ATW Day 80 - Luanda, Angola

When we docked in Luanda, Angola yesterday morning we were quite impressed with the wildlife that greeted us.

Okay, they were just pigeons.

We took an excursion - Luanda Past & Present.  We were driven along the waterfront, the Marginal, and then taken first to the San Miguel Fort which houses the National Military History Museum.

As we are not real military history buffs, the tour inside was just okay but we did get to see the Big 5!

And another woman carrying goods on her head.

The views from the fort:

Next was the Mausoleum where the first president of Angola rests in peace (no photos are allowed inside the memorial).

We then climbed up to the outdoor viewing area.  You might recognize the trees from Namibia.

The next stop was the Slave Museum which provides the history of the people taken from Angola.

There were many youth there, apparently on a field trip which provided a nice break from the serious stuff.

From there it was a short walk to the Benfica Market.  Eh, just another market at which we bought nothing.

Then it was back to the ship.  For us I have to say that the most interesting part of the excursion was driving through the city and observing life there.  Luanda is a city of 10 million people in which the poverty was obvious.  Our guide told us that the unemployment rate is about 60%.  Would it have been safe going out there alone?  I'll just point out that a police car escorted the tour buses the whole way.  

As we rode through the city, we saw many people seemingly doing nothing, sometimes selling goods on the street, and more women with goods on their heads.

We also saw many areas that looked like favelas, often adjacent to or behind a nice building.

And a good assortment of vehicles.

Interestingly, we observed that outside of many banks there were long lines of people waiting to get in.  Our guide said that the reason for the lines is that the people who work in the banks are just slow, in no hurry to get things done.  What business all of these people, many of whom are unemployed, have inside a bank is a mystery.

On the way back to the ship, we were taken through the better part of town and back along the Marginal.  What a contrast.  And there were traffic jams.  I guess with 10 million people, even if very few own cars, there will be many cars around.

So, in summary, I have to say that our visit to Luanda was interesting and enlightening.  Especially when you consider that Luanda was known as the "Paris of Africa" in the 1970's and 1980's.  That ended after years of civil war.  We're glad that we had the chance to visit Angola but see no need to ever go back.

Today, we are at sea as we sail to Sao Tome and Principe for tomorrow's port of call.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

ATW Day 78 - The Day After Namibia

Today, day 78, we are cruising up the South Atlantic Ocean along the west coast of Africa.  This follows our day in Walvis Bay, Namibia, the first of 5 new countries for us as we make our way north.  In Walvis Bay we took an Oceania excursion, Treasures of The Namib Desert by Off-road Vehicle.  We sailed in through very thick fog which partially cleared when we were docked.  The temperature was in the 60's and we anticipated being quite cold as we were driven around in the "off-road vehicle".  Well, it turned out that the off-road vehicle was a nice SUV and, when we got to the desert it was warm and sunny.  Our driver/guide, Horst, took us to a stop along the coast to see the flamingos.  There were just a few there and they were pretty far out.

Horst then drove us past the sand dunes as we headed to the Namib Naukluft Park.  It is a very stark desert environment, not at all like the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.

The next stop was a viewpoint for the Moon Landscape.

We then continued on through the desert with its interesting terrain, lichens, and different plant life.

The most interesting plant that we saw was the Welwitschia, which is, believe it or not, a tree that is the national plant of Namibia.  It sure didn't look like a tree and they can be hundreds of years old!  Can you tell which is the male plant and which is the female?

We then went back through the Swakop River to the Goanikontes Oasis, a true oasis in the desert that was once used by English ranchers as a farm for cattle and produce.  It was amazing to see this oasis since Horst told us that they might have 2 days of rain each year and the river will only flow once or twice a year.

Next we were driven to the town of Swakopmund.  There is much German history in the area which Horst was able to tell us about.  His parents came to Namibia from Germany.  Swakopmund has some buildings from the era of German settlement in the late 1800's and many of the newer buildings are in the same style.

The final stop on the way back to the ship was at a sand dune so we could have the opportunity to walk up.  We did not take the opportunity to slide down like the kids were doing.

We passed some new developments along the coast (named Langstrand, Long Beach!) as the sun was starting to set.

It was an excellent excursion that gave us the desert experience and the history of the area from Horst, a very good guide.  It was also fascinating to think about the differences in the vegetation and the wildlife between South Africa and Namibia.

Before I wrap this up, I need to take a few steps back to recall our day in Cape Town.  When we returned there the evening after our safari, the weather was very nice with a good view of Table Mountain.

The next morning, the weather was not so nice and Table Mountain was lost in the overcast.

We had the day in Cape Town and we thought about going to a botanical garden.  However, two factors discouraged us from that plan.  First, was the cloudy, cool weather.  Second, we had to be back to the ship by 2:00 pm so we could go through immigration before the ship left South Africa.  We eventually decided to walk through the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

And one other comment.  When they have fresh fish in Terrace, the chef there, Kadar, will often prepare it specially for us and he is very creative.  We really appreciate it!

Now we have 2 sea days before we arrive in Luanda, Angola, our next new country.

To all creatures (and plants) great and small, peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry