Santa Maria

Santa Maria - the Main Tourist Town

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Overview

A prickly customer Photo - Cape Verde, Africa

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Sal is one of the smallest of the ten islands that make up the Archipelago of Cape Verde, it was first sighted by Portugese explorers back in 1460. However, it has always been recognised that the Moors had visited the islands regularly before that date with records showing that they would take salt from the naturally formed ‘Salinas’ on the island.The salt crater was certainly one of the high spots of our sightseeing of the island. There is very little vegetation on the island of Sal and its hard to think that only five or seven years ago the people were able to grow many of their own vegetables, including corn, watermelon and some root vegetables.The North Easterly Trade Winds a...Read More

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The Movida

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Restaurant

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We visited the Movida around 8:30pm after we’d had our abortive visit to Chez Pastis. It had one small table empty and we enquired at the bar if we could have a table for two. There was one of those time lapses (like you see on live satellite television links) before the guy replied ‘can you wait for two/three minutes, until I clear the table?’ ‘No problem’ we replied and looked to grab a seat near the bar to enjoy a pint of Sagres whilst we waited, but this guy could not multi task – he was casually moving into the kitchen. At this point we realised that there was only one bar stool to “rest our wearies” - still a couple of minutes standing wasn’t the ends of the earth. Well this guy (i...Read More

We visited the Movida around 8:30pm after we’d had our abortive visit to Chez Pastis. It had one small table empty and we enquired at the bar if we could have a table for two. There was one of those time lapses (like you see on live satellite television links) before the guy replied ‘can you wait for two/three minutes, until I clear the table?’ ‘No problem’ we replied and looked to grab a seat near the bar to enjoy a pint of Sagres whilst we waited, but this guy could not multi task – he was casually moving into the kitchen.

At this point we realised that there was only one bar stool to “rest our wearies” - still a couple of minutes standing wasn’t the ends of the earth. Well this guy (in fairness he was the only person front of house) moved slowly (no stress) taking meals to tables, providing drinks and painfully compiling bills. And then, as if a bolt of lightening had struck him he then seemed to remember that he had promised to clear a table for us.

He went to the table and brought back a full ashtray, cleaned it out and returned to the table to collect the condiments then back again to collect the tip left by the last occupants. By this time another couple had vacated their table and as there was a bench seat along the wall we chose to sit here and wait. ‘Would you prefer that table?’ the guy asks and being decisive I answered in the affirmative. So he now abandoned his work on the aforementioned table and started the same routine on the table of my expressed preference. After five minutes it was ready to occupy – the menu was brought to the table and the guy then went on his way, slowly attending to the needs of other diners (no worries).

Now, by this stage in the evening I was ready for a beer and the normal procedure in a restaurant is to ensure that your diners are offered the chance to order a drink early on in their evening. Not so here (no hurries) and we had to exercise extreme patience. Finally our time arrived and we ordered. Once again we were only going to have a main course and I wanted to try Cachupa but unfortunately this was not available so instead I opted for Feijoada a similar type of stew dish that is cooked long and slow to enable the flavours to blend together. The guy assured me that the portion would be plenty and that it was indeed a main course rather than as described on the menu as a soup.

My wife more conventionally went for fillet of fish in a lemon sauce. We ordered a couple of large draught beers and were surprised when this arrived speedily to our table (no delay). A long wait followed (the myth if Cape Verdean service proved a reality at the Movida) and I was ready to order another beer by the time the cutlery and cruet were delivered to the table but if we thought this heralded the arrival of our meal we were to be totally mistaken (no illusions). Indeed our ‘guy’ soon forgot that he was supposed to be bringing me another beer (no memory) and looked a little surprised when I re-pointed to my glass. It was then soon filled!

When the meal finally arrived, with an ample supply of bread to mop up the juices, we had studied every nook and cranny of this strangely decorated restaurant It has bright blue swirly walls, blue stripes over the bar, a primitive seascape as a mural, old maps, seafaring memorabilia, and photos of successful catches of fish. Bright, cheerful and interesting would be an honest appraisal.

The food her was good and an apology was given for the delay (no rush) but it is worth noting there is no service here after 10pm.and you will need to be chilled out and be in NO HURRY.
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 1, 2008

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Nha terra

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Restaurant

Beach at Santa Maria Photo - Cape Verde, Africa

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Right on the edge of town this small restaurant has eight tables on a neatly tiled walled terrace and another eight in a well-lit and well-decorated bar area. It’s linked with the neighbouring boarding house (pension) and what I thought was a decorative feature in the garden turned out to be the smallest hotel swimming pool that I’ve ever seen. Two strokes and you’d be hitting the far end of the pool!We were the only diners - well it was only 7-15pm and people here seem to eat a little later although, generally the last sitting is around 10pm - and initially we thought only the bar was open. However, the two guys in the bar sprang into action and took on the appearance of half efficient w...Read More

Right on the edge of town this small restaurant has eight tables on a neatly tiled walled terrace and another eight in a well-lit and well-decorated bar area. It’s linked with the neighbouring boarding house (pension) and what I thought was a decorative feature in the garden turned out to be the smallest hotel swimming pool that I’ve ever seen. Two strokes and you’d be hitting the far end of the pool!

We were the only diners - well it was only 7-15pm and people here seem to eat a little later although, generally the last sitting is around 10pm - and initially we thought only the bar was open. However, the two guys in the bar sprang into action and took on the appearance of half efficient waiters.

Having established that Nha Terra was open for business they wandered around the empty tables indicating that we should choose where we were going to sit. We opted for a place on the terrace and then after a flurry of activity, cheap and garish place mats were put in the table, knives, forks and napkins followed and then, the ‘star player’, the cruet, was ceremoniously placed on the table.

Both waiters stood back and beamed and the waiter expectantly, I assumed, waited for me to order drinks so I asked verbally, and using the universal sign for draught beer, for a large beer. ‘Only water’ I thought the waiter said ‘small bottle’ he added curtly. I enquired if they had cola and within seconds a small bottle of beer and a bottle of cola was placed on the table. Clearly I’d misheard only water and he was trying to say ‘only bottles’!

Then the waiter stood almost transfixed and looked mystified when I asked for the menu but when accompanied by the international sign he realised his error and disappeared momentarily, only to return with a couple of menus.

He then hovered waiting for us to confirm the order. I’m not sure that he was trying to hurry us; I just think that he didn’t know any better. Finally I opted for Tuna and an onion sauce whereas my wife, who had been suffering from an upset stomach for most of the day, ordered the vegetable soup. I suspected that this would confuse the waiter but the guy wasn’t fazed by such a strange order and disappeared to confirm the order with the kitchen.

We had plenty of time to chill out here as this simple order took over half an hour to prepare. There was a clatter of plates and a banging of doors and then a large bowl of soup was presented to my wife. I was given a plate of ‘egg and chips’! Not quite what I’d ordered and I tried to point out the error to the waiter but he just looked confused and left the meal on the table. I nibbled on the odd chip or two and then managed to attract the attention of the older waiter who had taken the order. He looked at the meal and then leapt into action.

A quick apology and then a tirade of what I can only assume was abuse as he headed for the kitchen. I was sure that I’d be in for a long wait and encouraged my wife to “start her soup”. But as if my a miracle the waiter returned very quickly with my meal - ‘A mistake’ he said as he put down the extraordinary large helping of meat with chips, salad and rice and a variety of spices infused into the onion sauce, I was surprised when I tasted the grated carrots as they’d been covered in mild curry sauce.

Overall the meal was perfectly acceptable. Despite the obvious errors, which were promptly corrected, the service had been good enough and certainly the waiters were friendly. I wouldn’t have wanted to be eating here if it had been packed, as the tables were a wee bit closes to each other and I think it would have been a little claustrophobic. Not an expensive meal and they were happy to accommodate the requirements of a tourist with next to no appetite!
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on March 2, 2008

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Municipal Market

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Attraction

On route to market Photo - Cape Verde, Africa

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If you do not like bartering then I’d recommend that you avoid visiting the market. The “business started as soon as we approached the entrance when a middle aged woman in bright African clothing beamed at us “ordering” us to come and visit HER stall in the market. I was ready for her sales pitch and I was well prepared for the negotiations that were sure to follow.We had a very clear understanding what we were looking to buy: a wooden figure of Santa Maria (to accompany a statue that a visitor bought us from his home land in South Africa) and a few bangles for presents throughout the year, some basic jewellery for my wife and a couple of masks to accompany purchases made a few years back w...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 29, 2008

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Attraction

Central Square Photo - Cape Verde, Africa

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Surprisingly the glossy Cape Verde magazine suggests that you “find your way to Santa Maria for the best shopping and bargains” it goes on to say that the “charming cobbled streets” are home to “quaint little shops” and that the atmosphere is “buzzing with activity”. I would suggest that there’s a certain amount of “poetic licence” being employed in some of these statements, as I truly don’t recognise all of the words as representative of our experience. To add to the picture the glossy magazine (I think directed at potential investors) describes the Centro de Artisanto as a “large shop bursting with shelves full of leather handicrafts and elegant ceramics - it was a modern shop selling a se...Read More

Surprisingly the glossy Cape Verde magazine suggests that you “find your way to Santa Maria for the best shopping and bargains” it goes on to say that the “charming cobbled streets” are home to “quaint little shops” and that the atmosphere is “buzzing with activity”. I would suggest that there’s a certain amount of “poetic licence” being employed in some of these statements, as I truly don’t recognise all of the words as representative of our experience.

