Cabo Verde (or Cape Verde) was not on my radar for 2019. Working in the United States means I have a sad amount of annual leave at my disposal, meaning I have to use my weekends and time off wisely. I had slotted two or so weeks in February for a trip to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste with my mother. Unfortunately, she canceled on me last minute. Since she picked these countries to visit, I was not about to go without her.

With no time left to fill the blank space on my calendar, I decided that it was best to save my annual leave for another time and take a shorter weekend trip somewhere else instead. The problem was, I could not figure out where. The further along I get on this journey, the less options I have. The list of remaining countries largely includes places that require more time. Places that cannot be visited in a weekend. Are two or three days enough in a country? Are two or three weeks enough? Depends. I allocate time based on interest. My interest. I can spend two days in Kuwait and never look back, but I would not be able to give a country like India just two days. Some places simply need more time than others. Strategically, nothing worked. But, I was not about to give up a long holiday weekend.

I threw this trip together at the very last minute. Actually, it was not even my doing. Frustrated, I texted the Oracle. After all, if anyone could provide wise and insightful counsel, it would be him. All jokes aside, there is one person within my circle of travel friends that knows absolutely everything about anything. All it took was one text—one text asking for assistance. In less than an hour, I had everything from the country and the route to flight schedules, areas to stay, and places to visit all outlined for me. All I had to do was make the reservations.

EASE
Unless you come from one of the visa-exempt countries, you must obtain a visa to enter Cape Verde. Note: Visa requirements for Cabo Verde have recently changed—so, check to see if these changes apply to you. All information regarding who is exempt is available at www.ease.gov.cv. A quick Google search will tell you that visas may be obtained upon arrival at any of the international airports. But, keep reading; I will circle back to this later.

Changes were also made to the entry procedures of incoming travelers to Cabo Verde. As of January 1, 2019, all foreign citizens are required to pre-register at the online electronic platform EASE at least five days prior to departure. The online registration process is relatively easy—registration consists of the submission of passport details and other relevant information such as arrival and departure dates, flight numbers, and place of accommodation. Additionally, all non-exempt travelers must pay an international airport security fee each time they enter Cabo Verde.

This is where it gets confusing (or, at least, where I got confused). Various blogs and articles claim that you can pay the Airport Security Fee (TSA) and for the visa at the airport in cash (EUR, USD, or ESC) or by credit card (Visa or Mastercard). However, I did not see any options to bypass paying these fees while registering online. During the registration process, I was prompted to pay the TSA and an additional fee of €25 EUR after I selected ‘American’ for ‘Current Nationality’. Although not explicitly stated, I quickly realized that I was automatically being charged for the cost of an entry visa (or, at least, I assumed). I contacted EASE Support to clarify whether or not the mandatory registration ultimately replaces the visa on arrival process, and was told that it does.

It is still unclear to me how this new online registration process affects visas on arrival. Like I said, I was not able to bypass paying for the entry visa in advance. But, when I arrived at the airport in Praia, there was a separate line for visitors obtaining visas on arrival. Maybe it depends on your nationality? I have no idea.

Santiago
Cabo Verde is an island country spanning an archipelago of ten islands—Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Sal, Santa Luzia, Santiago, Santo Antao, Sao Nicolau, and Sao Vicente.

Why did I pick to visit Santiago? Strategically, visiting the country’s main island just worked for me. After an 8-hour layover in Lisbon [see post: Lisbon Layover], I arrived at Nelson Mandela International Airport (also known as Praia International Airport) on the island of Santiago just after midnight on Saturday, February 16, 2019. Per the official website, EASE aims to facilitate and expedite the entry procedures on arrival. Keyword: aims. Even after registering and paying the fees in advance, I still waited in line at passport control. For two hours. Two hours. Mind you, my flight was the only one that had arrived at that hour. Mind-blowing. During the two hours that I stood in line, the people waiting in the other line for visas on arrival barely moved—I cannot imagine how long they had to wait.

I booked a two-night stay at Praia Confort located about ten minutes away from the airport in the area commonly referred to as the “Plateau”—the historic center of Praia overlooking the bay. Rideshare service, like Uber, are not available. However, taxis can be found anywhere and everywhere.

