Cape Verde is a volcanic group of islands with Portuguese roots. We rode up to the summit of the inactive volcano on a cobble stone, single lane road built by slaves centuries ago. Meeting a vehicle in the opposite direction on that road was tricky. It is a barren land with a very short rainy season in which to grow food for their own consumption. All goods are imported and very expensive.
Yes, this is the only country I that I know of that has THE in its name. Extremely poor with no resources and high unemployment. We took a 2 1/2 walk through a nature reserve in 107 degree weather. Luckily none of us keeled over from heat exhaustion.
So very hot since we just came off the equator. Terribly impoverished and hardly any infrastructure. Several mines all owned by foreign companies hiring foreign workers. We drove 2 hours inland to a village that harvests several acres of coca trees (for chocolate). They harvest 3 times a year as a community under the direction of a government appointed farmer.
The village has a king and 2 interpreters plus a village council. No one can speak directly to the king, everything is filtered through the interpreter.
Ghana is 70% Christian and yet a husband can take multiple wives There are 2 government parties….one socialist and one capitalist! Corruption is a given
Coca pods
Holland America sent along a champagne lunch for us. Raw oysters on the half shell were the centerpiece with many other finger foods. The leftover finger foods were packed up and given to the villagers. The disparity between the villagers and the tourists is very significant and did not escape me.
Their transportation is by donkey and cart and their source of income is from the desert melon called NARA and tourist visits.
Cape Verde is a volcanic group of islands with Portuguese roots. We rode up to the summit of the inactive volcano on a cobble stone, single...