To add to the picture the glossy magazine (I think directed at potential investors) describes the Centro de Artisanto as a “large shop bursting with shelves full of leather handicrafts and elegant ceramics - it was a modern shop selling a selection of handbags and shoes for the western market and we certainly didn’t seem “elegant ceramics”. Indeed we didn’t see any ceramics in this shop\1. The “supermarkets” are small corner shops selling a small but adequate range of essential foodstuffs and we never felt that they were “beckoning us to enter and explore”. They were welcoming but carry restricted stock. Indeed, at one point in the holiday we thought we were getting low on sun cream and couldn’t find a shop anywhere that carried this “essential item”. In the end we didn’t run out so its absence on the shelves didn’t really matter.

There are a number of small Chinese shops selling cheap clothes, footwear and miscellaneous tack. Certainly here you are “beckoned” as the owners encourage you to take a look. You won’t be enticed, I’m sure.

The shops that are the most interesting, in my view, are the African craft shops. These are run mainly by Senegalese who will do whatever they can to get you to look. If you take the plunge make sure that you are ready for the heavy sell. If you’re not interested in the goods say so firmly and don’t be intimidated to buy. If you see anything you like then remember these sellers will barter and in fact they generally expect you to force them into negotiations (see my separate entry on my visit to the market).

The village of Santa Maria was founded by Manuel Martins back in 1830 and having established the salts flats near to the town he imported timber from America to enable the building of cheap and small wooden homes for his labourers. It was a village built by slave labour (slaves being captured in West Africa) and dependant on what became a highly lucrative salt industry.

Indeed at its height 30,000 tons of the stuff was exported annually from the Port of Santa Maria. Originally most if it was sent to Brazil but when the Brazilian government imposed higher than acceptable taxes on imported salt (to ensure the local product was favoured) the business in Santa Maria took a nose dive.

Now the town ‘built on salt’ is reliant on the new emerging trade of tourism and of course fishing. Once again they’ve put all their eggs in one basket and Santa Maria is at the very heart of Sal’s tourism.

Currently it has not totally lost out on its local features. I hesitate to say ‘charm’ because Santa Maria does not really have endearing qualities about it. It’s a dusty place with a few newish cobbles roads and some very poor accommodation for the local people. It’s interesting to note that around 1500 Cape Verdean people live in the town and yet the newly built Riu Hotel complex accommodates over 2000 tourists at any one time. Soon the village will take a back seat to the many separate “tourist villages” that are being created.

Whilst in town I’d suggest you try some of the local food. Some examples include Cachupa Rice a slow boiled stew and the staple food of the islanders. Iit includes corn, sweet potato, pumpkin, vegetables, greens, fish, meat (either goat or beef) or chicken. Chaupa Guisadu sounds exotic, but it’s the left over of Cachupa rice fried with onions and is served for breakfast.

Caldode Peixe is potato, pumpkin, carrot and vegetables cooked with fish and tomato puree whilst Canja is their “classic soup” with chicken, rice, onion and carrot all boiled together. Some of the restaurants prepare Bajas, a Cape Verdean ‘Tapas’ and the small cafe type eateries will prepare Cuscus (corn and sugar cooked like a cake and served with hot butter and goat’s cheese).

I regret not trying Queijo de Cabra Com Doce de Papaia – a typical dessert of slices of goats cheese with papaya jam, but we gave their main speciality (local seafood) a “fair bashing”. There were fishes we didn’t know alongside some obvious favourites and seafood included: Tuna, Cavala, Bica, Lobster, Crab, Whelk (Buzio), Sea fingers (Percebes), Lapa and Cracas. We had a lucky escape when we decided NOT to order Cracas (see my journal on the “beach and dining” and the Baracuda Restaurant).

Overall we did enjoy our wandering about the village, but don’t believe the “glossies” this place is real basic!
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 4, 2008

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Santa Maria - the Main Tourist Town

Santa Maria - the Main Tourist Town

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The Movida

Nha terra

Municipal Market

Santa Maria

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