Lubango and Namibe
I had some leftover vacation time that I wanted to use to do some traveling before I return to the US next week. There are two cities in southern Angola, Lubango and Namibe, that I particularly wanted to see because I had heard very good things about them. So Kelse and I jumped on a plane early yesterday morning and flew out there to see the sights. It was honestly one of the most memorable one day trips of my life.
Lubango is a really laid back city that is clean and relatively developed. The surrounding area is mostly farmland and jetted peaks, which is a stark contrast to Angola and Benguela. We rented a car ($250 per day for a Kia Sportage!) and saw all the sights that I had heard so much about. The first place we went to was a place Kelse called “The Crack”. I forget the portuguese name but it is a cravat that opens up with an amazing few of the surrounding area. After that we drove to Lubango’s most famous destination, the winding road, originally built by the portuguese many years ago. The road makes almost 90 degree turns, back and forth, down a steep mountain. I got some good pictures from the other side of the mountain that shows just what I am talking about.
From there we drove 2 hours to outside of Namibe to an oasis in the desert. The oasis can be hard to find because you have to turn off the main road at some point and drive for a little while on the sand in the middle of the desert. There is one sign by the road saying where to turn off but after that, you are on you own. Thank God Kelse has been there before because I might not be writing this blog entry if I had tried to find it myself. The oasis was soooo beautiful. And it was in the middle of nowhere! It was like paradise in the middle of emptiness. I was expecting a few palm trees but this place, called “O Arco”, was simply amazing.
After that we drove into the city of Namibe which is on the coast and had fresh lobster. I bitch about the prices in Angola but the lobster was a steal. 2,000 kwanzas ($20) for three good-sized lobsters. We then drove back to Lubango, passed out in our hotel, and got up today to fly back to Luanda. It was the perfect trip to have before leaving. Tomorrow I am going to Cabo Ledo for some camping and surfing and then on Wednesday, jumping on a plane for the states. I feel so lucky to have had such an amazing experience in Angola, but even luckier that I am returning to the family and friends in less than a week!
View of area outside of Lubango
Me and Kelse checking out Portuguese road architecture
View of the oasis through an arch (O Arco) made of rock
