BACK TO SANTIAGO

 1st - 4th Nov 2024

The National Flag on the Plateau in Praia beside a seemingly deserted barracks.

The flight (ATR 72-500 again) from the basic, with few facilities, 'airstrip' on Fogo back to Praia was quick and uneventful. 

Left: Just behind the flag (above) and parked/dumped outside what seemed to be an empty military barracks was this armoured vehicle (My adviser in OMPITA will probably identify it?). It obviously requires a bit of overdue maintenance (which my adviser is well qualified to carry out).

OMPITA has come up trumps (forgive the pun) again. That dilapidated vehicle is a 1960s era Russian amphibious BRDM-2 

I spent a bit of time, again, wandering around the Plateau area which is about the only 'tourist friendly' area of the city, apart from some decent restaurants and bars down at the port/seafront area. It boasts some quite respectable shops, cafés and bars albeit infested with many irritating hawkers, peddlers and often just shouty 'loonies' who prey on Western tourists like me as we try quietly to sip our Super-Boc beers etc. One bar/Café of note is the Sophia Café, a pleasant venue, which has good WiFi and slow service.

Right: A lass with quite an impressive hair-do at the café Casa das Salores, which was near my accommodation and which I visited for breakfasts (bacon, egg and kachupa) on occasions. A decent place.

On Saturday afternoons and Sundays nearly all shops are closed. There are some museums but these seemed to be permanently closed. 

On Sunday, I was at a loose end and my host suggested that I visited the town/village of Cidade Velha which is on the coast about 10 miles west of Praia. It has an interesting history.

I copy below a potted history of the islands to give perspective:

The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonised the islands, thus establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Because the Cape Verde islands were conveniently located to play a role in the Atlantic slave trade, Cape Verde became economically prosperous during the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants, privateers, and pirates. It declined economically in the 19th century after the suppression of the Atlantic slave trade by the British Empire, and many of its inhabitants emigrated during that period. However, Cape Verde gradually recovered economically by becoming an important commercial center and useful stopover point along major shipping routes. Cape Verde became independent in 1975.

The Portuguese discovered and colonised Cape Verde in 1446. They landed at Cidade Velha and built a large fortress there, on the high ground to the north, as well as many churches and other historic buildings. Cidade Velha became, at the time, effectively the capital of Cape Verde. It suffered, and repelled, attacks by both the British and French over the following centuries until, in 1712, the French attacked, captured and destroyed the fortress. I'm not sure how long they stayed. The walls were reconstructed by a Spanish company in 1999 and since 2009 it has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.

I travelled to the village in one of the ubiquitous 'Aluguer' or 'IAS' mini-buses which you jump on or off at any of their stops. Cost to any destination on their route is CVE 200 Escudos (about £1.50p). I think they have about 20 seats and, at times, many more passengers packed in like sardines!

Right: Today Cidade Velha is now just a small seaside village with all the previous 'grand' buildings in the hills behind it in ruins. The local map shows 'ruins of' on many locations.

Left: I had a light lunch at one of the two bars/cafés on the beach. There were several Western tourists there and I got chatting with an elderly, and amusing, couple from Switzerland. We decided we would go our separate ways to visit the sights up on the hills behind.

The map in my guide book was somewhat vague, so I just followed my nose, onwards and upwards, with the objective of reaching the 'reconstructed' old fortress at the top of the hills behind the village. Wandering up through the residential area I passed 'the ruins of' the old Cathedral (right).

The path up to the hill-top was steep with many very high steps. It was hot. It was quite an exhausting climb.

Left: Looking back down on the village from somewhere above.

On finally reaching the fortress, phew!, there is a tourist information room where you are encouraged to watch a short video describing its history and pay for a CVE 500 Escudo (about £4) 'pass' to enter the walls.

Right: the Fortress walls surrounding.....not very much apart from a circular dome covering an empty deep cellar.

Left: More walls.

Right: Cannon (unmounted) overlooking the village and sea to the south.

On the long walk down I passed the Swiss couple (met earlier at the seafront) who had 'nearly' made it to the top but the lady's footwear was not up to it and they had retreated. We found a small café, elaborately curtained with sea-shells, on the track about halfway down where we all stopped for a much needed glass of fizzy water. 

There was not much else to see or do, except for a bit of re-hydration at the seafront café. I bought a souvenir bag and a fridge magnet. I caught an 'Aluguer' mini-bus back to Praia. It dumped us all at the large Sunday open-air market somewhere in Praia (forgot to get a photo of this sadly). I  subsequently became completely lost and had to find a taxi to take me back to my accommodation in Palmarejo district.

