Home for our 3-day stay in Varela was Chez Helene. It was not a difficult choice, as it is the only hotel in town. In fact, after the first night we were its only guests. Fortunately, it was the perfect place to enjoy such a peaceful town. This photo is of one of the bungalows.

Chez Helene is run conscientiously and with great warmth by Fatima and Franco and their friend Pino. Franco is Italian and met Fatima when she went to college there. Fatima was born in Guinea Bissau to a woman of Portuguese descent and a man originally from Rio de Janeiro. He himself had a French/Portuguese father and a black mother.

Franco was the main cook, and the food was outstanding. There’s nothing better than to come back from an afternoon at the beach to a wonderful, home-made Italian three course meal. Somehow, in such a remote village, they found the necessary ingredients. We had seafood pasta, country chicken, even porcupine which tasted a bit like pork and was splendid in Franco’s seasonings. I also tried Palm wine — at lunch time, which means it had not had a chance to ferment yet and gave me only the slightest buzz (I preferred not to get trashed).

Fatima holding Alibu.

For such a small, isolated town, Varela had a very cosmopolitan atmosphere. We wound up speaking a variety of languages while in Varela. I spoke Spanish with Fatima, Franco and Pino. Abraham spoke French with Fatima. We also spoke English with Franco, who lived in the States for a while. I spoke very broken Portuguese with the rest of the hotel staff. We often spoke all four languages in a single conversation. To top it off, many people in Varela have family in Senegal and a few people from the Gambia live there, so Portuguese, French and English are spoken in town, along with the dominant Creole.

Hanging out at the hotel. Chairs dry behind me.

Abraham and Lulu.