Escape to Cape Verde

Last Monday I returned from a fantastic two week vacation in Cape Verde. As my first time out of Senegal other than a trip home to America, my vacation on the islands was a much needed break from my work and life on the mainland and an opportunity to finally see another West African country. I spent the first week with my three lady friends - Alyssa, Tamar, and Erin - wandering the islands of Santiago and Fogo, and being taken care of by Peace Corps volunteers there. The second week I was off to the northern island of Sao Nicolau on my own to visit my new beau Steve and take in the sights. Cape Verde truly is a different world than what I'm used to (as one volunteer puts it, it's more like "HALFrica" than "Africa" and I would tend to agree with him). Great company, great food, breathtaking vistas, new friends, cabs that actually know where they're going, and memories I will certainly cherish. It was an incredible time.

I'm a big believer in attempting to describe my adventures through this blog. My vacation to Cape Verde was a jam packed two weeks though and I don't feel like my rambling will do it justice. In fact, I know it won't because there's no way I could make the words seem as eloquent as the memories floating around in my head. If you'd like a more in depth analysis of the first half of my trip, check out Alyssa's blog. Otherwise, for my own benefit so I can actually remember the trip, I'm just going to throw in some random snippets and photos from each day. Hopefully the pictures can speak for themselves:

April 5th: Dakar to Praia!

goodbye mainland; hello islands, cabs that have working windows, Kriolu, Portuguese, pedestrian walkways, street food (...what am I actually eating?) Strela, city life, Chinese food, talk of volcanoes, total language barrier, bare knees!, quiet streets

April 6th: Praia to the island of Fogo

propeller plane (white knuckles), aerial volcano view, Josh, Sao Filipe, black sand beaches, sunshine, first plate of Cachupa, grog tasting, vegetables, sweet wine, goat cheese, strawberries!, up into the countryside, Emma, Rachel, cobblestones, school children, guava, total envy (of Peace Corps houses), sangria, chili, swapping stories, neighbors, cheers to new friends

April 7th: Fogo, Up to Cha

winding roads, fresh pavement, tiny villages, volcano!, different planet, Cha, Cape Verdean hospitality, friendly faces, local wine, commencing the climb, our guide Nene, ....hike....hike...hike..., top of the volcano, above the clouds, rock wall of terror, sunset on top of the world, galloping down the volcano side, dirty, filthy, disgusting, (worth it), French dinner, exhaustion, a night sky that took my breath away, sleep at last

April 8th: Fogo, Down to Sao Filipe

volcano at dawn, goodbye Mars, early truck ride, beans and beans and beans, hot showers, streets of Sao Filipe, goodbye Josh, black sand beach, view of Brava, coffee breaks, naps, American dinner, beautiful music, girls' night out...but no nightlife to be found

April 9th: Fogo to Praia

birthday, propeller plane, Praia, Chinese food (can't stay away), wandering the streets, strawberries, toast to 26, Italian dinner indulgence, toast to 26, The Serpent's Venom, toast to 26, Erica, Krista, happy birthday sung in Portuguese, toast to 26, passing midnight, off to the Cockpit (yes...that's the name of a club), immediate stage appearance, (toast to 26?), dance...dance...dance..., and then dance some more, home at 5, too many toasts to 26

(no photos necessary...or appropriate)

April 10th: Day Trip to Tarrafal

...somehow up at 8 am, finding transport, incredible views, winding roads, cliffs that seem right there, glued to the windows, Tarrafal, deep blue water, Toby, tuna pasta, French tourists, laughter, stories, beach, Senegalese souvenirs, shell cave, breathing rock, thorny shoes, a place I could sit all day, cliff jumpers, return to Praia, fighting sleep, John, pizza, collapse

April 11th: Praia to the island of Sao Nicolau

goodbye ladies, more propeller planes (getting better at this), nap in Sal airport, Sao Nicolau, Steve!, up to Cachaco, Steve's house, elevation, neighbor greetings, Pirate, rooftop views, dinner with Joe, birthday brownies, happiness

(photos don't do this day justice)

April 12th: Sao Nicolau, in and around Cachaco

morning run, down to Faja, lunch with friends, wandering the countryside, scenery that puts Pout to shame, cobblestone pathways, sugar cane, distillery among the hills, grog, taste tests, laughter, photo ops, see you laters, Cachaco, learning Kriolu, Uno, more grog, neighbors, beautiful night

April 13th: Sao Nicolao, Monte Gordo

sunshine, Steve's park, rocky hills, corn pounding photo shoot, coworkers, Monte Gordo, reaching the top, taking in the view of the entire island, (and taking it in some more), murals, photos, hiking, flora and fauna, dragon blood tree, Catholic church, kestrels, neighbor visits, friendly faces, baby butts, good sleep

April 14th: Cachaco to Tarrafal

down to the coast, CAFE class, Professor Steve, fish and turtles, beautiful students, to the docks, Tarrafal harbor, fishermen interviews, measuring fins, weighing fish, end of class, Nelson, beach, sunshine, Bocce ball, date night, perfect sky

April 15th: Camping at Baixo de Rocha Beach

morning CAFE class, students,laughter, fish, donuts, packing up, hike to the beach, set up camp, bare feet, ocean, sunshine, snorkeling, (working on the tan?), football, dunes, sunset, no need for flashlights because we've got the moon

April 16th: Back to Tarrafal, Night Out

morning at the beach, ocean, sunshine, snorkeling, sea urchins, rock jumping (...still pretending to work on the tan), music, sand...more sand, packing up, hiking to Tarrafal, Man Island reunion, fish dinner, Strela, music videos, fashion show, grog shots, club, music, zook!, dancing, lots and lots of dancing, sleep at last

April 17th: Tarrafal to Cachaco

Cachupa breakfast, goodbye to the fellas, back up the mountains, Cachaco, coffee breaks, packing up, Palm Sunday mass, adorable children, barbecue, friends, neighbors, music, photo ops, views of the valley, last night (is this really the last night?)

April 18th & 19th: Sao Nicolau to Praia, Praia to Dakar

goodbye Cachaco, down to Ribiera Brava, stolen phone (Steve saves the day), airport, dreading this..., goodbyes (I hate them), leaving (I hate this), Sal, Praia, sidewalk cafe, wasting time, Jon, Chinese food (third time's a charm), early flight to Dakar,...back to reality.

I think I was too distracted to take pictures on those last days. It was definitely tough returning to Senegal after such a wonderful two weeks; life certainly hit me in the face when I landed, but I reverted back to normal rather quickly. I spent a few days in Dakar before heading to site in order to catch up with friends and ease back into reality. I had a great reunion with Alyssa, Tamar, and Katherine and we acted like we hadn't seen each other in months. On Thursday it was back to Pout and the transition out of vacation mode. My family welcomed me home with open arms...and home really is what it's become. After a great escape it's good to be back.