Six years, almost to the day of leaving Angola - after 4 years
living in this wild and dangerous place - I was back. Back
for work, but I surprised my colleagues by waiting at 4am in the
luggage hall, not for suitcases (we were only supposed to be there for
two days...) but for a couple of Boards. These duely arrived safe
and sound and we headed to the hotel and to work. Come Friday, my
colleagues all having fled back to Europe, I hooked up with my South
African bro - who's still living the hard life in Angola, rented a 4x4
and headed south. Or at least that was the plan.
Angola
being Angola, there were fuel shortages everywhere (hey it only
produces 1.6 million barrels of oil a day) - and our genious of a
driver had not thought about bring a vehicule with a full tank.
So we headed south, hoping that the 'next' gas station would bring
relief (there are only a couple...) but each was more crowded/closed
than the last. So facing the prospect of having to head back 1 hr
into Luanda, plus 1 hr queuing for gas and then another hour out to
where we were.... we decided to buy fuel at a road side stand from
plastic drums. Last time I did this I broke-down with a clogged
carb, in the middle of the Quisama park, with nightfall approaching
(and a serious security issue back in 1998 of getting north of the
Quanza river before night)....
Despite
our trepidations we made it to CaboLedo, booked into one of the huts in
the fishing village, and were surfing the point by 15h. It was
small, but occasional sets made if fun, and it was just the two of us
out: fat, forty and unfit - but ripping it up ;-)
Friday
night, tired (I hadn't surfed in about a year) - we got a Brai going
infront of the hut and chilled back with beers and caught up on the
years of not having surfed together.
Saturday, early
start and the swell had dropped off even more - but still had fun - a
few others turned up at about 10am, but a good atmosphere and by 11h we
were out and heading back to Luanda. I had some friends to see
before catching the evening flight out. I've left my boards there
- and am looking for any excuse possible to head back. Maybe
we'll go back and live there again someday soon...
about how much was it for you to hire a car and driver to get from Luanda to Cabo Ledo? I'm looking at getting a little group of friends together to make the trip.
