Cape Verde Map

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latest picture: March 9, 2014

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301  2/28/2014: The FastFerry ‘Kriola’

arrives at the port of Tarrafal after a

bumpy ride of 7 hours. We received

50% discount on the fare and on our

arrival short before midnight we were

greeted by the Mayor of the port city

302  Nostalgic and authentic: The glow

of the warm evening light catches the colorful

fishing boats and the lovely painted houses

of the Tarrafal Bay in the southwest of the

island. The population of 5’000 makes

Tarrafal the 2nd biggest place

303  ‘Pensão Alice’ in Tarrafal – the

green painted 3-story house on the bay

with our parked LandCruiser in front –

is our home on the 150 sq.mi. small

island. Two nights of the stay are

offered by the Municipality of Tarrafal

304  It is noon. School children return

home for lunch. Tarrafal is a neat clean

place with cobble stone streets. Trees

and flower pots in front of quaintly

painted houses add to its charm

305  There is always time for a game:

On a small square along the Tarrafal

seashore. Unfortunately the jobless

rate on the island is big

306  Life in the fishing harbor of

Tarrafal: People love to gather for

a chat – an atmosphere that is rare

to find. Are the planned ferries

in the near future changing it?

307  Scene early morning at Tarrafal

Bay: Fishing boats returned with their

catch. Residents walk home with a

bunch of fresh fish .....

308  ..... or also with a full container

carried on the head. Fish is the main

diet of the islanders besides

beans, corn and rice

309  Nobody goes empty handed:

Also these youngsters hold silvery

gleaming fishes in their hands

310  Fishermen spread their nets at

the black sand beach on the

Tarrafal Bay – to dry and to arrange

311  Gathering around a fishing boat. In the

background lies the already decaying but

never used ‘Sanilisa-Project’ of the holiday

resort ‘Monte Gordo’ in Tarrafal with over

190 rooms. Air and sea connections to and

from this island are currently still too irregular

312  A glorious sunset over the

quiet Bay of Tarrafal that is also

popular by sailors

313  This girl from Tarrafal looks

already pretty self-confident

into the camera

314  There is not much entertainment

in the fishing village of Tarrafal; but

‘people-watching’ is always an option

315  Out of use but still a landmark:

The light tower on the west side at Barril

316  ‘Carberinho’ with its roaring surge

and the bizarre washed out rock formations

belongs to the self-proclaimed Natural

Wonders of Cape Verde. It lies a bit offside

of the road to ‘Praia Branca‘ on the west

coast, about 10 miles from Tarrafal .....

317  ..... Liliana admires with fascination

the masterpiece that time and force of

nature created .....

318  ..... and persuads Emil to

pose for a picture

319  We are returning on the track to

the cobble stone road that led us to the

bizarre rock formations of ‘Carberinho’

320  In a single file along the water’s edge.

It is easier to withstand the raging wind

with four legs instead of only two

321  There is a sensation of freedom on

the way to ‘Carberinho’ in front of this

1’430ft. high remote hill at ‘Praia Branca’

322  Dry and arid land dominates the

landscape to ‘Praia Branca’ in the North-

west, which remembers us strongly to the

Sultanate of Oman on the Arabian Peninsula

323  The towering mountain peaks of

‘Tope Matin’ (3’500 ft. – left) and ‘Tope

Moca’ (3’080 ft. – right) pop up east of

‘Praia Branca’ in the northwest of the island

324  After our detour to ‘Carberinho’

we return to the coastal road and drive

towards ‘Ribeira da Prata’

325  A picturesque sight: The pastel

colored facades of the houses of

‘Praia Branca’ with the bizarre

mountain ‘Tope Matin’ in the back

326  Our LandCruiser doesn’t like cobble

stone roads, but he loves the deserted

coast in the northwest on the way to

‘Ribeira da Prata’

327  Our remembrance picture at the

dramatic coastline road between ‘Praia

Branca’ and ‘Ribeira da Prata’ in the

northwestern corner of the island;

afterwards the road ends

328  The colorful houses of ‘Ribeira da

Prata’ nestle on the mountain slope at

the end of the cobble stone road in the

northwest, 14 miles from Tarrafal

329  A bright smile welcomes us at

this straw covered dwelling built of

natural stones in ‘Ribeira da Prata’

330  Waiting for a transport – an

“Aluguer“ – at the church in ‘Ribeira

da Prata’. It is the most important

mean of transport, also for tourists

331  Heading back from our excursion

to the northwest via ‘Praia Branca’

to Tarrafal

332  At the beach ‘Praia Grande’ north-

west of Tarrafal – close to the lighthouse

of Barril – cattle egrets make a nap

in the shade of an acacia tree

333  The houses of the harbor village

of Tarrafal nestle on the small coastal

strip between the sea and the

barren mountains

334  Our LandCruiser is driving on the

relatively new, 16 miles long tarmac road

from the harbor of Tarrafal towards the

capital ‘Ribeira Brava’. In the back-

ground the 3’212 ft. high Monte Cintinha

335  Blue dominates in the choice of

colors, like here the church of Cabeçalinho

along the road from Tarrafal to

‘Ribeira Brava’

