Cape Verde > On the Way to Praia

It’s Friday morning, beautiful weather. Just before ten o’clock, I close the front door behind me. I walk with my wheeled suitcase to Maarten and Monique. Together we have coffee while waiting for the taxi. At half past ten, taxi Visser arrives. Dave, the taxi driver, drives us to the airport. We arrive well in time. The check-in desk for our flight to Lisbon isn’t even open yet. The staff are just arriving. When we are allowed to check in, confusion arises about the required COVID documents. We understood that both a vaccination certificate and a negative COVID test were needed. The staff member assumes only one or the other. Yesterday we got tested for COVID. That was a bit complicated. Maarten and Monique drove from work straight to the test site. Their driver’s license was not accepted as ID. It had to be a passport. No matter what they tried, no exceptions were made. They couldn’t fetch the passport at home before the test site closed. They converted their test to Leiden, where they could also be tested in the evening. Luckily, all three of us tested negative. Was the test then for nothing? The government website had clearly stated ‘and’ some time ago. It doesn’t matter much. We already have the test result and prefer too many forms rather than too few. The luggage is tagged for Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. At the carry-on baggage check, the scanner indicates something on my body. No idea what. “Maybe you moved a bit,” the staff member says. However, she cannot frisk me, and a male colleague is not available. Even when I say I have no objection, she says it’s not allowed to frisk someone of the opposite sex. A male colleague rushes over. He finds nothing. We are allowed to proceed. We still have plenty of time before the first flight. We have a sandwich and coffee. When I want to put the sandwich on my tray, it slips off. Onto the floor. What clumsiness. A bit embarrassed, I put the fallen sandwich aside and take a new one. At 13:40, I take off for the first time today. Flight TP673 takes me to Portugal in just over three hours. The plane is not full. I estimate about eighty percent of the seats are occupied. We sit by the emergency exit. This gives us plenty of legroom. We accept the explanation and responsibility for opening the emergency exit in case of emergency. Around four o’clock local Portuguese time — one hour earlier in Portugal — we land south of Lisbon at the international airport. We have a layover of over five hours.

Cape Verde - On the way to Cape Verde

There is an earlier flight to Praia, but that layover was very short. We probably wouldn’t have made it on time. In the airport food court, we order a beer. There are several places to order food. Everything seems available: from salads and pizzas to traditional Portuguese meals. We keep it simple and choose a burger with fries. After eating, we walk to the gate. We pass customs. It’s mostly just scanning the passport ourselves. My passport gets a red cross. Other travelers advise me to take another gate. That works better. Around half past seven, we board flight TP1543 to Praia. The occupancy of this plane is even lower. Many people switch seats. It is already dark when the plane takes off again. The flight to Cape Verde takes a little over four hours. I try to sleep. It only partly succeeds. Around midnight, Cape Verde local time, the lights on board come on again. The descent to Praia begins. Half an hour later, I see the lights of Santiago island emerge. The plane makes a turn and lands shortly after at Nelson Mandela Airport. When I step off the plane, I notice the temperature outside is still pleasant. About twenty degrees, I estimate. I walk to the airport building. There is a long queue for the health check. When I show my vaccination certificate, I am allowed through. I also already have a visa. I can go directly to customs. I scan my passport at the machine. Before I know it, I’m at the baggage belt.

Cape Verde - Arrival at Cape Verdes international airport

I realize, with slight disappointment, that because of the electronic passport control I did not get a stamp in my passport. Renewal is not always fun. Our luggage comes out on the belt. At a currency exchange booth, we exchange euros. The rate is fine, but they charge over 3% commission. We have few other options. With Cape Verdean Escudos in our pockets, we walk out of the arrivals hall. Outside stands a boy holding a sign saying ‘KOCK’. With his hoodie and mask, he looks a bit shady. He fetches the van and drives us to the hotel in the city center. The streets are deserted at this time of night. Fortunately, the reception is still open. We quickly get the keys to our rooms at the Pestana Tropico hotel. According to the travel guide, this is the most luxurious hotel in the city. The rooms are located around the pool. I’m not paying much attention to that now. I settle into the room and quickly get into bed. It’s two o’clock local time, but in the Netherlands, it’s already four.