Professional affairs took me to the island of Santiago, the main island of the Cabo Verde archipelago, an ancient Portuguese colony.
This time, the chance of having a horse crossing my way was very remote… but… it happened!!!
And I was holding my camera! Here it is… the only horse I saw during my stay…
… a chestnut horse trotting along the dark sands of Gamboa beach, at city of Praia.
Keeping in mind the hard natural conditions and the economical situation of the islands, I asked my host if there is any equestrian activity or tradition. He told me that they have a horse racing tradition between the islands and they breed horses for that purpose. The races take place in open field in improvised tracks.
During the car trip around the island I also spotted some donkeys. They resemble the typical Portuguese breed but are a lot smaller and thinner. They are used to carry the water from the very few fountains available for the people, animals and agriculture.
Despite the poverty and the extremely low living standards, the people are really friendly and have an innate joy… is hard to find someone that will not look at us with a smile.
I leave you with some images of the island and its people.
3 comments:
I love the island and i love the pictures. gj!
Did you watch a batuque???
Poor donkeys look really pityful...
that looked fantastic, ana - i know nothing about those islands, so interesting and beautiful
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