Djadsal Holiday Resort

Djadsal Holiday Resort is a large resort right on a beautiful white sand beach on Sal island. It is close to Santa Maria and about 20 minutes from the airport.

The hotel offers rooms with twin and double beds, telephone, hair drier, hot water, television and freezer. This is a very large resort with many facilities included in its 50,000 square metres grounds including a fabulous open air pool, a covered pool and a kiddies pool. There is also a gymnasium and a hairdresser and on site restaurants and bars.

There are many local eateries in the area and a pleasant promenade walk to the nearby village. Please note however, that the resort of Sal itself is undergoing various infrastructure works over the next few years including the building of new roads which may cause some inconvenience.

More information…

This beautiful video shows the work being done by the SOS Tartarugas organization, set up in 2008 to work on the conservation of the loggerhead turtles of Cape Verde and the education of those who live on the islands and who come to visit.

As moving as it is to watch beautiful Bella lay her eggs and leave the island safely, there are many others, like Meryal, who are not so fortunate.

Turtle SOS is stationed on Sal and it receives no government funding at all. They rely on donations from tourists and are helped by the volunteering of time by those who ant to spent their holiday doing something really special.

The organization organize different turtle-related activities depending on the season so if you are planning a trip to Cape Verde this year you might want to get in touch with them to see what they are up to while you will be on the islands and what you can do to help.

There is a website (where you can also make a donation via Paypal) and a blog or you can follow founding member Jaquie Cozens on Twitter.

If you are in Cape Verde already, you might want to go the old fashioned route and just pick up the phone: (+238) 974 5020.

Visit Macauhub for the full story.

The Ca' Nicola Apartments

Just a stone’s throw from sea and facing the long , white beach  Ca Nicola Apartments in Boa Vista are an ideal escape from the daily grind. Each of the spacious 27 apartments have been beautifully designed to offer a peaceful environment and they have each been  decorated using the art and skill of local craftsmen.  They all have either a verandah or a balcony from which to enjoy the sunset and relax in the sun.

Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Mission to Cape Verde

Press Release No. 09/126
April 14, 2009

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Mr. Lamin Leigh, visited Cape Verde during April 3-15, 2009. The purpose of the visit was two-fold: to conduct the sixth review of the Policy Support Instrument (PSI), and to negotiate a one-year extension of the PSI at the request of the Cape Verde authorities. The current three-year PSI arrangement was approved by the IMF Executive Board in July 2006 and is due to expire in July 2009. At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Leigh made the following statement:

“The mission held extensive and productive discussions with government officials, representatives of the private sector and the Finance Committee of the National Assembly, and would like to thank the authorities for their excellent cooperation. Cape Verde’s economic and policy performance remains strong and so far the impact of global shocks remain manageable thanks to sizable buffers built in recent years through prudent macroeconomic management, especially the fiscal space created in the last three years. The sixth PSI review discussions focused on how best to execute the 2009 budget while preserving the external position against the background of the current global economic difficulties; the authorities’ medium-term fiscal framework, and measures to strengthen public financial and debt management and the financial sector.

“Looking ahead, the ongoing global economic difficulties will pose challenges for the Cape Verde economy. While the moderation in GDP growth is likely to stem from the projected global slowdown in tourism and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows, countercyclical fiscal policy will partly mitigate their impact and support economic activity. Inflation would continue to decline to low single digits consistent with the peg to the euro and the high pass-through of international prices in this highly open economy. The outlook is subject to large margins of error given the uncertainty about both the depth and duration of global recession and the resilience of Cape Verde’s economy to previous global economic downturns.

“The mission supports the fiscal stimulus measures that the government has taken to support economic activity in a year when net external demand and private sector growth are expected to weaken. The mission also welcomes the government’s plans to protect social spending in the budget, as the global crisis is likely to hit hardest the poor and vulnerable segments of the population. Monetary management which smoothes short term capital flows continues to be broadly appropriate. Thus, the exchange rate peg continues to be supported by domestic policies and serves Cape Verde well as an anchor for financial stability. Steady progress is also being made in the implementation of structural reforms in particular on improving public debt and financial management and strengthening the financial system.

“IMF staff will continue its close policy dialogue with the Cape Verde government with a view to presenting the sixth review under the PSI for discussion to the IMF Executive Board in June.”

IMF EXTERNAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

Link to IMF Press Release on Cape Verde

Now that that is done and I admit, it was much easier then I was expecting, the eCape-Verde blog will have a whole new lease of life.

Once the new routes are launched using an ATR-42-320 aircraft, with capacity for 48 passengers, Halcyonair will operate flights to six of the archipelago’s islands.

In partnership with a Cape Verdean tour operator Halcyonair’s aircraft will also operate a charter flight between the islands of Sal and Fogo on a Saturday.

Halcyonair Cabo Verde Airways launched its domestic flights on 31 July, 2008, operating daily to the islands of Sal, S. Vicente and Santiago, and three weekly flights to the island of Boa Vista.

Catholicism is the main religion of Cape Verde with around 85% of the populace claiming to be Roman Catholics centering in the dioceses of Mindelo and Santiago de  Cabo Verde.  Other religions reported in the country are Protestants including Evangelists and Adventists, Mormons and Bahá’í.

There is a small but growing Muslim community, many of which are  Senegalese traders or other immigrants from North Africa and around 1% of Cape Verdeans are atheists who profess no religious belief at all.

The scholarship is intended to support an undergraduate student through his or her higher education with an award of up to US$100,000 spread over a maximum of two years.

To be eligible the applicant must be between 23 and 32 and a graduating student with a Baccalaureate from a four-year, accredited college/university, or its equivalent.

For other eligibility criteria and to learn more about this sponsorship opportunity please visit the OPIC website.

All 239 passengers disembarked while Danish company  Star Tours set about organising alternative transport to their final destination. No-one was hurt and no reason for the fire has been announced.