So, since my last post the guys of the World by Road team and I have split. We met a guy at the hostel here in Windhoek who is starting an amazing organization called Promote Africa (http://www.promoteafrica.org) that promotes local African artists, musicians, writers, etc. as well as provided micro-finance loans and grants. We interviewed Ben and afterwards attended the series of free hip-hop concerts around Windhoek in celebration of World Music Day. The guys broke the news that they wanted to part ways early in the day, so I was determined to celebrate/rage that night, and some new found friends helped make it happen!
Windhoek is quite small, but still has a good nightlife for the most part. Ben, April, Laurie, Robby, Fu (all Americans), and I headed out to the last big free show with Namibian hip-hop star "The Dogg" and then hit El Cubano (most of us made it). It was a good night out, although there were definitely some snafus: Ben was mugged by a guy with a knife while April and I snuck into the club. Hmm...not quite the safest of nights, I guess. But we still had fun, and I made some new traveling friends.
The following day I started making plans with Robby, Laurie and Fu to rent a car and head to the 300m/1000ft sand dunes in the Namib National Park in southern Namibia. I had to rent the car, since I was the only one with a driver's license, but all the cars were manual transmission (which I have no clue how to drive!). So I had to slowly and awkwardly make it out of the parking lot and around the corner before Robby could take over for the 400km drive to the park through mountains and down dirt roads.
The drive was beautiful, and we only almost died once when Robby hit a soft patch of gravel and spun out. We arrived at the park just as it was closing and had to pay the park entrance fee of $80N/person. The card machine was down, so we didn't pay the $900N for camping and were told to return the next day.
We woke up at the crack of dawn and sped to Dune 45 for a sunrise photo and breakfast. Then we drove to the end of the park, hiked 5km to the base of Crazy dune, then started our ascent up the 1000ft dune in the heat of the day. Not the best of ideas since it was about 33C/90F degrees outside and dry!!! On the hike back in we had hoped one of the many trucks driving past would stop to pick us up, but we had to hike most of the way before an Afrikaans guy from Swapkupmund returned to pick us up. Thank God! We were all dehydrated and sore! We hit another unmarked dune for sunset then headed back to camp. It gets to be about 7C in the desert at night, and I broke out into hives it was so cold (yes, I am allergic to the cold!).
We managed to sneak into Sesrium canyon the next morning for a quick look-see and then leave the park without paying at all for the two nights camping or the second day's park pass. Oops! Guess we stuck it to the man?!
Just said bye to my new friends yesterday then grabbed a bus to Cape Town, where I am now. Am still bus-lagged from the 20+ hour bus ride, and will write more about CT as soon as I explore.
Sunday, 22 June 2008
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Angola to Namibia in Less than a Week?! Que rapido!
We blazed through Angola in only five days, and my head is still spinning. Angola is not what I expected. At all. It is absolutely beautiful in every possible way: gorgeous landscape, wonderful people and the promise of a up-and-coming tourist destination. As compared to Gabon and the Congos, Angola is much drier and cooler. It reminded me a lot of Eastern Washington at times, and the sparse dispertion of people across Angolan meant that often I'd forget I was halfway around the world in Africa still. Many towns are still dusty and have a ghost town feel to them, though. As if normal town life was suspended once buildings started getting shelled. And indeed, every town we went through had skeleton structures and building façades covered in bullet holes. One of the best was “Hotel Tourstico” in Quibala that basically consisted of the front of the hotel and a sign—the entire back of the building was bombed out.
It was good to be out of francophone Africa as well, and to get to speak Portuguese again. Lubango, in the South of Angola, looked and felt a little like Brasil and even had a giant statue of Cristo Rei overlooking the city from the adjacent mountains, Rio de Janeiro style. We camped most of the way through Angola, though, as accomodation is still VERY expensive, and stayed one night in Catholic Mission in Dondo for free.
Angola seems like the kind of place in which a true traveler could get lost. Because it has slightly a bad rap from the long civil war that only ended in 2002, and since it is quite difficult and tedious to get a visa for the country, let alone get to the country from outside Africa, it is not teeming with travelers. Yet. But it is so beautiful, friendly and unique, that I could definitely see myself getting stuck here for a while. It’s a good thing we didn’t visit the costal town of Benguela, the “cultural capital” of Angola with plenty of beach capoeira, or I might have had the guys leave me there!
The five short days in Angola were quickly over, though, and we continued south into Namibia to the town of Tsumeb, just outside Etosha National Park. I was completely shell shocked to be suddenly in English-speaking Africa. We were on paved road with no surprise potholes or deviations, only the occasional cattle crossing. And there were modern gas stations with snacks, fast food restaurants and fast internet. Angola had some of these luxuries, but in Namibia it is the norm.