I had no plans for my time in Cabo Verde. I did not pre-book any tours or even conduct any research prior to leaving for the trip. The Oracle left me with some ideas, and, in transit, I put together a list of places to visit. My list included the following: Farol de D. Maria Pia (lighthouse at the southernmost point of the island); Cidade Velha (once called Ribeira Grande, the first capital of Cabo Verde); Forte Real de Sao Filipe (16th century fortress in Cidade Velha); Nossa Senhora do Rosario Church (15th century church in Cidade Velha); Rua de Banana (oldest street in the first European settlement in Cabo Verde); Se Catedral (ruins of a cathedral built between 1556 and 1705); Market of Assomada (founded in 1931, one of the largest markets on the island); and Tarrafal (city in the northern part of the island). I assumed I had enough time—I figured I would cover half of the list on my first day on the island, and the other half on the second. Apparently, the universe had other plans for me.

Story time!

Every trip is a new adventure. But, not all adventures are memorable for the same reasons. Once in a while, you do have a bad day—that day, mine started with a jacket. Thinking back, I have never lost anything while traveling. After all, I do not travel with much. I only pack necessities. More often than not, I basically just travel with what is on my back, one change of clothes, toiletries, a phone charger, and my favorite jacket. So, it is pretty hard to lose things when you pack the bare minimum. Or so I thought.

After spending two hours at quite possibly the world’s worst airport, I hopped into a taxi in the middle of the night. Already in a bad mood, I was not having it when the driver tried to rip me off. I stormed out of the car and must have left my jacket and whatever else in the back seat. I did not realize it then, but I woke up that morning searching the hotel for my jacket. Determined to make the most out of the day, I was not going to let a jacket affect my “plans”—I use the term loosely, because I did not really have any plans. My plan was to find a driver to take me to the northern part of the island and stop at the various places on my list along the way. While negotiating with a taxi driver in front of the hotel, out of nowhere, a man walked up and asked to see my list. He claimed he was a tour guide and offered to take me for less. How could I pass that up? Given my time constraints, I was initially worried about being able to get to all of the places on my list. What luck? It seemed like everything was falling into place. Or so I thought.

I hopped in a car with the “guide” and his driver, and we immediately began the drive to the other side of the island.

En route, we stopped in Assomada to see one of the largest markets on the island. Market of Assomada, check!

After a quick walk around the city, we continued the drive to Tarrafal. Shortly after we had left Assomada, the guide insisted that we stop at Serra Malagueta Natural Park for a “short walk” to a viewpoint. I eventually agreed, but reminded him that I was not equipped to climb any mountains. He stressed that it would not take long and that the view was worth it. Okay, fine. Upon arrival, there was a young couple waiting at the entrance of the park. Right then, it all became clear. He was already booked to guide this couple around the park—this couple with backpacks, hiking boots, and all. I definitely did not sign up for this. Again, I stressed that I was not prepared to hike. And again, he reassured me that the short walk was nothing but a short walk. Well, it took us over an hour to reach the highest peak on the island of Santiago.

Of course, the view I got was similar to the one I get on all of my trips—completely obstructed by clouds and fog. Freezing, I could not wait to turn around and get down. If only I had that jacket? Little did I know, the driver was waiting for us on the other side of the mountain.

I am always up for an adventure, but I was not prepared for this. Otherwise, I would have eaten breakfast and brought water. And, I would have packed something other than a t-shirt and TOMS to hike in—I am sure you can guess what happens when you mix shoes made from flimsy fabric and wet mountainous terrain. Long story short, with no food or water, a busted knee, and bloody hands, the cliffside hike to meet the driver took 6 hours. 6 hours. Awesome “short walk”.

On a high note, I saw a chicken kill a mouse and swallow it. I did not even know that was a thing. Weird.

By the time we arrived in Tarrafal, the day was basically over. I took a few pictures of the beach, and then we began the drive back.

I was adamant about visiting the rest of the places on my list. By the time we reached Cidade Velha, Forte Real de Sao Filipe was closed for the day.

Unable to walk, I did not even care at that point. We drove past the rest of the places on my list before returning to Praia.

I figured I could return the following morning to properly see the area before my afternoon flight back to Lisbon. However, instead of exploring the various places that I wanted to visit, I spent the rest of that night and the following day sitting with my feet up and icing my knee—not exactly the adventure I pictured.