[Worldtrippers home] [Crystal home]
The Republic of Angola was a Portuguese colony until it achieved independence in 1975. That same year, it descended into a civil war that lasted until 2002. Today it has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, though that wealth is concentrated among a wealthy few. Angola is still the world’s second-largest Portuguese-speaking country in both area and population (second to Brazil).
Luanda is Angola’s capital, largest city and primary port. This is the first time Viking has ever visited Luanda or Angola. We were warned ahead of time that there is not much tourist infrastructure here. There is no standard for the guides; their English and knowledge may both be limited. There is no terminal building; we would need to take the shuttle bus to town if we were not on an excursion. And we were warned that local criminals might target tourists.
We had made plans with Harry the Piano, one of the guest entertainers, to rent a taxi in town. We got on the first shuttle at 9:00 am, which dropped us off at the Fortaleza Mall. During the bus ride we invited Lew, another guest, to join us.
The Viking liaison in port was Mr. Agustinho (nicknamed “Goo Goo”). He helped us translate and get a taxi. Unfortunately, the taxi that showed up was too small for four passengers. Mr. Agustinho kept ordering new taxis, and each one showed up just as small as the last. Lew volunteered to drop out, but we voted to stay together. After almost an hour of waiting (!), we finally decided just to take the next taxi that showed up. This was followed by another 15 minutes of Mr. Agustinho haggling with Sonia, the taxi driver, over a price. We finally settled on $30 USD for our ride. Harry rode in the front; we other three rode in the back.
We wanted to drive to “Miradouro da Lua” (“Viewpoint of the Moon”), a scenic canyon south of Luanda. The drive would take about an hour and 15 minutes. We drove along the coast, and were absolutely fascinated by the towns and people we passed along the way. The drive itself was a cultural adventure. This was just as well, as Sonia drove so slowly that other cars were passing us on the highway.
We finally arrived at “Miradouro da Lua.” Here, millions of years of erosion have created a karst (limestone) landscape, with different colored strata that stretch toward the sea. It is an eerie, otherworldly landscape.
After a half hour of taking photos, we got back into Sonia’s taxi for the long drive back to Luanda. Halfway there, her car suddenly went dead in the middle of the highway. All four passengers got out and pushed the car to the side of the road. We had heard from the port talk that one thing you should not do in Angola is stop on the side of the road. Fortunately, another taxi drove by within minutes, and Sonia flagged it down. There was another 15 minutes of haggling: how much do we owe Sonia? How much do we owe the new driver? We actually got Mr. Agustinho on the phone, and he was able to sort things out for us.
Unfortunately, by the time we returned to the Fortaleza Mall, we had missed our scheduled afternoon excursion (“History, Architecture, & Coastal Views of Luanda”). Instead, we went into the mall, where Harry treated us all to pizza lunch.
We got back to the ship in time for Russell to prepare for his evening lecture. It was a day well spent, with an incredible cultural experience and adventure. As we leave Angola and continue up the African coast, we will have six consecutive sea days before our next port.
