After Shahid had missed the flight from Johannesburg to Windhoek and
had to spend the night in South Africa, finally, he arrived in Namibia
30th of december. After a short walk through central Windhoek and the
feeling that the town has clearly changed since his last visit ten years
back, we took our bags and went to Katutura, where to bus towards the
border with Angola should leave from around 6 pm. It was quite strange
to say goodbye to the friends in Windhoek, as I spent 3 weeks there.
Monica insisted on taking us to the bus station to make sure that we sit
in the right bus! A nice move!
After all, now it started, the adventure Angola. In Chameleon
Backpackers I got to know a very nice Angolan family from Luanda. They
gave me their telephone number, so if something goes wrong or there is
any problem with the extension of my visa, I have friends who can help.
The brother of the woman works with the visa authorities in Luanda….. I
took this as a good omen! So, on the last days of december Shahid and I
left Namibia. The bus was supposed to start around 6pm….. Well, it took
some time till the coach was full and so we started at 10pm towards
Oshikango. It rained heavily during the journey, we were cramped in the
coach and the music they played I would not really call music. But it
was a good feeling to be on the road again! Around 8am we reached
Oshikango and moved on to the border.
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| Flag of Angola |
Borders in this part of Africa are not as easy to cross as in East
Africa or in southern Africa. Crossing the namibian border was no big
deal for sure, but to enter Angola was a little bit more of a
challenge…. Of course we got a special treatment as we were the only
white people queuing up. They picked us out of the normal queue, because
our case would be handled by the boss personally. This is rarely good
news. In our case it was a delay of about 1.5 hours, as at this early
time this gentlemen for sure was not available. When he showed up, he
absolutely wanted to see our letters of invitation for Angola. One needs
these invitations to get the visa generally. Logically these letters of
invitation stay with the embassy, where one applies for the visa. In my
case it was even not a letter of invitation of an Angolan person,
organization or a hotel, but a letter of recommendation of the German
embassy in Windhoek. But the border official did not know this and also
did not need to know it. We were asked embarrassingly exactly for our
finances, had to prove, that we carry at least in 3000.-US per person
and lots of credit cards…. Not that plastic money would be of any help
in Angola… Well, finally, after other 30 minutes of questioning we were
allowed to enter the country. One of our magic words was presumably the
Africa Cup of Nations, the football event which takes place in Angola
just a few days later. It is absolutely understandable and very normal,
that the both of us specially come from Germany and the States to see
football matches in Angola…. Everybody who knows me at least a little
bit, knows that my football understanding is still less than
rudimentary…. So, this is somewhat a joke, but why not – if this is the
reason that we may enter -please, why not!
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| Lubango |
 |
| Lubango |
After we had changed the US dollar in local Kwanza on the street as
there was no bank available, we went to the bus station in Santa Clara,
the border town on the Angolan side. The bus was okay, the music
definitely better than on the Namibian side, the street in the beginning
super nicely tarred and well maintained. However, this changed very
fast! Though these were no man-high holes, I had been warned by the few
travellers crossing Angola before, this was really a pretty bad roller
coaster sand track next to the new to be build road. However, the locals
in the bus were all in a good mood.
This had its reason: a truck before
us has lost full whiskey bottles over and over again, which
surprisingly enough were not broken. The more whiskey bottles they could
pick up on the way, the better the mood became in the bus…. About 8.30
pm and after 9 hours in the coach we finally reached Lubango.
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| Lubango |
At the beginning, our first town in Angola put us on a patience test.
It was anything but easy to find a place for the night. All more or
less inexpensive hotels (less than 100 US) seemed to be booked up just
at the New Year's Eve night. Finally, with the help of several nice
local people we found a room for an okay price. Though from the outside
the hotel looked quite peculiar, it did not show any name and had no
outside door. Oh well, it had a door, indeed, but only the frames, one
was able to walk through the frame just like that and there was the
reception… But the room was okay and it was possible to lock the door
including the frame.
So we tried to solve the next problem: Dinner! In Europe as well as
in most other countries of the world it is normally no big deal to
organize something to eat on New Years Eve. Not so in Lubango, Angola.
Everything was closed, if these are snack bars, cafes, restaurants,
supermarkets, markets, there were even no mamas on the street selling
food! For not having to go to bed completely hungry, we based ourselves
in the piano bar of the Grand Hotel for a drink. Unfortunately, there
was also no food there. After we both had slept away New Years Eve, we
thought of a nice breakfast the next morning – but also this did not
work out, there was nothing to buy, as there was nothing open. So we
looked at least for a less expensive room. So, we found pension Jasil.
