Climbing Mount Café
Our day at Sao Tomé de Principe started with some scuba diving. Being this close to the equator, 30 feet under water the temperature was still a sweetening 29 degrees Celsius. The scenery was spectacular however, and we spotted our first octopus.
We had lunch at our lodge, after which we decided to climb the mountain of Sao Tomé Island. With a Jeep of course. Enroute to the 9000ft-high summit we met some very nice people.
Our attention was first drawn by the sign saying ‘Mount Café.’ With Sjoerd Jan being a barista (link!) we took particular interest in this, and it appeared to be a coffee plantation.
We met with the friendly owners and employees, and a delicious cup of coffee was prepared for us on the spot.
No fancy cups and chrome coffee makers here: just a natural, pure Arabica coffee melange.
We had to leave the plantation again to further climb the mountain. Down the road we were greeted by some of the local school children.
All in all, we loved Sao Tomé. The people are relaxed and friendly, the coffee fantastic and the beaches great. However: time to leave again, back to mainland Africa: Congo.
Wat bijzonder om dit mee te maken zeg!
Lekkere combi. ‘s ochtends duiken en ‘s middags naar 9000 ft …:-)
Klopt, niet te diep duiken en niet te hoog klimmen … 😉
Really no nonsense coffee. surprise, surprise. What a day to experience. Enjoy this remarkable trip. :-))).
Gerjo, did you see the pictures of the coffee plantation? It was great mountain arabica coffee with a great taste.