• HOME
  • Field Notes
    • The World – Cultural & Inspiration Stuff
      • Motorbikers’ wisdom – Travel quotes motorcycle overlanders
      • Go-getters
      • Travellers we have met
      • Chip in!
    • Articles for the media
      • Podcast & Media Interviews
      • In the Media – Our published bulltwang
      • Adventure Rider Radio- ARR Posdcast
      • Upshift-Online Magazine Articles
    • Africa
      • Angola
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Kenya
      • Namibia
      • Malawi
      • Tanzania
      • South Africa
      • Sudan
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia countries
      • Israel
      • Jordan
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
    • North & Central America
      • Cuba
      • Mexico
      • United States of America
    • South America
      • Bolivia
      • Colombia
      • Peru
    • Older expeditions – Southern Africa
  • Route
  • Biker’s Guide
    • Travel tips and advice
    • Bikes & Preparation
      • How To Prepare – ADVENDURO Motorcycle The World
      • Suzuki DR650 Dual-Sport for RTW.
      • GPS – Navigation – Personal locators
      • Toolkit List – Complete Guide Tips & Advice.
    • Packing & Equipment
      • Packing & Checklist
      • The Best Way To Pack A Motorcycle For Adventure Journeys
      • Camping Essentials
        • The best tent for motorcycle travel?
        • Tarpaulin must know
        • Camping Stuff
        • Gourmet cooking equipment
      • Protective & everyday clothes
      • Photography gear
      • Lightweight travel laptops, tablets.
        • Portable Hard Drives
    • Paper work – Medical – Money – Insurance
    • Informative & review articles
    • Goodfellas – Brands we support
    • Practical Information by Country PikiPikiOverland
      • Egypt Information
      • Israel Information
      • Tanzania Information
      • Uganda Information
    • Vital Moto Links
  • Visuals
    • ADVMoto Photo Gallery
    • Our Videos Adventure Motorcycling
    • Videos – The best collection adv dualsport motorcycle explorers
  • About Us
    • FAQ – most asked questions to us PikiPikiOverland
    • Have your people call our people.
    • 12 Reasons – Subscribe Newsletter
    • Copyright – PikiPiki Overland Motorcycle Blog
  • Shop
PikiPikiOverland motorcycle adventure dualsport riding world
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • HOME
  • Field Notes
    • The World – Cultural & Inspiration Stuff
      • Motorbikers’ wisdom – Travel quotes motorcycle overlanders
      • Go-getters
      • Travellers we have met
      • Chip in!
    • Articles for the media
      • Podcast & Media Interviews
      • In the Media – Our published bulltwang
      • Adventure Rider Radio- ARR Posdcast
      • Upshift-Online Magazine Articles
    • Africa
      • Angola
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Kenya
      • Namibia
      • Malawi
      • Tanzania
      • South Africa
      • Sudan
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia countries
      • Israel
      • Jordan
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
    • North & Central America
      • Cuba
      • Mexico
      • United States of America
    • South America
      • Bolivia
      • Colombia
      • Peru
    • Older expeditions – Southern Africa
  • Route
  • Biker’s Guide
    • Travel tips and advice
    • Bikes & Preparation
      • How To Prepare – ADVENDURO Motorcycle The World
      • Suzuki DR650 Dual-Sport for RTW.
      • GPS – Navigation – Personal locators
      • Toolkit List – Complete Guide Tips & Advice.
    • Packing & Equipment
      • Packing & Checklist
      • The Best Way To Pack A Motorcycle For Adventure Journeys
      • Camping Essentials
        • The best tent for motorcycle travel?
        • Tarpaulin must know
        • Camping Stuff
        • Gourmet cooking equipment
      • Protective & everyday clothes
      • Photography gear
      • Lightweight travel laptops, tablets.
        • Portable Hard Drives
    • Paper work – Medical – Money – Insurance
    • Informative & review articles
    • Goodfellas – Brands we support
    • Practical Information by Country PikiPikiOverland
      • Egypt Information
      • Israel Information
      • Tanzania Information
      • Uganda Information
    • Vital Moto Links
  • Visuals
    • ADVMoto Photo Gallery
    • Our Videos Adventure Motorcycling
    • Videos – The best collection adv dualsport motorcycle explorers
  • About Us
    • FAQ – most asked questions to us PikiPikiOverland
    • Have your people call our people.
    • 12 Reasons – Subscribe Newsletter
    • Copyright – PikiPiki Overland Motorcycle Blog
  • Shop
Africa country journal, TRAVEL JOURNALS, Angola

ANGOLA- CERVEJA OBRIGADO! (18/12/2010)

michnus

20th December 2010

ANGOLA- CERVEJA OBRIGADO!

You only have to know these two words to have locals crack a broad smile and even hard ass police officials won’t be able to keep a straight face. Beer and Thank You are the Portuguese words you need to know when visiting Angola.

MILE MARKER
MILE MARKER

The last time I visited Angola was more an off road ride, this time round it is to show Elsebie, Harold and Linda this wonderful country and to try and mix it up with some of the locals. Angola and its people really have a way of creeping into your heart.

motorcycle overland travel angola
Old Angolan war tanks next to the road.