There was no running water and also no private bathroom (what for, if
there is no running water anyway). This room was a real bargain for
"only" something more than 50.- US. Well, Angola is expensive, and you
do not really get a lot for your money…. At least, finally, we got some
lunch at the Grand Hotel. As it was buffet style, we could also eat so
much that it was enough for the rest of the day. In the afternoon we
bumped into Carlos, who has been to London for several months and
therefore speaks very well english. Together, we went a little bit
outside of Lubango to a church sitting on top of a hill. From there, we
had a great view over the town. The next day, things were back to normal
again and we found an open restaurant, where we got some breakfast.
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| Road to Namibe |
 |
| Nancy, Benguela |
 |
| Benguela |
After changing some more money on the street (On saturdays the banks
are also closed of course), we went to the bus station. We were very
lucky and got the last seats in the bus to Namibe, a provincial town by
the sea. In the bus, there was also Baptista, who had to go
professionally to Namibe. He works for an organization, which supports
HIV patients. The whole thing is financed by selling of second hand
clothes. Baptista is the one, who administers the money and looks after
the paperwork. Then he and his partner helped us in the search for an
inexpensive lodging in Namibe. From the money we saved in this
inexpensive lodging we went to a nice fish restaurant by the sea, and
got a very nice plate of seafood with lobster , mussels and scampi! In
Namibe, there are nicely restored colonial houses. Even more interesting
was a shop selling cornflakes – for the equivalent of 28.- US! The next
day we went back to Lubango. This time the sun was shining, so we had a
really great view at the hairpin bends and the rock formations on the
plateau – really spectacular. The plan was, actually, to continue the
same day to Benguela, but there were no busses the same day and even the
coach society SGO was booked up for Benguela for the next three days.
At least we got tickets for the next day with another company. So, we
spent another night at pension Jasil.
 |
| Benguela |
The journey to Benguela lasted about 6.5 hours and was first going
through thick bush, then down the mountains and it became drier and
drier. Over and over again we could see stones with red-white marks to
warn about mine fields. According to the stones, there are still many
areas with land mines lying around. Benguela turned out to be a very
pleasant town. There are some really nice old houses from the time of
the Portuguese, the town has a lot of places with big shady trees and,
besides, the town is by the sea. People are very relaxed and are glad to
meet foreigners. The good impression of Benguela is also because of the
lodging we found there. We lived in Nancy’s Guesthouse. Nancy is an
American lady, who lives since many years in Benguela. She is leading an
english school and an attached guesthouse. She has a heart for the few
travellers passing through Angola, knows the problems of the expensive
lodgings, and she is a mine of information and willing to help with tips
and tricks, whether a visa needs to be extended, a lodging in Luanda
should be found or an excursion to Lobito be planned. Whatever it is –
ask Nancy and your problem is solved. For sure, the hostel is spotlessly
clean, there are interesting people as potential teachers living here
as well, and there is air-conditioning in each room and a shared
bathroom with cold and hot (!) water! An oasis of rest for a traveller!
Thanks to Nancy for all her help and the support she gave us!
 |
| Benguela |
In town, there is a lot to discover, above all interesting things to
eat. On our second day Shahid has exaggerated it, however, somewhat –
cooked cattle hoofs and afterwards chicken innards…. Well, the very same
evening the food poisoning was there, which made him staying in the
room and bathroom for the next day. At least he selected the right place
for something like that. After one rest day Shahid was fit again and we
went to Lobito. Supposedly from there should be every now and then
ships going all the way to Luanda. Such a boat we did not find, but
Lobito has a good internet cafe, nice restaurants directly by the sea
and some colonial houses, so there is enough to keep one occupied for
half a day. Thanks to Nancy and the good Paypal we also solved our money
problem in getting some more US cash. Nevertheless, Angola is clearly
more expensive than expected and this money transaction got us a big
relieve.
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| Road to Huambo |
After 4 days in Benguela, we had to leave Nancy and her hospitable
place, in which we, nevertheless, spent more time than first planned.
The bus to Huambo was going through a wonderful landscape. First, it was
very dry, then there were a lot of rocks, finally, scanty green,
followed by bushes and trees, many baobabs and finally green fields, the
further we drove towards Huambo. In this area, there were less warnings
from land mines then next to the Lubango – Benguela road. However, the
villages and small towns seemed to be inhabited by only a few people.
