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| the Blue Eye Cape Verde |
Asparagus is a vegetable, pretty plain pretty unexciting, just a normal vegetable really, and Asparagus in Cape Verde is very similar.
completely and utterly bland. Honestly there is very little to see here and I can't imagine why anyone would go...We saw a few sights of interest throughout Sal including the salt mines and the football stadium. We were also taken to see a mirage in the desert which was nothing more than a little heat rising from the ground and was not impressive at all.
During the tour, we stopped off at what was an old slave port but our 'unlicensed' guide did not speak at all of Cape Verde's slave legacy. Considering Cape Verde was where Slavery began and the Portuguese were the first to dabble and profit from large scale human trafficking, one would have thought this was rather important part of their history but alas, no. We left there and took a break at a local cafe to enjoy great coffee.
This was the perfect opportunity for the those wanting to, to connect to wifi and upload their wonderful photos to Facebook and a host of other social Networks. Me not being so fussed, gave that part a miss.The guides get a cut of everything they do with you, if the take you to a restaurant the owner gives them a percentage of the bill, if they take you to a gift shop, the same principle applies but don't feel pressured into buying anything, as you will have already paid for the tour.
The best part of the tour for me was the blue eye. This stunning tourist attraction is gorgeous so if you decide to go to Cape Verde, please go and see it. You'll love it and to my knowledge nobody has fallen in yet! The CV government should really regulate these attractions and tour guides, only to make them safer for the public because it will not take much for someone to fall in. I would advise against teenagers or those unaccompanied by a responsible adult to go.
Next we planned to skinny dip with lemon sharks but these fascinating creatures did not show as, the tides were out. After a few more stops including one to see a 'mirage' in the desert, one to the Salt mines where the group had loads of fun floating in pure salt waters, another to a not so fancy looking, but very impressively tasting fruit supplied by a local organic grocer, (do try the little bananas) and another, to yet another local African gift shop to be served by this time local Cape Verdeans (and very friendly, lovely guys they were too- hello Christopher :) ) we stooped off for some local cuisine, in an empty restaurant but the meal did not go down very well with the group (something to do with rubbery tasting octopus ). We were relieved to be headed home.
This tour of Sal was hosted by an unlicensed guide who works alone and gathers clients by walking up and down the beach showing A4 posters of his tours. He then hires a pick up truck or asks a friend to carry his passengers for a split of the profits. These people are not licensed and cannot be trusted. I strongly advise you to stick to professional companies and never ever go on a tour without a group, as later on during this trip the said guide (sporting pony tail, ever so slight smell of alcohol on breath and name beginning with A) ripped us off so do BE CAREFUL. I thought about reporting him to the local police but in true Cape Verde spirit I couldn't be asked!We started the tour at 9.00am in Santa Maria and drove to
Asparagus ( not the herb) were half the population of Sal actually live and commute to Santa Maria to work. Asparagus is a dead and as bland as cardboard no frills town where people seem relaxed and chilled. Santa Maria feels busy compared to it but it still has its own unique dullness. We first visited an old army base, which is a cultural staple of Cape Verde as all CV men by the age of 21 are required to do army service.
The air traffic control tower is also located here and monitors air traffic to and from the Canary Islands as well as the Cape Verde Islands. The old army base overlooks Cape Verdes football stadium which was interesting considering Cape Verde was doing pretty well in the African Cup of Nations.
completely and utterly bland. Honestly there is very little to see here and I can't imagine why anyone would go...We saw a few sights of interest throughout Sal including the salt mines and the football stadium. We were also taken to see a mirage in the desert which was nothing more than a little heat rising from the ground and was not impressive at all.
During the tour, we stopped off at what was an old slave port but our 'unlicensed' guide did not speak at all of Cape Verde's slave legacy. Considering Cape Verde was where Slavery began and the Portuguese were the first to dabble and profit from large scale human trafficking, one would have thought this was rather important part of their history but alas, no. We left there and took a break at a local cafe to enjoy great coffee.
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| Salt Mines - Sal |
This was the perfect opportunity for the those wanting to, to connect to wifi and upload their wonderful photos to Facebook and a host of other social Networks. Me not being so fussed, gave that part a miss.The guides get a cut of everything they do with you, if the take you to a restaurant the owner gives them a percentage of the bill, if they take you to a gift shop, the same principle applies but don't feel pressured into buying anything, as you will have already paid for the tour.
The best part of the tour for me was the blue eye. This stunning tourist attraction is gorgeous so if you decide to go to Cape Verde, please go and see it. You'll love it and to my knowledge nobody has fallen in yet! The CV government should really regulate these attractions and tour guides, only to make them safer for the public because it will not take much for someone to fall in. I would advise against teenagers or those unaccompanied by a responsible adult to go.
Next we planned to skinny dip with lemon sharks but these fascinating creatures did not show as, the tides were out. After a few more stops including one to see a 'mirage' in the desert, one to the Salt mines where the group had loads of fun floating in pure salt waters, another to a not so fancy looking, but very impressively tasting fruit supplied by a local organic grocer, (do try the little bananas) and another, to yet another local African gift shop to be served by this time local Cape Verdeans (and very friendly, lovely guys they were too- hello Christopher :) ) we stooped off for some local cuisine, in an empty restaurant but the meal did not go down very well with the group (something to do with rubbery tasting octopus ). We were relieved to be headed home. |
| Sal, Cape Verde, Nothing to see here.. |
Asparagus ( not the herb) were half the population of Sal actually live and commute to Santa Maria to work. Asparagus is a dead and as bland as cardboard no frills town where people seem relaxed and chilled. Santa Maria feels busy compared to it but it still has its own unique dullness. We first visited an old army base, which is a cultural staple of Cape Verde as all CV men by the age of 21 are required to do army service.
The air traffic control tower is also located here and monitors air traffic to and from the Canary Islands as well as the Cape Verde Islands. The old army base overlooks Cape Verdes football stadium which was interesting considering Cape Verde was doing pretty well in the African Cup of Nations. Before I went to Cape Verde the fact that it was peaceful and quiet appealed to me. The problem is that Sal is deserted, its a dry and unattractive place and comprises of a bunch of buildings built on dusty hot dry concrete. The best things about Sal and Santa Maria is the beach, for surfers the beach is the best! The beaches are beautiful but this is NOT enough to waste your money to go there. There a beautiful beaches everywhere.
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