I don't have much more to report and my flight back home left Praia (Nelson Mandela) at 1325hrs the next day. My small corkscrew was confiscated at 'security'. This is second time I have had a small corkscrew confiscated. I really cannot believe they pose a serious danger to anyone, but they are on the 'banned' list'. Can you imagine threatening anyone with the cry "Take me to Cuba, I am armed with a corkscrew and I'm not afraid to use it!". You could do more harm with the disposable cutlery they give you on the aircraft.

It was a tiring journey. Praia to Lisbon 2hrs15mins. A 2hr hold-over in Lisbon before a '30 minutes delayed' 4hr30mins flight to London Heathrow arriving at 2350 hrs (L). I spent the rest of the night slumped at a Costa Coffee bar in the terminal and caught the Heathrow Express train to Paddington railway station at 0520hrs and another wait until my train left for my home town at 0705. I got back home at 0845hrs. A bit knackered. It had been a most interesting and enjoyable trip.

PS.

1. I miscalculated my cash withdrawals/expenditure in Cape Verde. I have about CVE 2500 Escudos left over (about £20), which, I found out, are not exchangeable in UK. If anyone reading this is thinking of visiting Cape Verde please leave a comment to get in touch and I will sell them at a most advantageous rate!

2. My host in Cape Verde is keen to rent out her luxurious apartment with all mod-cons at a competitive price (£40pn) to anyone (will accommodate a family of four) who wants to stay in Praia. Again, leave a comment with contact info if you are interested. It has a very pleasant roof top terrace with good views (left).

PPS.

Sitting across the aisle from me on the flight from Lisbon to London was an incredibly 'large' woman. She could or would not walk and had to be pushed in a wheelchair around the airport and to the aircraft. How they got her into and out of her seat is a mystery. She was so fat she could not lower her tray from the seat in front. That did not stop her from ordering a very large packet of crisps followed by a full (expensive) airline meal which she greedily devoured in seconds. I think it was her small husband (maybe carer?) sitting next to her. He looked rather miserable, as did she. At what point......I say no more! And they complain and reject your cabin baggage if it is 1lb overweight.

VOLCANIC FOGO - THE COSTA LAVA

 31st Oct - 1st Nov 2024

Fogo Island. Chā das Caldeiras (Cauldron) with the Pico do Fogo volcano (9,281ft AMSL)

I'm no 'volcanologist' but the trip up to and into the Chã das Caldeiras crater was most interesting. The crater is about 9km in diameter and is designated as a National Park. 

My driver, Claudio, picked me up at the hotel at 10.00am as promised and off we set towards the rim of the crater. We communicated in a combination of broken English and my schoolboy French (many Cape Verdians speak a bit of French due to many French tourists I believe). The journey via little villages such as Patim and Salto took about an hour (see map previous blog)  The final climb was up a steep ziz-zag road (marked on the map).

Left: Looking back down towards São Felipe to the west.

There have been many major eruptions from within this crater (not all from the main 'Pico' but other 'spouts' within) over the centuries and the volcanic area is still active. The most recent and destructive eruptions were in 1951, 1965 and a 'biggy' in 2014.

Arriving towards the southern edge of the rim, there are large areas of black lava which had streamed down south (right) following the 1951 eruption. Much of the sandy type lava is scooped up and used to make building blocks.

Left: Over the rim and a narrow cobbled (and decently maintained) road takes you around the west and north the inside the crater. A popular route for tourists.

Right: To be greeted by the sight of an enormous lava field with the Pico do Fogo in the background. Some of the lava is sandy/gravelly and some enormous black slabs or boulders.

Left: The towering cliffs which surround the crater. The cobbled road follows along inside.

What amazes me is that the inside of the crater has been inhabited, and still is, with little houses and villages. The lava 'soil' is very fertile and grapes and other fruit are grown extensively. The wine produced in the vineyards here is considered very good.

Right. Grape vines, or maybe some other fruit, growing in the shadow of the volcano.

There were/are two main villages on the north-western side; Portela and Bangaeira. Both were completely wiped out by the 2014 eruption with many fatalities.

Left: A bit of the previous Portela protruding through the lava.

Right: The triangular brickwork is the top of the previous Catholic church in Portela. Most of the original village is 20 metres under the lava. 

Left: Nothing daunted, a new Portela has been/is being built, and in the process of expanding. 

Right. New houses and little shacks have sprung up amidst this desolate landscape. They are a hardy, and optimistic, folk!

Left: More little huts abound. I think they are used by the people who tend the vines and fruit plantations.

