We love federal holidays. Presidents' day was a holiday for Briant and me, but the kids had school. So we decided to make it a day for a date (and a late Valentine's date) without the kids. We were invited to join a group doing a "boat cruise" on the Kwanza River. It launched from the Kwanza Lodge, about 2 hours from home; an hour or so from the city limits. So we tackled the traffic and got out of the city to quiet and calm. We reached the river and turned onto a partly paved road (or maybe "formerly paved road" is a better description), following the other cars in our group. It was muddy and full of bumps and uneven pieces of pavement. This picture is of the better part of the road.
We passed by a Catholic church being built. I think almost all Catholic churches and government buildings in Angola are painted pink.
Inside the cozy Hemingway-esque lodge, where we escaped the rain:
The whole drive, and the first 15 minutes after our arrival, it was pouring. We deliberated whether or not to wait and see if the rain would subside before we all decided to jump in the boat and go. Fortunately by the time we made the decision to brave the rain and had waterproofed everything, the rain lightened up and eventually stopped. It was a miracle! We were absolutely rain-free on the 2 hour boat ride except for a few minutes of sprinkling. Considering that this is the "rainy season" and that we had experienced hours and days of rain before that morning, we were very lucky! It was amazing weather--cool with the clouds, and a small breeze. I think it was the first time I have experienced being a bit cold in Angola! We were very relieved that we didn't have to be "soggy" the whole trip.
The whole drive, and the first 15 minutes after our arrival, it was pouring. We deliberated whether or not to wait and see if the rain would subside before we all decided to jump in the boat and go. Fortunately by the time we made the decision to brave the rain and had waterproofed everything, the rain lightened up and eventually stopped. It was a miracle! We were absolutely rain-free on the 2 hour boat ride except for a few minutes of sprinkling. Considering that this is the "rainy season" and that we had experienced hours and days of rain before that morning, we were very lucky! It was amazing weather--cool with the clouds, and a small breeze. I think it was the first time I have experienced being a bit cold in Angola! We were very relieved that we didn't have to be "soggy" the whole trip.
Outside the lodge:
Our captain and crew. Julia and Gostavo, Connie, Alex and Caleb, and one of the Marines.
Coming up on the beautiful Kwanza River bridge.
We had so much fun looking for animals and interesting things. Of course we saw our favorite monkeys that we always see as we come back over the bridge on road trips. There are about 10 in the pic below.
The eagles were huge and magnificent. Apparently there were a few different kinds, one of them being the Fish Eagle. Looking closely at the dark silhouette in the sky, we could see him carrying a fish.
We saw smaller yellow, orange, and blue birds, but they were hard to capture on camera. This bird helped me out by sitting on a long branch free of foliage.
And then we saw this large lizard (a "sengue" lizard), all alone hanging out on a branch. We were shocked at his size (at least three-feet long)!
We saw a few houses along the way, as well as a few fishermen.
Briant said this is our retirement home. It looks so relaxing!
The river empties into the ocean so we drove a little ways out to see some small waves come in.
The tour unfortunately had to end, and we were back on land.
I felt like we definitely got our money's worth with the length of the tour and the chance to be in the wild though. When we first arrived in Angola, the tour cost $75, but now with the exchange rate, it's more affordable at about $20 per person. We'll have to bring the kids back and do it again!
Why did the chicken cross the road?
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