March 6th we spent sailing north all day but arriving in Sao Tome/Principe (two small islands that make one country) made it all worth while. They were first inhabited by the Portuguese in the late 1400s and were one of the first African countries to embrace Democracy.
Our first day was in the larger island of Sao Tome (Saint Thomas). Upon our arrival, it was overcast rainy and pretty dismal. We anchored offshore and took the Zodiacs to land (big black inflatable dinghys that hold 10 passengers + 1 crew) - there were swells and the spray was unforgiving.
This is a nice view of Sao Tome from the ship - it looked quite impressive from a distance.
Here we are in a Zodiac - I am waving at the camera. We had to wear black inflatable life preservers but they were small and unobtrusive. Remember you can click on the photo to make it larger.
When we landed, we boarded coaches which were waiting for us. This gentleman was standing around watching us and I was fascinated by his clothing so I took his photo - he was more than happy to pose.
We were heading for a beautiful waterfall when we saw this 'meeting' of taxis in the main town. Anyone can have a taxi as long as they paint it yellow and buy a yellow license plate. Taxis work like buses - they pick up several fares as long as they're going in the same general direction ...
This was the neighborhood laundromat. We saw a few of these buildings - and they are much better than washing clothes in the rivers creeks or ocean.
This is the waterfall we drove to see ... it was about 100' tall and was in a beautiful pristine area. This is Paula (left) and I.
Our reptile/amphibian specialist moved some rocks and found this little guy. He's a “Cobra bobo,” latin name: Schistometopum thomense. Although he looks like a yellow night crawler, he is an actual amphibian - his bellow was bluish and he had tiny eyes with white spots below them.
We left the beauty of the waterfall and headed for Monte Cafe to see how coffee beans are processed. We were met with a local dance troupe, lots of kids and an old rusty tank.
The dance troupe consisted of some talented percussion players and a few local ladies of a wide range of ages.
Here are some of the children. Others were peddling flowers and beaded necklaces.
Here's the old tank - perhaps it came fro 2003 when the Army seized control of the government for one week. Not sure though.
My sister had wandered off taking pictures and when she started to walk back these two little girls got hold of her hands and walked back with her.
This is one of the darling children who came to see us. My heart just broke because of the way they were dressed. One little boy was trying to walk with a pair of flipflops that had come apart - they'd cost $3 here but he was making do with a broken pair.
These boys were playing with home-made toys as you can seek and others were rolling old motorcycle tyres.
We drove through town to the Pestana Hotel for lunch - this is a street scene from town.
They had a few really nice modern buildings in town too.
We drove past this football (soccer) stadium which had the Olympic symbols on it.
When we arrived at the hotel, there was a huge buffet awaiting us. This is the dessert table - a place to start.
This colorful old boat was on the front and our local guide told us it was a disco.
The main industry here is fishing and this is a street scene of a local fishing village.
When we first arrived, the beach area was covered with fishing dugouts and there were a few people - including the nice looking young man who managed to get his face in the picture.
Within very few minutes the beach was swarming with native people and our passengers from the buses.
There were goats wandering around on one side of the road and this pig strolled along the beach side. No-one seemed interested in them so I guess fish was on the menu for dinner.
This cute young boy was hanging on to his father's fishing boat but he was far too darling not to take his picture.
Dogs don't seem to be kept as pets in these countries. None are spayed or neutered and most are in deplorable condition - like this one walking along the beach. No-one paid attention to him and he didn't look long for this world.
Here's another darling child being carried on her mother's back but very interested in all the white strangers.
Two more lovely young girls.
One of several old rusty wrecks near the beach - and the Corinthian II in the background.
Next stop was an old fort which we'd seen from our ship as we were anchored offshore. This one had been quite well cared-for.
Here's the staircase to the second floor and roof (my sister Paula is on the stairs)
One of our guides/lecturers came to an open window and began serenading me - a la Romeo/Juliet with positions reversed. He is a nutcase and we all loved him for it.
There were statues outside the museum of three Portuguese explorers and i had to include this one because he looks like Christopher Reeve.
Upon returning to the main town, we visited the local inside/outside market. We were escorted inside by our guide - thank goodness - and our noses were entertained with various unrecognizable smells. It wa a 2-story building where you could buy just about anything you want.
The market poured out onto the street and you can see here, taxis, motorcycles and cars.
This very sure-of-herself young lady happily posed for a picture. She was with her mother in one of the outside booths.
Our last stop was to see local dancers. They were portaying a legend about a cheating woman - it was very interesting although we didn't quite understand the story. Our guide explained it to us as we were leaving the area.
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