São Tomé - WATERFALL, BEACH - (3 of 4)

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Different from the remote waterfalls on the island that require hours of jungle trekking, Cascata de Praia Pesqueira sits right along the main road. The stream flows over dark volcanic rocks and there is a swimming basin and black sand ocean beach at the bottom. It is quite beautiful and we were the only ones there. Geographically, it is highly unique because the freshwater stream cascades directly over volcanic shelf rock into a coastal estuary and empties directly into the Atlantic Ocean. It is only a few miles from the equator and very quiet and non-touristy. We looked into the small rooms being rented here and although it is serene and a beautiful surrounding, we are not sure we could stay here more than a day with no electricity or indoor plumbing.

The stone bench memorial (the last photo) features a Star of David at the center, flanked by identical inscriptions translated into three separate languages (Portuguese, English, and Latin): "Memorial in honor. The Jewish child banished from Portugal to S. Tomé and Príncipe by order of The King D. João II in 1493". Note: In 1496, King Manuel I of Portugal had punished Portuguese Jews who refused to pay a head tax by deporting almost 2,000 Jewish children (ages 2-10) to São Tomé and Príncipe for work on the sugar plantations. A year after being deported to the islands, only 600 children remained alive (slave labor).
http://libiastaire.weebly.com/uploads/4/1/4/6/4…; São Tomé" tells the story of young Marcel Saulo abducted with other children from their synagogue in Lisbon and shipped 4,000 miles to the West-African island. https://www.amazon.com/São-Journey-Abyss…;

With the focus on high-quality, organic, and fair-trade single-origin cocoa there are still Elite chocolatiers from around the world source flavor-rich beans from the islands, and making chocolate here. Yes, even though we ran out of time we did get chocolate at the dock, courtesy of Kayle & Becky. After a great tour, we came back to our “new normal” routine of getting ready for dinner and then music, dinner, show Katia & Zenia DANCE, and then late night music.Read more