São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe

Breakfast was so-so at San Pedro Guesthouse but from what we remembered, breakfasts weren't a big thing in Portugal either.

We had the big chocolate factory tour this afternoon at 4:40pm so decided to tour around the city rather than trying to go out along the coast and be concerned about getting back in time.

It was hotter than in Príncipe, about 28C and very humid. We walked from our guesthouse to the National Museum in Fort São Sebastião, 2.4km according to Google maps. It was along the coast, which we had walked a couple times going out for dinner, so it was familiar to us.

It cost 50 Dobra (about 2 EUR) per person to enter. The museum guide took us around the various rooms, giving explanations in French. (We don't speak Portugese, but between French, English and Spanish we usually find a common language. French has been most popular as an alternative to Portugese). Anyways it was an interesting enough museum.

Close by was a contemporary art gallery, CACAU, which we had been hoping to visit and possibly buy some art. However the gallery building was under renovations and the place was closed :( there was a smaller crafts shop close by, but the quality was basic. They did have posters for art exhibitions at local cafés, so we made note.

Walked by the Cathedral but it was closed during mid-day. Took some pictures in the market and stopped in at Café Camões (it's similar to Alliance Français but for Portugese culture). Picked some menu it's at random, I had the shrimp and Heather had some chicken which was a bit tough. Went to Pastelaria Central across the street for a tasty pastry and espressos.

Got home with plenty of time shower and walk over to Claudio Corallo chocolate, which was luckily just around the corner from the guesthouse. We were about to head over when the car rental folks dropped off our car and we had to sign some paperwork, which threw off our timing and we had to rush to the chocolate factory.

Our friend we had met at Makaira in Príncipe was there to give us our tickets. At 4:40pm we entered along with about 30 other tourists. We filed into the 'factory' which was really just a room that we barely all fit into to. The 'tour' was actually a tasting which s excellent - we tried about 15 kinds of chocolate which varied in when sugar was added and other variables. It's a very small operation. Most of the process is by hand, so there's not much to see, but it's really all about the tastings.

Walked home and cooled down in our room before heading out for dinner, tonight at Dona Tété. It was a bit of a trek so decided to take a taxi. It was difficult to get a taxi (they typically just hang out at taxi stops) but found one. They didn't know of the restaurant so we asked to be taken to the Pestana, which was somewhat close.

The roads outside the Pestana were sketchy so we walked into the lobby and asked if they could hail us a taxi to Dona Tété. One of the advantages of being a tourist in lesser-touristed areas is that you can walk into any higher end hotel and they will help out.

This taxi driver knew exactly where it was. He suggested he could pick us up in two hours (the restaurant was down a small residential street, which would have made it difficult to get a taxi home) so agreed.

There were a few groups of tourists, some of which we recognized. The restaurant was in a large garden. We ordered calamari and grilled fish. It was served family style and we probably could have split one dish but oh well. Both were excellent.