The previous night we’d been called urging us to take advantage of a special discount offer to upgrade to Business Class, for a mere 250 euros/per person. We declined. Just as well, because the plane was half empty and we each got a full, 3 person bank of seats to ourselves. It has been decades since I had that luxury!
30 day starter visas in hand, we went past all the people offering rides, to the official taxi stand. It was +29 C. We were led to a car and told that the fare would be 10 euros. Once we were in the car, the guy who had led it to us tried demanding a tip. We had not brought any coins with us, and weren’t about to give a 10 euro tip. He was pissed off, but we had not expected to have to tip to be walked two metres from the door of the airport to the cab at the curb.
Our hotel (the Hotel Cesaria) is lovely. Again, though, even in the hospitality industry, few people speak any English, French or Spanish. After we’d checked in we tried asking where we could go for the visa extension. The woman on the desk got a colleague who spoke some English, and he directed us to a big bank building about a 20 minute walk away. We figured maybe the same building housed the office where we could deal with the visas.
Race walked there to get there before a likely 4 p.m. closure. Since everything would be closed on the weekend and we leave this island on Monday, it was important to get it done today. We got there at 3:34 and could see lots of people inside. The armed the security guard, when we asked if this was the right place for a visa extension, confirmed that it was but wouldn’t let us in. Said it was closed. I guess the official closing was at 3:00 or 3:30 and they were just dealing with the people who’d got in before that.
While standing outside figuring out what to do next, it suddenly dawned on us: the hotel clerk and the security guard probably thought we wanted to deal with a VISA credit card, not a border visa extension!
We couldn’t get the Internet to work on our phones, so we decided to walk back to the hotel. We passed dozens of little street stands selling what looked like high quality fruit and vegetables, and others selling basic household goods out of the backs of their trucks. We must get ourselves some iodine so we can clean and eat the local fruit.
On our way along I spotted a travel agency.
“Let’s go ask them where we are supposed to go for the visa extensions. They’d be more likely to understand the issue.”
We went in and, with my handy downloaded Google Translate, explained the situation. The agent told to us that we had to go to the Comando da Policia in Palmarejo. They would be open till 5:00. He was also kind enough to tell us that a cab would cost 150 – 200 CVE.
We flagged a cab that was an official, licensed one, but it reminded me of the cabs we used to take 40 years ago in Edmonton; creaky old cars on their last legs with no seat belts in the back. We agreed to a price of 200 before getting in (a little less than CAD$2) and he got us to the border police office with 20 minutes to spare.
Inside, it was a calm, quiet, air conditioned bureaucratic office. Nothing is done in a hurried way here. But, fortunately, there was only one person ahead of us, and when another tried to sneak in before us the police officer instructed him that it was our turn.
The kind police officer (who did speak some English!) explained that to get the Visa extension in Prahia we’d have to leave our passports with them for two weeks. What?! This was going to be a problem.
He asked where else we would be going, and told us that in Mindelo, on Sao Vicente island, we could get the extension done immediately at their border police office. This surprised us, since Praia is a larger city and is the capital. Turns out that because Praia is the capital, it has to be done officially, and they do a proper, laminated visa that is sealed into your passport. That takes two weeks. But Mindelo doesn’t have the infrastructure for that, so there they just hand-write the new date!
As we thanked him and got up to leave, he said,
“Why bother? You are only staying five extra days. They aren’t going to stop you at the border when you leave.”
“But the lady at the airport told us that there was a 100 euro fine for each of us if we left having overstayed our visa.”
The border police officer nodded slowly.
“Yes, that’s true. But just tell them you didn’t know. They aren’t likely to charge it.”
We thanked him. Honest Canadians that we are, we will try to get the visa extension in Mindelo. He’s probably right, but why risk it?
Not a perfet introduction to a tropical paradise. Now you see the advantages of organized all=inclusive resorts.
Yes, there are advantages. But a lot of disadvantages too. It is not just about getting warm and sipping drinks by a pool.