Old Legs Tour Angola 2024 – Days 34 & 35

To fuel our mission to restore order from chaos, Ant whipped up another scrumptious Scromlette and coffee. We devoured it eagerly before diving into our ‘Rest Day.’ By lunchtime, we were almost ready to repack, just waiting for the last of the cleaning to dry and for the arrival of Matt, the Kodiak pilot, and a plus one.

Alastair has also been cleaned. We hardly recognised the new, improved Ali, beard trimmed, bathed, fresh clothes?? His camping site was also unrecognisable from the Old Ali camp. It boasted a table, two chairs, charging station (with extension hotwired to the nearby toilet, as one does)  sand neatly combed and all the litter cleared away, and most striking of all, a TENT!  Ali’s tent has, until this moment, never been used, the cardboard box that it came in still intact and sticking out of a nearby bin.  The brand spanking new shiny tent stood proudly in this beautifully laid-out spot under the best of available shade trees. “Who is this?” we wondered.

Just then Nick called out that he was heading off to collect Matt from the airport and instantly Ali appeared at the car passenger door, eagerly waiting to go with him. That’s when the penny dropped – the Plus One!  Diana, Alastair’s girlfriend was arriving on the Kodiak, and Ali had been preparing his nest!

By coincidence, some of Ali’s mates had also checked into the Oasis Hotel, so that evening, we were 20-strong at dinner. Linda had planned a farewell celebration as 8 of our team would be flying home on the Kodiak tomorrow, while the remaining 8,plus Di, would embark on the long road trip home with Christopher and his Isuzu buddies.

It was a hilarious evening. Linda summed up each person’s unique character always focusing on their most positive side first, then following with a BUT, which then earned that person a fine in the form of a shot.  So Caveman’s kindness and readiness to help whatever task was offset by “BUT- who sends his sleeping bag, shoes and tent in with his laundry?” – true story!  Keegan is Linda’s blue-eyed boy BUT- he gate-crashed the wedding in Kuito and danced with the bride.  Adam’s BUT was for the shortcuts in Zim, Zambia and (as he never learns) in Angola, numerous times. And so it went on. The more shots, the louder and longer the laughter and tears of mirth. We were all presented with a t-shirt memento after satisfying the others that we had taken the shot. Thank you Linda for finding the perfect way to bring the tour to a close.  It was a lovely evening and a joyous end to an epic tour.

After dinner, we migrated back to camp and took turns recounting our adventures and summarising each of our highs and lows.  Common to all was that this tour was the most incredible experience we have ever had and with that came the sad realisation that it’s over, each of us wishing it wasn’t and yet also looking forward to getting back to family and friends at home.

The next morning was less joyous. For the first time since Day 1 of the tour, the new improved Alastair woke us to cries of “Coffee is ready, get up, get up!” One by one we assembled around the coffee station, acutely aware we were soon to break up and go our separate ways. Those flying out admitted to wishing they were driving and those roving were glad but sorry the others were flying. Jono and Dave would be soon flying back to Oz, so we won’t be seeing them again and that was particularly sad.  But the end is inevitable and all too soon Christopher was loaded up, hugs and farewells completed, and off the flying contingent went to the airport.

The rest of us set about packing away the camp, now a more onerous task with fewer hands to share the work, and in due course we were ready to leave the Oasis, heading back to Lubango and ultimately Namibia.  But first, we had to leave the camp, which proved to be a challenge. Christopher got stuck in the sand right there, without having moved a single meter! We waited for Laurie W. to deal with the issue, then remembered he’d left us in Kuito. So we called Caveman and Nick, but they had left on the plane. Johnno and Gus too!

A look of sheer desperation crossed Alastair’s face, momentarily exposing his lack of confidence in the remaining team, but then he spied Lady Dakar and the relief was almost comical. Lady Dakar deftly and expertly clamped the towrope onto Christopher’s bull bar, lassoing the other end over the black car’s tow hitch as she casually strolled back to the car, signalled to Naison to get ready as she took up the slack, and, barely revving, plucked the truck out of the sand and onto firm ground. Meantime the white car pulling the trailer slid into Christoper’s tracks and got stuck too. Unfazed, Lady Dakar repeated the exercise, effortlessly freeing the car.

