Early in the morning we left La Nouvelle for Marla (1629 m). We wanted to spend the second night in the Mafate in the secluded mountain village. Again, the path was fantastic. It went up and down, along streams and partly through forests. Seeing the massive caldera under a blue sky was impressive, especially as we had had few distant views as we made our way through the cloud forests off La Nouvelle.
In Marla we got to know a larger group of French hikers who quickly adopted us. Excerpt from Karin's diary: "It was funny to see the hiking group arrive. Sweaty and exhausted, they went to their huts and came out again after the shower in blouses, skirts and fine sandals."
In the evening we ate with a group of around 20 people at a large table and Karin distributed the gratin for everyone - great contact with the friendly French despite our limited French.
