Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
Sal:
 
São Vicente:
 
Santo Antão:
 
São Nicolau:
 
Brava:
 
Fogo:
 
Maio:
 
Santiago:
 

Sal: Salt Pans & Santa Maria

Saturday 12th November 2022
 
After a good night's sleep, we were ready to go out for our first excursion, a short drive to the salt pans on the other side of this narrow island. The little buses were all lined up on the quayside; the same buses, drivers and guides who had brought us from the airport to the ship yesterday. Below is one of those buses, in the parking area close to the salt pan crater.
 
 
 
 
Walking through this tunnel took us directly into the crater.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

No, we didn't join the floaters!
 
After walking around the pans, we headed for the shade of the shop, where we enjoyed a cup of really good coffee, priced at one euro per cup! Geoff bought the red cap here too, which proved to be really useful during the rest of the holiday.
 
 
Despite the heat, there was a cool breeze where we were sitting. We felt really relaxed as we sat enjoying the setting and watching some interesting looking people!
 
 
After an hour or so, it was time to return to the ship for lunch. It was lovely to meet up with Isabel again after first meeting her on our "Macaronesia to Iberia and beyond" trip in April/May.
 
Some photos taken from the bus as we returned to the ship.
 
 
 
 
Fresh water is in short supply on Sal. This "fontenario" is where locals can come to get theirs.
 
 
Port infrastructure at Palmeira, where our ship was docked.
 
A view of Palmeira port, from our cabin.
 
 
After lunch, it was back on the buses for the half hour drive south to Santa Maria.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After strolling around the quiet streets of the town and then walking along the promenade, we still had about an hour to spend before getting the bus back to the ship. We found a very pleasant looking bar/restaurant called the "Palm Beach" "No Stress Bar", where Geoff enjoyed his first Cape Verdean beer and Bruce had a Coke Zero. Geoff like his and between us, the bill was only CVE 800 (£6) which we thought was quite reasonable.
 
We listened to some laid-back local music as we sat, and also did some more people watching. There was a man doing some amazing exercises using a large tyre on the beach.
 
A pretty good road, compared with many we were to experience, as we drove back to the port.
 
Always a welcome sight - returning to our lovely ship.
 
Soon after boarding, we sailed.
 
 
 
 
Leaving Palmeira. Goodbye to Sal!
 
 
In the evening, we were invited to the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party, followed by dinner. This was the menu.
 
The sea was calm. We hardly knew that we were sailing as we slept.
 
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble