, the Azores are a wild-life reserve that connects different species of animals and plants.
Almost 60% of the endangered animal species that live in temperate habitats live here to. The
allies of the Azores support its military and ecological actions, some of the allies are Switzerland,
Austria and Germany.
Back to the economy of the Azores, the income per capita lies at 102 000 AM gross which is
roughly $150 000 USD. After the obligatory 32% taxes, the average working citizen is left with
102 000 USD. For people that earn more than 102 000 AM, there is an increase in taxes which
reaches up to 40%. The gross national saving, might seem low (they are at 30%, but as said, the
Azores provide a lot of social factors for their people. The small islands called Azores also
produce an unimaginable GDP, which today lies at 173.9 billion USD. This places it on the 53rd
place of the GDP ranking by the International Monetary Fund. The main exports of the Azores
are military vessels, civilian vessels, oil, fish, kettle, quinoa and a little tourism (only 500 people
per year in order to stop nature being affected to
heavily). The small islands have many exports, which
allow them to sidestep any economical crises. The
unemployment rate is low, as the government assigns
people work, which they choose to do. It lies at 0.4%
and is unmatched in the world. Even in Communist
countries, there were no unemployment rates that low.
The unemployment rate gives people in the Azores a
purpose in life. Paired with the right amount of
Patriotism, people will feel like they are serving their
country in any way they can. The Inflation rate is at a
healthy 1.3%, which allows growth and stability.
Because the Azores cannot grow a lot of things, they
must import some things including machine parts,
military technologies, food, research equipment and

The German Habicht is a carnivorous bird species.

raw materials such as steel and aluminium.

It is already late at night, so I will make my way back to the hotel, in order to be prepared for the
cultural ceremony tomorrow.

Sunday, 20th March, 2016

8:30
Just now I woke up to the sounds of a small
alpine orchestra, which marched through
the street. This reminded me a lot of
Bavarian marching bands at the Oktoberfest.
They told me that they were practicing for a
parade that would be held in a few weeks.
They also told me that this was a yearly
tradition and that many people would also
like to join the marching band. Many people
from the neighbouring islands were going to
visit the festival of spring. It represents the
end and start of a new year whilst the plants
are growing and new animals are being born.
I followed them along as they marched
through the large amounts of
Fachwerkhuser. I noticed that the
architecture is very intricate, in many ways. I
also walked past the countrys largest
cathedral, the St. Marys Cathedral. As I
continued walking I noticed many oak trees
that were arranged in many neat boulevards,
A man told me that nature was the most
important thing in the Azores, and that the
Oak tree represented this and has become
the national tree of the Azores.
Something which surprised me, is that there
were women in the marching band. This is
unusual because in Germany and Austria
there are usually only men in marching
bands. The men and women where either
wearing a Dirndl or a Lederhosen. I am sure
you have heard of this significant piece of
clothing, which defines South Germany,
Austria and Switzerland. However, a man told me that the people here often go to church on
Sundays. Additionally, there is a religion, which most people practice here. It is called rural
Christianity with mixed Buddhist elements or CMB. It teaches the values of Buddhism such as
peace, justice, effort, karma and concentration. There is no head of the religion because it is
developed and taught by the people. It is quite similar to catholic Christianity; however,
maintaining inner peace is as important as it is in Buddhism. The aim of this mixed religion is to
reduce extremism, which will then reduce terrorism. The foundation is a religion based on peace,

outer and inner peace. The three most important values of CMB is that people should always be
open-minded, understanding and principled, that they should live so that they are respected
people and respect themselves and that they shall always protect and respect nature. This
mindset of the religion has led to the Azores becoming a safe haven for any animals that are able
to live there. The Azores house an unfathomable amount of endangered animals, some of which
do not exist anywhere else. The people of the Azores love this diversity because they find
purpose in helping animals that have lost their homes.
One of the darker sides of the Azores is that people that do not perform for a large time period
will be shipped out of the country. If a person does not support the economical growth by
working and just collects the welfare, all of their money, which they have earned in the Azores,
will be taken and they will be denounced by the government of the Azores. This is also the case
for people that make less than 45 000 AM a year.

12:21
The government system of the Azores is nearly
identical to the German political system. There
is a ceremonial President position; however,
the chancellor has more power and makes the
major decisions. However, there is only one
party which voters may choose from; this
promotes the stability of the government. There are
many votes on important topics such as a new species
being introduced. This gives the people a chance to
spread their voice or show support. There are
also many left-wing elements such as free
schooling, electricity and other services. The
chancellor is a prominent figure and can be
compared to the royal family. This increases
the morale of the people and gives them a figure to look up to.
If somebody breaks the law somehow, he or she will be trailed by the judicial system of the
Azores. It is based on Germanic common law. The Germanic common law is, as the name
suggests most common in central Europe. In Germanic Common Law, there is a civil code
(Brgerliches Gesetzbuch), which is composed of the Private law section (Privatrecht) and the
public law (ffentliches Recht). It controls the relationships between states and other states and
states and citizens respectively. It is quite a
good system because it separates businesses
and countries from normal citizens. A welltrained police force controls that all citizens
behave the way they should. Similar to
Japan, any crime is considered to be a
public humiliation and this is why people do
not engage in criminal activities. There is no
death penalty here, however, people that
commit serious crimes can be banned from
the Azores forever. This includes the next
two generations. This law might seem
extreme, but apparently it stops

dishonourable people from entering the Azores.

