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Updated Information
|
Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
122km |
Meals
Spaghetti, Rice pudding for desert |
Weather |
|
Near Tomboco, Angola |
28 April 2004 |
Bush Camp |
6°31.446’S
13°32.405’E |
Odometer: 18730km |
Partly Cloudy, 95(F) degrees
|
|
We said goodbye to Fifi this morning and set
off at about 830. The track is obviously seldom used and never maintained.
It’s extremely overgrown with deep ruts and long water-filled sections. By
the end of the day we had covered about 120 km. We had a hard time finding
a bushcamp because of the number of people and the dense vegetation, but
we did eventually find a spot near an abandoned village. Graham now has
small rashes, which is consistent with Dengue fever. He will probably try
to find a doctor in Luanda. |
Jen with the Police Chief's son Krissy, jen, Fifi, vicki, and the kid Northern Angola boasts beautiful landscapes Toki crosses a rather sketchy bridge made from logs, an old truck chassi, railroad ties, and steel plate.
Jen with the Police Chief's son
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Updated Information
|
Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today: 184km |
Meals
Chicken curry |
Weather |
|
Near Ambriz, Angola |
29 April 2004 |
Bush Camp |
7°37.945’S
13°4.797’E |
Odometer: 18914km |
Partly Cloudy, 97(F) degrees
|
|
We continued on this morning, reaching an old
tarmac road about mid-morning. The remnants of the tarmac is worse to
drive on than the dirt track. It’s rather like driving a slalom course
trying to avoid potholes and constantly changing gears. Toki’s hood came
loose (it wouldn’t latch down) and we stopped and tied a strap over it to
keep it down. Unfortunately the road doesn’t go right along the coast, and
the beach camp we were hoping for didn’t materialize. Angola was mined
during the last 30 years of war, and we are reluctant to just drive off
into the bush. We saw evidence of the wars today in form of abandoned
tanks and other military vehicles alongside the road. Fortunately Graham
seems to be feeling better. The rash is gone, and he’s not as tired. |
We crossed the M’bridge river which boasts some impressive whitewater. The old bridge is visible in the foreground.
The Baobab trees are enormous and boast a huge variety of shapes
With the help of some electrical tape, Slade makes the name official.
We crossed the M’bridge river which boasts some impressive whitewater. The old bridge is visible in the foreground.
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|
Updated Information
|
Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
215km |
Meals
cous cous with tomatoes |
Weather |
|
Luanda, Angola |
30 April 2004 |
Luanda Yacht Club |
8°47.927’S
13°13.461’E |
Odometer: 19129km |
Sunny, Hot 102(F) degrees
|
|
The road is slowly improving,
and we were at Caxito by lunch time. We had to check in with the
immigration office there, giving a guy a ride from the police checkpoint
on the road to the office in town. We made it into Luanda by
mid-afternoon. According to Lonely Planet, Luanda was designed as a city
for 30,000 people. Currently there are 3 million people living here, and
it is easily the dirtiest city we’ve driving through thus far. We
encountered a traffic jam where we sat for about a half hour. When we
finally reached the obstruction it was obvious why. The street was full of
water which covered massive potholes, one of which required Witt to use
low range to get out of. We made our way out to a spit of land in the sea
where we found a nice beachfront restaurant. We phoned Mario, who met us
after about an hour. He has friends in the Luanda 4x4 club, and Robert
from the club showed up in his Defender 90. We got out the map and they
showed us some good sights to see on our way through Angola. Robert had
spoken with someone at the local yacht club, and they allowed us to camp
for free in their car park. Since the stores are closed tomorrow
(Saturday) we went shopping in the evening. Food is incredibly expensive
here (1 kg of mince (ground beef) is $10). We bought some staples, but
we’re hoping to pick up more food along the way. Eating at restaurants is
also very pricey (Robert says an average restaurant meal starts at about
$30) so Elza made some cous cous with tomatoe sauce for dinner. Afterward
we had drinks with Mario, Robert, and a few other people from the 4x4
club. We very much appreciate their hospitality! |
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 |
City of
Luanda |
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More
Touring in Angola ---> |
