Sal e Boa Vista - Cape Verde for the Tourists

Through a Tourist's Eyes - the Perfect Cape Verde:
Sun, Sand, and Sea

Our first wheelchair project has provided the opportunity to at least become acquainted with the five islands of the barlavento: Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista. It has also allowed us to do something very few Caboverdeanans ever get to do, visit most of the islands.

This blog is a combination of two trips to Sal and Boa Vista. The first was in December, 2011. We returned in January, 2013 to complete the wheelchair delivery. Not all the wheelchairs were sent to these islands in 2011, and finally, at the end of 2012, the last group was sent. So, come with us to the premier tourist islands of Cape Verde!

Our first stop in 2011 began in Sal where we first toured various schools and the regional hospital and talked to various government officials. 


Touring a new Kindergarten building being built on Sal: On the far left is the branch president who was very supportive, and on the far right is the secretary to the president, who also is a member of the church.

We had a small ceremonial delivery of a couple of chair which seems to be the common practice here. Below is a grandmother picking up the wheelchair for her granddaughter who was unable to come.

We also enjoyed spending time with the missionaries serving in Sal. The same evening as the wheelchair delivery, we joined them in the main praça and sang Christmas carols. We had a good audience and the missionaries got some good contacts!


 

Then, that night as we were caroling with the missionaries, the grandmother came with her grandaughter to listen to our songs. It was wonderful to meet the person who will be helped by the wheelchair.

A bird's eye view of a part of Espargos, Sal, from the roof of the hotel pensão where we stayed!

We then flew to Boa Vista.

The 2 wheelchairs that we delivered to Boa Vista! We actually carried them there as luggage on the airplane. The boats were too full to take any -- at least to non-profit organizations that wanted free shipping.

A Boa Vista Beach

Below are 2 views of the poor section of Boa Vista. Not many years ago -- like 5 or less -- Boa Vista had a very small population. Then the tourist boom and the construction of many hotels which brought people from every island and several African nations looking for, and at that point finding work. But with the downturn in the worldwide economy, the building largely stopped and many people were left struggling to survive. The extremely rapid population growth has put a huge strain on the government to provide social services. The people just built any old house, without electricity or water, and without any standards. A recent fire in this development left several families homeless.

We had an afternoon with no appointments, so our taxi driver gave us a tour of the general area around Sal Rei, the principal city and home of the airport. 

 

The beaches and sand dunes are very beautiful!

We visited a pottery and watched the craftsmen form turtles among other things.

And I found my Cape Verdean Nativity Scene! It is a beautifully simple ceramic of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.

A view of the tourist 'Taj Mahal'. I don't think it is finished, as work halted when the economy took a nosedive.

A lunch stop with the taxi driver on the right and a church member on the left who came with us to Boa Vista as the local church representative for the wheelchair delivery.

We had to bring a church leader with us to Boa Vista because there is no organized church unit on this island. We came away with a very strong feeling that the people of Boa Vista NEEDED the gospel in their lives. We met with, by request of the branch president in Sal, a young woman working on Boa Vista. She is trying to live the gospel and study the scriptures, but it is hard to feel so alone and not be able to gather with the saints.

We are ready to go home! And I always have a counted cross stitch project with me. It is a great way to pass waiting time in the airport or on the plane.

Our route home required us to go first to Sal where we had an 8 hour layover. What to do!!! Well, go to the world-famous beach in Santa Maria, about a 20 minute drive from the airport. We walked out to the main road from the airport and a soon a pick-up truck came by as our taxi!


The ideal vacation spot -- white sand, blue water and clear skies. It was a little cool, being December, but still much warmer than where the German and other European tourists we met live!

We enjoyed the few hours there. We visited several "No Stress" African stores. I think they don't understand the meaning of 'no stress.' We actually found some wood carvings that we liked and were able to negotiate them to an acceptable level.

Our flight home went well, but when we arrived in Mindelo, we discovered that a whole pallet of baggage had been left in Sal, including my suitcase. Fortunately, I had enough extra toiletries at home to manage until the next day when we met the airline bus in front of the police station to receive it. Without addresses on the houses, the best way to give directions is a nearby landmark. They called us as they were coming and we only had to wait 10 minutes or so!

Now, fast forward over a year to January 14, 2013. This time, our trip took us to Praia for a couple of days of preparation for the second wheelchair training and then to Boa Vista.

One of 2 major types of vehicles to get around Boa Vista -- a four-wheeler.

The other most common vehicle -- a pick up truck. These are also the taxis of this island. I think there is one traditional taxi on the whole island.

Boa Vista is also a town of fishermen.

These fishermen are getting ready for a 3 day fishing trip.

Our purpose for this trip was the final delivery of wheelchairs. Rather than the normal ceremony, we asked to go to the beneficiary's home to meet them and deliver the wheelchair with the Red Cross volunteers. So, here are a few of our new friends!

Rather than uncrate the wheelchair at each house, the Red Cross president had his volunteers get them ready at their office.

Elder Broderick helps the Red Cross volunteers get a wheelchair ready. This includes pumping up the tires, clipping on the feet rests and attaching the leg support. They really are easy to prepare.

Ready to Roll!!

Elder Broderick gives use and care instructions to a beneficiary.

One highlight of this trip was meeting with 2 members of the church, young adults that work on the island, and miss the opportunity to attend Sacrament meeting every week. They read their scriptures and do what they can on a personal basis, but truly desire the time to unite with other members.  We were happy to tell them that sometime in the very near future, the mission president was going to organize a group (precursor to a branch) so they could hold Sacrament meetings. You can imagine our joy when we learned that a week and a half later that had happened!! And missionaries have now arrived! Better days are coming for Boa Vista!!!

The people in the center of the group are all members of the Church. The one standing is truly grateful she can attend church every week!!

We only had one day in Boa Vista and while en route to the airport, we had to take a detour over a quickly made road crossing the river valley channel. They had had torrential rains in December that totally washed out the main road bridge.

Waiting in line to board. Going to Sal!!

We are accustomed to the propeller airplane. There is a short and a long version, one with 13 rows and one with 17 or so.

 

Sal!!

Meet Zandi (name has been changed) She is one of only two special education teacher in Sal. She works hard to provide a learning experience for the students that come into her class during the day. But it is hard. She was VERY grateful for the support we could give her through one of our projects. We were glad to help.

During our visit to her class, we got to work with the students with some math activities.

In Sal, for the wheelchair delivery, they had the beneficiary come to the Red Cross office to receive his wheelchair. The young adults from the local Church branch came and helped prepare the wheelchair.

This young man was a victim of a fishing accident just a month or so before. It is hard to suddenly find yourself handicapped!! We hope that physical therapy provided by his doctor standing on the left will enable him to recover sufficiently to not need the wheelchair!

It never ceases to amaze me the loads that women carry on their heads. That is probably 30 pounds of bananas -- or more. We have seen women carry 4 gallon buckets full of water, medium size gas cans, 6 or more dozen eggs, a suitcase, a large 24 package bundle of toilet paper. We've also seen young girls carry on their heads the small package of potatoes or other purchases they were sent to the store to buy. And I have never seen them drop it!! Sometimes it is so heavy, they have to have help to get it on their head, then they go off walking.

Below is a primary school that we visited. It is the end of the school day for the morning classes. We were looking at possible projects when the students started pouring out of their classes.



This is a great team -- The students, the principal, young adults who can help and parents who volunteer. We are glad to be part of that team. The parent organization at this school is quite active working for the good of their children.

The School garden. Nearly every school has a place where they raise vegetables to help improve the nutritional quality of the school lunches that are served to every student every day. There are government programs that help with basics like rice and pasta. Then the parents are asked for a small monthly amount, which many cannot pay. The gardens are an essential part of providing nutritious and good tasting food.

Our time in Sal was capped by a visit to a wonderful member family. You may recognize the father as the person who went with us to Boa Vista the year before. He met us on the street the first day we were in Sal and invited us to come to his home, just down the road a piece from our hotel.

They just started a new business -- baking bread and breakfast cakes to sell. This is their in-home oven. He makes the bread and she makes the cakes. They gave us some of both (I wish they would have let us buy them!!) and they were a life-saver the next day when, in our very tight schedule, our lunch was bread and honey cake. They were delicious and it filled us too with their concern and love.

We we got to their home, it smelled sweet and we found out their daughter had made a cake especially for our visit. They are REALLY good cooks!

 

Here is some of their family. They have 4 children along with an 'adopted' son that they claim.

 

(Notice how much of the cake is left. It was good! And of course everyone got a piece.)

They are the pattern for Cape Verde. They joined the church many years ago. He has served as branch president and both have remained active.

 

They are kind and generous. They raised their children in the Church, with their oldest son and adopted son serving missions. The went to the temple last summer with the 2 youngest children to be sealed together forever. Their children reflect the gospel that is lived in their home. And the grandchildren are being blessed with the gospel.

They are a 3 Church generational Cape Verdean family! They are the epitome of what needs to happen in Cape Verde, what can happen and what is happening.