Now on bbc news. The travel show. There are still places that surprise me, even after travelling for nearly 20 years. Countries that appear to be one thing but, when you dig a little deeper, turn out to be something completely different. This is pretty spectacular. It is, it is. And im loving all the colours. The cabo verde archipelago, located just over 600km from senegal� s coast, is one of them. Tourism has really picked up pace here in recent decades, and its easy to see why Crystal Clear waters, golden beaches, year round sun, all the ingredients for an amazing holiday. But i feel theres so much more to this place just waiting to be discovered by travellers like us. And all you have to do is head beyond the beaches. Ive been lucky enough to explore a lot of africa, but what ive heard about cabo verde is that you get this real sense of worlds and cultures colliding. So, if you take a look at the shops and some of the market stalls, theyre selling african style arts and crafts. The churches look like theyve been lifted straight from a street in europe. And with a shared ancestry and heritage, you really get this South American feel through the people and the music. Cabo verde consists of ten islands and was a portuguese colony till 1975. Atjust 30 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide, sal is one of the archipelago� s smallest islands but the most popular for tourists. Many visitors stay in santa maria, in the south of sal, and it caters for their every need. But i want to get a real taste of life here. And to do that, i need to head to the beach and get myself a guide. He speaks creole oh, sorry english. Oh i only talk english you look local. Its not the first time someone has told me i look like im from here. Yeah, yeah. Im sure it wont be the last. So. But ill take that as a compliment. Thank you. Yes so, my name is elvis. Im lucy. Pleased to meet you, lucy. Good to meet you. So here, we are local tour guides. Mm hm. In sal island, who do the tours. I want to see the real sal. I want to get away from the touristy bits. I want to get a real flavour for what this place is about. It pleased me to take you out from that touristic atmosphere. Yeah, i want to hang with a local, i want to meet some locals, i want to get a real vibe of this place. And it sounds like i think you sold me it sounds like youre the guy. Good all right thank you. So i can show you the car. All right, lets do it. You can choose to sit in the cab. Yeah. And you can sit in the back. Come on you know what im going to say the back, obviously lets do it this is a really nice way to travel around the island sun in yourface, wind in your hair. Definitely beats sitting in a cab. In the town of palmeira, you can experience a slice of authentic cabo verdean life, just 19 kilometres away from the ever changing santa maria. Palmeira is an important port where everything that comes and goes from sal passes through. Its vibrant, colourful and an ideal first Stop On My Tour of the island. This is so different to anywhere ive been so far. Its so colourful thats it. Thats why you have to get out from that touristic atmosphere. Mmm . Come down, see the local people, try the local foods. Yes once you try a local food, yeah, youll say, oh, should i go back or should i stay here . Oh, you will feel at home. Yeah, yeah you will feel the vibe of the cape verdean people. Different flavour of cabo verde. Yeah. Yeah cristina is the matriarch of the candida family. Every day, they prepare cachupa, cabo verde� s National Dish. Its made for local people and to be served at a nearby restaurant. The smell of the wood smoke and the bubbling stew is something else. So what have we got here . Thats. Pork. Thats pork . Yes. Untranslated all the different ingredients represent different cultures. Cos thats quite important to this dish, right . We have the beans and the corn from brazil. Yeah. Banana, Sweet Potatoes from west africa. Mm hm. The meat came from the portuguese. Yeah. And then the fusion. And now its not from portugal, its not from brazil, its not from africa, its for cape verde and the cape verdeans. Yeah, yeah. To see all these nationalities that have shaped cabo verde come together in the National Dish is a perfect metaphor for cabo verdean culture. But the question is, does it taste any good . Thank you. Obrigada this looks good ive been waiting for this. Ive spent a lot of time watching it be made. I need to try it now. Ive waited long enough. You definitely will like it. All right lets do it mmm you know, as im eating it, its really reminding me ofjust a bean stew that my mum makes. And she still makes to this day, actually. Yeah its kind of bringing me home a little bit. Well, good. They laugh so, traditionally, who ate cachupa . When the portuguese was trading slaves to sell, they had to give them something, and then it starts the cachupa. When the portuguese came back from brazil with the corn, growing corn, and then putting everything together, anything you have at home, so. So there you have it. Yeah, yeah. Our National Dish, cachupa. Yeah its brilliant. Its great to get a real taste of cape verdean food. The island of sal was first named llana back in 1460, which means flat. But beneath this arid landscape, there was something to be found, something