Mick’s foot was still giving him problems and so after finding out more about the faclities on the island from Alexi and Charlie, which included the information that the principlal two towns; Espargos the capital in the centre of the island and Santa Maria in the south where the tourist ‘resorts’ are, both had hospitals; we checked the weather outlook again. The next two to three days were due to have light/no wind between Sal and Sao Vincent, our final destination in the Cape Verde and so we decided to stay on Sal for a couple more days and take a bus ride to Espargos and Santa Maria.
A “bus” on Sal is a minibus, and a very effective and efficient bus service is provided by a fleet of what appear to be privately owned mini buses ranging from quite new vehicles to pretty ancient and clapped out ones. Presumably they are licensed to operate by the Island authorities because it’s not a simple free-for-all; they have to follow a designated route. In Palmeria where we are, the buses cruise up and down the main street looking for customers and once the bus is full of passengers it heads off to Espargos where it terminates and everyone piles out. To get to Santa Maria - where we had decided to go on the grounds that being a tourist hub, it probably had better facilities and a greater chance of English speaking staff at the hospital - we had to walk round the corner to a square where the buses that plied the route from Espargos to Santa Maria congregated to pick up their passengers. Within 15 minutes or so our bus was full and we were off to Santa Maria. The trip to Espargos took perhaps 10 minutes and the trip down to Santa Maria at the extreme south end of the island took about 30 minutes. The first ride was 0.5€ each and the second, 1€. We had just 5€ between in cash between us and so needed to get some more.
Our first objective on arrival therefore was to find a bank and/or Cash point which we did. The cash point turned out to be empty and there was a long que in the bank so we tried elsewhere. With no luck we returned to the first bank and passed the man who refills the cash point just leaving. Result. We got our cash and headed for the hospital.
At first sight things did not look promising. The building was absolutely fine - but it seemed deserted except for a cleaner. There was a handbag behind the reception desk and so we waited along with a few locals. After 15 minutes the receptionist turned up and pointed us round the corner to A&E. A small waiting room with perhaps half a dozen locals in it - but again no receptionist. One returned after about 10 minutes. Only one of the locals went up to the counter, so after she was done Mick went up with his pre-prepared google translate enquiry on his phone. He sat back down after about a 20 minute animated ‘conversation’ which included standing on one leg, with a grin on his face. “Well something must be happening because I’ve paid some money….2€” Surely that must just be an initial admin charge I said. After another 10 minutes he was called in. It transpired that the duty Doctor spoke good English and after checking the situation handed him over to a nurse who proceeded to remove a fraction of deeply embedded splinter. “Come back on Friday if it’s still hurting” he was told.
Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos of the hospital but here’s one of the posh clinic in the tourist resort which would have been another option.
Despite growing up around the tourist area, the town itself was unpretentious and a bit on the scruffy side but definitely not a “shit hole”.
Next stop lunch in a Craft Beer bar just round the corner. Good beer and good pasta lunch for a total of 25€.
Then we headed for the beach and tourist strip. At the beach and pier, we found a remarkably integrated economy and neighbourhood. Locals were running businesses like bars and stalls as you would expect but also, they were in amongst the tourists continuing to operate their traditional fishing industry.
Catch was landed on the pier and gutted and processed there before being taken off to local restaurants, shops and markets. The two communities seemed to my eyes at least, to be remarkably well integrated - certainly compared to other resorts I have seen.
The local authorities can also take great credit for resisting the modern urge to build high rise and instead the very significant beach strip was tastefully lined with low rise hotels and holiday homes.
The beach was covered with pleasant golden sand and the emerald water crystal clear....
Unfortunately we had not brought our swimming gear!
We wandered around and inspected the posh clinic pictured earlier and then on the way back stopped off for an ice cream.
It’s undeniable that the island itself is no beauty spot, being for the most part, arid flat and volcanic with precious little vegetation; the one exception seemingly being the southern coast which presumably is irrigated, but for those looking for a holiday in an environment where they can mingle safely with the local population and absorb the local culture, Santa Maria is definitely worth considering.
Our bus ride back to Porto da Palmeira went just as well as our ride out and our dinghy was still on the beach where we had left it!
We called in on Alexi and Charlie and on Shane on the way back and invited them over for drinks later that evening. We were all having a great time swapping stories when the crew of another boat - a Rival 41 from Guernsey turned up in their dinghy. They had already got to know Alexi and Charlie and so we invited them on board too. We now had 9 people in the cockpit - a record I think!
From right to left: Charlie, Alexi, Shane, Ben, Liv, Adam, Charlotte, Mick's knees!
Shane won the prize for the best/most frightening story of the night. He was attacked by Orca in 2022 off the coast of Portugal. He was motor sailing at night when suddenly the tiller was wrenched from his grip and slammed across the cockpit, the bronze tiller head broke and he narrowly escaped being injured seriously by the tiller. He looked behind the boat to see a group of Orcas playing volley ball with his rudder. So much for my assumption that long keeled boats with keel hung rudders would be safer! He had to call up the rescue services and get towed back to port!
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