1:54
The Azores do not have a lot of land
Colourful Quinoa fields line many road and hill sides.
mass, only 2346 km2, but they use it
effectively. There are cows on some islands, and most islands have farms for Quinoa and
Whole Rye (750 km2). These are very healthy options, which allow diabetics (only
0.0001% of the population) to eat unprocessed Carbohydrates in bread form.
Additionally, people with celiac cancer will be able
to tolerate Quinoa seeds. A lot of nature will be
untouched, so that nature will be able to develop on
its own without interaction from humans. The
topography of the land is quite hilly and there are
forests, plains, beaches and there is mountainous
terrain. Off the coast there are small riffs and deep
oceanic trenches, in which endangered deep sea
species thrive. There is a 250 nautical mile radius
around the Azores, which they claim in order to be
protected against possible invasion or attacks. The
Azores are also part of the United Nations and this
has led most countries to accept the Azores as a
Multiple anti-naval canons protect the Azores
nature reserve for endangered species. Additionally,
from naval attacks.
there is a large air force and naval base on the island
of Sao Jorge. The engineer Klaus Fuchs, came up with the idea to mount large calibre
naval guns onto the old oil platforms. Nowadays there are around 350 old oil platforms,
which are now being renovated and engineered so that they are able to carry coastal
guns. Many islands also have hills in the centres; these will be used to accommodate
forts and bunkers.
In 1970, the chancellor of the Azores tried to revive relationships with the U.S. and
allowed the American company Amoco to build an oil rig. Usually all oil rigs on the
Azores must have a thick cement wall around them to prevent oil spills from spreading.
Amoco did not follow these regulations and after a minor oil leak, all relationships to
America were abandoned and it was seen as a puny act of ecological sabotage by
America. The Azores are slightly lucky, because they are not too close to any coast lines,
as this is where its main enemies are.

3:59
A dark thunder storm is approaching the Azores and the locals have told me to take
shelter. I have decided to sit on a bench near the cliffs and capture some nice pictures.
There are large earthquakes every 30 years because of the Azores geographical location
on a tri-plate boundary. The largest earthquake was a 7.2 on the Richter scale in the year
1903. These Atlantic storms are famous in the Azores because they are known to be

beautiful and destructive at the same time. The Azores need the storms with large
downfall because the storms fill up the natural reservoirs. Even though the Azores have
desalination plants, 70% of the water comes from Natural sources. The storms mainly
affect the hills and sometimes cause lands slides. These hills/mountains can be up to
2351 metres high and can prevent heavy downfall in the centre of the islands. When the
sun is shining, which is around 200 days per year, solar panels, wind turbines,
geothermal plants and wave energy collectors are used to supply every household with
free and sustainable energy. These sectors are subsidized by the government in order to
promote the green lifestyle. Additionally, in an event of an emergency, there are nuclear
bomb and radiation shelters that are able to house all of the inhabitants of the islands.
There will also be super capacitators which allow excess energy to be stored in the longterm. During the storm there will be no inter-island ferry service, but people will still be
able to use the inter-island train service which is located 10 metres under the sea level
and connects the different islands by allowing trains to travel under water.

5:13
Sitting in the storm was a very bad idea. I am
drenched, but a helpful Azorean family has
allowed me to come inside and talk with them a
little. They live in a large Fachwerkhaus and
have two children. Whilst I was sitting I talked a
little with Max, the boy of the family. He told
me that he enjoys going to school and regularly
engages in Tae Kwon Do and Judo competitions.
He believes that the Azores are beautiful islands;
however he does not think that they are the best
in the world. By no means does this child talk in
an arrogant or ignorant, he rather seems as if he
understood the world better than most other adults. The idea with the storm may have been a bad
idea, but at least I got this picture
If some of you remember, I also asked a child on
the Philippines a similar question, however, that
kid responded in an ignorant manner and believed that the Philippines were the best
country, even though he was living in a slum. I then noticed that the mother was paying
her taxes through the free nation-wide internet system. I asked her if it was easy and she
offered openly showed me how to do it. I was surprised how user-friendly this system
was.
Whilst talking with the father of the family I found out that the use of drugs in the
Azores was punishable, but was not seen as a severe or serious offence. It was rather the
societys fault for exiling and excluding the drug abuser. One of the fathers friends was a
drug abuser 10 years ago, but he was re-integrated into society and now has a wife and a
child. An example of this working was after the Vietnam War in the United States. Many
American soldiers smoked opium and became addicted to it. When they returned to the
United States, they did not have the need for the drug anymore because society showed
them and re-integrated them to what is really important in life.

She also mentioned the 17 global goals which the Azores follow. These are identical to
the goals of the Social Progress Imperative and focus on various aspects, which make a
society of a country a utopian or perfect society. These include things such as free
education, shelter, basic medical care and ec0-system stability. The Azores score an
average of 97.3/100 in all three sections of the Social Progress Imperative, making it by
far the highest ranking in the world. The main global goal of the Azores is to aim for zero
poverty. This is one aspect, in which it still lies in third place in the world. The reasoning
for this is that the rich must be protected from the sight of the poor. This may sound
extremely egocentric, and narcissistic, however, most people believe that not everybody
can be part of the utopia and to stop the poverty from spreading or destroying the utopia
many poor people are shipped out of the country.
In conclusion, I must admit that the Azores have rightfully earned the title utopia
islands. The strong economy, paired with the globally unmatched ecology creates a
combination of nationalism and lifestyle, which every nation should strive to have. The
people here are friendly and helpful, and even though the most of them emigrated, they
have not lost their culture. The mixed religion helps newcomers to become integrated
into the society, which is heavily based on the preservance of nature. The international
ties of this country, allow it to trade freely with trade partners, which are not the U.S.s
allies. There are many different features, which make the Azores a great place, however
the diversity of nature is by far the most incredible I have seen anywhere. One can see
why people call this place the nature reserve of the world; all I know is that I have found
my place.