Worldrecordtour, Africa, Southern Africa, Angola, Lubango, Namibe, Benguela, Lobita, Huambo, Picture, Diary, Guinness Book of Records, Toyota, LandCruiser, Emil Schmid, Liliana Schmid

Pictures of our trip 2014 to Angola
- Part 2 – from October 4th to 22nd, 2014

before:
Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014
Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek
Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014
Ukraine – August 17 to 21, 2013 - Ilyichevsk Port - Odessa - Bilhorod Dnistrovsky - Moldova Border
afterwards:
Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border, back again and on to South Africa
special:
The unusual 30th Travel Anniversary in Angola

Angola Map	Southern Africa Map
Angola Map	Southern Africa Map
latest picture: October 19, 2014 click a picture to see details


*079* After the village of Bentiaba (São Nicolau) on the way from Namibe to Lucira a washed-out track leads to an isolated bay with a white sandy beach and red rocks. It is pristine, wild and beautiful …..	080 ….. Emil and the LandCruiser halfway hidden between the red rocks	081 The road from Namibe to Lucira runs through a scenic mountainous region with ever-changing colors


*082* Short of Lucira it happens: The rear right tire is losing air, inflating does not help anymore. Under the watchful eyes of three youngsters Emil is changing the wheel	083 The morning sun catches the “Ponta das Salinas” lighthouse where we spent the night – a bit north of Bentiaba	084 The village of Bentiaba (formerly São Nicolau) along the road from Namibe to Lucira lies in a scenic valley near the ocean


*085* The modest flat roof adobe dwellings of the fishermen at the beach of Bentiaba match with the brown of the environment	086 How far will this woman have to walk with her donkey to fill her water jerry cans?	087 At the modest fishermen’s hut in Bentiaba it is getting lively. Children are playing, adults go about their daily tasks


*088* Our second experience through the switch-backs of the Leba pass (first see picture 37) near Lubango. After the track from Lucira to Benguela is (actually?) impassable, we drive back to Lubango and take the new tarmac road via Catengue to Benguela	*089* A small waterfall plunges over a vertical cliff into a pool along the switch-backs of the Leba pass	090 Emil enjoys a well-deserved short lunch break between greasing and an oil change on a ramp at the workshop of the strawberry farm ‘Jamba’ in Lubango


*091* On the outskirts of Lubango children are paddling in a creek; women use it for washing vegetable and clothes	092 A bunch of bananas costs more than US$ 2 at this lady seller. Fruits and vegetables are very expensive in Angola	093 Oranges, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, but mainly big white onions are sold at this colorful village market


*094* This is typical for Angola: Adobe houses with flat corrugated iron roofs, weighted down with stones, to prevent them from being blown away during a storm	095 Beautiful wreaths on trees, produced by nature	096 On the lookout for a nightspot between Catengue and Benguela; But this drought-stricken region might not be a good idea. It will burn like tinder. In case of a bush fire, we are encircled and lost


*097* Children are walking with their empty water containers to the nearby small pond …..	098 ….. where cows just slaked their thirst	099 A common sight: Angola has really still a long way to go to become a clean country


Benguela, the city on the west coast south of the capital Luanda is a relaxed, charming place with stately buildings from the Portuguese era, a green city park and a long beachfront promenade with a white sandy beach
*100* One of the lovely colonial-style buildings that line the city park: The Municipal Administration of Benguela (Administração Municipal)	101 The church “Nossa Senhora do Pópulo”, the most famous structure	102 Another quaint building that catches our eye: The Benguela branch of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs (Delegação do Ministério da Cultura em Benguela


*103* Building of the MPLA-Provincial Committee of Benguela (also called Associação Comercial or Palácio das Bolas)	104 This lovely mansion in the city park of Benguela (Jardim da Administração Municipal) houses the Community Service (Serviço comunitário) of the Benguela Pro- vince and looks very small in comparison with the stately alley of palm trees	105 A Christian church overlooks the city of Catumbela, about 5 miles south of Lobito. The big majority of the Angolan population is Christian, half of it Catholics


*106* It is a Sunday. Church goers gather in front of Lobito’s church „Igreja da Arrábida“ on Lobito’s sandspit peninsula Restinga	107 A jewel of a fading colonial building in Restinga/Lobito that needs urgent restoration	108 A tanker with water arrived at a village between Lobito and Sumbe. There is a large crowd and a rush to fill all kind of containers


*109* Green fields, a half moon shaped bay, a white sandy beach with swaying palm trees and the village of Quicombo shortly before Sumbe	110 The good road before Sumbe runs through a scenic landscape…..	111 ….. the first attraction is the peaceful Queve River with its green, tree lined bank


*112* Just afterwards we drive along the fertile Queve valley enjoying the lushness and the different shades of green …..	113 ….. then we reach the beautiful Binga Falls (Quedas do Binga). The water rushes over the cliff and spills in a great roar into the basin below – close-up view …..	114 ….. and longshot from the road with the bridge


