On October 29, 2023, we took a motorboat from the Ponta Anachana Resort to Canhabaque Island, where we hiked inland 30 minutes to a village. The villagers were excited to see us; the children came running.
Our local guide, who came from the village, showed us the typical houses and the stores, with their signs in Portuguese.
We then hiked back to our boat, which took us to another part of the island, where the French owners of our resort had built a dining area, an outdoor barbecue, and a few thatched huts for overnight stays. We ate a shrimp and lobster lunch, with as many lobsters as we could eat, fresh from the sea.
After lunch, men and women from the village we had just visited arrived for their first song and dance concert. The French owner of the resort had trained them to make their presentation, so they could earn some money and she could have a program for her guests. They were great. Some had real drums and others beat on buckets.
After their presentation, the French owner turned on a boom box and played African rock music as we all danced. The French owner was so thin she seemed anorexic, but she was a great entrepreneur.
Members of our tour group joined in the dancing, as did Mike and I. This tour member was married to a man from Sierra Leone and was looking forward to visiting her husband's homeland. She seemed very unprepossessing, but it turned out she had an undergraduate degree from Yale! Each tour member had an interesting story.
This dancer's t-shirt had a photo of Barak Obama who is, of course, a hero in Africa.
The island was gorgeous, particularly the untouched parts.
After lunch and dancing, we all trooped back to our boats.
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