Capo Verde - Boavista

Before you begin
After spending 8 days on the road in icy and Iceland affascinante I (Federico Chierichetti, Milan) and my girlfriend Daniela, not wanting to forego the pleasure of spending a holiday in an exotic and warm, we are now distributed at a time Cape Verde. In 16 days we are so moved by the cold of the Arctic Circle to the heat of the Tropic of Cancer. A summer of contrasts, in pure spirit of adventure.
Of course the costs were enormous: about 2800 euros a head for Iceland and 1400 to head for Cape Verde, but it was an unforgettable experience.
Returning to Cape Verde.
The time available was a week, so we decided to focus on only one of the 8 islands of the archipelago. We chose Boavista for the fame of its beaches, and because a difference of Ps is still (slightly) away from mass tourism. We know that is a little in the middle of the Sahara, an unspoiled paradise to be seen before it is permanently flooded by western tourism. We know that between ca. one year will open a megavillaggio that with a direct international flight (to date there is no direct flight from Italy, but only two connections a day to and from the island of Sal) will download every week several hundred Italians. And, unfortunately, other villages are under construction.
We have chosen a small hotel on the sea on the beach more beautiful: Chavez.
Here is what we managed to do in 8 days at Boavista.

 

Milan - Sal

TACV flight (a Boeing 757 rather dated) arrives on time to the island of Sal. In short Djasal reach the village where we spend the night and then restart at a time of Boavista. For us who have never been in a village the impact is tremendous, a lot of entertainers that you mark (with the bracelet all inclusive) offer you a drink and inform you on all the entertainment programs of the week ... we are happy to have distributed among a few hours. And then the Bungalow in itself nice and cozy, but the internal temperature reached around 40 degrees. Practically an oven. Not even the fan blades to provide relief. But are we mad? Sleep is almost impossible. We wake up and destroyed sudatissimi. A tip: if one day you will go to this village, which in itself I think is one of the best on the island, I recommend you request a room with air conditioning.

Sal - Boavista

After a full breakfast, we tour the village and visit the great beach in front. A beautiful warm sea and white sand as the eye can see. Shame that the beach is overlooked by all the larger villages of the island, then in brief is disorderly crowd of people who take the beds and put where it happens. All this from a seasoned disco music of the village near which is the least annoying. To understand that love to young adolescents and groups of friends can spot pleasure, but I realize that is not just for us.
In late morning we take the flight TACV (atr 42 to a propeller also dated) and in 20 minutes brings us to Boavista.
Even the arrival in "airport" makes us understand that it landed an island still far from mass tourism. This is a house of cement of 50 square meters where the baggage will be delivered literally "to launch." There are no tapes, there are no claims, no computer. Even the check-in which we will return to the experiment, consists of a desk and a balance of the mechanical hand. The label was handwritten. We like to imagine that they really came to an island wilderness.
The short stretch from the airport to make us aware that although Cape Verde has a pretty rich compared to other African countries, even here poverty is widespread. The cross town (vulnerable) is made of concrete houses in ruins or incomplete. In the streets a lot of barefoot children greet us with smiles that fill my heart.
Here at the hotel, the Park Das Dunas, directly on the most beautiful beach in Boavista and, they say, the whole archipelago (the beach of Chavez). It is a small hotel that about forty bungalow Spartans, fresh and 50 meters from the sea, directly on the beach. There is no entertainment except for a few local folk entertainment provided at night.
Imagine arriving on a wild, with a little tourist and reside in a separate bungalow from a clear blue sea just 50 meters to 6 km long beach and dunes made of gold. Imagine to see a few here and there and palm in one corner a small brick chimney that takes the sun and the color that was used in the past for baking bricks. Imagine the wind that ripples the sea, and continually changes the morphology of the dunes. Imagine, then, that this beach, although it is August, is virtually deserted. Only a few tourists who stroll or someone from the place that makes the bathroom or fishing. This is the impact we have had Boavista.
First we make a long walk on this beautiful beach, we do the bathroom, alone, and there sdraiamo in the sun, isolated from the world. A wonderful feeling.
Dinner at the hotel and inform us on how best to visit the island. We recommend to rely on Pippin, Ragazzoni of a place that has put up a small excursions and the door pick up the few tourists around the island. You can also rent cars or scooters, but since the island has virtually no roads (only tracks of land and sand) and many places, as the most beautiful beaches are unreachable without pick up, we decide to trust him and book some trips we do in the following days.

Boavista

We dedicate the whole day to relax to recover from the labors of Iceland. Silence, sun, sea and walks up and down the dunes of the beach. Unforgettable day. In one day, the pallor that had accumulated in Iceland the week before is a mere memory. Eat at the hotel.

Boavista

We start with Pepin and 6 other people for a trip to pick up that one day we will visit the interior of the island and some beaches. We sit back, outdoors on benches rather uncomfortable in pure spirit caboveridano.
We stop at the beach in Cohral Vehlo (coral old) where the sand is dotted with ancient corals dead. We do bath, let the sun, and eat the bag to start a tour nell'aridissimo procedure. The road is practically non-existent. It is a path marked here and there with white paint in the midst of expanses of sharp stones. We arrive at the beach where there is' a permanent encampment that studies the Caretta Caretta turtles who come here to lay their eggs.
Then we reach the three villages of the north. We stop at Fundo Figheira where we do a walk around the alleys poor, but incredibly decent. Children are watching us curious about them and shoot them back with the camera. Playing with the ball and seem to really enjoy themselves so much. Every now and then a rooster, a hen or a dog crossing the streets to go somewhere.
Towards evening we arrived at the hotel destroyed and covered with dust, but really happy with the trip.

In the morning we turn to the brown in the sun of our beach and take a walk of 9 km until you reach the border of the beach of Chavez. We see a well squaletto. In the distance you can see the outline of the mega village under construction and almost completed within one year will make this beach less attractive and more noisy. I believe that now lacks only the adaptation of the airport runway on landing to make it capable of international flight.
Eaten soon after starting at a time of Cabo Santa Maria beach which takes its name from what remains of the wreck of cargo ship aground here forty years ago. To get there after having walked the Via picturesque "a paved road and surrounded by palm trees built by the women of Boavista.
In return we stop in the capital of Boavsta, Sal Rei, for a spin. Even the children here are the master. Some of our tour companions and give them markers to color notebooks and Dany gave him a little 'of Cicciano. It is a triumph of "ohhh" and laughter. We visit the market, which is closing at this time. The capital is little more than a small village with paved streets and a few here and there pensioncina occupied by tourists. Many Italians who have moved here and opened to tourism related activities.
Start at a time of desert known as Viana white desert. The landscape barren and dark, is suddenly interrupted by white sand dunes that appears to have been putting them artificially. Instead it is a desert that has been created thanks to winds that carried the sand from the neighboring African coast. It is the sunset and the sun gives the place an atmosphere of peace. Not far away a group of children came caboverdiani foot sketches a football match on the edge of the desert.
Return to hotel and after dinner we start, always pick up, to a beach where we hope to spot turtles Caretta caretta. C'e 'la luna piena, there is no artificial lighting, there is no wind and cold. There sdraiamo moonlight and waiting. Until 2 am. Nothing. The full moon makes it unsafe beaches and turtles are not seen. But staying for 3 hours at full moon in silence watching the stars and hear the sound of the waves was really nice.

Boavista

We rent a quad, one of those four-wheeled motorcycle suit to climb the dunes. A boy of the place (Elisha hello!) With his quad to guide us (it's impossible to run without someone who knows the trails stada because the dunes are removed each day from the wind). We reach the village first oldest Boavista (colorful and cheerful) then we arrive at the beach in Santa Monica. Needless to describe, you should see it. Even here we are only us and a few hundred giant crabs running on the beach. Scorazziamo up and down the dunes through unspoiled and beautiful landscapes.
The last stage is an unusual view of the beach of Chavez. From the hill behind us, we realize that those from the sea seem small dunes viewed from above are very high dunes that stretch as far as the eye. Here we do the most beautiful pictures of the trip.
We arrive at Sal Rei after covering quad dunes Chavez (funny). We are literally covered with dust, but excited about what was the most beautiful trip.
After a quick lunch we spend the whole afternoon on the beach to read and dormicchiare.

Boavista

We dedicate the last day in the sun, the sea and the wind Chavez, conscious of having visited all the most beautiful places of Boavista. Tomorrow will be the alarm at 5.00.

Boavista - Sal - Milan

The flight of 20 minutes with TACV atr 42 is terrible. The way someone had vomited earlier and the hostess is not able to remove the stench that accompanies us throughout the flight. I then sat next to his seat indicted ...
The international flight of 6 hours and is punctual in the late afternoon we arrive at Orio al Serio.
It's the end of summer really exciting.