In spite of the dodgy toilet, we met some friendly people at Cabo Bar. My friend was given a pretty little bird weaved out of long leaves by a local craftsman. A man behind the bar explained that the man was “crazy but talented”, having studied to become an engineer and singlehandedly sculpted a massive work of art in Santiago, but he had somehow lost his way in life and could occasionally be seen talking to himself, shouting and swearing in the middle of the street. We also met a group of kite surfers, one of which told us he had nearly drowned as a boy, but found himself drawn towards the dangerous waves of Sal in his middle age- you only live once, I guess!
Of course we went back to Calemo a few more times and it seems the party never stops in Santa Maria because the bars and clubs were open every night of the week (or at least every night that we went).
never been to a spa before, and for some reason I imagined lying back and listening to a CD entitled ‘swimming with dolphins’ while a masseuse pulled my arms out of their sockets and worked my last meal back up my oesophagus!
atmosphere was vibrant and buzzing with activity. Fishermen were hauling their catch onto the pier, before moving it along a human production line in preparation for sale. The woman cleaning and cutting the fish sat on an upturned crate with basins of fresh fish before her, fishing nets to one side, a wheelbarrow to the other and a content dog taking a midday snooze in the shade of the wheelbarrow.
Alongside these activities holidaymakers lined up in scuba diving gear waiting to be lowered into small dinghies and taken out to sea and several men selling Cape Verdean merchandise paced up and down looking for buyers- and that was just on the pier.
On the sand, lifeguards sat on their elevated white chairs and every so often would race to the water having seen a suitably ferocious wave, diving head-first into it! Further along the beach people were
flying kites and out to sea there were plenty of boats bobbing amongst the waves.