When I want to pay for my Caipirinhas the next morning Fabri, the owner of Aldeia Panoramico, tells me that I was booked for one more day! I’ve mixed it up again!
So, instead of leaving for Ponto do Sol, Marina and me walk into the valley of Pombas, to the very far back, as there is a waterfall. It was that pregnant young lady that had also run up and past us when hiking the day before, that had told us about the beauty of this place. We walk in the riverbed.
There are pebbles, later stones and rock. Most of the time the path is well visible, sometimes we get lost. Further up, and we had rightly assumed so, the path gets steep onto the terraced fields of some farmer. We have become cautious about what to believe from the locals. They are mountain goats and some of the hikers here, too. But it IS beautiful up here! Going down is easier, we find the path better and make it in about 70 minutes. So, Elio was actually quite right with 80 minutes one way. It took us three hours up and back – a fine walk with sore muscles.
With Eloi we also have a look at the “biggest” rum distillery in the Paul valley. It’s actually pretty small, but we learn that the government has imposed new regulations and they have to use Inox barrels now instead of the old wooden barrels. The effect is devastating as many small distilleries cannot afford the new, expensive material and had to close.
Elio deposits Marina at her hotel in Ponto do Sol and the first impression I get from that place is one of forlornness. It reminds me of Moroccan places, somewhere up in the Atlas, where women hide in their houses and there is almost no one seen on the street. It’s windy, pretty windy! And hazy. Elio drives me back to my hotel – as I have to luckily stay there another night! – back along the black rocked coast into the green valley of Paùl.
There is a huge table set for regulars, the Oléron boys, Tom, some French women and an Irish guy, Harry, and his friend Laura – and me! I’ve become part of the “family” and am very happy. We had a jolly good night with lots of “grogue” and “ponch”, that’s rum with flavour – liquor, we had Coconut Ponche, soft and fresh and thick and milky and sweet and … too much!
The next morning I’m met by Elio again and this time I leave for good. I’m sorry to leave Aldeia Panoramica. I’ve met interesting people, more and faster as I had expected and with Marina I think I’ve actually found a new friend. In Ribeira Grande we meet her and together we drive up the old (and first) cobbled road the Portuguese built up to the Cova Crater again, but this time from the other side.
Unfortunately, there are clouds hanging over the valley, there is this harmattan wind haze that’s lingering everywhere and the view are spoiled. It’s not possible to capture the immensity of the view and the steepness of the slopes going down on each side of the road, for example at Delgadim
The atmosphere in Ponto do Sol has not changed – forlorn. There are no people around. We want to have a drink in the famous Café Veleiro where you can see on the small terrace overlooking the surf of the sea and, if lucky, spot humpback whales – so I was told. They have a varied menu – yet, there’s almost nothing available, even for the drink. No Caipirinha, no ponch Coco, and the Pina Colada is convenient from a bottle – it tastes as if. Rather a disappointment.
What contrast to the small restaurant Catera, run by a French woman from Corsica. The food is delicious! The music too!
It’s from Ponto do Sol to Cruzinha, this famous walk along the steep, black coast. I’m a bit worried about my condition when we set off. We actually want to pass the famous village of Fontainhas set on a high cliff ridge overlooking the sea. From there we want to get up to the viewpoint and when we have reached it and it is not midday yet, we go on, the steep serpentines of the way of the cross down to the hamlet of Corvo. Here we meet the two French ladies of Aldeia Panoramica, who – once again – are more running than walking up the hill. They made it from Cruzinhas to here in less than two hours. So that means minimum 3 hours for us. They mention that they hadn’t seen much of traffic in Cruzinhas. We walk on and come to the small village of Formiguinhas. Here we find a place to eat. The guide of the French hiking groups warns us again that it would be difficult to find an aluguer going back to Ponto do Sol from Cruzinhas, especially as it was getting late.
So, not quite light-hearted we get convinced that it is better to turn round and walk back to Fontainhas – this time UP the steep way of the cross – than heading on to Cruzinhas, not knowing whether we would get transport back to Ponto do Sol.
We make it! Almost 700 metres altitude down and UP on that day. I feel that I’ve got fitter compared to my first hike down into the Paùl valley from the Cova Crater. It’s my head that is throbbing from the heat, but there’s a nice breeze, soothing. We are happy to go and have dinner again in the Caleta restaurant – and this time its three Caipirinhas.
I get on very well with Marina. She tells me about her home town in France, a region I faintly know but have never visited yet. It’s far from a touristy place but with nice touristy attractions around and close to the wonderful town of Nantes, which I actually adore a lot.
Marina is a very considerate person, knowledgeable, a bit younger than me but no less life-experienced! She’s travelled to many exotic places and earns my respect for things she’s done in her life. Talking to her in my still fragile mental condition means a lot to me. She’s actually able to pin down new objectives for/with me and I’m truly thankful for this. I finally need to forget the past!
I’ve changed plans. I want to stay with Marina one more evening and I don’t actually know what I’ve lost in Ponto do Sol. Tomorrow will be Sunday, so probably even more deserted than it is today on a “lively” Saturday night. I decide I will leave a night earlier and go with her on the late afternoon ferry over to Mindelo.
The alugar takes us to Porto Nova, cheap and reliable. These things work out well here on the Cape Verde Islands. Also the ferry is on time most of the time, but today it’s late. I’ve given my ticket to the lady in charge at the ticket box, when Marina bought hers. She’s just scribbled something onto it – but I suppose it will be fine.
But when we want to board the ferry – my suitcase is already on the luggage trolley – they don’t want to let me in. They’re mumbling something about special security controls, that it would not be save, that I had to wait outside the ferry. I say, it’s not my fault that I did not get a “new” ticket and the guy finally lets off me.
Interestingly enough, once the ferry has taken off, he finds me and apologies. He explains that there was kind of a special procedure today and that everybody had been nervous and that they actually had not intended to leave anyone behind.
When I get to the hotel in Mindelo there’s another disappointment. The hotel is overbooked and I have to stay again in the Residencial Mindelo – where I stayed a week ago. Only this time I get one of the worst rooms – one without windows. But for one night it’ll do and I get a Caipirinha offered and the breakfast will be much better more of my taste (good Italian coffee) than the one in Residencial Mindelo.
Marina comes by and we have a great dinner with live music and a good chat with a couple – again from Nantes (somehow my life is going to revolve around this area of France, finally). They will be on the flight to Praia the next day as well, so I already know four other people on that flight!