336  No neighbors, just the backdrop

of the mountains (Monte Cintinha)

337  The small white church ‘Senhora do

Monte’ on the mountain slope of Monte

Cintinha marks the summit between the port

of Tarrafal and the capital of ‘Ribeira Brava’

338  In such remote places there

is neither running water nor electricity

339  The clouds get stuck at the north-

eastern side of the mountain ranges which

enables the growth of vegetables

340  View from the summit at Cachaço

to the capital ‘Ribeira Brava’ in the

northeast with its 5’500 people .....

341  ..... closer view of the capital. It was

long Cape Verde's religious centre and built

inland to protect its treasures from pirates .....

342  ..... view from the west side to

the capital. The dark mountain on the

right is the 2’021 ft. high Monte Bissau

on the eastern part of São Nicolau

343  A group of the still existing 100

dragon trees (Dracaena draco) on the

island of São Nicolau. They remember

us to the second kind of dragon trees

(Dracaena cinnabari) we saw on the

island of Socotra in Yemen .....

344  ..... a doozy of a dragon tree. Due

to the abusive use of its sap (dragon blood)

in traditional medicine it has almost gone

extinct. The same type can be found also

on the Canary Islands, some in Morocco

and a few on Santo Antão (picture # 554)

345  It is growing on rocky slopes

and fascinates us with its rosettes

and its shiny yellow flowers

346  The climate on the north coast is

favorable for growing produce. Here

near the village of Carvoeiros

347  The typical Christian cemetery of

‘Ribeira Brava‘ along the airport road.

The vast majority (nearly 80%) of Cape

Verdeans are Roman Catholic

348  Dry hill country dotted with acacia

trees dominate the landscape outside of

‘Ribeira Brava’ – left the road to the

airport and Preguiça, right the one to

Juncalinho; the mountain in the

background is Monte Cintinha

349  Preguiça, the sleepy fishing village

with 600 people, lies at the southeast

coast, 5 miles from the capital .....

350  ..... a round memorial pillar about the

newly discovered Brazil on the journey to

India of Portuguese Pedro Álvares Cabral

in 1500 stands at the ruins of the fort

above the harbor of Preguiça .....

351  ..... the six canons remind

of the historic importance of the

Fort of Preguiça, called also

‘Forte do Príncipe Real’

352  In the fishing village of Preguiça,

our LandCruiser is once more the

attraction. The children are interested

especially in our country ribbon

353  View from Preguiça to the rocky

eastern coastline and the barren mountains

of the eastern part of the island – an

elongated narrow spit

354  The northern part of the eastern spit

is marked by wild, barren and almost

unpopulated land. The cobblestone road

follows mostly directly the seashore

355  In the pretty village of Juncalinho on

the picturesque rocky coast of the eastern

spit live around 500 people. It is about 14

miles from the capital ‘Ribeira Brava’ .....

356  ..... the showpiece in Juncalinho

is the ‘Capela da Sagrada Família’,

built 1960 from natural stones

357  Modest, but friendly:

A house in Juncalinho

358  On our way back from Juncalinho

along the northern seashore we experience

a fascinating evening mood .....

359  ..... the mountain peaks rise

dramatically towards the sky

360  The village of ‘Morre Brás’ is

besides Juncalinho the second settlement

along the northern part of the eastern

spit. The mountain peak is named

Monte Caçador and is 1'821 ft. high

361  A ghostly, almost surreal mood hits

us at ‘Fajã de Cima’ towards Pico Agudo

and Monte Deserto

362  A sisal agave on the Cachaço

summit against the backdrop of

mountain peaks in the soft evening light

363  View from ‘Pensão Jardim’ over

the red tiled roofs of São Nicolau’s capital

‘Ribeira Brava’, situated in a basin at

650 ft. above sea level

364  “Hopefully it won’t get any

narrower!“ The winding hillside streets

of the capital lined with colorfully

painted houses are reminiscent of

the Portuguese colonial time

365  Liliana is crossing the small main

square ‘Praça Cónego Dias’ of the

capital with its ochre-colored cathedral

‘Nossa Senhora do Rósario’ .....

366  ..... the neat bright interior

of the cathedral, built in the beginning

of the 18th century

The carnival in the capital ‘Ribeira Brava’ is ranked as the second best on Cape Verde after Mindelo on the island of São Vicente.

