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