Cape Verde Map

   Santo Antão Map       Northwest Africa Map

 

latest picture: March 25, 2014

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501  March 20th, 2014: The

mountainous, 301 sq.mi. big island of

Santo Antão with a population of around

50’000 is greeting. It ranks as the most

beautiful of all Cape Verde islands. Ahead

is the island’s most important port village

of Porto Novo (around 18’000 people)

502  Liliana is enjoying the sunshine

on deck of the Armas ferry “Mar d’Canal“

– a branch of the Canarian ’Naviera Armas’

Ferry Company – that operates twice a

day from Mindelo/São Vicente. The

crossing lasts about one hour

503  The “Armas” is docking at the

port of Porto Novo. Santo Antão is with

301 sq.mi. after Santiago (627 sq. mi.)

the second largest island of Cape Verde

and since begin of 2000 only accessible

by ferry from Mindelo/São Vicente

504  Bananas, papaya and vegetables

wait close to the port of Porto Novo to

be loaded on a truck with destination

Mindelo on São Vicente

505  A girl of Porto Novo. The

braided hair style adds to her

exotic appearance

506  Cleaning fish on the spot is

common. Fish belongs to the main

diet of the island people

507  Colorful fishing boats lie at a small

beach on the western side of Porto Novo.

A couple of acacia trees provide shade

for the fishermen

508  A mermaid on a house wall at the

port city of Porto Novo – an appropriate

piece of art for a fishing nation

509  From the arrival port of Porto

Novo in the South a “good” cobble stone

road leads across the mountains to the

island’s capital of Ribeira Grande in the

northeast. It was until summer 2009 the only

connection to the North of the island …..

510  ….. our Landruiser climbs to

the pass summit near Pico da Cruz

at an altitude of about 5’000 ft. …..

511  ….. where a dramatic mountain

scenary unfolds over the valley

“Ribeira de Paúl”

512  In the “Ribeira de Paúl” valley

a lovely path is winding to cultivated

terraces in the cauldron of “Cova

de Paúl” at an altitude of 3’840 ft.

513  Agave take roots also on an

altitude of 4’600 ft. Here at the view-

point over the “Ribeira de Paúl” valley

on the way to “Pico da Cruz”

514  In the little pine forest at

“Pico da Cruz” we stop for lunch

and enjoy the quietness …..

515  ….. only a herdsman with his

goats comes along. He greets and

walks on – the locals are very discreet

516  “Cova do Paúl” – a circular extinct

volcanic crater of a diameter of 2’620 ft. –

lies on an altitude of 3’840 ft. Its floor is

a patchwork of farms and lush greenery

517  A traditional white-washed and

straw thatched house made from natural

stones in the region of “Pico da Cruz”

518  Delicate white flowers bloom

in the freshness of the mountain near

“Pico da Cruz”

519  Patches of forest, mountain ranges,

a village with cultivated terraces: View

from “Chã de Mato” towards the capital

Ribeira Grande in the northeast

520  Is it her child? According to TV

“RTC” in a single school on the island

of Santiago 31 girls between 10 and 19

years old were pregnant at the same time

521  On our decent from “Pico da Cruz”

towards the sea at Ribeira Grande a

breathtaking mountain scenery is

awaiting us at every bend

522  Our lonely LandCruiser at the

“Delgadim” (Delgadinho) viewpoint over-

looking the “Ribeira da Torre” valley on

the righthand (closer) side and the “Vale

Ribeira Grande” on the other side …..

523  ….. this is how it looks when

the cruiser “Braemar” of ‘Fred Olsen

Cruise Lines’ drops anchor in Porto

Novo. We count 25 busses with

6-8 people each …..

524  ….. peace has returned. The

tour busses continued and we are

alone again on the crest that drops

on both sides for about 2’300 ft.

We enjoy the dramatic scenery from the Delgadim (Delgadinho) viewpoint:

525  to the “Ribeirinha Curta“, a tributary

valley of the “Ribeira da Torre“ valley

526  southwards to the

“Ribeira da Torre” valley as such

527  to “Ribeira Grande” valley – in the

forground the “Ribeira de Duque” valley

528  Behind the mountain ranges

at the seashore the main town of

Ribeira Grande comes in sight

529  View over a part of Ribeira

Grande, the 'capital' of Santo Antão

with its 3’000 people

530  A girl is doing the laundry on a flat

roof in Ribeira Grande. The washboard

is still used to a great extent on Cape Verde,

if the washing isn’t even done in a creek

531  Fair at the main street of Ribeira

Grande. Food from steaming pots, grog,

honey and second hand clothes attract

the crowds

532  In Ribeira Grande we find another

creation of the Italian artist Ozmo. The

first mural we discovered in São Filipe

on the island of Fogo (picture # 106)

