Cabo Verde  DIARY  2

From Diary 1 and Santiago, I now explore Sao Nicolau.
Day 3. I enjoy breakfast on the balcony, seeing the sun rise and listening to the birds. The day is set-off to exploring the north-western corner of island. I do a short stop at the harbour-beach, but decide to come back.

Then I follow the copplestone road on the coastal plain up north. It is a real barren area, dominated by gravel, some yellow grass and green acacias. I meet more donkeys and cows, than cars.

I do several stops at beaches. One have piles of the huge conch, eaten by the locals. The next is Praia Grande, which is found behind an acacia forest. It is a nice sandy beach. I see the forest and the entire beach, but fail to find anything interesting, except the awesome views.

Despite the barren appearance, I meet two herdsmen with close to a hundred cows. Then The GPS leads me down a real rough gravel road. Due to the slicks, I have to engage 4X4 several times.

I stop at a ravine, where I find a few new plants, one being an thorny Asparagaceae. Here are a few scatted cows, left unattended. The road ends at an old gravel dig, and I have a kilometre to walk to my first sight. It is over rocks and gravel from volcanic origin, and what is either coral reef or pot-ash, forming white layers.

I reach some coves, where the huge waves have cut them selves into the rocks. After having crossed several canyons, I reach the sandstone formations of Carbeirinho. It might be better in the evening sun, but I'm here now. The sea is still eating its way into the island, and the waves are huge.

Apparently, I can't connect the roads here, and I walk back, then drive back to find the road for Ribeira Prata. I head through the little Praia Branca, and now, the views turns from great to amassing.

The real rough mountains covered in a thin and dotted layer of green, seen against the sun is fantastic - but lack a lot on the photos. A few scatted and real tiny farmhouses are found in the coastal hills.

Some gravel volcanoes are almost barren, while the ravines have quite some greenery. I stop time and time again, and don't bother NOT blocking the copplestone road, as I have to to myself.

I have seen some cushions of greyish plants way out, and here, I get close. It is the endemic Cynanchum daltonii, an Apocynaceae. The area is the most fertile so far, and here are more bushes and plenty of yellow short grass. I reach a point where the mountains meet the blue sea, and the road turns inland and up.

I see a fishing eagle with pray, and manages to get a blurry photo of it. I ought to stick to plants and rocks, I know.

On a north-facing mountain wall, I spot a few Aeonium gorgoneum  - or something looking that way. Then I enters the huge ravine, Ribeira Prata is found in. The real barren hill - or rather mountainsides seems to have been cultivated in the past. Now, it is only the more easy accessed ones.

I was actually ready for a cup of coffee, but here are not even a tiny convenience shop. I drive right through, and find a place to park. Then I walk back, and have a second look at the sweet potatoes, papaya, cane, bananas and alike, found in-between the scatted houses.

Everywhere I turn, there are fantastic motives. The huge canyon, the distant blue see, the many terraces, the crops, the people and the close mountain peaks. I head on, hoping the dotted line on my GPS will lead me to the tiny settlement of Fragata.

The road ends, and while passing a working donkey, I enters a trail, serpentineing its way into the gorge. I walk quite some, but realise I won't have the patience to go all the way - and back. And the landscape stop changing anyway.

I head back and try the other trail, leading to Fragata from Praia Branca. I pass the plain with dormant Acacias once more, and only stop for a few photos of them and the wild coastline.

On the other side of Praia Branca, the trail is kind of copplestone, but the weed have taken over. The trail is lined with two low stone walls, and eventually, it fades out, while the walls continues. The trail is half the wide, as my car is long, and I have to reverse for around one kilometre.

The day is still young, and I head down towards Carbeirinho by a tail that actually reaches it. At first, it is just a almost invisible gravel trail over some huge, dormant hills. Then it get sealed with copplestones on some assents, and again when it descents.

As expected, the sun is still from the wrong side, but it was for the drive I went here. Back again, I spot some of the green cousins, I have seen way up. As expected, it is Euphorbia tuckeyana, doing real good here. Some bushes have both un-ripen fruits and flowers.

I find what must be an old blowhole or lava tunnel, leading way down, into the ground. Here are some of the Mexican spiny poppies and I find a huge cocoon from a butterfly. On the way home, I give an Irish surfer with board a lift back to his sailing boat.

I'm back in Tarrafal a bit earlier than expected, and after a fast cuppa, I enters the town once more. A bit of shopping and then back to the harbour. A few fisherman are cleaning and selling their catch of rather big fish.

I get a cup of coffee under a huge Bougainvillea, and a local-borne elder man joins me. We met earlier, and he remembered me from the airplane. He buys me another cup of coffee, and I learn, he have worked as a carpenter in the US, for most of his life. He have a house in Maine (too cold) and a new one in Florida (too hot). He is now visiting the last two islands. Thinking about it, I have meet real few - if any, who actually are happy in a new country.

Then I do a huge loop, covering most of the town from the beaches to the foothills. It seems like most people I meet, know me by now. I find some Baobab trees, see some wall art and houses from mansions to broken down sheets.

I find some live corals and small fish along with a see-anemone on the southern beach, and here, four people are enjoying the warm water. Here are not really much findings on the perfect sandy beaches, nor in the black rocks.

