Cabo Verde    DIARY  5

  From Diary 4 and Sao Nicolau, I now return to Santiago.
Day 9.  Due to yet another sleepless night, I get to check the flight schedule every second hour. Until six, it only show the flights, cancelled yesterday: All. Then the page is updated, and they fly, after six days with no national, nor international flights at all.

I do some office work, then have a cup of espresso and chat with my host, as I return the cey. Then I meet up with my airport driver at his office, round the corner. An hour waiting with coffee and cake, then one more "bonus hour" for a 30 minutes flight. Here are some locals and some old Frenchmen, and I wonder, where they been hiding. I have a mug of hot tea from home, and plenty of work to do on the computer.

As no surprise, I meet the German in the airport, and the guy, sitting next to me in the plane, remembers me from another day, where we had a chat. He is a retired seaman, who have some livestock, just for fun. His daughter it the stewardess on the flight, the captain borne on Sao Nicolau. Small world for sure.

I get a taxi at Santiago airport. It is a short drive to my new apartment, and I could have walked, but it is not an interesting road, and I have €15 to spare. It is just around the corner from the central square, but quiet and with a view over the beach. I drop the bag and head over to the central park for a light lunch: Vegetarian burger.

It is Monday, and all the markets I missed the Sunday I was here last, is open by now. Actually, the entire centre is one market after another. Some in halls, some on staircases and other odd locations.

I do some of them, but fare from all. People are real nice and smiling, but not that keen on photos. And as always, the light could be better.

Here are numerous vegetables and fruits, new cloths and tailors, shoos, spices, shampoo and alike, barbers and hair extension shops, used stuff, electronics and whatever.

 I check the newer centre and the pedestrian street, do some shopping and head home for cooking. Far from an intense day, but I get my car in the morning, and then adventure starts for sure. Day 9 HIGHLIGHTS.

Day 10. The day is set off to explore the southern part of the island, as soon as I got a car. On the short way to Hertz, I meet the Austrian I shared house with on Sao Nicola. Then I head out through a real beautiful "African", acacia savannah landscape, by a real smooth road. Well, till it get sealed with copplestone, which is not bad at all.

I end in the little, but real cosy village; Cidade Velha from 1462. Colourful dinghies on the beach, old houses around the central square and a vide but dry river, heading inland. Here are even a few tourists, sitting in restaurants in the shadows.

I turn a bit back to get to the rather large Portuguese fort: Fortaleza Real de Sao Fillipe. It look brand new, and I settle for a tour around the outside. The views to the village, the sea and the huge and vide gorge are fantastic. I get to cross over the courtyard at the last corner, but the officer only tell me, they charge for the entrance. I guess he understand; I'm neither for the film, nor the guided tour around.

I pass through Cidade Velha again, and find the copplestone road, leading west along the southern coast. Here are some real nice looking coves with dark blue water to one side, yellow grass and green acacias to the other.

The sealing ends at a little humble fishing village, and I have a chat with one of the locals, in some sort of English. Then I continue by the dirt road, heading further west, pass Porto Mosquito. It is about what my little car can handle, and I need it for a few more days. Besides from the dry grass and acacias, I only see e few bushes of Jatropha curcas, and a single herb. The rest is bone dry annuals.

I have found a gorge on the map a bit inland, and actually find a trail, leading out to it. It is real fertile - Santiago vice - and here are goats and cattle. The few scatted huts are found on the mountain sides, while the road is the riverbed.

I see a lot of locos, several grey-headed kingfishers, numerous sparrows and a few locals. Back through the village to get some needed water, then back through Cidade Velha, to have another look. On the way out of town, I meet two young Frenchmen I meet on Sao Nicolau, and we have another chat.

I head back through the typical African savannah, and turn inland and up. It is through table-mountains and more acacias, and the higher I get, the more fertile here are - the acacias stand closer together. I turn into some real narrow dirt-roads, but eventually make it to the Botanical Garden. The entrance fee is paid to a disable man, sitting on a wreck of a chair, outside the gate. It is fare from the most impressive garden I have seen, but now I know.

