Reflections on Luanda - Part 1

I am now back in Luanda, the capital of Angola. I arrived with little fuss yesterday on TAAG, the Angolan airline. This was an accomplishment as TAAG is known for canceling or re-routing flights on the day of departure. TAAG has petitioned for a direct route from Houston TX to Luanda; hard to imagine those Texans understanding flights which do not go on time or ever!

To finish commenting on my assignment: at one of the Cooperatives the SOW (Scope of Work) was fully completed. This is a Coop which is extremely organized and has been mentored by a Portuguese NGO for several years. The other Coop is not as organized and the SOW was only 2/3 completed. I was unable to train the Treasurer on Excel spreadsheets due to a change in my time allocation by the President of the Coop. He invited other Coop Presidents to come for 3 days of Financial Management training. He is more political so this change was his agenda.

As I arrived early in Luanda on Friday morning from Huambo, I began walking in Luanda. It was a lovely day – not too hot or humid. Following are some of my reflections:

A dead man on the sidewalk. I passed him four times during the day. Finally on the last pass, the police (?) were zipping him into a body bag.

The Port is very industrial. However, at one time there was a pedestrian walkway (like the Strand in Shanghai). It is however in disrepair.

Buying a grilled half chicken for dinner. The supermarket is called EATS. Dozens of chickens are “butterflied” and put on holders over a charcoal grill. I ordered ½ with black beans. I was helped in this ordering by two young men – one was Portuguese and Zimbabwe. Perfect English and works in an import—export company. The other was Chinese; he is a laborer (building buildings) who has been here for 6 years. His English improved as we waited for our dinners.

Found Coke Zero in the supermarket!

Traffic is awful – compares to Vietnam. Motorcycles drive on the sidewalk. Traffic signals (signs and lights) are only suggestions, not requirements. Too many cars. Gasoline is subsidized by the Angolan government so no incentive to drive less or in smaller vehicles. Everyone has a big SUV.

Soleme Guest House is a wonderful oasis in Luanda. In the middle of the property is the family home with at least 4 generations in residence, so children are always around. The guest rooms are in buildings which form the boundaries. There is also an on site bakery which makes the typical bread – a long roll. My room this time is over the bakery so I awoke hungry to the smell of baking bread at 4:30am!