533  “Grogue” (grog)-seller at the fair

of Ribeira Grande. “Grogue” is the main

drink of the Capverdians. The one from

Santo Antão is rated as the best

From Ribeira Grande a new tarmac road leads through the breathtaking mountain scenery of the narrow

fertile valley of “Ribeira da Torre” where bred fruit, banana, mango, papaya and sugar cane is growing

534

535

536

537  At the hamlet of Xôxô at the

end of the “Ribeira da Torre” valley

terraces are irrigated with a traditional

water channel system

538  Mountain hikers pose for a picture in

the “Ribeira da Torre” valley. Santo Antão

is a hiker’s paradise and attracts also a lot of

organized tour groups, especially from France

539  At the far end of the “Ribeira da

Torre” valley ducks are splashing

around in a small pond

540  Silvery shining whirligig beetles

(Gyrinidae) assemble in the shallow

water of the stony riverbed at the

“Ribeira da Torre” valley

541  The flame-red flower, presumably

a cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis),

with its huge leaves is a striking contrast

against the grey rock

542  Pale blue petunia (Petunia)

grow on meager soil between boulders

543  Lunch at the seashore near Sinagoga

at the northeastern corner – one of the few

places where we can pull out and have

ample space to cook. Most of the paths

branching off a road lead to a house …..

544  ….. stiff lilac flowercarpets

cover the seashore slope. It's a kind of

sea lavender (Limonium braunii) that

is shown also on the backside of the

20 Escudo coin

545  ….. the small pools and the

ever rolling waves of the Atlantic

invite to linger around

546  The strip of pastel houses squeezed

between a mountain massif and the sea

belongs to the picturesque town “Vila das

Pombas” at the Paúl Bay in the northeast

547  On a hill above “Vila das

Pombas” the statue of Santo

António watches over the city.

We climb up the 180 stairs …..

548  ….. and enjoy the fantastic pano-

rama over “Vila das Pombas” (often called

just “Paúl”), the coast towards Janela

(“Pontinha de Janela”) and the mountains

549  The traditional water channel system

for irrigation, familiar to us as “Falaj” from

Oman and the United Arab Emirates, is

also popular on Cape Verde. Here at

“Vila das Pombas”

550  View to the “Ribeira do Paúl”

valley at “Vila das Pombas”, known

as the most beautiful and greenest

valley on Cape Verde

551  In the “Ribeira do Paúl”

valley many houses are still built

the traditional way, with white washed

natural stones and thatched roofs

552  Barren mountains and cultivated

land in the “Ribeira do Paúl” valley.

Each inch of fertile soil is used

553  The profusion of the purple-

colored bougainvilleas (Bougainvillea)

in the village of Passagem reinforce

the exhuberant vegetation of the

“Ribeira do Paúl” valley

554  One of the rare dragon trees

(Dracaena draco) in the “Ribeira do

Paúl” valley. We discovered a couple

of the same species on the island

of São Nicolau (pictures # 343/344)

555  The small valley “Ribeira dos

Órgãos“ branches off between

“Ponta do Sol“ and Ribeira Grande.

In the front the bridge “Ponta Boca”

556  Our LandCruiser is rolling

through the “Vale Ribeira Grande”

valley. It is wider and less tropical

than the Paúl Valley …..

557  ….. sugar cane plantations

dominate here which deliver the

substance to the distilleries

558  In the “Vale Ribeira Grande”

water is funneled by an ancient water

channel system over the aqueduct “Ponte

do Canal” to the other side of the road

The further we advance into the “Vale Ribeira Grande” the more dramatic the scenery gets:

559  View eastwards to

“Boca de Ambas as Ribeiras”

560  View from the pass

westwards to “Manta Velha”

561  The small settlement of “Cabeçadas

da Garça“ between meticulously arranged

tarraced fields in the Garça valley,

west of the “Vale Ribeira Grande”

562  Young high sugar cane stems

stick out in their lush green in the “Garça

de Cima” valley – the western continuation

of the “Vale Ribeira Grande” valley

563  Late quick lunch stop next to

the already finished first segment of the

new road to “Chã de Igreja“ and

“Cruzinha da Garça” along the sea

564  A home distillery making the

famos “Santo Antão Grogue” in the

“Garça de Cima” valley. Heating is

done in a stone oven …..

565  ….. while channneling the liquid

in a tube to a funnel and into a container

566  Palm-studded entry to the

“Pedracin Village Hotel” near “Boca

de Coruja” in “Vale Ribeira Grande”

567  View westwards into the

valley “Vale Ribeira Grande” near

the city of Ribeira Grande

568  The small village church of

Coculi, 2 miles southwest

of Ribeira Grande …..

569  ….. with its lovely pastel-

colored interior

570  Boys are gazing after our

LandCruiser at “Vale Ribeira Grande”

571  A family sitting on their rooftop in

the “Paúl Valley” waves as we pass by

572  Boys wait in front of the church

in “Ponta do Sol” hoping to sell some

sweets after the Sunday mass

Continuation: Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014

 

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