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a corn meal served hot, and Maio’s renowned goat cheese, chicken and the favorite: Cachupa (a-hearty-everything-in-the-pot stew, mainly corn) surprisingly tasty, depending on the cook and the ingredients.

Local Dishes

Some of the other favorites indigenous dishes are: Pastel con Diablo Dentro (pastry with the devil inside)...fresh tuna fish, onions and tomatoes wrapped in a pastry made from boiled potatoes and corn flour, then deep fried.
Coldo de Peixe (fish stew)...fish, various spices, vegetables thickened with cassava root flour.

Food Markets

Vila has several mini-markets. There is soon to be a discount supermarket in Morro which will sell retail as well as wholesale at substantial savings.

Restaurants

Vila has good, modern restaurants and more coming, at a medium price range of about US$7.

DRINK BOTTLED WATER which is available at all hotels, restaurants and small shops. At restaurants, ask the waiter for "boia de agua" (1.5 liter) and take it with you.

BEACHES

Maio has splendid beaches which makes it a fabulous tourist attraction for beach goers, sail and surf boarding and scuba diving. The best beaches to be found are those visible from the road on the west coast: beginning with Vila’s excellent beach, then stretching north where the turn in the road makes it possible to visually encounter the continuing beaches past Funchago until Morro.

For those sun lovers who dream of lonely virginal beaches, Maio is their fantasy come true; however, isolation also means that one must take swimming safety more seriously. At times large waves might create undercurrents on some of the beaches which makes the sea more conductive to surf board sailing and board surfing than casual swimming. Only the strongest of swimmers should challenge the sea when these conditions exist. Floatation devices are recommended if you are not a strong swimmer or are swimming alone. These warnings are not to frighten but only to remind one that the sea is an ever-changing, whimsical giant which cannot be taken lightly.

WHAT TO WEAR?

The people of Maio are not prudish or formal in their daily attire as many European and North African countries. Wear whatever makes you comfortable in a warm climate: walking shorts, blue jeans, bikinis (at the beach)…all readily accepted. Rubber-soled or jogging shoes are a must when walking on cobbled-stoned streets or highway. A hat and dark glasses are highly recommended, of course, a good sun screen.