View to Manipu, the tiny rural village where Jairzinho spent his childhood.
After a walk throughout the stunning mountainous landscape around Picos, we arrived in Manipu, the tiny rural village in Cape Verde where Jairzinho spent his childhood. Before meeting Jairzinho’s grandmother for the very first time, I told him that I would, rather urgently, want to use the toilet in her house. To my surprise he replied that there was no toilet, nor was there any in the neighbouring houses. Luckily, he gallantly helped me by taking guard by a small part of bushes before introducing me to his grandmother. At that moment I realised I had not only entered a different country but also a different reality altogether and I concluded that there would be a lot to discover in the coming weeks.
Do you want to discover the Cape Verdean Islands yourself? The real Cape Verde, not the one displayed in brochures from resorts by white sandy beaches aiming for mass tourism that only makes foreign businessmen rich? What we aim for is to guide you in travelling around the islands to discover the various aspects of Cape Verde and its culture. We also strive for a more sustainable tourism that benefits the local people and respects the environment. Therefore, we will not only discuss the touristic highlights, but also direct you to smaller villages and hidden gems to witness the deep Cape Verde. We are sure to be able to provide you with a lot of unique information, since we combine the insights of a native Cape Verdean with the European perspective on the needs of a tourist. Is this what you are looking for while planning your vacation in Cape Verde? Then, this will be the blog you want to follow. And don’t worry, most houses have toilets by now and the tourism facilities in Cape Verde have improved considerably over the years!
A special mix of a Cape Verdean and a European perspective
Do you want to know a bit more about us? How it is that we combine those two perspectives? Well, we are Jairzinho, born in Santiago Island (Cape Verde) and Lore, born in Leuven (Belgium). After falling in love we decided to form a family and we became the proud parents of Alex and Oliver. In our family we all share the Cape Verdean and Belgian nationalities and use Dutch, Portuguese and English in daily live. The four of us love travelling and spending time outdoor. We live in Leuven, Belgium, where Lore works as a teacher. Jairzinho works as a postdoctoral researcher specialized in the history of decolonisation for the university of Stavanger in Norway.
The anecdote on top is an anecdote of Lore's very first trip to Cape Verde in 2011. Ever since we have made it a point to travel to Santiago Island in Cape Verde as often as possible, to visit Jairzinho’s family and friends. During those holidays we always enjoy the tropical climate, the hikes throughout the mountains and of course the lovely beaches (our boys would never forgive us if we skip that last part).
This picture was taken on Oliver's second visit to Cape Verde in 2016. We try to go as often as possible and have been hiking throughout Santiago Island since the boys where very little.
Taking a leap, building our getaway in Cape Verde
Casa Pé di Polon, our holiday home in Cape Verde before the renovation.
During one of our visits to Cape Verde we fell in love with a small rural house in the middle of Santiago Island and decided to take a leap and buy it. We renovated the place, introducing some modern commodities (yes, a toilet as well 😉) to make it our getaway in Cape Verde. Now we have a place of our own where we can relax on our terrace with a view on the valley and mountains. Our boys can run around in the surroundings and can help taking care of the goats, pigs and chicken, living the true countryside life. Since our time in Cape Verde is limited, we decided to make our house available as a vacation rental. The house is located right next to one of the few baobabs on Santiago Island. That is why we named it Casa Pé di Polon, what literally means Baobab House in Creole. Unfortunately, the baobab was hit by a storm twice in the past years causing it to lose its full crown.
We have been hosting tourists since 2019 and are proud to tell you that we have always received highly positive reviews. Curious about our house in Cape Verde? Want to know how we strive for sustainable tourism in its rental? Still looking for a place to stay for your trip to Cape Verde? Check out what our holiday home, Casa Pé di Polon, looks like.
Why we start a blog about Cape Verde now
Currently, we are living in Cape Verde for six months to facilitate Jairzinho’s research at the National Archives in Praia. These six months are a great opportunity to discover more of Santiago Island, for Lore and the boys to get in touch with the Cape Verdean reality in daily life (our boys are even attending the primary school here) and to improve our holiday home and its garden. We are also receiving some friends and family from Belgium and are taking them for trips around Santiago Island to discover its beautiful landscapes and culture. Whenever we turn a curve on one of these trips, coming across another stunning view, we are wondering how it is possible that so little people know about the beauty of Santiago Island. This is why we decided to create this blog.
Magnificent view over Santiago Island, taken from the road towards Rui Vaz. How is it possble that so little people know about the beauty of Santiago Island?
Cape Verdean highlights, hidden gems, culture and history with a focus on Santiago Island
What can you expect from us? What will you find in this travelling blog about Cape Verde? We will be posting about travelling to Cape Verde once or twice a month. A first category of posts will consist of practical tips for your trip to Cape Verde, ensuring you will travel well prepared. Secondly, we will write about the touristic highlights of Cape Verde. We will focus on Santiago Island, Jairzinho’s native island and the island where our holiday home is located. It is the island where you can alternate a day on the beach of Tarrafal, with a breath-taking hike throughout the mountains of Serra Malagueta, a visit to the traditional African market in Assomada and a historical tour through Cidade Velha. This doesn’t mean that you will never find a post on Fogo, Sal or Boa Vista. On the other hand, there is already a lot of information to find about these more touristic islands, while the information on Santiago Island is scarce. Besides the touristic highlights we also want to guide you to more hidden gems and to smaller places where you can get in touch with the deep Cape Verde. Other categories on this blog will portray Cape Verde's history and culture. Jairzinho has so many stories about local traditions and beliefs and is writing professionally about Cape Verde’s history. So be sure to find some unique information around here.
In Santiago Island you find not only big white beaches, but also many attractions that are perfect examples of deep Cape Verde. In this picture: the traditional market in Assomada where you can buy all kind of fruits, vegetables and typical local products.
There we go, our first blog post is a fact! Thank you very much for reading so far. We are very keen to get inspired by your questions about Cape Verde. What do you want to know about travelling to Cape Verde? Which questions do you have about its culture or history? Or did you already visit Cape Verde, and do you want to share some of your experiences with us?
Let us know in the comments below!
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