*115* Besides the impressing Binga main cataract smaller waterfalls trickle down the rocks	116 A young mother walking back home with her little boy	117 The houses made of reddish adobe bricks give the village of Caxilo near Gabela its warm look


*118* Our LandCruiser speeds away from an approaching thunder storm	119 The setting sun beautifully silhouettes the Candelabrum cacti (Candelabrum Cactus / Euphorbia lactea). They emerge off and on in small groups	120 A mystic atmosphere over a part of the mountain village of Gabela in the highlands of Angola


*121* Mist is hanging over the red brick adobe houses of the mountain town of Gabela nestling on a hill. Gabela is situated on an altitude of about 3'600 ft.	122 A teacher with her children in Gabela. Children must mostly bring their stool to school from home	123 Traditional huts cluster near Capanga (between Gabela and Condé) around a perfectly shaped round boulder


*124* View to the plains with the city of Condé, 21 miles east of Gabela	125 Our LandCruiser at the village of Condé on the road to the junction in Quibala	126 Landscape between Quibala and Dondo


*127* The main road snakes its way through hills covered with vegetation northwards to Dondo and Luanda	128 Yellow flowers and a few white calla (Zantedeschia) are lending beauty to the austere landscape	129 At Águas Quentes – right before Alta Hama – the 7’220 ft. tall striking peak of “Morro Lubiri” rises from the plain. Such rocky outcrops are scattered nearly all over Angola


*130* A teacher is educating her children under a shady tree on a yard along the road to Huambo	131 The 40 years lasting war has not yet entirely eradicated its traces of des- truction – here in Caála west of Huambo	132 At Caála – west of Huambo – women exercise tirelessly for the imminent arrival of the governor


*133* Under the burning sun women are beating on a slick boulder manioc to powder	134 From head to toe laden with at least a dozen empty jerry cans, this woman walks to the gasoline station to get them filled	135 One of the tankers rusting away along the road – a reminder of the 40 years fought wars: First with the Portuguese and afterwards as a civil war

The unusual 30th Travel Anniversary:

*136* A black day on the eve of our 30 years anniversary on the road, October 15th, 2014: Our LandCruiser loses a wheel. We crash down an embankment and get stuck in the red soil …..	137 ….. the traces of our LandCruiser on the tarmac road before it veers to the right and plummets down a slope, almost overturns and finally gets stuck in the red soil…..	138 ….. the wheel itself continues for about another 700 ft. and comes to a halt in front of an adobe hut in the middle of a small village. A resident rolls it back to our LandCruiser


*139* Women and children of the village peer from a certain distance towards us. Most probably it is the first time that they see white people in such an awkward situation …..	140 ….. some boys however have no problem to come curiously closer …..	141 ….. with the bicycle it even happens faster


*142* The “corpus delicti” – the broken axle shaft – that almost put an end to our epic journey after 432’917 miles respectively 19’471 driving hours	143 Due to the soft soil Emil jacks up our heavy LandCruiser not only with the Hi-lift, but additionally with two jacks, a big boulder and a trestle, before he is lying under the car to open the differential and replace the axle shaft	144 Future mechanics? These little guys follow each movement of Emil when he builds in the spare axle shaft


*145* 10/16/2014, 11am: Day of the 30th anniversary of our epic journey. We are in no celebration mood! At least a demoralized and exhausted Emil, daubed by oil, grease and red soil, wears our anniversary garland around his neck before we risk to continue …..	146 ….. yet, two days later we still celebrate our milestone anniversary: With Yudo, Tania and their friends at the strawberry farm “Jamba” in Lubango. Tania even baked an anniversary cake! .....	147 ….. our small cheerful party with whom we celebrate latish our 30-year anniversary on the road


*148* An imposing cumulus cloud drifts past our camping spot at the strawberry farm “Jamba” in Lubango …..	149 ….. our last breakfast under the fig tree (Ficus carica) before our departure towards the south, i.e. Namibia …..	150 ….. and a last golden-red sunrise before we leave the strawberry farm “Jamba” in Lubango and with it one day later in Santa Clara also Angola: 26 days – 2’317 miles

Back to the previous Angola page: Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014
The African trip 2013-15: CapeVerde: Santiago/Praia part 1 – November18th to December 13th, 2013 CapeVerde: Fogo – Dezember13th to 23rd, 2013 CapeVerde: Brava – December 23rd to 26th, 2013 Cape Verde: Santiago/Praia part 2 – December 26th, 2013 to February 28th, 2014 Cape Verde: São Nicolau – February 28th to March 13th, 2014 Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 1 – March 13th to 20th, 2014 Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Eastern side part 1 – March 20th to April 7th, 2014 Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014 Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014 Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014 The unusual 30th Travel Anniversary in Angola Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border and back again