Friday 13th January - Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands

The ship was docked when we woke this morning.  Through the port holes we could see the rocky mountains that surround the bay, the blue, blue water of the sea and the bright sky under an even brighter sun.  Mindela looked beautiful.

Looking over the Marina at Mindelo

Last night we'd been surprised to find we'd been selected for tour escorting duties this afternoon, but this morning we had time to look around the city.

I loved the colours of the clothes, beautiful patterns and colours everywhere

We've been several times before, and to be honest, we've seen everything the town has to offer, but it's always good to go ashore and stretch your legs.  Peter wanted to get photographs of fishing boats on the beach for a few paintings he was thinking of, and I still had me head full of the stuff I'd learnt in the photography lectures, so we set off, cameras at the ready. It turns out we haven't already seen everything the town has to offer, I'd never been in the little church before, or the vegetable market.

Many of the buildings have this rather enchanting worn look

We had to get back to the ship so that we could grab a bit of lunch and be ready for our tour at 12.30.  I was escorting the first of three buses. It was as I was taking the tickets from the 12th and 13th passengers that I asked if they were superstitious, since they were getting on bus number 13.  That's when I found out today was Friday 13th. I knew then that it was going to be a good afternoon.

And it was.  Our guide, Willy, was excellent.  He got the passengers singing to him and provided just the right amount of information at the right time to educate us.  The only thing any of us wished to be different was the road. There doesn't appear to be much tarmac on the island, and the narrow roads that wind their way up and down the hills are made from a sort of uneven stone blocking.  And I mean VERY uneven.  It got to the point where I was glad that I still had me own teeth, as I'm sure they would've otherwise fallen out as we bounced and rattled along.  Women on the bus secured their busts up in their arms and all wished for the same thing.  A sports bra!

But it was worth it for the photo stops at Pik a Zua and Mont Verde. The trip ended in a tourist complex near to the ships berth, where we were entertained by what seemed to be the local dance teachers and their pupils.  The kids were wonderful, and you could see how proud the teachers were.  The people of Sao Vicente and Mindelo are very poor, but hopefully a little less so after the Marco Polo passengers gladly gave large tips to both the dancers and our guide.

I think the boy has caught the pigeon for food.

So we've had an excellent day, probably the best so far.  As we looked around Mindelo, we could see the changes that tourism is bringing.  The infrastructure is improving, the city is cleaner and a lot of money is going into policing the streets, which probably accounts for the reduction of beggars.  Sadly, the population is still very poor.  Here's hoping that tourism on the island continues to increase and that the locals are included in the profits.

At last but not least, I have to mention the evening's entertainment in the show lounge.  David Huband is a comedian, and he kept us laughing for the whole 45 minutes of his show.  OK, so quite a few of the jokes were well used, but that didn't stop us enjoying them. A really good evening.

Tomorrow we start across the rest of the Atlantic Ocean.  It will be 5 days until we get off the ship again and we'll have to keep ourselves occupied in the meantime.  Looks like I'll be attending a few more photography lectures then, dunnit?

Day 11 - Wednesday 15th January - Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands

A street in Mindelo

This was our fourth visit to the island, and one day, we really should get our act together and maybe go a little further than Mindelo. Peter did take his driving licence with him, thinking that if we came across a car hire company, we could maybe drive out to Mount Verde or one of the beaches, but it wasn't to be.

So we took the port provided shuttle bus to the centre of town, and went for a wander. This is the first time we've visited when Mindelo has been open, but to be honest, I'm not sure it changed that much from our previous visits, except there were more little shops open, each of which sold everything from clothes to earphones. This meant I was able to buy a pair of shoes and Peter was able to get a set of earphones from the same shop. Many of the shops take euros, but not all, and some will take your euros and give you change in escudos.

We did our shopping, and then had a wander around the market and the fish market in the morning.

A stall holder on the market in Mindelo.  Her "stall" is the second hand clothing and shoes laid across the ground.  

"Working the line"  Cleaning and gutting fish factory style in Mindelo Fish Market. 

Fishing boats of the locals

In the afternoon we walked out of the port and turned left to spend a little time on the beach there.