I still have some daylight left, and decide to find out, what the green "islands" on my GPS, marked "Zona Floresta" are. The weed between the wheel tracks are a meter high, and have all the fruits. I recon this road is not really in use these days. Never the less, I get a long way out of it, at 900 meters height, through narrow gorges. Here are quite some trees, but mainly Australian gumtrees.

I walk the last kilometre or so, but it turns out, Zona Floresta just means Forest. Then I head home, and start the time-consuming work on the 350 photos and diary from an fantastic day, while I continue the chat with the Portuguese girl, who live in The Netherlands. Day 10 HIGHLIGHTS.

Day 11. Another night, light on sleep, this time due to problems at home. Newer the less, I intend to explore Pico da Antonia and the town of Assomada. Both found in the central highlands.

It is back pass the botanical garden - except the tiny road, but in the middle of the island. Once again, I really enjoy the drive, even when it turns into a real narrow copplestone road. But it is soon clear to me: I will not make it to the top of Mt Antonia. The last bit is a vertical basalt wall, and I can do without.

I'm just here to enjoy the rather lush nature, found in-between the small patches of farmland. I see a few farmers, working their fields by hand. It is mainly beans, potatoes and corn. It seems like everything is artificially watered by now.

I see a lot of sparrows, some Common Waxbill; Estrilda astrild and the grey-headed kingfisher. The farmers dogs, goats and hens are roaming free, while the tiny fields are fenced off. I do several of the minor trails in the area, some of them just a narrow shelf on the vertical mountain wall; a former aqueduct.

I find my way out of this maze of trails, and the road, leading to Assomada. It is a modern city, and rather large for the country. I head for the market, and as a bonus, it is the weekly market day here. A huge area is packed with more or less improvised shops, selling mainly crops and clothing. One lady have a bucket-full of screaming piglets, other hens by the bunch. Freshly butchered meat are found the most strange places. Fish are from fresh to fare from fresh.

They have just arranged their stuff, but not set up the shadow-sails: Great for photos. And despite most don't like their photo taken, I don't get yelled at a single time. And I get some great smiles back numerous times.

Some are dressed in traditional African, real colourful dresses, some more discrete and the rest in more western clothing. And none are starving for sure! And I have not meet a single beggar either.
I do all the loops I can find outside, then I see the hall, housing the daily market. It is mainly raw food, and real interesting.

Here are people all over the place, and I wished, I could make a video. However, mingling around the crowd don't work. And I forgot to explore the second floor. Then I see the rest of the central town: Pedestrian street, the square, the church, the minibus station and the poor quarter. I even manages to find a cup of coffee, although it was difficult.

Then I head down from the highlands, and out to the western coast. It is yet another great drive, through steep mountains with yellow grass and mainly green acacia trees. Here are only a few settlements, and mainly in the valleys. I really try to limit the amount of photos out here as well - and once more, I fails completely. They tend to look alike, but each and every photo actually turns out great - if I may say so myself.

I reach Porro or Ponta Rincão, a fairly new village at the coast. But the old line of tiny huts are still in use by the fishermen, on the other side of the point. Just as I get there, two dinghies, pack with people arrival. I though it was local ferries, but it are the fishermen.

The whole village gathers to pull the boatson on shore, and I thought I got the video of a lifetime - but I don't. At least, I did get a photo or two... Besides from the large nets, they have scuba divers along too. None speak English, and I fail to find out, how it works. Again, I get way too many photos, looking alike, and none really bad. I figure I better head off, while I'm ahead.

Homewards, through the fantastic landscape I enjoy once more. I pick several passengers up, and are hardly alone in the car, all the way back to Praia. I only do that, when I intend not to make photo-stops. I'm home a bit early by intention, and park 500 meters away. I save €2, and don't have to move the car before eight in the morning. Shopping, cooking and working. And with a bit of luck: Sleeping. Day 11 HIGHLIGHTS.
         Time for Diary 6 and the eastern Santiago.