Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while probably gathered that our two closest friends in Praia are Kelly and Ná Furtado. What you may not know is that after they were married this past May they decided to start their marriage and life together in America. Boo for us. Big time.
But instead of dwelling on how they abandoned us, I'll focus on our fantastic weekend in Ná's hometown of Pedra Badejo, about 40 minutes from Praia in the mountains along the coast. Referred to as the “fora” because it is in the interior of the island, this town maintains a much more traditional way of life than in Praia.
This was not our first visit to Pedra Badejo, and Ná's family welcomed us back with open arms. We started at Grandma's house where Ná grew up. The family was busy cooking katxupa, which is a delicious stew of beans, fresh corn, various meats and vegetables. Somehow we did not get the message that this katxupa was for us, so we set off to eat a HUGE and delicious lunch of other Cape Verdean specialities like feijoada (another bean stew, but somehow completely different than katxupa), grilled fish, chicken, and of course rice and french fries. Then to aid digestion we happily took a long walk around the small town. It's long because Ná is like the mayor having to stop and shake hands with and talk to everyone he knows, which is everyone in town. Stopping back by Grandma's house on the way out of town, our stomaches still COMPLETLEY stuffed from lunch, we chowed down on the fresh and delicious katxupa anyway. I mean, we didn't want to be rude. The guys also indulged in a little grogue, the local liquor made from sugar cane.
After a night out for the guys and night in for the ladies, we awoke early at our great hotel to panoramic views of the sea and a black sand beach. After breakfast we headed out with Ná's Uncle and five brothers to a coconut grove, which was a highlight for all of us. It was strikingly beautiful and GREEN after all the rain this summer. Ná's brothers, all of whom are almost as handsome and nice as Ná, led us into this orchard where one promptly climbed up a fresh palm tree knocking out many coconuts. Then they took turns chopping open the coconuts with a machete and we each enjoyed the fresh coconut water and coconut flesh out amongst the trees.
But do you know who loves the fora the most? Strela! She got to eat and drink whatever she wanted and roamed around free with all new smells. She was in HEAVEN.
*Footnote: Furtado translates directly to the word “stolen” from Portuguese and Kriolu so we often refer to Kelly and Ná as the “Stolens.”
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