This week’s travel snap is of the hotel Marine Club on the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde (about 400 hundred miles off the west African coast). I can remember thinking how wonderful it would be to sit at the end of this pier sipping a cocktail as the sun went down. Unfortunately I was only there for a couple of hours photographing the hotel for the Cape Verde Experience before moving on to another one during a one day visit to the island but it was still a glorious day.

The air was fresh and the sea and sky so blue and clear. I’ve saturated the colours quite a bit in Photoshop as this is how I remember it and how the view made me feel – full on colour. I’ve also tone-mapped it in Photomatix (which I’ve just started using) to even out the extremes in contrast. How the final image looks to you will of course depend on your monitor and how it is set up but what do you think? Do you prefer a less saturated and (possibly) more natural image or do you like it in its fully saturated, tone-mapped glory?

There’s a great photography post doing the rounds at the moment called ’7 Super Shots’. HostelBookers.com put out the call to select 7 of your favourite photographs, one for each of the following categories, then tag 5 bloggers that you would like to take part. I was really pleased when Anja nominated me. So here are my 7 shots…

1. A photo that…takes my breath away

The pretty seaside town of L’Ile Rousse, Corsica and the stunning beach – the colour of the sea took my breath away the first time I saw it and no matter how often I return it still does. A shot taken in the other direction featured in my ‘ Travel snap of the week’ recently so check it out if you’d like to know a more about L’Ile Rousse.

2. A photo that…makes me laugh or smile

These wonderful children in The Gambia always make me smile when I visit their school in Brikama. Read about my last visit in ‘My dairy from the smiling coast of Africa.’

3. A photo that…makes me dream

Calvi beach (also in Corsica) with a back drop of pine trees and the mountains beyond – I regularly dream of being back in Corsica!

4. A photo that…makes me think

I took this photograph while on a photographic assignment in Senegal. Whenever I look at it I wonder what she was thinking. I think she looks sad. My guide did speak to her to ask if it was OK to take a few photos before I barged into her home.  I do hope she didn’t mind the intrusion too much. I felt frustrated that all I could do was smile and thank her in English or French without knowing whether she understood a word of what I was saying.

As a travel photographer you often find your self intruding in people’s lives. When is it OK and when are you crossing the line?

5. A photo that…makes my mouth water

Cupcakes topped with strawberries and cream, in Brighton, England. Delicious!

6. A photo that…tells a story

This statue in memory of the end of slavery is a poignant reminder of the tragic past of Gorée Island just off the coast of Dakar, Senegal. Once a transportation post for slaves leaving Africa it is now a very beautiful little island with pretty pastel painted buildings and flower filled streets plus a museum about slavery. A ‘must see’ when visiting Dakar. More of my photos from Senegal are on Flickr.

7. A photo that…I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)

This is a tough one! My favourite photograph changes regularly and I’ve already posted a few in my weekly ‘Travel snap’ features. Not wanting to repeat myself here’s another one of my favourites shots of a street in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde.

Thanks again Anja for nominating me. There are lots of  bloggers’ I’d like to pass this on too but I better limit this to 5 as requested!

So I’m asking the following to share their ’7 Super Shots’ with us.

Suzanne, The Travel Bunny

Cynthia, Hapidayz

Abu, A Visual Journey

Andrew, Andrew Graeme Gould Photography

Greg, Wanders & Wonders

I once spent an afternoon wandering through the cobbled streets of Mindelo photographing many beautiful buildings – faded memories of Cape Verde’s colonial past when the Portuguese once ‘owned’ the islands. This week’s travel snap is one of my favourite images from that day.

Mindelo is the capital of São Vincent, one of the ten islands that make up the archipelago of Cape Verde which lies about 400 miles west of the West African city of Dakar. Culturally Cape Verde is a unique mix of African, Brazilian and Portuguese and each of the ten islands has its own character. From the barren Boa Vista, which has the most spectacular beaches I’ve ever seen, to the souring mountains and green valleys of  Santo Antão, from watersports enthusiasts haven of Sal to rich musical heritage of São Vicente, each island is unique.

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For holidays in the Cape Verde islands visit the Cape Verde Experience.

If I spot something unusual on the menu chances are I’ll opt for that. I’ve crunched my way through scorpions, nibbled locusts and enjoyed ostrich steak.

...a slice of lemon with your seafingers and barnacles?

While on a photographic assignment for The Cape Verde Experience  I came across two local delicacies new to me: perceves (sea fingers) – they look a bit like purple fingers, you break off the end and peel off the skin to find the meat which is a bit like squid and cracas – I was served a lump of rock covered in barnacles and something resembling a knitting needle to poke around with! I’m sorry to say they were rather disappointing and more trouble than they are worth (but they were the only let down on my trip and I’ve since been back to the islands of Cape Verde on holiday).

Without a doubt the worst thing I ever eat was in Senegal, a really lovely country with very friendly people and some excellent restaurants (many with a French influence reflecting their colonial past). On a three day whirl-wind photography trip for The Senegal Experience I was invited to dinner at Hotel Espadon in Saly, a great hotel in a beautiful location on the beach. When I saw sea eurchins on the menu I couldn’t resist ordering them. My host suggested rather than have all six to myself that we have one each and I’m so glad he did. Imagine not-quite-set jelly made of seawater and that is pretty much it. Truly revolting but glad I tried it… just the once!

I’d love to hear your stories of the worst / best / most unusual thing you’ve eaten while traveling so please do leave a comment.

The bar over the sea at Hotel Espadon

Some years ago I was lucky enough to spend a week photographing hotels on the islands of Sal, Boa Vista and São Vincent – three of the ten islands of this archipelago which lies about 400 miles west of Senegal in the Atlantic Ocean. Here are a few photos from an afternoon spent exploring Mindelo on São Vincent with a few others from Boa Vista and Sal.

A few years ago, I visited a group of beautiful islands on a photographic assignment for the Cape Verde Experience and had a fantastic time discovering this archipelago which lies about 300 miles off the coast of West Africa.

While there, I was particularly taken by a small, family run hotel right on the beach and was determined to return sometime for a holiday.

Hotel Odjo d’Agua in Santa Maria on the island of Sal didn’t disappoint. Our room was small but comfortable with our own little terrace and the staff were extremely helpful. And as for Cape Verde, the sea was as blue as I remembered, the locals as friendly and the weather was just right for relaxing in the sun on the hotel’s private beach but what really made this hotel so special for me was the location. It feels tucked away and private, but it is actually an easy stroll into town or to the main beach, and whether having breakfast on the wooden terrace, lunch by the beach or an evening meal in the restaurant O Farolin (which is perched overlooking the sea on a stone promontory) the views across the water are wonderful especially at sunset with the sound of the waves gently lapping the rocks below.

We also tried a number of the other nearby restaurants which were excellent if a little slow sometimes.

It was great to be able to explore Santa Maria at a leisurely pace. I loved the craft shops and I also bought quite a few things from a man making jewellery from the shells he collected on the beach. He was actually homeless and dreamed of going back to his native island of Santiago. He set up shop each day by the side of the hotel (with their permission) and made the guests necklaces and bracelets to order.

There isn’t a great deal to do here during the day but if you are looking to spend the week on the beach either horizontal with a book or for the more energetic, trying your hand at one of the many watersports on offer this is the place for you. In fact, if it’s watersports you are after the Cape Verde Islands offer everything from scuba diving to body boarding, surfing and windsurfing. With excellent equipment and instruction readily available it’s great for beginners and the more experienced alike.

Personally, there wasn’t quite enough for me to do or places to visit (or maybe I just didn’t look hard enough) but I still had a wonderful time relaxing and swimming. Santa Maria’s bars in the evening were great fun and we met some lovely people, both locals and fellow tourists.

This is an article I wrote for Loud News, March 2008, about Carmen Souza playing for Nyodema (a community group promoting world music).

Nyodema’s next music event brings acclaimed Cape Verdean artist to Bognor Regis on the south coast of England.

With one foot in Africa and the other tapping around the globe, Carmen Souza successfully brings together a wide variety of musical styles with influences from as far apart as American soul and the music of her ancestors.

Carmen, born in Lisbon into a Cape Verdean family, grew up speaking a mixture of Creole, which her parents spoke at home, and Portuguese. Her father frequently worked away on cargo ships but whenever he was home she loved listening to him sing and play guitar.

At 14 she joined her church choir and her professional career started at just 17 years old when she joined the Lusophone Afro-Gospel choir “Shout”. Over the next couple of years she also toured with bands “Quamundo’s” and “Funky Messengers”, working with numerous musicians including Theo Pas’cal, one of Portugal’s best bass players. He introduced Carmen to jazz, fusion and other contemporary sounds.

Together they worked on compositions, striving to create a unique sound in the Creole dialect (from Cape Verde – an archipelago off the West African coast) bringing together African and Cape Verdean rhythms such as morna and funana with more contemporary influences of jazz and soul.

Her first album Ess ê nha Cabo Verde (This is my Cape Verde) released in 2005, received great reviews  and at her international live solo debut at Womad on BBC3′s “World on your Street” stage, copies of her CD quickly sold out.

In 2006 Carmen returned to the UK with a five gig tour following the release of a completely reworked Roots version of her CD, emphasising the qualities of her voice and the African rhythms.

In July of that year Carmen played the main stage at Toronto’s 18th Annual Afrofest – the biggest African music and cultural event in North America. Her CD sold more copies than any other artist at the festival.

In 2007 Carmen toured Korea, Canada and the UK. I was lucky enough to catch her at the Amberley Folk Club last March. Right from the start the audience was captivated by her soulful voice and drawn in by her likeable presence, the hypnotic melodies and subtle arrangements. An easy rapport developed with the crowd, who, by the end of the set, would have welcomed many encores.

With the release of her new album Verdade (Truth) in February 2008 Carmen is touring the UK once more.

On Saturday 15th March 2008, with Theo accompanying her on bass and percussion, Carmen is performing at The Waverley, Marine Drive, Bognor Regis. This gig, organised by Nyodema alongside ActionAid’s Bollocks to Poverty On Tour, is being held to raise funds for health and educational needs of children in The Gambia, West Africa. Talented local trio Six-fifteen will start the evening off around 7.30pm. Tickets £5. Doors open 7.00pm.

I would like to thank The Cape Verde Experience and their staff for sponsoring this event and supplying all the raffle prizes. The gig was a sell out and we were lucky enough to welcome Carmen back again to Bognor Regis in October for another wonderful evening. Photographs of this event by Adam White can be viewed on Flickr… http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyodema/sets/72157622306912649/

Carmen Souza on YouTube