D35-37: Kwanza Lodge - Fazenda (265 km) - Forest near Uige (188 km) - Fazenda Gemac (143 km) = 595km

Our TIP was renewed, so we happily set off towards the forest up north near Uige which Bruce had recommended to us.

D35 (2013.07.10, Kwanza Lodge - Caxito - fazenda, 265 km)

Bruce's secret forest camping spot was near Uige in the far North so we had to spend a night along the road - at an unknown spot. But then we're good at finding good camping spots ... And Mrad saw a good opportunity to have our spade fixed - the Chinese welder happily obliged.

We once again took the ring road - anything to avoid Luanda traffic.

The views along the road to Uige varied: cultivated lands, a church, an old Portuguese home renovated for accommodation, a wrecked tank, and a sign to confirm that we were on the right road.

Lunch along the way.

Is this what was happening to the forests in northern Angola? Sad. But then Europe was also covered in forests once upon a time.

We drove down a side road in search of a camping spot. These ladies pointed us to another fazenda (farm) and the motorcyclists showed us the way to a fazenda where we could overnight. It had been a large Portuguese farm, now the old homestead was a ruin but a new wing had been built for weekend accommodation. A small family and their goats lived there.

The new wing

The original homestead - presently used as a goat pen. The veranda still looks down into the magnificent valley below.

Our camping spot on one of the terraces - mist settled down on us in the early evening and stayed until morning. Very cold, yet beautiful.

The inhabitants said we could share their bathroom facilities: and open air mountain water shower and a "loo with a view" (we realised that it was a rim from a wheel) often with goat attendants!

D36 (11 July 2013, Fazenda - forest near Uige, 188 km) 

Today we would reach our next forest camping spot - we did - but it was quite different from the previous forest experience.

An excellent road lead us through misty mountains. It's the road that leads to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and many trucks use it to import and export goods.

Another warning of what was awaiting us - a truck with three massive logs.

Such road blocks keep travellers safe.

In many of the towns along the road, we saw school children on their way to school - always carrying their own chairs to school!

Soon after Quixete/Dange we turned west onto a dirt road - we were headed towards the forest.

These were the implements of the forest's death: a massive "fork" lift to load the logs onto the trucks and the trucks which took the logs away.

We wondered who had erected this cross along the road?

A road side grave yard.

A log waiting to be carted away.

Why would these trees have been left? Bruce had explained to us that only hollow trees and soft-wood trees were left in the forests.

When we arrived near Bruce's coordinates it materialised that they were some distance into impenetrable undergrowth. Can you see Mrad waving his hand above the plants? We decided not to push our luck and found a suitable spot next to the road.

Alfonso was the first man to make our acquaintance - although we couldn't really talk to him, he managed to laughingly explain to us that we could rather have camped at his "casa" where the mosquitoes would be less bothersome. We promised to visit his casa the next day.

These men carried bags of dried fish in to town.

D37 (2013.07.12, Forest camp - Quixete - Camabetala - Fazenda Gemac, 143 km)

We woke up virtually in a dam of water as the thick mist had settled on our tents.

Once our tents were dry, we went in search of Alfonso's "casa". It turned out to be another ruin of a once magnificent Portuguese fazenda built in 1964.

The view from the homestead into the valley.

The view from the valley towards the homestead. The best location in the forest!

Alfonso had proudly explained to us that he loaded logs onto trucks - next to the ruined and locked homestead stood proof of his occupation.

A last look at the remaining forest and its ruins, then onward towards Kalandula Waterfall. We knew that it would take us two days to get there. 

The grass is red from the road's dust.

An Erythrina along the way. Do the people going about their daily life still see the beauty of their country?

A church at the heart of the village and in the same village, a relic of the war that plagued Angola.

Mrad asked some villagers to explain what the purpose of these structure were. To dry and store peanuts (of course)!?!?

We had passed Quixete and turned east again towards Catambela.

The GPS took us along some less-used roads - wonderful to have lunch in such thickets.

This fresh little grave with the small galoshes perched on the cross, touched our hearts.

A tsetse fly trap - apparently blue attracts the flies and the poisoned cloth kills them.

Washing along a dusty road? Probably very few vehicles use this road.

This hidden sign amused us: it warned motorists not to exceed 30km/hr. We were having trouble getting up to 20km/hr due to the quality of the road.

A jewel in the bush!

In spite of having to keep one eye on the road, it is wise to keep the other for traffic around the bend - in this case, a huge road grader and various other road making equipment.

Wherever there is a manioc/casava field, there also is a manioc "factory" which changes raw manioc into a flour that is used to make "Funje de bomba" - a yellow glutinous porridge (not very tasty).

This church is near the T-junction of the road from Quixete to Camabatela. We turned south towards Camabatela.

The town Camabatela was well-kept. Bradt mentions the magnificent Gothic-style church, but can't prepare one for the impression this church makes on one when one actually sees it. It was built in 1491 by the Portuguese - 161 years prior to Jan van Riebeeck landing in the Cape!

Good NS-road - much appreciated after the interesting EW-road we had just completed. We followed this road for +-30 km and turned east towards Luinga (onto a dust road again).

This sign caught our eye and as it was time to end the day's trip, we decided to ask the people whether we could camp in their fazenda. Each time we did this, the fazenda people were very surprised! But once we had convinced them that we were fully self-contained, they usually let us camp on their property. An armed night watchman made it his task to include us in his rounds.