Pedra de Lume

Extinct salt flats and colonial buildings

Midway up the east coast of Ilha do Sal is Pedra de Lume. High above the coastal town is a salt lake situated inside the mouth of a long extinct volcano. According to geologists, the waters in the lake rise from deep in the earth rather than from lateral infiltration from the ocean. For many centuries salt has been extracted here. There were at one stage 40 hectares of salt pans on this site.

In the 18th century Manuel Antonio Martins began to develop the salt business which had existed for many years on Boa Vista. The most challenging technical issue at Pedra de Lume was to find a way of transporting the salt from the salinas high above the village to the embarkation point at the port. Initially pack animals were used to do the work. Later a tunnel was cut through the wall of the extinct volcano thereby easing access to the salinas.

In 1919 a Sant Maria businessman bought the salt company from the descendants of Mr. Martins, with the help of a Bordeaux company.. They installed a conveyor system 1100 metres long to transport 25 tons of salt per hour. The new company exported to West Africa.

By 1985 the salinas of Pedra de Lume ceased operations. But.in 1990 there were still 700 residents in Pedra de Lume. Unfortunately, the economy of the town only offers a handful of job opportunities so the rest had to migrate to other parts of Sal or abroad. The Italian Steffaninni has now bought the site to turn it into a resort.

There is now a small cafe inside the Caldera of the extinct volcano, where you can wash off the caked salt under a shower and have a cool drink. after a float . Service for food is dreadful when they have a coach-load of Italian trippers from one of the company owned holiday camps. Even if you speak Italian or Portuguese, you will simply be ignored. If not you have still less chance of getting served. Much better to drive down to the beach and eat in the larger restaurant, which also unfortunately caters for Italian coach-loads but has more staff to cope with them.

The swim in the salt pan with a maximum depth of 2 foot is an interesting experience and is completely free. Take submersible shoes for the salt crystals are like sharp gravel and can puncture the feet if you walk on them. There is a nice walk of around 3 miles around the perimeter or less than a mile across the centre.

You can watch the birds that live in the brackish water and watch the dump trucks driving around the rim of the crater in clouds of dust or just listen to the silence. Until the Italains arrive that is. It is best to avoid mid-day which is when it can be hot and most noisy. At other times it is sheer solitude as the clouds scud past over the crater rim.

This is well worth a detour as Monsieur Bibendum would say. You can get there by taxi or in a hire car.

J from Boston did not have any service from the Italian restaurant there.

"Ca’ Da Mostro Restaurant, Pedra da Lume: Knowing we have a few hours to kill before our return flight to Praia, our taxi driver, Jose, suggests we take in the Salinas Salt Mines and then lunch at Ca’ Da Mostro and he’ll come back for us in a few hours. If you have ever been to Pedra da Lume, you know it is nothing more than a treeless town at the opposite end of the island from Santa Maria and save for the mines, restaurant and a shanty town of unpainted cinderblock homes for workers; there is nothing but sun, sand and heat. After the mine visit we go to Ca’ Da Mostro and see two endless lines of tables so far empty but obviously soon to be filled. I ask the maitre’d if he is open he says ‘No, we are expecting a bus tour and do not have a regular menu today.” I could not help but notice three people at a table on the terrace and a couple at a table inside eating food that was not from the well stocked, prepared buffet table. I looked back and forth from table to terrace hoping he would notice but he says nothing so finally I ask if we could at least get something for our daughter. “I am sorry”, he replies “Not today.” My wife has had enough and says in a not too soft voice “What is happening to my country? Where is the morabeza we all share with each other?” The maitre’d, with outstretched palms aiming ground ward bouncing and beckoning her to keep calm, says “I am sorry Dona, we are full. We will have morabeza tomorrow.” Morabeza tomorrow????!!!! What the heck does that mean? Is morabeza something that can be turned on and off like a light switch? Or will it be back on the menu tomorrow? This establishment wins (or loses) hands down."