TO CAPE VERDE

 24th - 26th Oct 2024

The nine inhabited islands which are well spread out.

The journey to Cape Verde (or Cabo Verde as it is known there) involved a 2.5hr flight from London Heathrow to Lisbon, Portugal, and then, after a 3 hour stop-over, a further 4hr flight on to Praia, the capital city on the main island of Santiago, whose airport is, rather worryingly, named after Nelson Mandela. Both flights (travelling economy with no cabin baggage extra charges) were with the Portugese airline TAP and were most efficient, hassle-free and with delightful cabin crew. The 4 hour flight included a rather good supper and as much free (Portuguese?) wine as you wanted! We landed at 11.20pm local time (1.20am GMT; they are, were, two hours behind UK).

These volcanic islands are in the Atlantic about 380 miles off the coast of Senegal, West Africa, and 985 miles south of the Canaries. They are spread out over about 300 miles. The climate can be hot, sometimes wet during the 'wet season' ending in October (except during a drought) and windy. They have an interesting history which, if you are interested, you can look up. It was a Portugese colony until 1975 when they gained their independence and now, the Republic of Cape Verde, have a democratically elected government. The islands have been subject in the past to several serious droughts and famines which resulted in catastrophic fatalities. Their water supplies and agriculture are now better managed, but for the most part they are still very 'basic' agrarian with a reasonable fishing industry. Their water supply is still an ongoing problem. I gather that the Chinese, as with many other African countries, have 'lent' them money and resources under their 'Belt and Road Initiative', ie. they are now 'in hock' to the Chinese! As have the USA and the EU etc. They have rather depended on these hand-outs.

I had been generously invited to stay in the house of a previous colleague of mine who is presently working in Fiji. His charming wife met me at the airport and drove me to their large, sumptuous and well appointed house in the residential Palmajero district in the south-west of Praia. She works as a senior hydrographic technician in their Angencie Nationale Agua y Sanientamo (ANAS, a most important department dealing with the often critical water situation and sanitation). I was given a most luxurious apartment to myself on the 2nd floor. She had her own accommodation on the 3rd floor and there was a splendid roof-top terrace. I am not accustomed to staying in such luxury on my travels!

I only had a vague plan on what I was going to do and where to go. So, the next day I decided to go to the 'Plateau' which is towards the city centre and is the nearest Praia gets to a 'tourist' area. It is a relatively clean grassy park area with several bars, cafés, the main Post Office, a large noisy indoor market and various official buildings. Having read a guide book previously I had a few clues of what to expect.

Left: An open area on Plateau with outside bars and shops along parallel streets.

There were various things which became apparent on day 1.

1. Travelling any distance around town is only viable by taxi. They are not expensive and there are many of them. Most local journeys cost in the region of CVE 200 to 300 Escudos (£2). I tend to be allergic to taxis but those here seem honest. So far.

2. Tourist information bureaux or desks are few and far between, and/or closed, or useless. I suspect the island of Santiago is not geared up for tourists unlike the surfing and beach resorts on Sal and Boa Vista to the north.

3. Decent (full) maps of the towns or island are non-existant which is a confounded inconvenience if you want to go for a wander...and get lost and not internet connected on your phone.

4. There are a lot of beggars and hawkers on the streets who tend to target tourists as they sit outside at bars or cafés. They are a real pest.

5. Not many of the population speak English. Although Portuguese is the official language they communicate, speaking rapidly, in a local bastardisation of this called 'Creole'. It is entirely incomprehensible to the untrained ear.

6. Cape Verde is not covered by my phone's 'roaming' system and, unless you buy a new sim card, making phone calls or using the internet on the phone is very expensive. WiFi is reasonably available in some places, but many bars and cafés are not connected.

Right: The southern end of Plateau. Not sure about the statue.

Left: Part of the humming indoor market (on two floors) on Plateau.

Right: The frontage of the Palacio de Governo below Plateau.

That will do for now and merely an 'intro' to my Cape Verde experience. My host (a bit rude to call her my hostess I think) has offered to take me on a drive tomorrow to the centre of the island where she is due to meet up with a group of her ANAS colleagues for a 'social' trek in the hills.