that would change the destiny of this place forever. Its definitely worth taking a tour to the salinas, because when you get here, you are completely surrounded by sal, which just happens to be the portuguese word for salt. And as you probably guessed, its how the island got its name. The word salinas roughly translates to salt mines. In this age old technique, sea water is allowed to stand in ponds, and as the water evaporates, it leaves behind solid salt crystals. Here is like a rock now. Yeah, it is. Yeah. And its still giving me impressions that im standing on ice. I know its not ice. Yes. No, no, you are. Here is the unique place where we can stand, walk, lay down. On the snow. You dont need gloves. You dont need nothing. You canjust come on a picnic. Laughs yeah, my kind of snow, my kind of snow salt mining was the main industry in sal for many years. Elvis is taking me to what was once the heart of the operation within a volcanic crater. And what he showed me was like something from another world. It feels like i should be shooting some kind of Sci Fi Flick Set on another planet, or maybe a spaghetti western, playing some kind of gunslinger. She laughs elvis, what is this place . So this place is a salt refinery. Uhhuh. Where the industry of salt. It was here where they used to refine the salt, and thats connecting to the salt lake by this cable. One kilometre and 100m down to the salt lake, and that was able to transport 25 tons of salt per hour. It looks like it was once a very impressive bit of infrastructure. That structure and the cable cars, it took two years to be built. Yeah . From 1919 to 1921. Wow so it really changed the game when this was built . Big, big change. Yeah. Big change. I dont know if its just me, but theres something a little bit eerie about looking at this. Its a bit, you know, its broken down, its decay and damage and. Yeah, unfortunately. The machineryjust left untouched and rusty. Its almost making me a bit sad. Unfortunately, it is like this. Those boats was used taking the salt out to the big ship to brazil. Yeah, yeah. So, what happened . To encourage the brazilians to produce them own salt, they put a really high tax on our salt that made it very expensive. So, thats the way they killed our business of salt. Yeah, a pretty underhanded way to kill the competition. So, when things started to decline and, you know, the operation started to close down, what was it like for the People Living here . Quite a few businesses collapsed but luckiest was when the airport had the international certification, so many people had the opportunity to find a job at the airport so, the airport did solve a problem of many people. Here probably will have the best view, the best picture of the island. Yeah . So, thats the famous salt lake. Here we are thats unique around the world, inside on an extinct volcanic crater. Yep, yep. It is one of the seven wonders of cape verde. You see, it makes, like, 900m long and its around 2m under sea level. Yeah, and im just checking you did say extinct, right . Extinct volcanic crater. Yeah, yeah. Well, ive got to say, as far as views go, this is pretty spectacular. It is, it is. Im loving all the colours. Youve got the pinky, kind of purple hues at the bottom. The white ice yeah. Still looking like ice to me yeah, the rusty mountains, the blue sky, the greenery. Its just such a beautiful mix of colours. So, it was this lake inside this crater where the salt was mined and then began its journey up the cable cars that elvis told me about. And now, its evolved into quite a fun tourist attraction, where getting in the water here is said to be like taking a dip in the dead sea, so you dont really swim but you can float and bob around and as im here, itd be rude not to give it a go, right . Who needs inflatables when youve got this . Im heading Back To The Beach here on sal, but theres no cocktails or sun loungers on this particular one and its rather ominously named shark bay. Ok, so theres lots of tourists here, plenty of Souvenir Stalls and no one� s running from the water screaming, so it cant be that bad, right . Lemon sharks may be closely related to great whites but, luckily for me, theyre not considered a threat to humans. You see . Oh, yes 0k. It camouflages well but weve seen a shark. Which gives tourists a chance to have yep, you guessed It Real Life Sharks Swimming around their legs. Im joining berta from the Conservation Group project biodiversity, who are always looking for tourists to volunteer with them to help study sals wildlife. And then, we will turn it to check. As demonstrated on this cuddly toy, well be tagging and measuring Baby Lemon Sharks who live in the shallow waters here. With the sharks spotted and the team briefed, it was time to prepare the sharks� supper before wading out to sea. All we had to do then was wait. The waters not too cold. No, its not cold at all, actually. So, is there an optimum time for this, where you get more sharks than other times . Here, they really come at 9 oclock when the first bus is coming. Yeah, yeah. And they leave at 5. 00 with the last tourists. 