Ilha de Santo Antão (Part 2)

Back in the minibus we continued to travel north towards the northern coastline of the island and its capital, Ribeira Grande.

Ribeira Grande the island’s capital   

Ribeira Grande is not a large town but it is quite colourful with brightly painted buildings. We saw several small market stalls and had a beer in one of the bars which, like the rest of the town, was preparing for Christmas and which had a run of Christmas trees outside it. Ribeira Grande was very much gearing up for Christmas and there were tinsel decorations, fir trees and nativity scenes set up everywhere. Decorated Christmas trees against a snowy background and white-bearded Santa Claus’s were very much the theme, even though the Cape Verdes have probably never seen snow, even in the ice ages.

Porto da Ponta do Sol   

The next stop on our tour was the pretty harbour of Porto da Ponta do Sol. This tiny harbour is used by the local fishermen but quite how they manage to survive the arrival into port we were not entirely sure. The waves crashed around the reefs at the narrow entrance and the surge in the harbour was very severe. The local name for the entrance is Boca da Pistola (‘Gun’s mouth’) which, I think, says it all.

Porto da Ponta do Sol   

The brightly coloured fishing boats were hauled up the slipway and the latest catch was being gutted and sold on the corner of the quay which provided interest. But, the quay also provided a great vantage point to look northwest to see the steep and tall cliffs of this rugged coastline.

Paúl in the shadows under the cliffs   

Our route took us east along the coast road to the coastal village of Paúl which is Umberto’s home. From here we turned inland up a narrow road.

Estrada para o interior do Paúl   

This road, Estrada para o interior do Paúl, wends its way to the top of a deep gully. On either side of it are terraces of sugar cane, palm and other fruit trees and in the river bed we saw lots of yams had been planted.

A traditional smallholding on the island   

We stopped at one point to see a traditional smallholding with thatched roofs on the main house and the outbuildings. A little further down the valley we stopped at a local roadside restaurant for lunch. There was just one choice, a beef and potato stew with rice and you could add a fiery hot pepper sauce if you wished. It was very good and went well with a cold beer.

The sugar cane presses: donkey powered on the left and a ‘modern’ electric one on the right   

One of the main industries on the island is the production of a type of rum known as grogue. On the way back down the valley we stopped at Paúl’s distillery. It was a little early in the season for grogue production and so there was maintenance going on, but we did see the sugar cane presses standing ready.

In season, the sugar cane juice is boiled in the copper vat on the right 

The still   

Small bottle of the Grogue and molasses   

Come the ‘distilling season’, the sugar cane juice is boiled in the copper vat, pictured above, and then fermented in barrels. When ready the alcoholic liquid is distilled in the incredibly simple still pictured above. The distillate (vapour output) exits the boiling vessel via a 3” diameter pipe, which is surrounded by metal guttering. Stream water is diverted to flow down this guttering, cooling the pipe as it goes and causing the distillate to condense in the pipe. The pipe ends in a small hut where the fresh grogue drips into a glass demijohn ready to then be aged and bottled. We bought a small bottle of the grogue and some of their Mel de Cane, molasses to go on porridge.

Looking down the Paúl valley from the distillery   

From the distillery we were driven back down to Paúl where we turned south on the coast road. This is a relatively new part of the coastal road and in places it had been cut right into the cliff with modern construction machinery. There were no more sightseeing stops for us, just the opportunity to watch the scenery go by as the minibus worked its way along the coast back to Porto Novo. This part of the island was much more arid and so the lush green vegetation we’d become used to changed to rock, cactus and low shrubs.

Once back at Porto Novo there was time for a coffee before the ferry took us back to Mindelo. It had been a grand day out and we were delighted that we had heeded the advice to visit Ilha de Santo Antão.