For the jet set, things were also going a bit pear-shaped. It seems our tightly-knit group of travellers has built a capable and competent team able to meet any challenge together, but divided, we fall. First, they got lost on the way to the airport and then, once airborne, ended up facing strong headwinds.  What should have been a four-hour flight to Livingstone ended up being a five-and-a-half-hour flight. Seated in the back of the plane, Jaime was starting to surreptitiously calculate how many fuel hours they had left, but luckily Matt, our pilot and the consummate professional, had pre-empted such an eventuality and her concerns were unfounded.

We have told you that Angola is vast, well, to describe how vast it is, we flew 5 1/2 hours over the country and below us was nothing but desert, then trees for miles upon miles.  We’ve also told you that we are notorious for our long shortcuts, and to be honest, this Old Legs Angola adventure wouldn’t be complete without our carefully thought-out and studied plans going awry!  Due to headwinds, we were running late for Charles Prince, risking missing immigration. So, mid-air, we improvised a ‘shortcut’ and diverted to Harare Main. Instead of 6 hours, the flight took 8, maintaining our tour tradition of grossly underestimating travel times.

Back on the ground in Angola, there was no more sand between The Oasis Hotel and Lubango, so progress was good and uneventful. We re-lived the awesome climb up the Serra da Leba, this time from the comfort of the cars. It was Di’s first sight of the mountain. We stopped at the restaurant, had a quick visit with Luis, took some more drone footage, this time from angles never previously photographed (as far as we can tell from Google searches) and then headed past Humpata into the headwind and onward to Tundavala Fissure.

The Fissure is another stunning Angolan viewpoint. If you ever visit this spot DO NOT trust Google which takes perverse delight in sending you off on wild goose chases. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, just follow the (not yellow) brick road, purposefully built to take you directly to the viewpoint past some spectacular rock formations.

When leaving the Oasis in Namibe, we originally planned to drive to Xanchango but Google had cost us a lot of time by taking us on dead-end detours, so we revised our plans and headed for Chibia instead, about 40 kilometres outside of Lubango. There, we discovered The Obama Lodge, a hidden gem and highly recommended overnight stop some 40km out of Lubango.  Piping hot water, with pressure from good shower roses, clean and comfy beds/bedrooms, pool, restaurant, and secure parking. Perfectomondo!

During dinner, we discovered we had accidentally taken Matt’s room keys with us from the Oasis. Plans to send it back on DHL were soon discarded when the hotel manager at Obama said he was going to Lubango the next day and that he was happy to take the keys there and organise a motorbike to take it the 100 km to Namibe. All for $4.00.  He personifies all we have learned about Angolans. Again, do not trust Google which warns of a myriad of dangers for foreign travellers in Angola, and some countries even advise against travel here – the Angolans are honest, polite, kind, considerate, generous, peace-loving and friendly.

We do this crazy ride once a year to raise money and awareness for people like Mrs. C, a 78-year-old rockstar who’s been through the wringer. After a car accident left her with a limp, she thought she’d never regain her mobility. As the years went by, her limp only got worse, and the pain became excruciating. She could barely walk to the kitchen without wincing in agony, let alone get back to work (which, she desperately needed to do, adulting is hard!)

Despite trying physiotherapy to alleviate the pain, Mrs. C was still struggling to walk. That’s when the Old Legs stepped in, determined to help. Whilst we’ve been cycling and exploring the wonders of Angola, our amazing administrator Viv has been working hard!  She connected Mrs C with the amazing Mr. Mthethwa, who took one look at her X-rays and said that we needed to get her into surgery, stat! It turned out Mrs. C had severe arthritis and necrosis of the bone in her hip joint – a ticking time bomb that needed urgent attention.

Within a week, Mrs. C was in the hospital, prepping for a hip replacement. And let me tell you, she was nervous but determined. We were all rooting for her, and Mr. Mthethwa worked his magic. She’s recovering like a pro as we speak, doing physio, and walking around like a champ (okay, maybe not outside just yet, but we’re getting there)!

None of this would have been possible without the incredible sponsors who make our work possible. So, today we would like to do a shout-out and a massive thank you to our Silver Sponsors, Southern Logix, Viative, and Natural Air.  You guys are the real heroes, and we can’t thank you enough.

Until the next update from the road.

Have Fun.  Do Good.  Do Epic.

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