26 November - Matadi to Tomboco Wild Camp1

We rolled out of the hotel around 8:00 and were at the border post quickly. It’s located just on the outside of town. It took a while to get our papers processed on both sides, but the officials were helpful and courteous. I did some grocery shopping from street vendors while we waited. I got some bread, fruit and snacks for lunch.

We finally departed the border post into Angola on some unpaved roads as expected. It was a dirt road that ran parallel to new highway construction. As we zigzagged up and down in the dirt and mud, we glanced enviously at the nicely graded 4 lane highway under construction. 20 miles in, we followed the planned route—right at the junction as confirmed by my travel contacts, with whom I had sent a map of the route. They had said that the route was paved after this point. We were confused shortly after because the road had not become paved yet. Nonetheless we committed for a few miles hoping this was the way. This would turn out to be a huge mistake.

As it turns out, the information I had received was incorrect, and we should have gone straight at the junction. However by that time we had traveled about 10 miles and negotiated several tricky mud holes. Hindsight being clear, we should have stopped to evaluate the situation but nobody threw up a red flag.

The rest of the day became increasingly challenging with our energy levels decreasing with each difficult obstacle. Mark dropped his bike several times and Ranee was walking quite a bit. By early afternoon we crested a hill with a blustery storm coming at us from the valley below. We looked at the dark clouds building in front of us and made the decision to camp for the night. At the time we were waiting for Ranee who was walking up the hill behind us, so I decided to take a walk on foot and scope out a place to camp. There were a couple flat spots nearby that would be suitable.

We hurriedly parked the bikes and pitched the tents in the tall grass. It wasn’t the ideal place, but it worked. Fortunately heavy rain did not come. We experienced some wind and sprinkles, but nothing to force us into shelter. We had some time to rest and continue setting up camp. We cooked an early dinner and went to bed around dark, which was near 7:00pm. These "short" days were a bit anxiety-inducing for me. Stopping in the early afternoon was difficult because I felt I had the energy to push on.

27 November - Tomboco Wild Camp1 to Wild Camp2

We woke up and had some breakfast and coffee. We told ourselves it was “only” 46 miles to pavement. I think we each had a lump in our stomach that told us it was still a big challenge. We pushed and pushed that day through many obstacles, mud holes, hill climbs and loose descents. I assumed the role of scout for all the tricky obstacles. I would ride it first (sometimes unsuccessfully), then I would dismount and come guide Mark through. We had radio communications, so I could provide specific advice on each obstacle.

I lost count how many times Mark dropped his bike, each time requiring all three of us to pick it up, sapping our precious energy in the 90F+ temperature and humidity. After a couple bad crashes, the left side luggage box on his bike was totally miss-shapen. The lid would not attach and the locking mechanism was destroyed. We had to take some time to fashion a strapping system to hold it on. This worked okay, but it was fragile. It would easily become loose or undone with each crash, taking time again to re-lash the box back to the bike.

After a very tough (and hot) day, we found ourselves exhausted around 2:00pm. We were still 26 miles from the finish line and it was not going to be possible to finish. The road condition was not improving and we were beat. Our water supply was nearly depleted as well. We decided to find a place to camp immediately, and then I would go seek water by myself on the bike. I would either find a natural water source or solicit water from a local village. We could see a village in the distance but were unsure how long the road would be to get there.

I quickly scoped a good place to camp just off the road, and we all unloaded our things. I collected all of Mark and Ranee’s empty water bottles and then set off on my water mission. Luckily, the next village was only a half mile down the road. I first rolled up to a couple young women and attempted to talk to them and they ran away. I rolled slowly into town and waved at another group of people outside their house. They were happy to help and filled up all of our containers, and I gave them some money. I was a rare visitor, so most of the village came out to watch me fill up. It turned into a small crowd, but everyone was very friendly. When finished, I expressed my gratitude to them then circled back and returned to camp.

We spent the afternoon setting up camp as the rain clouds rolled in. The skies looked a little darker than the previous day, so Mark put up his tarp shelter. Shortly after, heavy rain came and lasted through the evening. We gathered under the shelter, cooked our dinner, and gathered rainwater from the shelter runoff. It was enough for each of us to get a few extra liters for the next day.
 

28 November - Tomboco Wild Camp2 to N’Zeto

We awoke from a rainy and humid night, put on our wet clothes, and packed up our wet gear. (Are you getting the image that it was wet?!) I had coffee and cereal from my dwindling food supply. I felt a little anxious because there was a fair possibility that we would not make it the required 26 miles. After all, we only covered 20 miles the day before. The concern was that we were running out of food, and if we had to stay out another night then we would be eating peanut butter and cereal for every meal. Not yet dire, but more uncomfortable than it already was. We were all really hoping we would get out.

The morning was a little rough with a few obstacles to maneuver. Mark crashed a couple times, but nothing too bad. We tiptoed through everything, and I spotted Mark as he traversed every mud hole and loose hill climb. We encountered a few spots of very thick mud, the consistency of chocolate brownies, which was tiring and discouraging. For this, there is no technique other than moving slowly and exerting great energy to keep the bike upright. 

Finally after around 12 miles, the road did get a little better. We were chatting with a local passerby on a motorbike while we were taking a break, and he mentioned that from here on out the road had been grated with a machine. That sounded promising, but in the past everyone we spoke to said the something similar. We'll believe it when we see it! It turned out to be mostly true. We averaged a much higher speed for the last 10 miles with minimal interruptions and the dirt road became much smoother.

