Show Me The Green, Please!

nansknits19
Jun 11
4 min read

Cape Verde was discovered and claimed by the Portuguese explorers in 1456 (or perhaps 1458, depending on which AI one believes) and remained under their control for eons, only declaring their independence July 5, 1975. Presumably, it was so named at that time. Perhaps an apt description/name then. Today, much controversy swirls around a part of its name... Is it really Cape or Capo? ...Really? What are they thinking? The real question should be regarding "Verde" being attached to this big brown piece of granite.

The Vista docked at a beautiful new terminal in Porto Grande, Cape Verde for the day of June 5th. Beautiful newly built pier on one of the ten islands comprising the independent nation of Cape Verde. We also came to Cape Verde in 2023, but I chose to remain on ship throughout that stop. Frankly, I didn't see much of interest to entice me to disembark. In 2023, the stop was perfectly logical to me as it was directly in the path from point A to point B... This year, not so much; but they did have fuel which we were told by the (now departed) General Manager was the reason we were going to Cape Verde - even though by my calculation, it was at least one time zone, if not two, west of our path north to Portugal. So, full speed ahead - over very choppy waters - to Cape Verde we go.

Okay, if fate has seen fit to take me to Cape Verde, not once but twice, then I shall explore at least a small part of these islands. Not possessing a death wish, I passed over the excursion including an hour and a quarter "hike by the arid valley" for a more realistic "Highlights of Cape Verde". The Currents description was dead-on, as our tour bus took us up that granite mountain to almost the very top (a military installation was at the very tip-top thus inaccessible to us). As we crept slowly up that mountainside along a very steep, mostly one-lane switchback road built in the 1800s - really testing the transmission, I realized the obvious: it would be necessary to traverse this very same path DOWN the mountainside. At that point, I developed a deep and sincere interest in the state of the brakes on said bus! So much so that I inquired of our guide at the next photo stop, "When was the last time these brakes were inspected?" He seemed very puzzled by my question, then very politely suggested that perhaps I should not have come on this excursion if I had a problem with heights. To which I responded, "Oh, I have no problem with heights, however, I do have a problem with the prospect of plunging headlong off one of these sharp turns." He laughed and assured me that we would be fine (and we were). The views were incredible! So glad I chose this excursion! As we were ascending, the tiptop was somewhat hidden within the clouds but by the time we reached it, we could see forever! Due to their severe water shortage, they ingeniously hang a piece of black plastic high into the clouds causing them to condense into water and run down the plastic into a collection barrel...

On our descent, our guide shared much information about his homeland. In August of 2025, Cape Verde experienced its first hurricane. As he said, "they usually start here and work their way to your country," but this one started in Senegal and struck Cape Verde with a vengeance! Knocking out roads, bridges, destroying both homes and businesses, killing nine. Later, along the beach, we saw much of the damage to the roads and bridges that are still undergoing reconstruction. He said that the projected completion date was "sometime in June". I can tell you... it will not be this June!

Another fun fact he shared, Cape Verde's annual rainfall is so small it is immeasurable! Almost all of the underground water is gone! They survive on either desalinated water or imported bottled water. So how much does a month's supply of fresh water cost? About six or seven US dollars. Considering that he had already stated that the average monthly income here was approximately $400, that's a lot! One of his pet peeves is failure to respect the environment. He hates litter and those who litter! Amen!

Upon our successful descent from the mountain, we visited three of their beautiful beaches. The beautiful white sand along the coastline was pointed out to us. Its source: none other than the Sahara Desert! "You get that too, no?" Yes, indeed we do. I assure you it is much nicer on a Cape Verde beach than in my eyes and nose blowing through Texas. While visiting the beaches, I happily dipped my toes in the Atlantic, took many, many photos of the blue, blue sky and water, bought yet another refrigerator magnet, took a not so bad selfie along the water's edge, and soaked in the sounds of the surf. Then it came time to leave these sounds and scenes and return to our ship by a different route through "farmland". Only one problem... the Sahara sands had accumulated in excess around the single curve in the exit path... That's right, our rear wheels were up to the axel in sand. Some thirty minutes and much digging, pushing, grunting and discussion later, we continued on our journey. Our guide was most apologetic about the delay and inconvenience (we naturally had to disembark the bus and once free from the grip of the sand, walk up to the street and solid ground to re-board). When asked how often this happens, he replied that it was only the second time it had happened to him. No sweat. It was just a little unexpected adventure to all of us.