I have seen so much beautiful nature today, and I got way too many photos to prove it. Even the HIGHLIGHTS counts 90 photos.

Day 4. The wind picked up in the evening, and kept me awake during the night. Despite that, I intend to head into the highest point of the island; Mt Gordo, and see if I can find some Dracaena caboverdeana on the way. 

I follow the road towards the airport - the only main road on the island actually, and the only one to be sealed with asphalt, it seems. Despite I drown here the day before yesterday, I have to stop time and time again for photos. At 400 meters height, this side is real barren. Despite that, ancient terraces can be seen on the south facing mountain sides.

One stop is in the shadow of a mountain, and it almost look like a moor. It is dense enough for me NOT to enter the area. I got a feeling, a bend on the road could reveal something, and it surely does. I can overlook an entire gorge with a village in the button. Despite the mist, it is an awesome view. Here are some interesting plants, although I suspect several to be invasive.

Next stop is at 700 meters height, but still no dragontrees, as I'm on the wrong side of the island. The mountain side is dominated by American Agava sisal, which seems the really thrive here. I am fare from sure about the Apiaceae, flowering so nice. The one centimetre tomatoes should be native, and they sure taste good.

The Golden Orb Spiders have huge nets, and despite the wind, I try to capture them with my camera. Here are quite some lizards or skinks, but I only hear them, in the dry leaves. One of the most numerous plants the entire day, are the Madagascar Lantana.

I do fumble a bit around to find the entrance to Mt Gordo National Park, as I failed to find it on the web (the road does not appear on any maps I can find). After a few real narrow farmers roads, I manages to find the visitor centre, pay the fee and start walking. It is from 700 to 1320 metres height, and real steep. The first part is a usual copplestone road, then it branches off on a narrow gravel trail.

The first part it through several small farms. They grow mainly beans, and fare from effective. A few coffee bushes, papaya, some cane, a bit of tobacco and dry corn plants. A few young dragontrees are found in their fields, but I aim for some truly wild and big ones. It is the right side and altitude.

As I leave the farms, I had hoped for some unspoiled nature, but the invasive plants like Sisal, gumtrees, Lantana and cucumbers dominates. Only the native Euphorbia tuckeyana seems to thrive, and it does it all the way to the top. Again, I hear a lot of reptilians, but I only manages to get a picture of a skink.

As the trail gets higher, the forest closes in. Mainly gumtrees, some pines and fighting for the light; a few dragontrees. Like the other days, grasshoppers are numerous, and I find a single cocoon of a praying manta.

The trees vanish at 1000 metres, and now, I can feel the wind. I brought my jacket, but don't need after all, as the sun is warm. In some parts, the trail have rough steps, in other real loose lava gravel.

The views down to the valley are great, despite the mist. I can actually see all the way home, and a real long stretch of the western beach. The western part is made up by some barren canyons, while the east look like forest.

The last hundred metres ascent is hard, thanks to the hard wind. The ground get almost barren along the trail. At the peak at 1312 meters, there is a viewing platform, and a bit down on the other side; some antennas.

I enjoy my warm tea and some biscuits, while I sit is shelter of the wind, and admire the dry gorges. Pre-made souvenirs are unknown to Sao Nicolau, and I find a little lava-stone to fill in. And an additional stone for the lava aquarium. A few more photos, and I head back the way I came. Half way down, I meet the first human: The great German guy who sat next to in the plane.

I walk back from the office to see some of the dragontrees on the fields. I make a lot of photos for my caudiciform site, but I still like to see some truly "wild" trees. That make me drive to the Fajã valley. Again, it is farmland, put the trees are scatted around in the wild. I meet a car with the Cabo Verd-borne elder man, who bought me coffee yesterday. I promise to return the favour, should he find me at a harbour-view cafe later.

I do some real long hikes on the narrow footpaths in-between remote farms, and succeed to find some great looking trees. Then I head for the slightly big village of Faja de Cima, and I'm in luck: They do have a tiny bar, selling coffee. I see the village as I'm here. They grow some papaya and potatoes in their tiny fields.

Then I head for the eastern coast, just because I think I have the time. I fail to access the beach, but it is rocky anyway, and I will be back one of these days. I find a little village on a dead-end road on the map, and head there. Estancia de Bras, is found way out of a one lane copplestone road, aligned with walls of lava. It crosses several deep canyons, and offers some great views.

It have access to a narrow beach, and dinghies are found, way down there. It is a large village, Sao Nicolau standards, but most houses are real small and some quite neglected. I do a stroll around most, but only meet a few inhabitants.

The amount of photos considered, I figure I better head homewards. Pass the car rental office to pay for the car. He didn't ask for it at the airport, nor my driving license or anything else. I offer to return it the evening before, alloying him to clean it and rent it out for a guest on the weekly flight.

A bit of shopping, and then a coffee with a view to the harbour. None joins me, but the view are great to the colourful dinghies. Home to start the work on the many photos and the diary.

Then cooking, and while I eat, the moon appears so fast over the ridge. Less than three minutes from the first glimpse, till it is clear of the ridge. I spend significantly more time on the diary and slideshows. The highlights.

Time for Diary 3.