We’ve now stayed three nights at the Mousebird Hostel here in Namibia that is quite like every good hostel—clean beds, well stocked kitchen, bar—and feels like heaven after the bare accomodations we’ve gotten used to.
Yesterday we headed to Etosha national park to have our African safari experience. The park was teeming with giraffes, zebras, springbok, gemsbock, ostriches, wildebeest, elephants, warthogs and even a herd of kudo. No predatory animals though. Although we almost got taken out by an angry elephant. The guys are yahoos, and in order to get “good shots” hopped out of the car to take photos of animals or even tried to have someone ride on top of one of the trucks filming (which we got in trouble for). Mark drove right up to a herd of elephants crossing the road, and while I quietly pleaded with him to just stop the f*ing car and take a photo rather than continue to inch closer while hanging out the window, one of the elephants got upset. We were only about 20 feet away, and the elephant turned towards us, raised his trunk and huffed. It stayed in that position until the herd had all crossed into the bush and then continued to turn around every few feet as they retreated. I was not to happy. Sure it’s great to get so close to the animals, but not that close. It’s disrespectful to the park, other visitors and the animals to be so reckless, and the fact that the elephant felt threatened obviously means we were too close!!
The park was still great, though, and I was sad we only had half a day to explore. I know I’m going to have to try to see some of the parks in South Africa now (especially since we didn’t get to see any lions, cheetahs, hyenas, etc.). We’re headed to Windhoek later today and then will continue south to see some of the giant red sand dunes in the south of Namibia before finally hitting South Africa, the Garden Route and Cape Town. My time with the guys is starting to run short, though, as I have a flight back to Pretoria from Cape Town on July 3rd (so I can be back to celebrate Independence Day with my Aunt!), so we might be parting ways sooner than later. Perhaps a good thing for me; three months traveling with these guys is plenty!
It was good to be out of francophone Africa as well, and to get to speak Portuguese again. Lubango, in the South of Angola, looked and felt a little like Brasil and even had a giant statue of Cristo Rei overlooking the city from the adjacent mountains, Rio de Janeiro style. We camped most of the way through Angola, though, as accomodation is still VERY expensive, and stayed one night in Catholic Mission in Dondo for free.
Angola seems like the kind of place in which a true traveler could get lost. Because it has slightly a bad rap from the long civil war that only ended in 2002, and since it is quite difficult and tedious to get a visa for the country, let alone get to the country from outside Africa, it is not teeming with travelers. Yet. But it is so beautiful, friendly and unique, that I could definitely see myself getting stuck here for a while. It’s a good thing we didn’t visit the costal town of Benguela, the “cultural capital” of Angola with plenty of beach capoeira, or I might have had the guys leave me there!
The five short days in Angola were quickly over, though, and we continued south into Namibia to the town of Tsumeb, just outside Etosha National Park. I was completely shell shocked to be suddenly in English-speaking Africa. We were on paved road with no surprise potholes or deviations, only the occasional cattle crossing. And there were modern gas stations with snacks, fast food restaurants and fast internet. Angola had some of these luxuries, but in Namibia it is the norm.
We’ve now stayed three nights at the Mousebird Hostel here in Namibia that is quite like every good hostel—clean beds, well stocked kitchen, bar—and feels like heaven after the bare accomodations we’ve gotten used to.
Yesterday we headed to Etosha national park to have our African safari experience. The park was teeming with giraffes, zebras, springbok, gemsbock, ostriches, wildebeest, elephants, warthogs and even a herd of kudo. No predatory animals though. Although we almost got taken out by an angry elephant. The guys are yahoos, and in order to get “good shots” hopped out of the car to take photos of animals or even tried to have someone ride on top of one of the trucks filming (which we got in trouble for). Mark drove right up to a herd of elephants crossing the road, and while I quietly pleaded with him to just stop the f*ing car and take a photo rather than continue to inch closer while hanging out the window, one of the elephants got upset. We were only about 20 feet away, and the elephant turned towards us, raised his trunk and huffed. It stayed in that position until the herd had all crossed into the bush and then continued to turn around every few feet as they retreated. I was not to happy. Sure it’s great to get so close to the animals, but not that close. It’s disrespectful to the park, other visitors and the animals to be so reckless, and the fact that the elephant felt threatened obviously means we were too close!!
The park was still great, though, and I was sad we only had half a day to explore. I know I’m going to have to try to see some of the parks in South Africa now (especially since we didn’t get to see any lions, cheetahs, hyenas, etc.). We’re headed to Windhoek later today and then will continue south to see some of the giant red sand dunes in the south of Namibia before finally hitting South Africa, the Garden Route and Cape Town. My time with the guys is starting to run short, though, as I have a flight back to Pretoria from Cape Town on July 3rd (so I can be back to celebrate Independence Day with my Aunt!), so we might be parting ways sooner than later. Perhaps a good thing for me; three months traveling with these guys is plenty!