Right: Plus some more elegant accommodation.

Left: Most of the new buildings are constructed using lava blocks and bricks.

Right: A poor blurry photo but shows the initial track used by those fit, energetic and adventurous tourists who take a guided tour up the top of Pico Fogo. There is a vertiginous crater at the top and visitors are hooked onto safety lines to look down into it. This 'walk/climb' takes about 4 hours to go up and 3 to come down depending on ones fitness and involves wading through knee high lava dust at times. I resisted the challenge!

Left: The village of Bangaeira which is north of and below Portela. This too was wiped out by the 2014 eruption but is rising again from the ashes. Good luck to them!

Right: Portela is a popular venue for tourists. I was taken to this bar to sample some of the local wine. It tasted fine, but I am no connoisseur. I met a local here who is one of the 'Pico Volcano' guides. He spoke good English. He told me at busy periods he would escort climbs up the mountain every day for a week! He must be fit!

Left: I couldn't help notice this sign on the wall of the outside bar. As if smoking in this environment poses a greater threat! As it happens, as compared to most Western 'elf 'n safety' regulations, the locals pay absolutely no attention. I noticed that no seat-belts are ever worn in cars. Their 'risk analysis' is somewhat more 'flexible' than ours.

Right: I had a very good lunch in this smart hotel in Portela. It is owned by a man, originally from Uzbekistan, and his Cape Verdian wife. He has a most interesting history and has lived in Fogo for 17 years.

I did pose the question "is it not a bit risky?". He shrugged his shoulders and said he hoped there would not be another eruption for at least 50 years. In the meanwhile he makes a good living from the tourists who stay here. It is not cheap.

Left: It even has a Pool table (nota bene the Hungerford GPS).

Right: Around the periphery of this hotel are several rather 'chi-chi' chalets. They looked most comfortable with sun-loungers on top. As said, they cater for a substantial number of tourists. Having said that, while I was here, I saw few.

That will do from the 'Cauldron'. My driver, Claudio, was very charming and educational and even good at driving. We got back to Sãu Felipe at about 4.00pm.

Finished this in a rush, so may need to correct many typos (OMPITA take note). 

Off back to Santiago tomorrow so maybe more riveting news from there.

FOGO

 29th - 31st Oct 2024

The Island of Fogo. Pico Volcano in the shaded area to the east. 

The small circular island of Fogo is about 30 miles west of Santiago and famed for its volcano (Pico do Fogo at 9,281ft above sea level). The island is about 20 miles in diameter. I found that the boat journeys from Santiago only went on three days a week and even then unreliable due to possibly rough seas. So I bit the bullet and paid for the more expensive air trip. The flight in a turbo-prop ATR 72-500 (I used to fly them) left Praia (Nelson Mandela airport) at 4.40 pm for the 20 minute flight to the airstrip SE of Sāo Felipe (the main town on the island). 

The 'relatively' cheapo hotel I had booked was near the seafront at the southern end of the town. I arrived there, by (remarkably cheap!) taxi, at about 5.30pm and shown to my room. Not bad on first look; clean and with a decent bed, bathroom, air-con and WiFi. I was given the keys to the place by a young girl on the desk (who spoke little English) and was told, I think, she knocked off at 7.00pm. There would be no staff after that until the next morning. I decided to go out and have a wander around town. Armed with a useless map, I got lost and couldn't find any attractive hostelry. St. Felipe is on a hill and is a maze of unnamed cobbled streets which involves much climbing/descending. The place looked rather deserted. After finding one semi- deserted (apart from one man eating supper) bar I treated myself to a glass of wine. Going back to the hotel I, not surprisingly, got lost again. I found it eventually by rough 'dead reckoning' navigation and back in my room I discovered that there was only one dim ceiling light (no bedside light), no drinking water (and it was hot and I was thirsty), no glass or mug and no soap/shower gel etc. Not a great start. I managed to get some bottled water and soap from the 'receptionist' the next morning. They did provide a basic breakfast on an upstairs terrace (coffee and fruit mainly). 

The next day I decided to further explore the town. By good fortune I met a delightful Dutch couple on my way to not sure where. She was employed as a marine engineer involved in a team removing a wrecked cargo ship which had run aground near the port four years ago. He was staying with her for the duration. Anyway, they knew the town and helpfully guided me to where shops and other useful facilities were located including, as it turned out, a most  efficient tourist office.

Left: A statue in a small unnamed square of an unnamed 'jockey' which was erected to celebrate some festival in 2022. The plaque was a bit vague and this island has few, if any, horses and no 'equitation' of note.

Right: The plaque on the base. Your guess is as good as mine. There is an Italian ice-cream shop nearby.

I wandered. Again I found no particular interesting venues. The bars and cafés tended to be small and hidden away inside rather gloomy rooms. Certainly no attractive outside eating/drinking areas that I found. The shops were small and no decent 'supermarkets'. Social gatherings in any form at bars and cafés did not seem to be part of the local culture.

Left: A little bit of colour at the same square marking the town of Sāo Felipe.

Right: I found a larger bar/restaurant and hotel, The 'Colonial', in what may be described as the town centre. It had a large covered inside area and many comfortable seats with cushions. It was the best I had discovered so far. I was there subsequently on a couple of occasions and, again, it was barely occupied apart from the occasional western 'tourists', perhaps residents. On the second occasion I met the Dutch couple again who were stayng there.

I began to wonder where the locals like to gather and socialise. I have learnt from my 'host' that they do not have the money to go out and prefer to stay at home. Except perhaps at weekends when they might go to beaches with picnics. Indeed, especially during the evening, the locals tend to sit in their doorways or on low walls outside and chat, with children playing in the street.

I called in at the aforementioned tourist office (left) to try to arrange a trip to the famous volcano area the next day. Some guided tours, according to the internet, are very expensive and all I wanted was a lift up there to the 'Chã das Caldeira', a drive around the area and back home. A charming lady in the office, Paulina, fixed it for me to be picked up at my hotel by a taxi the next morning and to follow my vague plan. It would cost CVE 8000 Escudos (about £65) for the approx 5 hour round trip. More to follow about that in the next blog.

Paulina also told me that that evening there was to be a 'free entry' pop concert in the square in front of the office, starting at 8.00pm. I thought I would go, and so after a drink in the Colonial Bar, I arrived at the square at about that time. Many rows of chairs were arranged in front of the stage and bandstand and some people had drifted in and sat down. I sat on a bench seat to one side. There was an elaborate arrangement of floodlights and large TV style cameras on gantries.

By 9.15pm all the chairs had been occupied, there were chairs on the stage with musical instruments in place. Technicians were rushing around doing what I don't know. By 9.30pm a larger crowd had gathered, many standing at the back of the square. Still no sign of any music starting. At 9.45 the musicians, eight of them on guitars, drums, saxophone and an electric keyboard plus a female singer arrived and sat down. From then on various technicians gave speeches (of course I couldn't understand a word) followed by prolonged applause and they gave a display with a couple of small drones which were being used to film the occasion. At about 10.00pm a lady took to the stage and gave a long speech. More speeches and much applause followed for reasons I couldn't fathom. At 10.20pm the same lady introduced a singer called 'Niner' or somesuch. Niner, a glamourous lady in a tight green dress, started to give a speech but her microphone failed. The whole procedure was repeated. More technicians rushed about. Then a couple of local drummers appeared on the bandstand and rattled off a drumroll. They did this at least three times with intervening speeches by the same lady and technicians. Still no sign of action by the band. You may find this a bit tedious to read, but not half as tedious I had found it having been sitting watching and waiting for 2.5 hours! I suppose I felt I had to stay. Eventually, at about 10.40pm the band started playing and Niner sang....not a particularly rousing song in my opinion. It was getting on for 11.00pm and I had had enough. I had to fight my way out through the now large crowd standing at the back and, having got lost yet again, eventually got back to my hotel. Phew!! So that is one occasion when the majority of locals gather en-masse, and I suppose they do the same on feast days and festivals. Perhaps because these events are free?

Right: The bandstand and stage when the music finally started.

OK, tomorrow I will be off to the Chā das Caldeira (cauldron), designated as a National Park, which is the vast crater from inside which many volcanic eruptions have occurred; the most recent, and destructive, occurred in 2014.

Knowing my luck I might trigger another one. 

MORE SANTIAGO

 26th -28th Oct 2024

Map of Santiago (click on to enlarge). Very basic but the best on offer.

We, myself and my host Tatiana, set off early for a drive up to the area of Santa Cruz (mid-east on map) to meet Tatiana's ANAS colleagues who were on a social day out trekking. The main roads were surprisingly good and with little traffic.

We met them, a party of about 25, walking up a road towards where I don't know, but it followed a small stream which actually had some water in it (we drove!)

The rainy season had finished early this year and the crops and vegetation, bright green earlier, were just beginning to dry, turn brown and wither. By January the countryside woud be a dull arid brown.

Right: They all gathered at a small dam for a rest and a bit of refreshing bathing.

Left: We passed a few isolated hamlets and it was not good to notice the amount of waste, plastic bottles and rubbish, dumped outside the houses. 

At about mid-day they all piled into minibuses and we arrived at a group of houses (barely a village) which had a basic restaurant inside a wattle shack. A very hearty meal had been prepared.

It consisted of a lot of fruits (bananas, papayas, melons), sausages, eggs, coffee, tea and juices etc. Plus masses of this stuff (left) 'Kachupa' which is a staple meal for Cape Verdians. It is basically a soggy mash of maize, not unpleasant, with a bland taste. You need to put some sauce on it. 

A bottle of 'grogue' was being passed around. This is a powerful local sugar cane spirit and one can never be certain of its provenance. I resisted. I was told some brews can cause casualties.

So far I haven't seen many Cape Verde flags, but noticed this plastic one (right) above the WC. This flag was only adopted in 1992 (they had a different one on gaining independence). The ten stars represent the ten islands, one of which is very small and uninhabited. The colours represent the sky (blue), effort (red) and peace (white) or somesuch.

This meal went on for at least a couple of hours and all seemed to be enjoying it immensely. A very jolly gathering!

After this we drove on and Tatiana (my host) took me on a long journey up through the centre of the island and then down south again. Due to her job she knows the island very well. I got rather disorientated but if was interesting to see the very rugged and rocky countryside. I show below a series of 'landscapes' which should give you some idea. I think we went past Flemengo, Assomada, Sāo Salvadore, Picos, Sāo Domingos (you might be able to see them on the map above).

Right: This tall 'spire' was quite impressive and had two pointy peaks better seen from the side. I think it was near Picos.

We stopped at a large dam somewhere which, apparently, was not holding enough water for this time of year. All the larger crops (maize, corn etc.) were beginning to die off.

Left: There were numerous little villages up in the hills. The ones we passed looked entirely remote and the locals very poor. They must live a very hand to mouth existence. All their houses were made out of breeze blocks.

Even the larger towns we passed through looked rather ramshackle and, again, breeze block houses predominated. There were few shops of any size and certaily no 'smart' ones. I thought it all looked a bit down at heel and the population somewhat listless. I'm not sure how many of them earn a living frankly. Maybe they don't.

....and below, just a few more views of the countryside. The only 'constructions' which appeared well made and in good condition were the main roads.

We stopped at a small town near Sāo Lourenco where they hold a 'pork' festival. There was an open air café where the locals were all heartily tucking in to pork meals.

Then on to stop at Tatiana's female cousin at a most extraordinary 'eco' complex in the middle of nowhere. This lady ran a combination of a zoo, garden centre with acres of exotic plants and a restaurant. It must take considerable time and effort just to water the plants. She has a bore hole to supply the water. Many miles were covered that day and we got back home early evening.

The next day, on the road again. Right: I was taken to a beach at Praia Baixo (south east coast) for lunch. Not a particularly inspiring beach but come lunchtime many 'tourists' of the Western variety arrived.

Left: This was because there is a well known and popular restaurant at the northern end of the beach called Big Lanche. 

Right: They specialise in seafood, but have good steaks, and after some sort of shellfish starter I enjoyed a plate of enormous fried prawns, followed by a lemon cheesecake with raspberry sauce. The restaurant was indeed busy.

Incidently, Tatiana told me that it is now very difficult to find good staff at these places and, indeed, at most other places of employment in Cape Verde. The food was good but the service here was distinctly lacking as most of the table staff were new and untrained. The older guy in charge had his work cut out, and the chef must have been skilled. The reason for this is that an increasing number of young Cape Verdians are emigrating to places like Portugal to earn a better living. It does not bode well for the Islands and their tourist industry.

After lunch I was taken to a beach at Praia Sāu Francisco. Forgot to get a photo.  This is a pretty white sandy beach and is a favourite for swimming by Tatiana and her husband. The sea is much clearer and almost blue! There are no facilities on the beach and people bring picnics. One thing of note was a caged area containing smaller cages and I hadn't a clue what it was. Apparently this beach sees the arrival of thousands of turtles and they lay their eggs there. Eggs that are laid too near the water get swept away, so voluteers (I suppose) take the eggs at risk and put them inside the smaller cages for them to hatch out. Apparently it works.

The next day I spent wandering around Praia and even wrote some post-cards. It will be interesting to see if any ever arrive. Incidently the cost of a stamp to UK was about 60p, somewhat cheaper than sending them from UK. Anyway, they may not get delivered.

That will do for now!