0n the 9 00 5 00 yeah, exactly. This is not for the impatient. So, whats the purpose of the microchipping, the measurements and taking skin samples . Whats the purpose . So, in this particular case, we are doing that because this area, its believed to be a nursery for the lemon shark, but theres no proof of that. We see baby sharks all the time, all year round, year after year, but we need to prove that. Yeah. So, tagging helps us to show that they are not only born here but that they spend some important stages of their life, and that is something that happens continuously. And also to say whether we are seeing only one shark, the same one 20 times, or 20 different sharks and, like, estimating the population. And off it goes its been tagged, its been checked and now, its back off into the wild. With so many other islands to explore, it was time to leave sal behind. And if you think cabo verde is all about golden beaches and blue seas, think again. This is the island of santo antao, the westernmost point of africa. It may be the archipelago� s second largest island but without an airport of its own, the only way there is on a ferry from the neighbouring island of sao vicente. This island is perfect for those who love the great outdoors, so im meeting shekinah, who takes tourists hiking across santo antao. Hello good morning how are you . Hi hello hi. Loving the sign. The whole of cabo verde was completely uninhabited when it was discovered by the portuguese in the 1a00s. And in santo antao, not much has changed, what with this unspoiled landscape. En route, shekinah wanted to show me this gem of a village sitting in a valley atop of a rock. This is fontainhas and has some of the best views on the island. I cant believe people live here. How many people live here . Nowadays, in fontainhas, theres, like, less than 200 People Living here, you know . What do you think are the main reasons for them leaving . Is it mainly work . Work, and they are looking for Better Living conditions. We call cape verde as well the terra sodade, which is the land of missing. Yeah. You know, we really love the loved ones, so we tend to come back, for sure, for them one day. Talk me about what it is that makes you stay here. I could start speaking about the morabeza, which is the word that we use mostly for people here that are very friendly, like, the hospitality. They open their hearts and they help you. They dont have much but they give it to you if you need it. I will give you an example in real life. Yes, please . So, youre going to see how it works here. So, maybe lets have a grogue. 0h ive heard so much about this. Im ready. Our local drink this is nice. Speaks creole oh, its a shot its a shot all right. 0k, what is this drink . Well, this is our rum. We call it grogue in creole. Yeah. Grogue. Grogue, yes. Itsa mix. Its a sugar cane. We make it from the sugar cane. Can i put it full . Yeah, why not . Why not, right . Its been a long hike. After the long hike well, here, in creole, we say txin txin or we say, salud. Which one should we go for . Its like, cheers salud txin txin salud hold on. It is strong. That is super strong. Oh, yeah. It actually took my breath away. That was nice. 0oh another one . Did you like it . Oh, it leaves a bit of a fiery taste in your throat. Mm hm. Strained yeah after spending the day on santo antao, it was time to get back on the ferry to spend the night on the island of sao vicente. Travelling around cabo verde, it soon becomes apparent each island is its own unique world with much of its character derived from its geography. But the more time i spend in sao vicente, its clear that this island isnt defined by mountains or deserts, but by its people. So, every february, they hold carnival here. But even in the fallow months, Carnival Groups still get together and rehearse. And, i mean, how can you not love this Carnival Vibe . Edson is the Vice President of the Carnival Group cruzeiros do norte. So, african countries, the rhythm, its in our blood and the people, when they come, automatically, they start to shake and dance. Just born with the vibe, born with the Carnival SpiritThe Port Of Mindelo is sao vicente� s City Of Culture and its flourishing art scene is mainly the direct influence of one woman. So, mindelo was made famous by the late, great, grammy Award WinningCesaria Evora and it doesnt take long for you to discover that she is quite the National Treasure here, and thats because she is everywhere, from murals to t shirts and shes even on the money. Sings fame found cesaria later in life. Born in 1941 in mindelo, for her first 50 years, she was weighed down in poverty and sang in obscurity. But for the following 20 years, before her death in 2011, she waved the flag for cabo verde, spreading its style of music across the globe and earning herself the nickname of the � barefoot diva. Sings same song as cesaria her legacy is inspiring a brand new generation of musicians. Nadia is a professional singer and says cesaria has taught her dreams can come true, no matter what your background is. I think cape verde� s music, you see, and we cannot escape from music. Yeah its a poor country but you can see the face of the people. They are happy, yeah, because of this evolving with culture. Culture, dancing, singing makes the people feel different despite of the problems but because of the culture. Yeah. It make them feel happy. Cabo verde may be one of the smallest nations in africa but it is without a