Chongoroi (Angola) : road games

S 13°34.352' E 013°56.513' (altitude: 829 m)
The variety offered by an Angolan national road is quite amazing. Most of yesterday felt something like the ‘Formula One’ arcade game: a smooth black surface, the landscape wizzes by and either you shoot past a truck crawling up a hill, or you get a fright because a high powered, latest model 4WD bolts past you. The game changes to a version of space invaders as the odd small pot hole appears. Now you have to dodge the holes as you fly through space. Depending on the galaxy their density, size (including depth!) and arrangement varies. At least here YOU can adjust the level by twisting your wrist. And although there is no hyperspace button it is reassuring to have ABS brakes – especially when the surface you are on is no longer black. The game mutates once more as you are forced down to second gear (even first) because you are reduced to an ant traversing a slice of Emmentaler. Here it is often best to roller coast through the troughs next to the road, remind yourself that you are in no hurry whatsoever and allow your frustration to be dampened by the thumbs-up of locals atop overloaded trucks who fare far worse. For them these conditions are a daily reality. Suddenly there is a power failure: you have stopped the bike to study how to cross a stretch of sand. Just before sunset its game over and though our room for the night is spartan and the empty bar has the music at full volume, we drop off into a deep sleep without a problem.