-dumplings at SFO
-Kinder Bueno at Charles De Gaulle
-80 degrees at night (and humid!) in Senegal
-bread and jam for breakfast on the patio of Hotel Mamelles
-Leonard Cohen on the front desk loudspeakers
-roadside gardens and a baobab tree in the distance
-the Atlantic
-poulet yassa
-a yowly Cardiff-kitty...if Cardiff lost 10 pounds
-ham & Swiss on baguettes + chocolate cream tart
-cancelled flight
-embracing extreme lethargy while simultaneously praying furiously the plane goes the next night
-steak with garlic-herb butter
-rearview mirror on a horse drawing a cart
-high-fashion billboard repurposed into shop roof
-forcing our way onto an Air Senegal flight to Praia even though our tickets are for a TACV flight
-extreme happiness to finally be in Cape Verde
-Brent appearing as if by magic to collect us from the taxi and get us checked in to our hotel
-beers and tamarind punch at night on the plaza, surrounded by free-roaming kitties
-yowling kitty on the street below as wake-up alarm
-cinnamon-banana pastels
-cab ride through the hills of Santiago island to the beach at Sao Francisco
-E-40 on Praia radio
-grasshoppers as big as birds, spiders as big as saucers
-seasoned pork overlooking the sucupira (huge outdoor market)
-jumping into a Hiace (hired van) with a dozen strangers and roaring through spectacular volcanic mountains and canyons on the way to Assomada
-strawberry swirl ice cream in a cone, eaten on a doorstep
-market day and festa prep
-back to Praia for a custard tart before dinner
-pork skewers and a very surly waitress
-night flight to Sao Vicente island
-morning wander around Mindelo
-Fanta in a seaside cafe
-traditional bean dish cachupa with a fresh grilled sardine, bits of which were snuck to the kitties under the table
-a fortuitously accidental gathering of Peace Corps volunteers
-strawberry gelato in the plaza
-ferry tickets procured by Brent at the non-tourist price
-epic Thanksgiving dinner at the Hotel Sodade
-morning ferry to Santo Antao island
-breakfast in Porto Novo
-Hiace to Ribeira Grande, then another to Ponta do Sol
-fried chicken for lunch, grilled tuna for dinner
-morning ride in the back of a hired Hilux pickup along the coast to Paul
-gorgeous hike up the Paul canyon, past schoolchildren in Eito, banana plants, and sheer drops
-lunch of sardines and apricot jam tartlets in the saddle between two canyons
-hiking down the canyon...much easier than hiking up it
-finding a Magnum white chocolate ice cream bar at the Shell station in Ribeira Grande
-halftime of a local football match
-sunset from the porch of a cafe overlooking the ocean
-Nelly Furtado on Portuguese telenovella Floribella
-morning Hiace ride back across the mountains of Santo Antao to Porto Novo
-guava juice
-omelettes on an oceanside veranda
-a long lazy Porto Novo afternoon waiting for the ferry
-unable to get tickets for the overbooked ferry, praying they'll send it back for a second crossing
-spotting the light of the ferry in the dark ocean as they did indeed send it back
-stars and the moon tipping this way and that during a very rough night crossing
-late night pizzas and beers in Mindelo
-the morning sun on the Mindelo bay
-noon flight to Sao Nicolau island in a puddlejumper with beautiful views of the islands from above
-letting the tranquility of Brent's island begin to soak in
-grand tour of Ribeira Brava
-meeting Brent's friends in town
-fish at Cafe Alternativa, ice cream in the plaza
-glaring at Brent's jerky boss
-watching the street kitties go about their afternoon kitty business from high above the street on the veranda of the Pensao Jardim
-dinner overlooking the town
-speaking in a Portuguese/French/English mishmash
-night football match
-hike up up up to Calajao
-piglets and an abandoned house
-The Life of Pi, finished in one day
-octopus for dinner and a table of Peace Corps peeps
-Hiace ride to Tarrafal
-Fantas on a shaded terrace
-chicken soup at Pensao Alice
-Hiace to Cachacao
-hike from Cachacao down the mountain back to Ribeira Brava
-goats and egrets are friends
-Fernando's pork skewers
-Fernando's punch, grog mixed with honey and lemon
-more night football
-a lost cow
-hike up Monte Gordo
-swooping swallows, a valley of baby trees, and views of either side of the island
-tuna sandwiches in the shadow of the summit
-ice cream on the Alternativa patio
-back to Alternativa for dinner...nothing else was open for dinner yet at the early hour of 7pm
-beer at the Snack Bar
-in Cape Verde, cats and dogs are friends
-noon flight to Praia
-scrumptious pizzas for lunch
-custard tart for dinner
-noon flight to Dakar
-arriving at the hotel to find that our reservation has been cancelled
-deciding the get the hell out of Dakar as soon as possible, and jumping on the next flight out that night thanks to the amazing Air France ticket agent at the Dakar airport
-home a day early after two weeks away