However, reality necessitated that we move on - so we set off towards Mt Mocco/Moco (red cross at the bottom of the map), but this entailed two nights along the road:
- a bush camp 7 km north of Calulo (red circle) and
- Fazenda 7 Quintas near Waku-Kungo (red triangle).
D40 (2013.07.15, Pedras Negras - N of Calulo, 180 km)
It was beautifully misty when we woke up - of course everything was wet!
Once packed, we quickly returned to the vegetable garden to buy more onion sprouts. Mrad tried his hand at drawing water from the pit which they used for drinking water.
These were some of the sights that Pedras Negras offered to us on our way back to the main tar road.
We found a road side pump to fill up our water supply.
We made a detour to the Capanda Dam. However, the dam itself is off limits - so we had to retrace our steps.
Back on the main road, we passed an impressive power plant. The main road obviously is in need of repair, so we were pleased when it changed into a good dust road.
The mountains paraded in various colours as they receded into the distance and the goats claimed right of way (as usual)!
This mobile clinic was parked in one of the villages - a good idea to bring health facilities to the people.
After the village Candengue, we crossed the River Cuanza rushing down to the sea. The bridge was dated 1932 - a sturdy structure!
We turned towards the east to have lunch on the banks of the river - we ended up at a secluded picnic spot near the river. Later we saw that the GPS says there are land mines warning signs - but we didn't see such signs.
Life carries on as usual in the villages: fetching thatching grass; doing washing; pounding maize, winnowing it and eventually eating the "fuba". A rural shop and our road winding towards the south - all the things that make our journey special.
D41 (2013.07.16, 7 km N of Calulo - Quibela/Kibala - Fazenda 7 Quintas near Waku Kungo, 240 km)
Back on the road again - the next town was Calulo. The rubbish lying around detracted from the sight of the old fort at the top of the hill. However, bartering for vegetables gave us as much pleasure as usual.
South of Calulo we found a team of road workers maintaining the road side.
We simply couldn't pass these lovely pumpkins at a roadside stall.
The tar road was excellent.
This road side cafe needed to be investigated. We ordered Gabela expresso coffee (poured with great care from a large enamel cup into a smaller drinking cup) and we also had tea (a long lemon grass leaf curled up in a huge cup). Both drinks were delicious.
South again
These are some of the sights we saw along the road. Angola is clearly moving ahead at a fast pace!
Just look at the many TV dishes - ones standard of living is obviously not shown off with fancy houses, rather with the number of TV dishes on the roof!
We continued towards Huambo on the EN120. However, the sign towards Gabela showed us that we had nearly done a full circle back to Gabela where we had been on 29 June (17 days ago). A petrol station near the intersection.
The next town was Quibela/Kibala. The fort and the church were impressive.
A lovely play ground.
Bombed out houses are seldom occupied but sometimes serve as shop counters.
A fashion statement!
Perhaps this Russian tank caused the damage seen in the town?
We left Quibela in a solemn mood - but there is nothing that a good lunch can't fix!
Another one of the Portuguese rest houses that dot all the major routes in Angola.
A local taxi rank.
This impressive church is on the outskirts of Waku-Kungo.
"You are welcome to the city of Waku-Kungo" said the sign. We replied: "Obrigado!"
This Russian Orthodox styled church invited us closer.
We supported the local shoe-shine industry - the two little boys competed with each other to give each of us the best shine. They were thrilled with their payments and bonus.
We continued south - and ended up at another fazenda - the manager, Ana, phoned the "doctor" to ask whether we were allowed to camp on his farm. Aimy had explained to us that anybody with a Bachelors degree in Angola was referred to as "Dr"!
D42 (2013.07.17, Fazenda just south of Waku-Kongu - Mt Mocco/Moco, 184km)
We continued south. This mountain's black rocks couldn't be missed and we enjoyed the tree-lined section of the road.
Live chickens for sale along the road.
Another road casualty.
Another road side market where we stopped to buy supplies.
We were definitely on the right road.
Brand new fuel stations galore.
The wooden scooters of Angola.
A well-kept church.
At Alto Hama we turned east as this would lead us to the Angolan birders' paradise, Mt Mocco. We followed the GPS route instead of the coordinates for the correct turn-off which Michael Mills supplies on his blog (http://mountmoco.org/). This took us up the eastern side of the mountain in stead of the recommended western route. This was a mistake, which however took us over the most interesting and challenging roads. But it was very stressful ... not to be recommended. Rather follow the correct coordinates supplied by Michael!!
Here are some of the challenges we faced, as well as some of the scenes we saw. It's a pity that a camera cannot capture the depth of these erosions.
A well-deserved break.
A cemetery
A red ant-heap in the middle of the road - how long does it take ants to build their home this height? Just beyond it a stunning yellow ant-heap stood next to the road.
Even here in the back of beyond, a TV dish adorns a home.
Imagine how slowly we had to progress over this terrain. Can you see the "bridge"?
Scenes like this made every bump and rut in the road worthwhile. Just look how high we'd climbed and we hadn't reached the top yet.
Each one of the "bad road" photos was taken at a different section of the route.
The local kids followed our progress with interest.
Sometimes the road went up, other times it went down.
A typical bridge: sheets of perforated iron over the stream/donga.
See the panga in her hand? We wondered how many trees her panga had felled and how many tons of wood this elderly woman had lugged home during her lifetime.
We passed a village gathering - many people watched us pass with intense interest. We wondered why this would be the case? Our question was soon answered!
The road ahead had been completely washed away - they knew that we would not be able to get across the river!
While we were investigating whether we were really stuck and thinking about other options, this man and his son passed us on his way to the village gathering. He spontaneously pointed out the road we needed to follow to get to another "bridge" that crossed the river.
We followed his advice (sign language is very useful, as that was the only way to communicate with him).
Once we had safely crossed the bridge, we had to drive along a road with hip-deep ruts! We would still have been there if we had fallen in! Siep carefully helped us through this section.
It was getting quite late.
The GPS took us up a hillside on a single footpath where we surprised some pedestrians who made it quite clear that this was not a road we should be driving. Two motorcyclists came to our rescue - like true knights - and guided us down the hill again to a better road which eventually came to the minute village of Ambande (on the eastern side of Mt.Mocco) where the campsite was.
After such an exhausting day's driving, we pitched our rooftop tents, had supper and fell into bed.
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