7 May 2019: Into Angola

If you get a chance, take it

If it changes your life, let it

Nobody said it will be easy,

They just promised it would be worth it

I must admit that it was with some trepidation that I crossed the border into Angola. Somewhere, on a subliminal level, the Border War perception of Angola being enemy territory still hovered in my mind. The burnt-out tanks and armoured vehicles next to the road near Ondjiva did not help and was a stark reminder of the battles fought in this area.

Near Ondjiva

The border crossing itself was an administrative challenge. The Namibian side was a breeze, but on the Angolan side things went a bit haywire. Very few of the customs officials speak any English, which resulted in a pantomime that was quite hilarious. One official kept showing me the yellow of her uniform badge, and I kept on smiling and indicating that it was a very beautiful badge. It took a few minutes to realise she wanted to see my yellow-fever certificate.

Next to the road, Ondjiva

Another issue was that one needs photos of all the sides of your vehicle, as well as a photo of your license disk and copy of your driver’s licence. I took the photos with my cellular phone, and had them printed on the Angolan side of the border with the help of a runner who knew the ropes. Suddenly I had acquired three runners, one who even spoke Afrikaans. In the end all three runners wanted payment, and it resulted in some unpleasantness, with me being more out of pocket than expected. It was a relief to finally drive through the border, on the right-hand side of the road, and not damaging anyone or anything in the process.