Carnaval

We pretty much missed Carnaval because we were busy with an audit, but here are a few before and after pictures. For about a week before Carnaval, people will dress up in costume and go around to homes and businesses asking for Carnaval money. We were visiting our neighbor checking out her new restaurant in Cidade Velha when this fellow came in dressed in costume and pretending to be handicapped, asking for money. Everyone laughs a lot. They say that they have to give them something. This is our neighbor Juan. He also owns a restaurant close to his wife's. He is from Spain.

The hunched over fellow is the one dressed up for Carnaval. This is in the wife's restaurant. Her name is Sandra, and she is so sweet. She is a member of the Church, but unfortunately, one of the many who are no longer active.

This is Sandra's "tia" (aunt), the chef. The restaurant is in an ancient house.

Left to right: Sandra, the waitress, Sister Alvarez.

We thought this was an interesting picture we took on the road. Those are fish with their tails sticking up.

We were in Assomada for the audit (a city up in the mountains about an hour drive from Praia), and we were told that Carnaval wasn't a big deal in that city. The main parade and festivities are in Praia. But they have a big market and people come from many other communities to peddle their wares. This lady was so proud of her vegetables. I asked if I could take a picture of her, and she wanted me to make sure and get her beautiful vegetables in the picture. They really are nice veggies, especially compared to what we usually see here. We bought a kilo of carrots, a kilo of potatoes, and a kilo of that weird sweet potato on the right, that didn't really turn out very good. I guess I don't know how to prepare it right.

Here they are feeding sugar cane into this machine to extract cane juice.

Kids drinking cane juice.

We were early. Later in the afternoon this place would be packed with vendors and buyers. This fellow is selling cane juice and other drinks.

As she enjoys her sucker, she is cutting a slice of couscous for Elder Alvarez.

This is "couscous com mel", corn couscous with cane syrup. Yummy! Tastes a little bit like cornbread.

On the road back to Praia, these are some of the leftovers of the parade in one of the cities we passed through.

On our walk the next morning we found these leftover floats from the Praia parade.