Lots of the houses seemed to be completely abandoned. The area around
Huambo was particularly a battle zone in the last days of the war, I can
only suppose that many people have fled at that time and left their
houses, which are still empty.
 |
| Landscape close to Huambo |
Huambo is the second largest town of Angola to Luanda and is at an
altitude of about 1500 meters. So, the climate is very pleasant, in the
evenings it is even chilly. Huambo was the center of the fights which
took place after the armistice of 1988. The war was finished, actually, 4
years before, then in 1992 an election, which was not recognized by
UNITA, led to a new conflict. The result was more fighting and the
center this time was Huambo. These fights cost the life of several
hundred thousand people. The town was nearly completely destroyed, even
nowadays there are quite a few houses with shot holes.
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| Huambo |
Huambo was one of the places where we had to look longer for a
tolerable place to stay. A Portuguese brought us first to a pension, but
the manager wanted to have a funny 80;- US for this room, but this was
nothing more than a hole! So we continued to look for something else and
found restaurant Gigi. According to our guidebook Gigi is a local
restaurant. Basically, we went there to have a drink and to dump our
luggage for a while till we found a place for the night. As so often on
this trip, things went different. We got to know Raymondo, who is
working for radio Huambo. He supplied us with a complete fan equipment
for the football matches. While talking to him, we found out, that there
are also rooms available at Gigi's restaurant! We immediately went into
negotiations and got one of these rooms at an affordable price. At
least, we were the first tourists, who stayed in this pension! So, they
gave us a special price.
 |
| Memorial of the reading soldier, Huambo |
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| Destroyed House from the war, Huambo |
Huambo has a little real places of interest, but the locals were
especially friendly towards us. There are two big places in town. One
has a gigantic monument with a reading soldier. Around this place, there
are the most important buildings of town, the governor’s palace, town
municipality, post, etc. The other central place is with a lot of green,
fountain, a playground and many benches to sit down. In Huambo
particularly strikes how young the population is in Angola. We saw
hardly people more than 50 years old. Most are more likely clearly under
20! I am not really sure, why it is like this, but there are probably
several explanations: The war has certainly cost many adults life’s,
whose children now grow up as orphans or half-orphans. Moreover, many
people still live in little villages in the countryside, however, the
children in bigger towns, the old people remain in the village. Shahid
and I were often the Methusalems in the bus or a restaurant in
comparison to all others there…
 |
| Huambo |
In Huambo, we met Edelgard, who works for a German aid company in
Huambo. We spent an interesting evening with her and her South African
colleague in a restaurant. When we stayed in Huambo, the CAN started,
the Africa Cup of Nations, which was held this time in Angola. Of course
we sat at Gigi’s restaurant, like the Angolans equipped with Angola
flags and Angola caps in front of TV. First, everybody in the restaurant
was completely enthusiastic about the game, as Angola was leading 4:0
against Mali. All that went to zero, when the game finally ended with
4:4…. The next day, we had to get up once more early. Early in this case
is really early (4.15 am), because our coach to Luanda should already
leave at 6.00 am. At this time of the day or more likely night, it is
always difficult to find transport to the coach station, but after 30
minutes walking with full luggage we found a shared taxi with a super
nice driver who even did not want to accept money of his first tourists!
The Angolans were mostly very friendly and curious, when they saw us
with the backpacks. Tourists are still a novelty in Angola, even if it
is now already 2 years that they issue tourist visas. These tourist
visas are still awfully difficult to obtain. So, no wonder, that that
many locals have never seen a tourist…. If these people with their big
backpacks speak just about 10 words of Portuguese, people become very
curious about us…
 |
| Luanda |
In Luanda we were very lucky to get a room at Cuamm, an Italian NGO
working in health in Angola. Lucky, because hotels in Luanda are really
expensive and in the lower price range also not safe at all. We paid 100
US, – for our room without own bathroom, which is a real bargain for
Luanda, and it was a very safe place with day guard and night watchman!
Luanda is a gigantic town with a lot of slum-like town quarters which
spread out round the town and are called Favelas. The first evening we
went to the city center along the promenade by the sea for a restaurant,
but there was none. In the city center, there are banks, administrative
buildings, etc but no normal restaurant. They are about 1 or 2
kilometers from the city center. Even simple restaurants there charge at
least 20 dollars for a meal, which is nothing fancy, just a normal
meal…. Well, Luanda is currently the most expensive town of the world!
 |
| Luanda |
One afternoon, we met Helder. I got to know him and his family at
Chameleon Backpackers in Windhoek, where they spent their christmas
holidays. Helder was a mine of information about Angola, its history,
geography, politics and of course its inhabitants. Thanks a lot to
Helder for the patience with all our questions!
