Monday, April 14, 2014

Report # 106 Praia, Cape Verde April 14, 2014 Monday Part 1 Partly cloudy, 72 degrees

The pier in Praia
Well, here we are in Praia, Cape Verde, definitely not an expected visit. We should have been in Bangul, Gambia, but as you know, the port was cancelled, as was Senegal, due to the ebola virus being too close for comfort. So this was one of the ports that could be substituted at the last minute for one of the cancelled ones. We have never been here, nor have we been to Mindelo in Cape Verde. 

Ship docked

Ties up
It was great that we had the use of small, but convenient free shuttle buses to the plateau where the center of the city is located. 

Many tour buses, many free shuttles
We left the ship around 10 am with no waiting for the bus to leave to town. The ride was only 10 minutes, and after climbing a hillside, we were dropped off at the big white cross on the plateau above the bay. Built into the wall by the buses, were a row of ancient cannons, some of them pointed towards our ship, by the way.

Harbor boats

old part of town

Pastel colors

The cross marks our shuttle bus stop

A lighthouse

Old cannons
We found streets made of cobblestone and sidewalks created out of tightly placed rocks. The grid of the old city fans out around a central square called Praca Alexandre Albuquerque. It is the gathering point for the people of this island by the name of Santiago. Cape Verde consists of several islands with Praia being the capital. We have to add that this island is not necessarily set up for tourists. The city of Mindelo, our ports for the next two days, is the tourist destination for folks that come here for vacation. They come mostly from Europe we understand.

We took our sweet time walking around the many streets, taking in the local sights. We saw pastel-colored buildings with iron balconies like you would see in Portugal. 

Pastel-painted colonial buildings

Narrow cobbled streets of town
Hall of Justice

Lots of traffic 

Building art

Portuguese colonial

In fact, it was a Portuguese man, Diogo Gomes, that discovered the Cape Verde islands back in 1460. His statue was at the end of one of the streets facing the harbor. 

Diogo Gomes discovered Cape Verde islands
Looking out at the harbor, we saw Santa Maria Island and the barracks of the military we believe. Gamboa Beach was down below, with many rowboats or fishing boats pulled into the sand. It's definitely not a beach for swimming. We have been told the water here is cold.

Gamboa Beach

Many boats on the beach
Gamboa Beach
We walked into the Se Cathedral Nossa Senhora da Graca, the local Catholic church. It was built in 1902, and has been well-preserved.

Se Cathedral Nossa Senhora da Graca

Colonial Portuguese

Church

The altar with Lent colors (purple)

Parishoner
The highlight of the city was the marketplace for fruit, veggies, meat and fish. Built in tight quarters, the locals were busy hawking their fresh produce and spices. The only way to get good pictures, was to squeeze our way in there with the rest of the shoppers. 

The marketplace

Very crowded for a Monday

Nice looking vegetables

Squash, cukes, carrots, and tomatoes

Bananas

One way to carry your purchases

Fresh pork

Tonight's dinner for someone

Dried corn and beans

A vendor

Full tub.....sore neck

Melons

Ingredients for a good soup

Locals buy daily

Lettuce and cilantro

Dried legumes for sale

Salad fixings

Fresh fish

Many types of fish

Seafood

Bananas, melons, and papayas

Corn and cornmeal

Dried beans

Tight quarters

Eggs too

Visiting allowed

Waiting for customers

Many kids there

Bananas to go

More food

Sweet tomatoes

Squash and peanuts

Meat of some kind
Most all of the women pack baskets or plastic tubs on their heads to stash their purchases. They use a piece of cloth to wrap on the top of their heads, then they balance the tub on their heads. 

Ready for her head basket
Fully loaded

Can't imagine doing this every day
A heavy bag of something
One way to pack your groceries
More produce for sale

One heavy load
By the way, most all of the local citizens are Creole, African and Portuguese mix. This island, as well as Santiago, where we will visit tomorrow, was used as a provisioning station for ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the slave trade. We are guessing that these African slaves were primarily sent to Brazil, since their captors were Portuguese. And it is the Portuguese who lived in Brazil back in those days too, and involved in the slave trade back then. 

Locals selling sweets

Shoe shiner in the park

Two lazy dogs

Local ladies waiting for the bus

Out and about on the streets

Typical store

Balconies

Old mixed with new

Clothes shop

Many babies

Busy side streets

Ladies on their way home

Street food

Need some fish?


