Snapshots of Falling in love with São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé has me at hello when I first lay my eyes on your indigo mass from my window seat to the ease with which you welcome me. The internet says I need a visa that’s issued on arrival provided I have an embassy-issued letter saying I may visit. The immigration official says I just need to arrive: no paperwork and no fee for the three-month tourist visa. I leave the airport awed by the instant warmth and kindness of people I’ve already interacted with.

I love arriving in a new place. It’s a kind of magic I feel better than I can ever articulate. It’s part excitement, anticipation, and satisfaction of turning yet another blot on the map of Africa into the story of my life.

There’s more than magic with São Tomé. There’s love. Instant. Intense. Consuming. I feel it as our car winds through the luscious South on the way to the airport to Roca Sao Joas dos Angolares, I’m awed by the vegetation. Wooden houses add pops in yellow, blue, and blue to a landscape dominated by trees and plants. The Atlantic glimmers with aqua green and blue haze despite the grey clouds.