Old Legs Tour Angola 2024 -Day 17
A remote road somewhere in Angola to the vibrant town of Luau. A tale of travel, travail and tenacity.
If we had followed local advice and avoided yesterday’s Shortcut, we would never have known how remote a place could get, so in a way, we did find the silver lining. But that being said, we were all looking forward to easier going. Haha.
Our GPS showed we were just 8.7 kilometers from Maxive, the town where we anticipated the road conditions would improve and the advised detour would rejoin the main route.
We hadn’t even gone 200 meters from camp when the first vehicle was claimed by the sand and held firmly in its clutches. Laurie W reprised his role as commander-in-chief of Rescue and Recovery, a role he would continue to play for the Next. Three. Hours (!) as we battled our way to Maxive, a mere 8.7 kilometres away.
Reaching the town of Maxive, which consisted of little more than a police hut, a cellphone tower, and a handful of homesteads, we encountered barrier tape marking the location of long-abandoned ordinance and minefields on both sides of the road, another stark reminder of Angola’s not-so-distant past.
From there, the road miraculously transformed from a sandpit into a wide, hard gravel surface. The relief! At one point the road was blocked for construction, and we were unsure how to proceed, but as we have already discovered, Angolans are particularly friendly and helpful, and the driver of the grader simply forged a path for us, allowing us to get through the construction zone with ease.
We eventually hit the tar road, and the cars purred with excitement. Inconceivably, it was precisely at this point that the trusty Christoper decided to get not one, but two, punctures. Prepared and ready for pretty much everything by now, the team jumped into action… Laurie S. and Linda prepared side-of-the-road lunch, whilst the men fixed the tyres.
We were soon on our way and arrived in the vibrant town of Luau…with nowhere to stay. Luckily our trusty GPS led us to the local Catholic Mission, where Father David graciously offered us refuge. While he did provide a classroom as sleeping quarters, we opted to sleep under the magnificent canopy made by the giant mango trees in the courtyard. Father David also opened the mission’s facilities to us, granting us access to showers, toilets, and clean drinking water. He even accompanied Linda and the vehicles into town to assist with customs clearance and guided Laurie to the best local markets for supplies. His hospitality and helpfulness were truly exceptional.
In the meantime, ever mindful of our lack of Starlink and Carrier Pigeons, Troy, Jess, Jaime, Keegan, Ali and Laurie W. went in search of Angolan SIM cards. We were directed to the yellow shack at the end of the mango tree alley. There we met 3 friendly and happy young men who helped us figure out our phones. We’ve downloaded Portuguese on Google Translate and it has honestly been so very helpful.
Walking back to the mission, we chatted with the local Luauans (not sure if that’s a word, but it looks cool) who were once again eager to take photos with us. Angola’s warm hospitality continues to impress us. We are immensely grateful to the Mission, its volunteers, Father Joaquin, Father David, and their staff for their incredible hospitality.
And that’s probably the shortest blog we’ve ever written, which leaves you plenty of time to
Have Fun, do Good, do Epic
Until next time!
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