The van Dijks Go On Leave: Welcome to 2016

Happy New Year everyone. We spent a quiet evening in and saw the fireworks from the pool area at midnight. Off to Lubango on Thursday for a few days. It is just over a year since Petra and I transported Angolana Ana to the rehab centre in Lubango. I heard she has made amazing progress so look forward to seeing her again to see for myself.

Luanda NY eve

5 January, with a very sore neck I took myself off to the Chinese massage house in Futungo. A tiny Chinese woman had the strongest fingers ever and pummelled me all over. And she used Chinese flame cupping technique...results in photo below. OUch! But very relaxing once I got used to them on my back.

Purple polka dot back- they were much darker when first inflicted..

6 January, heading off early to Lubango...check out this clip for a taste of Angola.
12 January, back from a great trip to the bush, outside of Lubango. The second largest city in Angola where almost everyone says 'Graca da Deus' - Grace of God. I stayed again with Petra and got to meet Ana again who has undergone two operations now to give her increased possibility of sitting in a wheelchair. After 6 years in bed, Ana can now sit in the car which gives her much better ability to join in life again and be a young woman. We enjoyed a birthday festa at the hospital with her and Mum, plus friends and a Nun. Sister Sylvia came to give communion to Ana on her birthday...

Ana and Sister Sylvia

Fernanda, Ana's mum was happy to see us

A festa in Ana's room

Johanna and children

Ana in her party dress

There was a lot of thunder and lightening in Lubango, much to the dismay of Petra's dogs. Duke is an old fella and Lido is a crazy young pup. Petra says he has one Dutch (blue) and one Angolan (brown) eye. A beautiful peaceful spot to stay a few days.

Duke and Lido

Lots of greenery everywhere much to the delight of the locals whose crops were finally growing.
With so much rain, the roads took a beating though and we regularly had to negotiate eroded roads.

Navigating the potholes

Another highlight of my stay was going to church. Petra and I walked through the bush in the early morning baking sun, carrying our chairs! We visited first the children in a little concrete hut and then in to the main church building. Both were extremely crude structures with no windows and only concrete floors. No power or light it the children's room

Children's Bible study room

The worship team (2 people)

Petra and I wearing our pano's to church

Pano is the local colourful fabric that many women wear - a simple wrap around skirt that can be used as a skirt, a shawl or a cover to use when toileting on the road. We just wore one as a skirt.
I did laugh as Petra and I wore African clothing and the African women wore modern western clothes.

Smartly dressed

One of the church elders

Getting a lift to church.

The structure in the photo above is where the congregation sits sometimes for an outdoor service.

The men, the youth and women's choirs led the way into the church

Elders receiving the tithes

The gentleman on the left began walking up and down the aisle gesturing for children to straighten their chairs, sit up straight and keep quiet. Then, he walked up and down pointing out and asking other people to wake the people who were sleeping. Including someone sitting right up the front in the choir. Don't fall asleep in this church!

Cacti everywhere

Fresh mangas

Petra's pomegranite

Beautiful butterflies everywhere

My hairdressers in Lubango

This lovely missionary family of German mother, Portugues father and four children welcomed us for a lunch. In the afternoon we took a swim, despite there being a small snake in the water. We were assured it was harmless. And it was too hot to worry about.

Adeleida, Petra and I

Adeleida bought some manga's for me from a street girl. She picked through the pile for the best fruit then demanded the girl give her clean notes in the change as I had given a very nice 1000 kwanza bill.
One of the strangest things I saw in water-deprived desert area of Lubango was a large new construction of a hydroslide in the countryside!

Cooking lunch

Back to Luanda, where people clap when the plane lands, the temperature at 2100 hours at night is 29 degrees and young men carry Barbie bags. Today the temperature was 40 degrees.
Scorching.

January 24, two visitors arrived last week...Liam and Shani finally made it to Luanda. We are very happy altogether.
We have visited the Agostinho Neto Mausoleum...

António Agostinho Neto served as the first President of Angola' having led the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the war for independence (1961–1974).

President Neto with his children

Liam and driver Silvestre in front of the many world leaders that met with the Angola president

View from the Mausoleum of the newly inaugurated Government buildings

Until his death, he led the MPLA in the Civil war (1975–2002). President Neto had studied in Portugal in medicine and became a paediatrician. He was also known for his literary activities, he is considered Angola's preeminent poet.

We also met with Michelle who had returned briefly to finalise her late husbands estate. Very sad time.

Sharona and Mimi...see you in Zimbabwe dear friend.

Check out this fun video about Angola.. turn the sound up!

This week we also visited a rest home for elderly people of Luanda. Sadly, these people were abandoned to the streets of Luanda and were brought to this place by the police.
I met these cheery ladies...the one on the left is 104! I hope to return to visit here.

As mulheres

Men playing a game at the rest home

Handing over the clothes to be used at the rest home. Shani's first outing

Mimi and I with Liam, Shani, Mimi's Dad, and a family friend and the director of the resthome

Another outing was for Alex' birthday at a restaurant on the Ilha. A beautiful evening with good company. Liam tried his first Caipirinha, the sugar cane rum drink native to Brazil.

Nice-looking couple on holiday

A birthday cake

Shani and I enjoying a chat

Dad and his boy

On Saturday we went out together with Alex and Cynara, also a young friend of mine, Giovany (student from my school). No fish caught this day but a pleasant day catching the sun and swimming.

Still hopeful for fish

Giovany and I

Poor Shani had terrible sea sickness so she spent a large part of the trip keeping calm and resting. But she did get to join in a swim in the ocean. Beautiful temperature and day. Jeroen chose to stay home as he does not have sea legs.

A calm day on the Luanda water

There were dozens of these simple little sail boats as we re-entered the harbour.

Bailing out!

Genesis and her crew

Relaxed day for the boys and dogs

This is the water taxi Jeroen sometimes takes to get to another site

Freedom art

25 January, We went out to Be Delicious ice cream parlour last night. A short walk but long wait as it is always busy on Sunday's. Great flavours and a little treat right on our doorstep.

Going on safari to find an icecream!

26 January, out and about with Liam and Shani to the new shopping Centre. Thanks for the great photo's, Liam.
I love the hand painted commercial art here.

Oficina auto

Out on a scooter

24 hours tyre repair guys

Living on a rubbish dump

Fetching their next meal

30 January, nice days with Liam and Shani still here. On Thursday we visited the fantastic salt water pool near the river Kwanza. A great outing with them and Rukaya.

3 girls

Soaking in some rays

Having a read

Chilling in Luanda

Little boy with bow legs and pals

Waiting for family

This little chap was waiting all alone for someone to fetch him. He had a very swollen belly, typical feature of malnutrition although he had a little bit more padding than many children here.

Taking some shade

Off home

Selling on the roads

Typical roadside vendor selling anything from nuts to toiletseats...

...to turtles!

Busy mums

Busy kids

Interesting geology here

Lonely Boy

King of the Castle

Church in the countryside

Last night we enjoyed Alex and Cynara joining us for dinner and before that Liam, Jeroen and Shani joined a 'whiskey taste' at Alex'. This morning Liam and Alex cycled through Luanda within a big group.

The Cycling Gang

10 February, Liam and Shani have returned home to NZ as an engaged couple...Liam did the bendy-knee thing on Sunday 31 January. Nice. Welcome to the family, Shani.