São Tomé and Príncipe > Visiting a Coffee Plantation

When I wake up, I can already hear preparations for breakfast. That gives me hope that it will be served on time today, which is just as well because our flight back to São Tomé departs at 10:20 a.m. I am feeling much better, although I keep breakfast simple with just bread and tea. After breakfast, we load our luggage into the vehicles for the last time and drive to the airport. At the entrance, passengers are admitted in small groups. Hand luggage is inspected manually before I receive my boarding pass. Before entering the departure lounge, I am screened with a handheld metal detector. The whole procedure does not feel particularly secure. By now, I have walked back and forth several times and could easily have put something back into my backpack. Apparently, we look trustworthy. At around 10:15 a.m., we board the small aircraft. We are asked to sit as far towards the back as possible, although this seems rather unnecessary since eighteen of the nineteen seats are occupied.

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About forty minutes later, we land back on São Tomé. Although we enter the terminal through the same route as on arrival, this time there is no handwashing, the yellow fever checkpoint is unmanned, and I simply walk past the empty immigration desks. Our luggage appears on the carousel surprisingly quickly. Outside the terminal, we meet Mustafa and Martin again. They take us by bus to São Tomé city, the country's capital. São Tomé and Príncipe has a population of about 250,000 people, roughly one-third of whom live in the capital. As our hotel rooms are not yet ready, we continue another thirty kilometres into the mountains to Monte Café. This historic coffee plantation dates back to the Portuguese colonial period and the era of slavery. Following independence, it became state-owned. Part of the estate has since been converted into a coffee museum. During a guided tour, we learn how coffee beans were traditionally dried, transported, roasted, and ground, all inside the plantation's original colonial buildings. At the end of the tour, we sample coffee made from Arabica beans. Nearby is the restaurant Casa Museu Almada Negreiros, where a four-course lunch awaits us. Each dish is carefully presented, with thoughtful attention even to the presentation for male and female guests. I choose the vegetarian option, which turns out to be an excellent choice.

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The fish dishes served to the others also look delicious. During lunch, mist gradually rolls in. We are high in the mountains, and clouds begin to drift around the surrounding peaks. At barely twenty degrees Celsius, it even feels a little chilly. At 3:00 p.m., we return to São Tomé city and head to the National Museum, housed inside the historic Fort São Sebastião. This coastal fortress was built by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century to defend the harbour against pirates and foreign powers. When we arrive, however, we discover that the fort is temporarily closed for renovation work. Instead, I walk around the outside of the ochre-coloured fortress. Young boys are fishing from the rocks below, while people are swimming on the small beach beside the fort. As an alternative, we visit the cathedral. The Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Graça is the country's principal Catholic church.

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The first church on this site was built by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. Over the centuries, it has been damaged and rebuilt several times. The present cathedral has a simple yet elegant façade with two towers and a spacious interior. Directly opposite stands the Presidential Palace. We happen to arrive just as the changing of the guard is taking place. One of the guards signals that photography is not permitted. Late in the afternoon, we arrive at Hotel Kriola, located at the far end of the seaside boulevard. In the distance, I can still see both the cathedral and the old fort. I order a beer and enjoy it on the terrace. That evening, a few fellow travellers and I stroll back along the boulevard towards the centre of São Tomé city.

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The atmosphere is lively. A FIFA World Cup match is being shown on a giant outdoor screen, and the streets are full of people. The contrast with the quiet island of Príncipe could hardly be greater. We climb a staircase to the Rooftop Bar, where the five of us have dinner. Having already enjoyed an elaborate lunch, I opt for something simple: a chicken wrap. A modest but satisfying meal.