doubt one of the most colourful. And when youre wandering around mindelo, you cant help but take in the hundreds of years of cultures just echoing through the streets whether thats through the music or from the warm and welcoming nature of the people here. And, yes, you could come here and never step foot out of your resort, but why would you do that when there is so much to see here . Thats why im so happy that ive taken the time to get out, taste the food, meet the people, walk the landscapes, and now i can go home knowing the true identity of this wonderful and beautiful nation. Woman sings hello there. Its felt like weve been on a Roller Coaster Ride through the month of april. Pretty disappointing at times. Cool and showery for a lot of us. Now, weve got some heavy rain to clear through sunday, but the week ahead on the whole look slightly warmer with some sunshine around and the rain should be just showery in nature. Weather, though. Now, lets take a look at whats happening with sundays weather, though. This area of low pressure will continue to bring a spell of wet weather as it drifts its way steadily north and east. So a spell of heavy rain associated with it, moving its way through the midlands up into east wales, gradually drifting its way into North East England and eastern scotland. The further west you are, youll likely see the best of the sunshine and just a few isolated showers. And heres where well see highest values once again of around 13 degrees. Itll be windy across eastern scotland. Gusts in excess of a0 miles an hour. 18 degrees, just a daytime maximum. Disappointing. That low pressure pulls away. The isobars stay pretty tightly packed, but start to pivot round to the south. So were starting to tap into this warmer air and it will be a relatively dry start on monday. Yes, theres another low moving in, but its only going to arrive into northern ireland, maybe Western Fringes by the end of the day. And so with that light southerly wind, temperatures at 16 degrees, thats a little more like it as we move into tuesday, potentially warmer. Still that low pressure not moving very far, very fast. Tuesday is the final day of april and what a surprise, were going to finish it on a milder note, as we tap into this southeasterly flow. Milder air pushing across the country, temperatures slightly above where they should be for the end of the month. So eastern areas will see the best of the sunshine. Well have showery outbreaks of rain out to the west. So temperatures here a little more disappointing and we could see a few scattered sharp showers, maybe even rumbles of thunder mixed in there. But in the sunnier moments, once again, 18 or 19 degrees not out of the question. Now, as we move through the middle part of the week, this area of low pressure not moving very far, very fast. That is going to continue to enhance more cloud and showers, particularly out to the southwest. On the whole, it will be a largely dry day. Theres a lot of uncertainty as to the weather through the middle part of the week. But towards the end of the afternoon, we could see some sharp showers breaking out across central and southern areas. That low pressure will continue to push its way and the frontal system steadily north. So some showery outbreaks of rain perhaps through thursday. Eventually that low is going to move off into the near continent. But that means that we could see a spell of wetter weather moving its way through northern england, across northern ireland, up into scotland, Brightening Up behind. Still the Wind Direction coming from the southeast, so in the sunshine, still those temperatures pretty promising indeed. Now, i know as we head towards the end of the week and into the weekend, its a bank holiday for some. And we all want to know whether were going to see a dry story. Theres still a lot of uncertainty about the detail, but it looks likely that low pressure drifts off to the near continent and allows High Pressure to quieten things down. So on the whole, at the moment, the weekend is not looking too bad. We keep that milder air with us, perhaps not as warm as it has been through the middle part of the week. But lets take a look at the city forecast and you see what to expect. For some of us, there will be some drier, brighterweather and just a few scattered showers from time to time. Obviously, we will firm up on the details as its an all Important Bank holiday weekend. Take care. Live from london. This is bbc news. The us Secretary Of State heads to saudi arabia as diplomatic efforts intensify to stop israels move into rafah. Uk ministers insist health is a priority after tory mp Daniel Poulter defects to labour because of concerns over how the nhs is managed. The tesla boss, elon musk, meets Government Officials in beijing. Theyre discussing the future of us china relations over electric vehicles. The Un Security Council expresses deep concern over an imminent attack on the sudanese city of al fashir. Hello, welcome to the programme. Im lewis vaughanjones. We start in the middle east where the palestinian president says only the us can prevent an Israeli Attack on rafah, where more than a million have fled. Efforts are under way to negotiate a truce between israel and hamas. The us Secretary Of State is meeting arab leaders