Monday, 9 June 2008
Nous Sommes Libres!
We finally made it out of Congo-Brazzaville!
On Thursday we said goodbye to our lovely South African friends after Annalisa gave us all chakra cleansings and massages, which, strange as it sounds, made everything seem right and resolved. My chakras that were closed exactly matched all the confusing thoughts and insecurities that somehow crept into my travels these past two months. The treatment left me totally at ease and revitalised to resume our trip.
We also had to part ways with Olivier and Catherine, the owners of the Hippocampe restaurant and hotel. They were so kind and supportive of us that I actually felt sad leaving Brazzaville; it had almost started to feel homey after making so many new friends at the hotel and from the US Embassy.
And strangely enough we also had to say goodbye to a wormy little puppy that our local friend, Destin, had impulsively bought off the street and thrown in my lap. He was in sore shape--worms in his belly, fleas, maggots coming out of his back leg and barely old enough to be away from his mom. But we were able to get a vet to come see him who agreed to take the dog, but not before I got a little attached.
So, with all of us in good moods, heavy hearts and nervous we approached the Brazzaville-Kinshasa crossing again. This time everything went smoothly with the help of DRC consular who called ahead to immigration officials and ensured us a safe passage. It only took two hours to clear immigration and customs was no big deal--they didn't even search the cars nor hassle us about "disinfectant spray" for the cars.
We gleefully headed into hectic Kinshasa with our new host, Bob, and English expat who's been in the Congo for about 15 years. He was quick to get us beers and potato chips (which were quite the luxury--it is wicked expensive for the nastiest stalest generic chips, and here he was offering us bbq potato chips and DORITOS!!) and offer to take us out to his favorite pizza place and bar. The restaurant, O Poeta, and bar, Greg's Place, were 99% white people. It was so weird to hear so many American, British, Belgian and French accents. Kinshasa has a hug diplomatic and UN presence. Something like 20,000 UN employed folks alone who, trust me, know how to revel in the delights of Kinshasa nightlife. We hit club Ibiza and afterwards VIP where I met folks from Boise, Idaho and Vancouver, B.C. I was so excited to talk about the good ol' Northwest, especially when the UN flight attendant from Vancouver said, "You're from Seattle?! I love Seattle! My favorite clubs are Neighbors and R Place. And have you ever been to Manray?"
Anyways, after a series of funny events that I won't mention to save a friend some embarrasment, we decided it was best to leave Kinshasa the next night and head to Chutes d' Zongo, one of the ONLY tourist attractions listed for the DRC, upon recommendation of Bob. The waterfalls ended up being beatiful and relaxing. You can hike around to the opposite side of the canyon and bathe in the mist of the powerful falls and there are plenty of scenic lookouts. We camped the night and met some other folks from the US embassy camping for the weekend as well as a group of Dutch folks taking a break from their jobs at Heineken. We ended up sharing some beers with the Dutchies(of course locally brewed, compliments of Heineken), after which they offered to let us stay at their guesthouse in Matadi.
Things couldn't be going better for us now. We are being put up graciously in the Heineken guesthouse, each with our own rooms, a cook and a refrigerator full of Primus an Mutzig beers and Coke. This morning we went to the Angolan consulate to apply for our visas and were told to return tomorrow morning first thing to get them, no problem. Plus Matadi is a beatiful city. It's all hills and winding roads with the Congo river passing right through. So, for the first time in two months, things are truly going our way!
Hopefully my next post will be from somewhere in Angola or, perhaps even better, Namibia or South Africa. My plan now is to be back in Pretoria by July 4th for the embassy Independence Day celebrations and to see my friend John Clemo, my former housemate and now a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, at the festivities. I'll post some good photos of my new friend Denis, the chief of police on the Brazzaville-Kinshasa ferry who for some reason let us take photos with him on board (major security no-no) and the falls as soon as I get a chance.
On Thursday we said goodbye to our lovely South African friends after Annalisa gave us all chakra cleansings and massages, which, strange as it sounds, made everything seem right and resolved. My chakras that were closed exactly matched all the confusing thoughts and insecurities that somehow crept into my travels these past two months. The treatment left me totally at ease and revitalised to resume our trip.
We also had to part ways with Olivier and Catherine, the owners of the Hippocampe restaurant and hotel. They were so kind and supportive of us that I actually felt sad leaving Brazzaville; it had almost started to feel homey after making so many new friends at the hotel and from the US Embassy.
