Inhabiting the ten African islands (and five islets) of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) are the West African / Portuguese mix of friendly Creole speaking people. A short flight from Senegal, the island of Santiago houses the current capital city of Praia, as well as the first capital of Cidade Velha (Old City), the first Portuguese settlement in Africa in the mid-15th century. Although by mid-18th century, piracy and privateering forced a move of the capital to the nearby city of Praia.
Old town Praia
In my week of visiting good American friends Rachel and Mike, I explored Praia and Cidade Velha and over the weekend, the three of us drove to Tarrafal, a stunning beach on the opposite side of the island. The leisurely two hour drive through the mountainous center, and the return along the coast, were both magnificent, with beautiful scenery and modest towns.
To Tarrafal...
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... through the quaint towns ... 
The beach at Tarrafal lies within the surrounding hills, bathed in the warm evening light with each passing day of perfect weather. Meanwhile, the overlooking restaurants serve their delicious fresh fish and Cabo Verdean specialities, and the small, humble villas provide a night’s rest right off the sea.
Tarrafal beach
And while the dramatic landscapes were wonderfully picturesque, the beach activity was the highlight for me. The young boys flipped over large tires, played pick-up fútbol, and body-boarded across the incoming waves . . . all the while playfully jesting with one another and flirting with the cute girls engaged in their own sideline games. And with the exception of too frequent a naked boy too old to be running around naked, the scene was a visual delight and everyone was very welcoming in allowing me to photograph them from quite close!
Playing on Tarrafal beach...
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Women collecting rocks for the home
In the mornings, the women and their boys would fill buckets with small rocks from the other end of the beach and walk them back with buckets on head to form large piles, eventually used for the roofs of new homes. They made trip after trip, hour after hour . . . it was all quite impressive!
And in the days that followed, I visited the old city of Cidade Velha where a similar welcoming attitude was apparent and where the boys played fútbol right at the water’s edge. The scene, just past palm trees and rock beach and backed by colorful fishing boats, was brilliant with the setting sun illuminating the water and highlighting the players. I couldn’t help jump in the mix and snap a few shots while doing my best to keep the water below the knees (I was wearing pants ;o) and not fall over with equipment and all!
Waterfront sport at Cidade Velha
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(notice the boy?)
Other men fished and sold the most colorful fish I’ve ever seen to the local women. Hodjita, Garopa, and Balantin were just three of these vibrant red fish. The smaller boys helped the fishermen and marveled at these wonderful creatures before them. And after snapping a photo or two of them, they humorously asked for more and more to be taken, while continuously asking to see each and every one. They spoke to me in Creole excitedly and similar to the Kenyan children, each boy would jump in front of the next to be the most prominent in the next photo. My new friend Ze, a Cidade Velha native, though ironically now an eight year Rhode Island resident, translated the childrens’ Creole to mean “we’re kids just playing kid’s games!”. Ha, very cute.
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Ze, or Leke, was a pleasure to meet and spend some of two days with. While he’s found himself back in Cabo Verde under less then favorable conditions, I was very happy to make his acquittance, be invited into his grandmother’s family home, and learn much of their small town culture that I came to appreciate very much. Here in Cidade Velha, everyone knows everyone, there’s a widely accepted open-door policy, and the children run about free and safe to enjoy their childhood as young children should. My thoughts are plentiful and if your desire for more is as well, just ask! In the meanwhile, I can only hope the weight of life can be lifted from this great and generous man . . . for his spirit is larger than life itself and the children recognize it in all its glory.
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Ze
I look forward to learning more Portuguese, and maybe a bit of Creole, and returning to visit some of the other islands I’ve heard so much good about! For those interested . . . direct, affordable flights from Boston on Cabo Verde Airlines are available . . . although don’t expect to find flight information easily on the web! Hit me up and I’ll do my best to help.