We finally made it out of the bush and onto pavement around 2:00pm. It was sweet relief, and we had never been so happy to be back on a good road. The remainder of the ride was 50 miles of smooth sailing to the coastal town of N’Zeto.

N'Zeto was a very relaxed town and the people were friendly. Notably, we only saw one or two 4-wheeled vehicles. The traffic in the streets was 95% motorbikes.

We had a nice motel with private parking and a rooftop bar overlooking the ocean. We enjoyed a well-deserved beer and walked to a local restaurant for dinner. I had one of the better meals I have had on the trip: a grilled fish steak with rice and vegetables. The food was noticeably less African and more Portuguese with grilled meats and black beans served. They speak Portuguese in Angola. Sitting outside the restaurant on main street, we watched the motorbikes buzz by while the sun set. 

29 November - N’Zeto to Luanda

It was a beautiful day with easy riding down the coast. We covered 150 miles and were happy to have proper gas stations (for rest stops) and pavement. The savannah landscape was beautiful with many gnarly looking Baobab trees.

We were impressed with Luanda as it was a modern looking city with skyscrapers and commercial districts and nice public spaces along the waterfront. Our hotel was on the peninsula which faced the ocean and was lined with many other beach resorts.

We checked into the Art House Hotel which was a nice little place with great artwork on the walls on every floor and door of the hotel hallways. The staff and the breakfast was great. I met a guy there from Mozambique who was traveling for work with offshore oil, which is a huge business in Angola.

30 November - Luanda Rest Day and Bike Service

We awoke to bad weather in the morning with rain and wind. We had a nice breakfast in the lobby of the hotel and then Mark and I departed for the bike shop in the city around 8:00am. It was an easy ride with normal city traffic, with some big water on the streets leftover from the recent rains. Mark had turned in his motorcycle pants for cleaning at the hotel, so he had to ride with normal street pants in the rain.

I had contacted the motorcycle shop ahead of time to inquire about brake pads. They had them in stock and held them for me. We found the shop easily, and it was nice storefront with a showroom filled with all different makes of large-displacement bikes. They also had some dirt bikes, riding gear, and bicycles.

We drove around the rear alley of the building and pulled up the steep ramp into the shop. It was a very professional looking shop with walls and tool boxes Ducati-red with a Ducati logo on the wall. The mechanic welcomed me, and we rolled my bike up onto one of the lifts. He promptly got to work, changing my front and rear brake pads. The front pads were down to 10% and the rear pads were completely depleted to the metal. Two days prior I had to wire my brake pedal open so that I would not use it, for fear of ruining the disc. It worked great, and it got me to Luanda without any trouble. After the brake pads were done I had the oil changed as well. I provided the filter. Mark also had his oil and air filter changed. Surprisingly, they had a BMW air filter in stock.

We got some lunch next door that took far too long to receive, and then we made our way back to the hotel. I had to make one stop at a money exchange store in the downtown area to try and change some leftover Congolese Francs. It turns out that they would not take them, so I would have to eat the leftovers. Maybe I will try to sell them to fellow travelers. I sent out a message on the chat group.

1 December - Luanda to Lobito

I can’t believe it’s December 1st! I had proposed to Mark and Ranee that if the conditions were good I would like to shoot for Lobito today which is 325 miles away. It would be a big day, but I estimated that it would be smooth sailing based on the road conditions and the weather.

We had a fantastic day riding at high speed on the nicely groomed highways down to Lobito. Only a couple construction detours through the dirt slowed us down. We stopped at a couple nice gas stations on the way to rest and refuel.

As we made our way south we could see the landscape change, with fewer trees and forest. We rode through some mountainous terrain covered with grass and smaller greenery and as we closed in on Lobito, the foliage completely disappeared to a desolate scene around the town. It was dusty and dirty as we descended down to sea level into Lobito.

We actally had some trouble getting a hotel, with the first two we stopped at unavailable. The third place we found was a nice high-rise in the downtown area, still reasonalbly priced. They had an underground garage for parking the bikes. 

2 December - Lobito to Lubango

It was a fast and cool day with varied terrain with the road taking us up onto a plateau near 6000 feet. Lubango was very scenic with several large hills flanking the city. I suspected it may be a popular destination due to the climate and scenery.

We settled at a hotel that was much nicer than I wanted (although it was only $60 for the night, that's quite high for our average). The room was big and clean and the food was excellent, especially the breakfast--it was grand.
 

3 December - Lubango to Ondjiva

We descended from Lubango down into the valley to higher temperatures with some potholes along the way. Around mid-ride, we needed gas and could not find it. We passed through two small towns that didn't have any, and when we finally arrived at a proper gas station they were out as well. By that time I was already running on my spare gas reserve. Mark has a much larger tank, so we decided I could siphon a gallon from him to get us to our destination.

We made it to Ondjiva and checked into our hotel. It was a nice walled facility with peacocks roaming the grounds. They are beautiful, but if you've ever heard one sceam it can become a nuisance. 

Mark and I went back out to get gas for the bikes. The only two gas stations in town had lines of traffic out to the street waiting to refuel. We chose the one with a slightly shorter line. We sat in line patiently for a few minutes before the security guard waved us to the front of the line. I was a bit hesitant to receive preferential treatment, but of course I didn't want to wait in line all afternoon so I proceeded. At the front of the line the guy at the pump also waved us up to the pump, again in front of those already in line. I felt slightly bad about it but hey, if they insist then I will go. Luckily it worked out fine, and we didn't incite a riot! In fact many of the guys waiting near us chatted with us and asked us about our bikes and our trip. 

That evening back at the hotel there was a torrential rainstorm we watched from our rooms. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and it was delicious.