Waiting for the bus

We have invaded the village

Many taxis

Watching the world go by
There were a few cafes near the center of town, but they were overrun with folks from the ship. They were really here for free or cheap internet. We had been led to think that absolutely no one would accept US dollars, but we found that was not the case. Now they would more than likely charge you more to make up the difference for cashing the dollars in at the bank. Although we never asked, we do know that many people were spending dollars here for taxis, clothing, food and beer. We did find a cafe that served a margherita pizza, but there were no seats available, so we passed. Another thing we took note of was the fact that many of the store owners were Chinese.

Many Chinese shops
Praca Alexandre Albuquerque Square

Love the colors

Looks official

A monument in town

Winding road up to the plateau

Palace of the President

The flag

Soccer stadium
Some of our friends rented a taxi for $50. for two to be driven to a nearby fort at Cidade Velha (old town), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shore excursion department had put together a few tours to see this site for about $70 and $140 with a lunch. We decided that lunch on the ship would be better, since we do not eat fish. So we came back to the ship by 2pm, and ordered lunch in our room.
Hillside cement homes

Much graffiti

Built on dry hillsides

Pastel paint helps the landscape

Lighthouse marking the harbor

Colonial buildings

Their flag

Downtown

Bouganvilla does well in these dry conditions

Bouganvilla
The stop for the shuttle

Praca Alexandre Albuquerque Square

Diners nearby

Sweet treats for sale

Central park

Ladies doing their shopping

Busy central district

Watching the tourists

Entrance to the marketplace

They have the right idea


Walking is easier than driving

Shopping is done

Clothes and bras for sale

Vendors come to you also

A neckache in progress

Local shops and buyers

Waiting for the bus

Strawberries on her head

Selling stuff

Fast foods of Praia

Selling fresh fish

Love the local dress....colorful

The Church

Strawberries looked good

Many small cars everywhere

Wall art

Vendors in the square

Ship in distance

The cutest kids

Central fountain

Clocktower

Tablemates Bill & Marianne

Downtown
Work in progress

Bell tower

Well-maintained buildings of the past

The cross marked the shuttle stop

Back at the gangway
All aboard was at 4:30pm, and we were sailing by 5pm. We do not think that we are very far from our next port of Mindelo. Attending the sailaway party, we noticed that the crowd thinned out quickly as the wind picked up and it got downright cool. Something we noticed that was most unusual, was that we saw no birds today. Not even seagulls on the pier. It may have something to do with the extremely dryness of this island. There was a 100 year drought here many years ago, and the island looks like a desert. Without a good source of information, perhaps the only water here is underground.


Sailaway on-lookers
Ruins on the cliff

Telecommunications building

Three-masted sailing ship

No gardens here

Concrete housing

Ship docked

Blue home


An unmarked monument

Desolate looking

The administrative capital

Steep wind-cut cliff

The harbor

The cross is in the center of the photo

Sailing out of the bay

Cargo ship

The pier looked fairly new

Leaving the breakwater

There goes the pilot

Sailing around the island of Santiago

The lighthouse

Volcanic hills
Dry as can be...little vegetation

The old city with the fort above

Very volcanic island

Dramatic peaks
We had noticed that the Lido restaurant on the port side was closed to traffic from the pool and the elevator landing. It finally dawned on us that it was closed for the Passover Seder Dinner at 6:30pm. People signed up for this special meal last week, and we found out that it was fully booked. 

View of the harbor

The Atlantic Ocean beyond the harbor

Dry hillsides

Pier buildings
Margaret and Keith had gone to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner, but we had a guest, Sue, join us tonight. While discussing the gift of the Delft plate, Sue asked if we saw the blatant mistake in the map section dead center of the dish? No, we had not seen that Buenos Aires had been printed where Lima should have been. Gosh, they were off base completely, since Argentina is on the east coast of South America, not the west. Duh.....There would be more inconsistencies in tomorrow's newsletter.

All of our tablemates had come from the early 1/2 hour show in the Queens Lounge. The entertainer was Dan Horn, a ventriloquist, and very funny man we heard. Sometimes, they get it right with hiring some good ones.

It sure has cooled off. The weather today was completely pleasant. This evening, while taking our nightly walk, we noticed almost a chill in the air. We're not complaining either.

Looking forward to two days in Mindelo.

Gifts from the Captain's Dinner

The infamous Delft plate

Nice thought, but labeled incorrectly

Cufflinks for the fellows

Pendant (looks like soap-on-a-rope) on a leather necklace