Beach at Mindelo - this has been built up since our visit in 2011

We thought it very different from what we remembered, and checking back on old photographs, we were right. Sao Vicente is being built up and prepared as an exclusive tourist destination, and the beach has been built up and prepared too. To be honest, we preferred it the way it was four years ago, but it still looks good now and all the building work and new hotels bring work for the people of the island. You can see poverty everywhere, contrasting starkly with the buildings and facilities being built for the rich tourists. Hopefully things are getting better for the people of Mindelo.Like every other person at the seaside, I enjoyed a paddle along the beach, and then a paddle back again to join Peter for a sit in the sun. We watched the enviously handsome and beautiful locals walk and play along the sand. They are all tall and slim, but then, there isn't a McDonalds, KFC, Burger King or Subway here yet.

After a wonderful hour or under the hot sun, sadly it was time to get back to the ship. There was a little bit of trauma as we left Mindelo, because a lamp fell, smashed a load of concrete off a pier wall, which in turn smashed a hole in the fuel pipe, which then made an ugly black stain in the water as the ship pulled away. I hope they got it fixed quickly.

Leaving Mindelo

So now we have five sea days before we get to Brazil. Somewhere along the line we'll go into the dead zone, where there will be no internet or phone connection, and we will also cross the equator. Tomorrow we'll be able to go to the front of the ship and see flying fish. Fantastic!

Mindelo 2011
Mindelo 2012
Mindelo 2013

Sunday 13th January - Mindelo

Here we are again. Although it's not everyone's cup of tea, me n Peter really like Mindelo. Maybe cos it's like us, scruffy, with not a lot of money. But the people are friendly, and we can see the place changing year on year.

This year, because Peter is still quite poorly, we decided to take it really easy. We wandered over to the market place where we had a drink and Peter bought a hat. It's such a shame that every time we've come here it's been a Sunday and everywhere has been closed. I suspect this place is alive and vibrant during the week days.

We took a few photographs before making our way to the posh touristy bit where we met with some of the other lecturers, and had another drink. We didn't stay long, and now we are at the marina we found last year, enjoying the cheap wi-fi. I've had me lunch here, local cuisine, stewed chicken and rice, which had a creole flavour to it. (Peter wasn't up to it, although he didn't mind eating half of mine), and we've sat in the sun whilst Peter worked. I like it here.

Some pictures for you.

The volcanic hills surround the water filled crater that is Mindelo Bay

Marco Polo at Mindelo

Mindelo Marina

The Market Place in Mindelo, sadly not a lot going on today, as it's Sunday

One of the better streets.  We were amazed at the trees growing in the road

It's been a really nice day.  We going back to the ship shortly, to survey the sun damage.

There are five days at sea after Mindelo.  We’ll cross the equator during this time, but there will also be a “dead zone”, where there is very little satellite communication for either phones or internet.  We’re looking forward to the crossing the equator ceremony and flying fish.  Our first port in Brazil is Santarem. As Peter sez...... “Bring it on”.


Mindelo 2011
Mindelo 2012
Mindelo 2014

Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands

I'm posting this from the cheap wi-fi point we've discovered in Mindelo.  It's actually the Marina wi-fi , so we've snuck into the Marina bar to tap away.  (Don't tell 'em that we haven't got a yacht!  Something a little bigger actually).

To be honest, we've haven't seen much of Mindelo so far, we came here first, so that Peter could work and I can mess around as I need.

Therefore I'm only posting a few photo's of what we've seen up till now, which is basically the port. Port Grande - where we've docked, is actually a sea filled volcano crater and actually quite lovely, or it would be if it wasn't for all the ships.  Then again, they add interest I suppose. Anyway just a few pictures for now.  If the ship gets its internet sorted, I should be able to update properly later today.

Continued
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The battery on the netbook ran out, so I did have to stop there, and it started to rain. . So we went back to the ship to recharge the batteries and get a bit of lunch.  Then it was back out again.  Unfortunately, like the last time we visited, Mindelo is closed.  Apparently it's a bank holiday in Cape Verde today.  Typical.  No matter, we still enjoyed a slow meander to see if anything we had seen last year had changed. I can tell you it is warm, but overcast here at the moment, so it's been nice to meander up and down the streets.

