...And everything else spectacular you can find in this most spectacular country. On a video call with my mother the other day whilst stopping over in Huambo on my way from Camacupa, I showed her the colourful attire of vendors selling fruit, drinks, dried fish, and just about everything else. She was impressed, and told the nurses at my Dad's home that I was in Angola when asked where I've been. Across the street I noted how Angolans are fans of Tupac, listen to the Backstreet Boys, and wear Laker jerseys. It's hard to believe I've been in Angola for three weeks, especially when I wondered if three or four days would have been enough. I've sure seen a lot here but I'm not done being a trailblazer just yet. Lubango is a mountain town that was relatively untouched by the civil war. Boasting a mountainous setting, a cool climate, a giant statue of Christ and "Lubango" and "N'Gola" perched on the hill, Lubango makes a nice base for exploring the region. It would be my last chance at finding a postcard. When I was at Piedras Negras, Sean and Millie introduced me to the iOverland app, where you can see various places to camp and what kind of facilities there are, so I'm camping at the property of a man named Abel. He is in South Africa at the moment but he owns two restaurants here in Lubango (I've had dinner at both of them). Yesterday I went to Tundavala for some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet.
Today I would visit Serra da Leba. The winding road is somewhat like New Zealand's Crown Range Road or San Francisco's Lombard Street.
This road is spectacular. Juliett soared majestically for only the second time in Angola. Again there were no police or soldiers around, and afterward I went into the on-site restaurant for an ice cold Cuca.
Tomorrow I'm going back to Namibia as I need to start making my way toward Johannesburg. Last month, I came to Angola without really knowing what to expect and I'm leaving with this magnificent country having really touched my heart. I only planned on 10 days here, maybe 12, but I'll have ended up spending 25 days in total. Early on I dealt with a couple of mishaps but the positives have outweighed the negatives a hundredfold. Angola has the most untapped potential of any country I've ever visited and it's easily the travel world's best kept secret. The country's history may be tragic, but the scenery is beautiful, the food is great, and the people are colourful, stoic, and resilient. There is a different landmark or feature on all four of the Angolan kwanza notes and I've been to all four. Whilst I was able to find some stamps at the post office in Huambo, in the end I couldn't find a postcard.
Angola, you have completely changed my perspective on countries that are not (often) visited. You and your people shall remain in my heart forever.
