As I did in My first post on GabonLet’s take a look at some facts about the Sao Tome. The country is called in Portuguese “São Tommy E Principe”, which was formed from two distinct islands in the Gulf of Guinea, but since my next station and mail is about Princepe, with a focus on Sao Tommy.

• Geography. Although the country is the second smallest Africa, after it was a large volcanic land, it culminated in a distance of 2024 meters (640 feet) with Pico de São Tome (I hope we have more time to climb it, it is not considered a very terrible technique but a long time). The southern end of the island is on the equator (precisely, the locals can make you in the exact place on a small island, through the boat; Not only the country is the second smallest size, but also through its population: about 200,000, with 95 % on Sue Tommy itself, most of which are in the capital named … Sao Tome.
• date. Unlike many other African countries, it was not technically colonized because the island was uninhabited when the Portuguese discovered it. However, later, it became a terrible platform for the slave trade. In fact, the country gained independence 50 years ago, in July 1975. We were in Princepe on July 12, but we felt very disappointed because of the lack of the celebration. We were told, first, that the celebration of this special day is actually taking place on every island instead every year, and this year was the role of Sao Tommy. Second, as we will see in the following post, Princepe holds only 5 % of the population and its capital is the smallest proud capital in the world. There is no critical block for the party or fireworks …
• economy. With a tropical climate and more water than they can use, the economy mostly depends on agriculture: some coffee, but most importantly is the largest cocoa source in the world! However, this is, there is no other crop, Sue Tommy is forced to import everything mostly, a costly proposal. Tourism and country develop clean, people very welcome, and some wonderful beaches, but the facilities are still limited. In general, the country still depends on foreign AIDS.
• weather. As mentioned above, very tropical and wet. As in Gabon, it was supposed to be the rainy season, but we hardly saw the sun. Unlike California, for example, Sao Tome has a lot of water! Many and a lot of rainforests then.
• culture. We found people more welcoming than Gabon. They speak Portuguese, with English is not given. Because of the language and proximity, they watch the Brazilian TV, which was a surprise to us. The kitchen could be hot, and we had amazing breakfast with a variety of fresh fruits in particular.
• Infrastructure. First, there is no road on the entire island. Only 3 ways: National 1 which borders the northern and western coast, national 2 east and south, and a smaller and shorter road approaching the middle of the island. Most of the island does not have access to the road. Unfortunately, our journey of Gabon was 7 hours late, so we lost on the first day (a short journey on patriotism 1 to the picturesque blue lake, then Nevis) and we only had a full day on the island to reach the south. That journey to the south was completely epic, as the road quickly turned into a mine -like field, with huge pits when there is any asphalt. It took almost all day to cover the ongoing journey of only 150 km: 100 miles, maybe you are faster on foot! 😉

And look at these cold donkeys, the grass cut!

Because of our short stay, I ran only once, and I return to B&B from the eastern side, on our way back from our visit to the southern end of the island. only 20 km away this time, on the main road, through the crowded capital, and caught at the end of the day, which came even before the Gabon, around 6 pm.