Wherever I travel, one of my goals is to walk local neighborhoods and see how communities express themselves through street art. After not having much luck on my own, I was recommended Terra Terra Tours and I regret not knowing them from the start of my Cape Verde Experience. Judith and Jair took me under their wing and showed me this incredible neighborhood in Praia called Achade Grande Frente. The art was incredible and the sunset was stunning but it was the energy and spirit of these two that made the day magical. It felt like old friends meeting up and seeing each other's new lives and I learned so much in such a quick time. I highly highly recommend Terra Terra Tours for their knowledge of all things Cape Verde, their access to the world outside typical tourist paths, and their kindeness, generosity, and friendship.

Today a great trip to the local market in Praia! The Sukupira Experience! You will find almost EVERYTHING on the market! From cashew nuts, clothing, seats ... name it, you find it, it's a mix of local and African (Senegalese, Nigerea, Guinée Conakry) products! A must-visit! Especially glad that I did this with Terra Terra Tours because it really is a labyrinth in this market! In addition, I felt super safe, everyone knew Judith and Jair, I was not pulled, not called , if I was interested in something specific I also paid the usual price. After the market we went for lunch in a small bistro run by a Senegalese lady, and no problem for a vegetarian like me, nice local, no tourists, and most important… Really delicious !!! 🙂

At primary school you run your lungs out to run as many laps as possible and collect as much sponsor money as possible. Well I was never a winner in that, but all the little bit will help. Whether you always get a course about charity at school and communication with videos is even better. But had it really happened with the money that was collected? Today I had a tour with terra terra tours at a worldwide major project and well known to most people: SOS children's villages. In Cape Verde there are two complete villages on Santiago and on São Vicente there is a small day center. Jair, whom I have known for about three weeks, grew up in the SOS children's village and showed us around. We looked at the house where he had lived from 8 to 18 years. There are ten of these types of houses in Riberão Chiqueiro and on average 8 children live with one person "Mãe" (the mother who lives in the house 24/7) and various Tia's during the day (aunts who help with the household). Jair showed his room and the bed where he slept and there was also the place where he told his personal story. "He told us how it transformed his life from streetkid to a conscious man with life goals. I asked about the contrast of the boys he grew up with in the same neighborhood - very hard and focused on facts: eight died and many are stuck in the He was very proud to tell his story and that in the beginning he didn't want to go at all, but that afterwards he was so grateful for everything.Now he is a great example for the children who now live in the village and the community around the SOS children's village. His caretakers from that time are also very proud to see him like that ". Today another day with a lot of awareness about my life in Europe and the lives here in Cape Verde.