 |
| Luanda |
 |
| Favela, Luanda |
First, we organized our visas for the Democratic Republic of Congo
DRC. Getting this done, took us 2 complete mornings. Luanda does not
have a lot to keep tourists busy in terms of sights. Still, we needed
quite a few days in Luanda, just because everything takes so long to
organize. Especially, when you need to go to another part of the city,
this can take forever, because the traffic is simply infernal here! For
example our trip to Esquinza: this is a place about 15 Kilometers from
our hostel, where the coach sets off in direction for Mbanza Congo. The
return trip took us about 4 hours! Going there was easy, as a local took
us there in his car, going back by public transport was not so funny
anymore. Above all, one of the multiple coaches we took just ended its
tour in the middle of a Favela. I felt not really good to walk around in
such an area without a local. But also here we were lucky, as a nice
collective taxi driver, who even spoke good English, came along and took
us out of this area…
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| Africa Cup of Nations, Luanda |
Everybody, who knows me just a little bit, knows that I usually do
not care at all about football, but as there was this Africa Cup of
Nations in Luanda right at that time we have been in the city, this was
like a must to visit! Tickets for the games were supposedly sold at the
banks, but we could not find out, which bank, as we were sent from one
bank to another. So we decided to try our luck by going to the stadium
for the game Mali- Algeria. Reaching the stadium is a story for itself –
the stadium is very far outside of town, so private taxis are extremely
expensive! As we also failed to find a shared taxi, I asked two men
sitting in a car, which was richly decorated with Angolan flags, whether
they know, how we can reach the stadium by public transport. At least, I
thought that I had asked this, in portuguese language, which I do not
speak at all… They waved us into their car and we drove off. At that
time, I was still mistaken by the thought that they bring us to the next
shared taxi…. After about 20 minutes of driving, we thought all this
was rather strange, however, we were at the same time curious about
where they would take us. After a total of 50-minute journey, we stopped
at a coach of full football fans, the driver of our car put some money
for the coach in Shahid's hand, and then they turned around and probably
drove back the whole way… Anyhow, I must have seemed very persuasive,
completely impecunious and absolutely football-fanatic….
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| Africa Cup of Nations, Luanda |
After reaching the stadium, it took us a while to find out, that the
games are sold out. Of course, there was still the black market, where
we finally got our tickets! The mood in the stadium was great. The first
game Mali- Algeria did not have as many visitors as most people came
later to see the Angolan team. The stadium for the second game was
really nearly full, which means that almost 60,000 people attended. Lots
of them wore the national colors, waved flags, had wigs and costumes…
Just great! On top of that – Angola won this game! As we feared a
veritable traffic chaos after the game, when all visitors drive home at
the same time, we left the stadium before the end of the game. Very
fast, we found a minibus leaving towards Luanda. Unfortunately, it
turned out, that the driver had to help a friend, who got stuck with his
car on the highway near the stadium. The towing lasted forever, so we
ended up having exactly the problem which originally wanted to avoid by
leaving the stadium earlier. It was absolute chaotic on the streets. At
last we walked a good 40 minutes till we reached another road, where we
found a nice driver, who took us all the way to favela Sao Paulo. After
another long walk we found a collective taxi in the city center, from
there only 30 minutes by foot to reach the taxis to the Ilha, 10 minutes
later we were back in our hostel – shortly after midnight and
completely finished…. But it was a great day!
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| Africa Cup of Nations, Luanda |
After 5 days in Luanda we went by a hellishly uncomfortable coach to
Mbanza Congo, which is close to the congolese border. This bus was
supposed to start somehow in the morning, actually, around 9am, but
everybody was there – up to the driver… He came at 10.30am, and thus we
could begin our trip. The journey to Mbanza Congo should last, actually,
about 10 hours. There are about 450 kilometers, and the street there is
in a very poor condition. Of course, it took us longer, but I did not
expect us to arrive at the absurd time at 1.30 am at night… The other
people in the bus probably had, as everybody made themselves at home in
the parked coach to wait for the next transport to the border or at
least for daylight…
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| Kinshasa, DRC |
The plastic seats were already quite uncomfortable before and did not
become better during the long trip. Prepared with a sleeping-bag and
ear plugs it was a kind of okay. The next morning around 6am a
collective taxi took us to the border with the Democratic Republic of
Congo DRC in Luvu. The border crossing was very time consuming, finally,
after 6 hours all passengers of our minibus were on the other side and
we continued our journey towards Kinshasa…. By the way, we were the
first tourists who passed this border crossing, the officials on the
Angolan side spent quite some time in finding the right book to register
us leaving Angola here….. Now we are in Kinshasa. An absolutely chaotic
town with few places of interest and little charm, but very lively,
very African and above all with a lot of inexpensive restaurants! Our
experiences in DRC I will describe in another mail. It is really time to
send off this Angola post now!
