What could possibly be better than to go someplace warm during the cold winter months? The male part of our family chose Cabo Verde islands and I sure did not complain. Sun, beach, sea, palm trees, who could ask for more? A fleet of buzzing mosquitoes during the night and scorching heat during the day hardly affected the relaxing, peaceful atmosphere.
We are not beach enthusiasts so apart from taking a stroll along the sandy beach and a quick swim we spent most of the time exploring the islands. The island of Sal, where we arrived, is very touristy, with numerous hotels, resorts, restaurants and countless touts selling souvenirs. We flew to the capital city of Praia on the Santiago island where we did most of our sightseeing.
Although volcanic in origin the islands are not totally black from the lava as some are covered in lush tropical greenery.
There are some historical sights to see, such as the ruins of the first European settlement in the tropics.
We rented a car and drove the length of the island, all the way up to Tarrafal to spend a day on the beach with locals, no tourists in sight (except us, of course).
The most unusual sight was our visit to the local salt mines where busloads of package tourists were brought to take a swim. I stopped eating salt for the rest of the trip.
