Day 180: Kakuakos Lodge / Luanda

Today is the day of the liberation of Angola from South African rule, involved in the fighting were Namibia and Cuba.

We take a trip to Mirador da Lua with a view of a washed-out cliff landscape reminiscent of Bryce Canyon. Very nice. 

To reach Mirodor, about 80 km away, we cross Luanda. It's a good thing to do that on a holiday, otherwise the traffic would be more than a nightmare.

Luanda has around 6 million inhabitants. For expads, Luanda is currently the most expensive city in the world in terms of cost of living, followed by Hong Kong, Tokyo and Zurich. 

We see a modern skyline, palm groves, quasi-colonial magnificent buildings and expensive cars. We see garbage dumps on hanging grasses, tin huts, slum alleys in which the rainwater from the last few days is still visible. We see people in smart suits and people collecting from the ditch. A city of contrasts. There are high-rise areas reminiscent of Hong Kong, as well as stretches of coastline with villas and expensive yachts.

And we see huge areas that are already being used by the Chinese or are being newly developed with industrial facilities, including the planning of entire residential areas.

That makes this lodge on the verge of madness even more of a valuable oasis.