The carnival of Cape Verde (Ribeira Brava) is our third carnival experience on our worldtrip

besides Guyana (Georgetown - February 2003) and Grenada (St. George’s - August 2003)

367  The participants of the procession

in their glittering costumes and colorful

feathery headdress are getting in line

368  The “Queen” is wearing a

beautifully elaborated golden costume

369  A lot of pomp and sophisticated

details – nothing is too exquisite for one of

the most important celebrations of the year

370  Three beauties pose for a picture

371  A sexy lady in black and silver

372  A richly elaborated costume

made from satin, beads and feathers

373  Already in greatest carnival mood.

The Creole population is buoyant and

on carnival of an exuberant love of life

374  Also men are dressed

in elaborate costumes

375  Carnival is also the time for

an own remembrance snap

The carnival of the capital ‘Ribeira Brava’ is unique in the way that at the end all of the floats and groups end up at the small

‘Praça Cónego Dias’ which makes it more ‘intimate’. Spectators mix with the groups and get caught up by the swinging hips

and the hot rhythms of drums. In between beautiful fireworks light up the night sky

376

377

378

379  On the small mountain road to the

remote settlement of Hortelão rises the

4’304 ft. high ridge of ‘Monte Gordo’,

the island's highest peak

380  In the barren stony landscape

shiny red flowers are a special feast

for the eye

381  Close to the turn off at Cabeçalinho

to Hortelão a farmhouse nestles at a

valley basin

382  The side trip to Hortelão is just

how we like it: Wild and lonely

383  People are still living in the remotest

corners, in the harshest regions, like here

near Hortelão. The archipelago of Cape

Verde lies at the same latitude as the

Sahelian zone and suffers from extreme

drought. Only the cities of Praia and

Mindelo have desalination plants

384  It still exists – traditional farmhouses

of natural stones with thatched roofs

(‘Palhal de Cima’ in the Hortelão valley)

385  Terrace cultivation in the Hortelão

valley like in Yemen. The endurance of

the Cape Verdeans to get some produce

to grow in this arid area is admirable

386  Life in the remoteness of the Hortelão

valley. The preservation of traditions,

especially the music, helps people to

accept their often difficult way of life

387  A woman is on her way back

home with her donkey. She has

collected some greens on the

slopes of Monte Gordo

Also in desolate and barren corners of the island flowers are sprouting:

388  Shrub verbena (on Cape Verde:

Freira) (Lantana camara)

389  Blue delicate ‘goblet like blossoms’?

390  A type of acacia

(probably Acacia melanoxylon)

391  Low sailing clouds over barren

hills and the Atlantic Ocean – view

towards the East. In the foreground

the main road from Tarrafal to

‘Ribeira Brava’

392  From left to right the islands:

Ilhéu Raso (2.7sq.mi./538ft./uninhabited),

Ilhéu Branco (0.1sq.mi./1’073ft./uninhab.),

São Vicente (87.8sq.mi./2’379ft.),

Santa Luzia (13.5sq.mi./1’296ft./uninhab.),

behind it Santo Antão (301sq.mi./6’493ft.);

in the foreground Tarrafal

393  The setting sun is putting the sky

into flames at the Bay of Tarrafal

 

The "Greater"-Middle East trip 2012/13:

Sharjah/Dubai/1st Traveler's Festival/Emirates National Auto Museum - UAE with car Nov. 2012 to Jan. 2013 - part 1

Western UAE - Liwa - United Arab Emirates  with car in January 2013 - part 2

Oman 2013 – Part 1 - February 2013: Musandam Peninsula

Oman 2013 – Part 2 - February 2013: Sohar - Muscat - Rustaq - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 3 - March 2013: Sur - East Coast - Island of Masirah - Dhofar

Oman 2013 – Part 4 - March 2013: Salalah & Surroundings (Dhofar) - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 5 - March 2013: Western Hajar Mountains

Al Ain, Eastcoast & Ras al Khaima - United Arab Emirates with our car in April 2013 - part 3

Iran - part 1: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (between Persepolis and Yazd) – May 2013

Iran - part 2: Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan – May 2013

Iran - part 3: Esfahan (excl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh – May 2013

Turkey - Iran Border-Esendere-Hakkari-Van-Dogubayazit-Kars-Ardahan-Hopa-Georgia Border – May 28 to June 4, 2013

Georgia - part 1: Ajaria-Gori-Tbilisi-Kakheti-Azerbaijan Border – June 4 to 13, 2013

Azerbaijan - Georgia Border-Balakan-Seki-Lahiç-Baku-Xinaliq-Quba-Laza-Baku-Ganca-Georgia Border – June 13 to 24, 2013

 

Articles in newspapers about us on Cape Verde:

Article: "Estão em São Nicolau: Emil e Liliana há 30 anos à volta do mundo", Online Newspaper "Jornal de São Nicolau" - March 6, 2014

Article: "Cabo Verde na Volta ao Mundo de Emil e Liliana Schmid", Daily Newspaper "ASemana" - March 9, 2014