And strangely enough we also had to say goodbye to a wormy little puppy that our local friend, Destin, had impulsively bought off the street and thrown in my lap. He was in sore shape--worms in his belly, fleas, maggots coming out of his back leg and barely old enough to be away from his mom. But we were able to get a vet to come see him who agreed to take the dog, but not before I got a little attached.
So, with all of us in good moods, heavy hearts and nervous we approached the Brazzaville-Kinshasa crossing again. This time everything went smoothly with the help of DRC consular who called ahead to immigration officials and ensured us a safe passage. It only took two hours to clear immigration and customs was no big deal--they didn't even search the cars nor hassle us about "disinfectant spray" for the cars.
We gleefully headed into hectic Kinshasa with our new host, Bob, and English expat who's been in the Congo for about 15 years. He was quick to get us beers and potato chips (which were quite the luxury--it is wicked expensive for the nastiest stalest generic chips, and here he was offering us bbq potato chips and DORITOS!!) and offer to take us out to his favorite pizza place and bar. The restaurant, O Poeta, and bar, Greg's Place, were 99% white people. It was so weird to hear so many American, British, Belgian and French accents. Kinshasa has a hug diplomatic and UN presence. Something like 20,000 UN employed folks alone who, trust me, know how to revel in the delights of Kinshasa nightlife. We hit club Ibiza and afterwards VIP where I met folks from Boise, Idaho and Vancouver, B.C. I was so excited to talk about the good ol' Northwest, especially when the UN flight attendant from Vancouver said, "You're from Seattle?! I love Seattle! My favorite clubs are Neighbors and R Place. And have you ever been to Manray?"
Anyways, after a series of funny events that I won't mention to save a friend some embarrasment, we decided it was best to leave Kinshasa the next night and head to Chutes d' Zongo, one of the ONLY tourist attractions listed for the DRC, upon recommendation of Bob. The waterfalls ended up being beatiful and relaxing. You can hike around to the opposite side of the canyon and bathe in the mist of the powerful falls and there are plenty of scenic lookouts. We camped the night and met some other folks from the US embassy camping for the weekend as well as a group of Dutch folks taking a break from their jobs at Heineken. We ended up sharing some beers with the Dutchies(of course locally brewed, compliments of Heineken), after which they offered to let us stay at their guesthouse in Matadi.
Things couldn't be going better for us now. We are being put up graciously in the Heineken guesthouse, each with our own rooms, a cook and a refrigerator full of Primus an Mutzig beers and Coke. This morning we went to the Angolan consulate to apply for our visas and were told to return tomorrow morning first thing to get them, no problem. Plus Matadi is a beatiful city. It's all hills and winding roads with the Congo river passing right through. So, for the first time in two months, things are truly going our way!
Hopefully my next post will be from somewhere in Angola or, perhaps even better, Namibia or South Africa. My plan now is to be back in Pretoria by July 4th for the embassy Independence Day celebrations and to see my friend John Clemo, my former housemate and now a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, at the festivities. I'll post some good photos of my new friend Denis, the chief of police on the Brazzaville-Kinshasa ferry who for some reason let us take photos with him on board (major security no-no) and the falls as soon as I get a chance.
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Kicked out of Kinshasa! We'll Never Escape the Congo!
After being told that the Angolan Consular had returned from a weekend trip to
Our luck continued to go awry, though, as we were told that Angolan consular services here in
Feeling much too confident in our abilities to talk our way out of situations and our influential contacts we had on the beach in Kinshasa (including the chief of immigration police, an English businessman and a local guy), we decided to risk the crossing to Kinshasa last Thursday. Big Mistake. Big. Huge!
The road leading up to the port is bordered by dozens of folks with disabilities being carted up and down in three-wheeled hand bikes and on the backs of their friends and family. After paying 16,000 CFA (around $40US) just to get into the port, we had to convince an immigration officer to stamp us out of the country despite not having the letter from the Angolan Embassy. He reluctantly did so, warning us that tourists are turned back all the time and we were taking a big risk. After clearing customs and buying our tickets (25,000CFA per car, about $60US), we were ready.
At the beach, things looked like they would go well. Our immigration police contact met us on the ferry and took our paperwork to be processed. Mark went inside to talk to the immigration officers while Steve and I chatted with curious folks in the parking lot. Then things took a sudden turn for the worse. The immigration official talking to Mark left the room and then came back saying we must leave immediately. He chased Mark out to the parking lot as Mark tried to call our British contact to see if he could help us. But the immigration official quickly had the police on us and told us we could not make any calls. They pulled out their batons and lunged at us as they shouted “GO NOW! LEAVE!”
All the sudden we were back on the boats with voided DRC visas and our passports in the hands of the port police until we returned to
Shaken up and dirty we decided to see if there was anything the
We also met a South African couple traveling South to North through
On this coming Thursday we will try the crossing again, this time with letters from the
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