On my first post after coming back from my honeymoon, I told you guys I had a few stories regarding some animals I had met in Cape Verde. After telling you all about the sparrows, the dog and the lemon sharks, there's one more story missing: my meeting with the king. I called him Mufasa, and he was a yellow cat. Mufasa was the resident cat from the hotel we spent our vacations in, and everybody respected him: he even had his own minibar, where the staff left him water and food everyday.   By both lunchtime and dinnertime, he would wander around the restaurant, sitting very calmly and politely near each table, waiting. Some tourists would just ignore him, others would share their meals with him. When that happened, he would eat and politely rub his back on the person's leg, before moving on to the next table. One day, he came to our table. Of course, I carefully chose something from my meal that wouldn't harm him and shared it with him. He carefully grabbed it ...

So, In Sal Island (Cape Verde) there's a piece of shore called the Shark Bay. Guess why? (giggles) Yes, because it has sharks. It is, actually, a shark nursery. Lemon shark moms come to this beach to give birth, and the youngsters stay here up until they are old enough to navigate deeper waters. Adult Lemon sharks can grow up until 13 ft long, the longest one we spotted here was about 6 ft long.  So, we took a trip around the island and, included in the tour, was a visit to Shark Bay. We arrived there and rented a pair of rubber shoes, due to the rocky bottom of the beach, and into the water we went! The water was about 78 ºF, and we went in until the water reached our thighs. Our guide told us the sharks were harmless, so we were nothing more than excited to share the same waters with these majestic animals! He warned us to keep silent and as still as we possibly could, so they could feel comfortable enough to come check us out, and so we did. A few moments later, they starte...

So, last day in Cape Verde, and we decided to head to the beach one last time. White sand, amazing translucent, turquoise water... and a new buddy comes up, out of nowhere. He approached us as if he had known us since forever, his tail waving and such joy overflowing from his eyes! We cuddled him, and next time we know he's lying down right next to me, enjoying the sun. I put my arm around him, and said: "Isn't it too hot for you, standing directly under the sun?" He yawned and stretched, before glancing at me. And inside his eyes was this limitless kindness, this almost supernatural sparkle, which amazed me. I almost missed it when he replied: "Don't worry, this is my home. I know how to take care of myself."Even though he was clearly a stray dog, he was well fed and his fur was shining, so I took his word for it. Soon enough, I noticed how he seemed relaxed but watchful of our surroundings at the same time. I asked: "Isn't it dangerous, ...

As many of you already know, I got married recently, and traveled to Sal Island, Cape Verde, for my honeymoon. I also posted here recently, saying I would tell you guys about a few meaningful encounters I experienced with the animal kingdom while I was there, so here's the first one: Sparrows. You won't find many birds in the island, but there are lots of sparrows. They live mostly around hotels and bars, which is easily understandable as tourists turn out to be really messy  eaters (giggles). One day, as we were standing by the bar terrace, a man placed a plate full of bread on top of a table and left. A few moments later, a few sparrows spotted the bread and decided to grab a bite. Honestly, I thought the man would chase them away as soon as he noticed they were eating his bread, but he didn't! He stopped right by us, shrugged and smiled. He instantly earned my respect by doing so. He waited for about ten minutes to go and get his bread back, shrugging again and whisperi...

Hi, guys! So, a few days before I left for my honeymoon, I got pretty anxious by the thought of leaving my cats and dogs. Even though It was only for a week long, and knowing they would be very well taken care of, I was still very nervous about it. Fortunately, as the week went by I managed to relax a bit, and open up to my destination's hidden treasures.  I went to Cape Verde, more specifically Salt Island. Now, I could spend hours talking about its landscapes, culture, poverty... but  I won't. I had a few very special encounters with the animal kingdom while I was there, and those are the stories I will share here. I'll tell you all about the inspiring words from a few opportunist sparrows, young lemon sharks, a stray dog... and last but not least, of course, a cat. Not any cat, though: he is the king.  So come along with me for the next few days, If you wish to hear their stories. Hugs, Vanessa