That's Sal, Folks

We saw a LOT of Sal Island today. It was...a Sal-ty day (rim shot).

We joined a small-group day trip to see Sal's most famous sights. There's no public transit on Sal, so if we wanted to see other parts of the island, this was one of the only ways to do it. Sal is barely 35km by 12km, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna walk. I am just saying.

The van picked us up at 9am, and we headed off for Kite Beach, one of the world's most famous beaches for kite flying (weirdly, I already knew about this place, because Long Beach in Washington state hosts North America's biggest kite festival). Not surprisingly, it was windy on Kite Beach. I do not like wind. If kites could fly on warm sunshine, I'd probably be more interested in them.

Our next stop was the small fishing village of Palmeira. Fishing is still one of Cabo Verde's biggest industries, and local fishermen still use small rowboats and handmade nets. The harbor was teeny and charming, and made even more charming by the local shopkeeper who invited us to sample her housemade grog (local firewater in various flavors and levels of toxicity).

We next visited the famous Blue Eye of Sal. This is a weird natural phenomenon in an underwater cavern in a seaside cove. Somehow, the cavern is illuminated by the sun’s rays, making the water crystal clear, and creating a circular pool of shockingly bright turquoise in the water. The visual effect looks just like an iris of an eye. It was really beautiful, and I've not seen anything like that before. It's also big business for Capo Verde- that teeny pool has spawned a visitor's center, a restaurant, a gift shop, and a boardwalk promenade around the cove. Ahh, the sweet smell of tourism.

By this time it was past noon, so we stopped at Dreams, a small restaurant beloved by our guide. It was a typical local African's lunch joint: plastic tables and chairs, the TV blaring music videos or football, and the owner's children underfoot. In other words, we were very excited because this place had all the signs of serving amazing food. And we weren't wrong- I ordered fogo (Cabo Verdean roast chicken), Matt ordered cachupa (Cabo Verdean bean and meat stew), and both were the best food we've had so far on this trip.

After lunch we drove by an actual MIRAGE in the desert-like atmosphere. I have never seen this phenomenon in person, and it is mind-boggling. Apparently hot air reflects the sky, creating the illusion of a pool of water on the sand. People lost in the desert follow a mirage in hopes of finding water, but the illusion always appears at the same fixed distance, no matter how far someone walks towards it. "And that is how people die!" our guide explained cheerfully.

Our final stop was at the Pedro Luma Salinas (Salt Pools). Back in the 19th century, this was a working salt farm; now, it's been converted to a giant therapeutic salt pool. (We were told that it's the second saltiest body of water in the world, next to the Dead Sea, but a cursory glance at Wikipedia called bullshit on that "alternate fact.") Unlike the Atlantic Ocean chill, the saline lagoon was warm and cozy. And like the Dead Sea, you can just bob happily in all that bouyant salt without any floatation aids. It was a fun way to end the day trip (well, at least until my salt crust solidified on the drive back to Santa Maria and fused me to the van's seat).

We managed to see a lot of Sal in just eight hours, but no joke, I was exhausted by the time we got back. Tomorrow i plan on doing absolutely nothing except lie on a beach.Læs mere