Mindelo
Written by Pieter Jan on Jan 28, 2020 — 2 min read
At: Mindelo, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
On arrival in Mindelo, we went off to explore the city. There wasn’t much open, it being the middle of siesta on a rainy Saturday when we arrived. Even the cats and dogs were taking a siesta.
Mindelo is the cultural capital of Cabo Verde. We discovered an arty place with a few statues and a welder making another structure. We didn’t find context to go with it.
We also needed to provision. Fresh fruits and vegetables were high on the list. We found a covered market and walked out with several kilos of produce, getting hugely ripped off in the process.
The next few days were spent provisioning, researching gas bottle connections, getting new fishing lines and lures, exploring more of the city (in the sun again), talking to fellow sailors, checking out local beaches, bars and restaurants (€1 spirits, €2 meals).
We checked out the local beach, but it wasn’t that pretty. It did have thorough signposts though. We’ll have to sail a bit around the island to get to the beautiful beaches.
The cheap liquor poses some challenges to the local population. Making eye contact with a drunk inevitable invites them to come over, wanting to shake your hand and launch into a Creole sermon about one thing or another. This usually happens when you just want to sit and enjoy your cheap liquor.
“What is your name?”
“Pedro Juan”
“Me, Luis! [+ 5 minutes unintelligible]”
“What is your name?”
“Pedro Juan”
“Me, Luis! [+ 10 minutes indecipherable]”
“What is your name?”
“Pedro Juan”
“Me, Luis! [+ 7 minutes incomprehensible]”
…and so on.
Mindelo is also full of dogs, luckily none with rabies. You could fill a whole album with dog pictures in an afternoon.