But Angola is a fickle mistress! This time she gave me a hard time coming close. Let me give you the absurd before I get to the good stuff.  We were supposed to enter Angola at Ruacana but the more we talked to the locals at Ruacana that used the route to Cahama, the more we were advised to stay away and use the main border. It’s the rainy season and the roads are so bad that we won’t be able to get to Cahama in a day. So we crossed at Oshikango, the only major border between Angola and Namibia.  Major bloody mistake!!!!!!

We gave the Angolan embassy in SA the “Letters of invitation “Jose Sends to us for the issue of the visa. Now these numbskulls at the border wanted a copy of it! How in hell must we get them now!?

We tried to explain but the officials, who could quote from their system the name of the person who issued our invitation, but still they would have none of us. In the end a local fixer sitting behind us under the tree said he will go fetch the fax on the Namibian side at Nedbank.  Thanks to Moses, who helped us the rest of the way, his fee of about US$40 and 6 hours later we entered Angola!

The border officials also did know what a Carne-de-passage is, nor an International driver’s license and topped it off by telling Linda not to sit on a bench that is under the tree as it is only for officials!

This fickle mistress Angola had my moer deep into the red and it was bloody 40C outside.  Angola is not a tourist friendly country. The bureaucracy is mind boggling and the communism shows through now and then. Sounds stupid but that is why we are drawn to these countries, a lot less rules and still not besiege by tourist, you get to taste the local flavour of the country. It is damn expensive to stay in lodges or B&B’s and restaurants are equally expensive, at least beer and petrol are cheaper than in SA.

motorcycle overland travel angola
Old Russian tank used in Angolan war.

Our destination was Lubango the place of Jose the man that fought against us South Africans in the border war and the oke that entertained us 3 years ago on our Foz du Cunene trip.  We were greeted by Jose at his restaurant (under renovations currently) with a huge smile although he only placed me about two days later due to the long hair.  We were planning a trip to Namibe for a stay over, instead Jose would have none of that. He escorted us to Namibe for a day trip and that evening arranged a braai and entertainment by the old band that performed for us on our previous trip. Josef the Louis Armstrong look-a-like wood saw artist, Jose – a Johan Stemmet look-a-like bass guitar player and Nando – Al Debo look-a-like guitar player.


The generosity, warmth and friendliness of these Angolans know no bounds.  We felt it everywhere we went. People do not look miserable and unhappy in fact they look quite content with their lives in this recovering country. Adults and kids wave to us, no stone throwing or outstretched hands– begging, so unlike the Himba and Lesotho kids. Maybe that is the trade mark of a tourist country versus a non-tourist country. They jump up and down with excitement when we wave back or stop for some photos.

forced perspective

motorcycle overland travel angola

Angola also features jaw-drop beautiful landscapes and now in summer it’s even more so.  You can go from tropical to desert in 170km and the sea water temperature at Namibe is close to 25 degrees. I understand why so many people immigrate to this country even though it’s is hell hard to do business in Angola, even the locals have a saying “nothing in Angola is easy”.

motorcycle overland travel angola

After our party, which ended at only around 3am, we went to Jose’s beach spot just north of the town at Bias dos Pipas, Namibe. It’s a colourful small little community that resembles Hentie’sBay (no shops though). Funny the water is hot but it is next to a desert, I always thought warm coastal water ensures a tropical landscape.

Jose and his family left at about 8pm for Lubango but we stayed behind to enjoy a night on the beach. How many places can you still park your bike on the beach and sleep there without a worry in the world. This place is a paradise, in fact, worth dealing with some of the bureaucratic nonsense,this country offers maybe even more free living than South Africa.

motorcycle overland travel angola

Pages: 1 2

michnus

Michnus, GenX’er born and bred South African product. Known on ADVrider for his epic ride report Michnus & Elsebie Piki-Piki Around the World. Not known to follow or believe his own advice however he loves to share stories and inspiration with others. Michnus and his better half left South Africa 10 years ago on an initial 6 month planned trip up to Europe through Africa. Sold the family pets and mom, hit the road motorcycling on a semi-permanent basis to this day.

3 Comments

  1. Susan Groenewald
    27th December 2010 @ 4:48 pm

    Hi Michnus en Elsebe

    Dit lyk of julle ‘n ervaring van ‘n leeftyd het. Baie interessant om te lees. Geniet elke oomblik, ons dink aan julle. Met die nuwe jaar op hande— voorspoed en veilig reis.

    Tannie San

  2. susan
    2nd January 2011 @ 6:59 pm

    dit word al lekkerder , julle stories is wonderlik moet nou net nie Angola toe wil trek nie enjoy

  3. Rene
    2nd January 2011 @ 7:50 pm

    Happy New Year over there! Happy trails.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Turkana Gear adventure motorcycle soft luggage the best dualsport panniers for ad moto

HAVE YOUR PEOPLE MAIL OUR PEOPLE.

Want to chat to us? Hit this Contact form

Get the good-stuff on email

Connect with us on:

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • vimeo

Copyright © 2018 — PikiPiki Overland. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Yes, you will be kicked in the plums.

Designed by WPZOOM

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent and whatever.
We do not store or record any of your info, there's nothing you have that we want.
.
Cookie settingsWhatever, I am in!
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT