The drive from Dolisie to Pointe-Noire was on a brand new highway that wound down through the hillside and forests. The scenery was amazing! We were all very excited to go to Pointe-Noire to stay at the Yacht club. We had visions of upgrades, air-conditioning and great wifi. The reality that awaited us was much different! The Yacht club was hardly open for use and we camped in a sandy beach area next to a closed down gazebo that had once been a bar. This is the only option for camping accommodation in Pointe-Noire and after 7 days it was feeling quite homey! The marines were stationed next to the yacht club and the Colonel made sure we were protected by armed guards throughout the night. This might sound scary but in reality there was no threat or danger. The Congolese people are welcoming and friendly and curious as to what we were doing there! The colonel wanted us to feel safe and went out of his way to ensure our experience was a positive one. His men were warned very sternly that nothing was to happen to us and to shoot if necessary to keep us safe ( a bit over the top!) There was no need for any of that, we felt secure and had a wonderful time at the Vegas bar up the road! This little pub had a cozy feel and was populated by locals and expats alike. The owner was helpful and kind, he let us charge all our electronics and welcomed us night after night helping our situation in any way he could!
Our main goal here was to acquire our Angolan visas. Oh Angola! Why must you be so difficult? Every country we have visited so far has been happy to take our money and provide an entry visa. Yes, there have been some hoops to jump through before, like becoming citizens of Togo... But we are happy hoop jumpers! Unfortunately, Angola visas are notoriously hard to get and the hoops were huge, expensive, and time consuming. The very RUDE man at the embassy in Pointe-Noire addressed me informally in French (tu) and was offensive in his attitude and demeanor. As I was the only French speaking person in the group, I took the brunt of his attitude and will be writing a formal complaint about him! We didn't even get past security to speak to anyone! I do feel somewhat satisfied that the Colonel went back to the embassy with me a few days later and gave this man a lecture about treating tourists, especially women with respect! I appreciated this man's help and can't thank him enough for supporting our dreams of going to Angola! He got inside to talk to the ambassador but ultimately, nothing could be done to save the dream! Unfortunately, I'm flying to South-Africa for about 12 days. We will meet back up with the truck in Windhoek and continue from there. I really wanted to go to Angola, it was going to be a highlight for me :( The necklace in the picture says " I love Angola" Instead, I plan to visit Kruger national park and travel the coast from Durban to Cape-town. I sure will miss the truck though! Jo and I are excited about our flight on Ethiopian airlines that will put us up in a nice hotel overnight! Hello upgrade! We will even get free food. This little side adventure should work out to be quite amazing in it's own way.
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