I think, although I couldn't swear on it, the place is looking a tiny bit better than it did.  I took a picture of a run down building last year, and took another this year to compare.  It's been worked on and looks better, and the hole in the road just in front of it has gone too.

I don't know why, despite the begging, and the loose animals, and the general scruffyness of this place,  I like Mindelo.  It can be intimidating not being able to speak the language, and there being so many young men just wandering the streets, but we've not really been bothered, in fact the lady with the basket on her head, and other locals grinned at us taking pictures of us, one guy even egged us on.

From the little I know, tourism is being encouraged here, therefore the begging is being discouraged, which is why I think we are being treated with respect, and maybe a little curiousity.  We'll be back off to the ship now, hopefully they'll have sorted out the internet, otherwise it will be a while before I can put another post on.

Mindelo 2011
Mindelo 2013
Mindelo 2014

Day 8, Sun 6th February, Mindelo, Sao Vicente Island, Cape Verde

We woke about 7.30 as the ship was sailing into dock, so we dashed upstairs, Peter with camera in hand as usual. Our first impression is that this island has a lot of little, but steep sided mountains or hills, and the port has hundreds of boats. Big boats, little boats, rusty boats, posh boats, from all places and of all types. Amazing!

Even though it was still hazy it was really warm. Sadly it stayed hazy all day. The skyline looked fantastic, but it was never clear enough to see or photo properly.

After breakfast we went exploring. Mindelo is the main town of St Vincent Island. The island used to be controlled by Portugal, but became independent in the 70’s. I can only describe the town as shabby, but in a nice sort of way. It’s Sunday, so everywhere is closed, and there is also an election going on, but we managed to find a shop full of the most amazing local art & crafts. The sculptures and carvings were brilliant, some of them massive, and difficult to carry back to the ship, but fantastic anyway. I was sorely tempted but Peter was with me.........

I’ve added loads of pictures just to give a feel for the place. It was odd how beautifully and colourfully maintained buildings stood next to the run down and tatty ones. Several open areas and large buildings looked like someone had spent a lot of time creating and building them, but once that bit was done, no-one bothered to look after it. Some very noticeable inhabitants of the town were the dogs and cats. They seemed to be stray, but did not beg or pester, growl or run. I have never seen such relaxed animals. They were curled up and sleeping just about anywhere, including the road! (At first, I thought the dog had been hit by a car, but he was just having a nap.)

It was amazing how they strolled about, crossing the road and stopping traffic, ignoring you unless you held your hand out to be friendly. They were just so chilled, like the whole town really. We came back to the ship for lunch, we’d not seen anywhere that we wanted to eat at, although there is a beautifully, modern, sort of tourist attractive complex near the marina with posh looking restaurants, expensive art and a pool. 

Like everywhere in Mindelo, it seemed cheap enough but we wanted to walk back to the ship to collect our thoughts and decide what to do next. And after lunch, which was out on deck, “next” was a visit to the beach.  If you turn right as you exit “Port Grande”, you end up in Mindelo town.  If you turn left, you end up in the area they seem to be developing (lots of new buildings going up) and the little beach.

We spent a very leisurely couple of hours there. It was quiet when we arrived, but did get busier as the afternoon wore on. I have to say, watching the St Vincentians, I was reminded of the Brazil I’ve seen on tele. I have been careful all day, and I sat in the shade, knowing how easily I burn. 

We came back to the ship at 4, ready for it to get away at 5, but it was running a bit late. So they had a sail away party at 5, whilst the boat stayed in dock, and the ship pulled away from the pier at 6 when they’d finished clearing up.

It was back in the cabin that we noticed my precautions had been in vain. I have the reddest v neck ever, and my arms can glow in the dark! So for all you lasses at work, yes, I should have a tan when I get back.

We are just about to go for dinner, and then watch the violinist at this evenings show. Informal tonight, so posh skirt and top, and remember to brush me hair. And I am starving!

Mindelo 2012
Mindelo 2013
Mindelo 2014