Goin’ Fishing
Posted on: Sunday, February 23rd, 2014 at 3:09pm

They say if you first don’t succeed, try and try again. Very pleased to report that I’ve managed to be granted a tourist Visa to Angola – known as the hardest country in the world to access. I’m not sure how true that is, considering my luck at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s embassy in December, but it certainly took longer than most I’ve had to cross into.

I must have visited the embassy 8 times before the success. After hearing of the restrictions imposed on people visiting emabssies I went out and picked up a pair of slacks to make myself more presentable, only to enter the building and find other people in shorts, some talking on their phones, and a group of people sitting on the floor eating take away!. $10 lost.

I suppose the experience is going to be signs of what is to come. Waiting in line for 2 hours before trying to explain my position to the front desk clerk, only to have her look at me and walk away, leaving no option other than to sit back down on a chair. Another hour passed and the only person who spoke English appeared, asking basic questions, denying even the aspect of applying because I wasn’t in my home country. I didn’t waste time trying to book an appointment with the Chancellor, who conveniently wasn’t in the office, nor the next day, or the next day, with no idea when he would return. Eventually luck came into my favour, I explained the situation and he said that he would process an application based on circumstances – but only if I had a letter of Invitation.

Basically this letter of invitation states that a corporation or individual would be ‘sponsoring’ you in the event of issues. This, I didn’t have How do you find someone to sponsor you when you don’t know anyone in the country? Do I succumb to corruption and find someone to lie for me? I’d been in contact with people I’d learned of over various forums who could provide the service for $100 USD all the way up to $500 USD, all of which didn’t guarantee access to the country. The sponsor would have to provide their information, passport, identification and other details about my stay which can put someone in serious hot water – the process taking 5-7 days to wade through the paperwork, not to mention an expense on their end as the government has tightened up their security and verification due to a rash of human trafficking from various countries.

I got creative. A few weeks earlier I found information on Fishing resorts in the country that catered to fairly well off tourists. The first time I contacted the agency that represented them I was met with an aloof response. This time, I tried something different. Instead of asking about the possibility of getting a letter I went straight ahead and queried the availability of a room at one of the resorts. No less than 45 minutes later I had a response with them stating they would love to help provide a letter of invitation. It wasn’t 3 hours later that I had the entire package digitally in my inbox. Cost: $0.

Next came a letter of declaration – Basically this was a 17 page document I produced in short detailing my intent on visiting their country, my planned route, time estimated to spend in the country, and a brief overview about myself claiming that I was the best thing in the world after their beautiful country. In the document I had to also prove that there was sufficient funds available in a bank account in the event of emergencies (They wanted $25,000 USD proven, an unheard of amount, but I’ll soon see if Angola’s reputation of being the most expensive country in the world stands up with my cycling). A photocopy of immunizations, criminal record, and a nice picture of me dressed fairly well accompanied this letter.

Finally, I had to deposit a non refundable application fee into their Bank Account. This was obviously the last step, as I wanted to make sure everything was right as opposed to flushing money down the toilet. Luckily it was only $35 USD. A steal compared to what the process would have cost if I had to apply from Canada ($300! Not including couriering my passport, dealing with someone to manage the situation, shipment back etc). With the application in, the English speaking woman looked at me and said come back tomorrow. So I did, with nothing being done. I went the next day, and nothing was done. And again, and again. I was cycling by the embassy by chance one day and decided that I’d stop in. Apparently 12 noon is the best time to get their attention, and it seemed like their was going to be movement so I stood against the wall. “Why don’t you have a seat?” they said, with my response being “Remember I am bicycling around the world, I’m going to be sitting on my saddle enough when riding through your country!”. Apparently it caused some commotion and conversation with people behind the glass window – and well, you know the end of this story. I left with a smile on my face laughing at how the English speaking woman became very embarrassed when I understood her colleagues comment on telling her that she should be asking me for chocolate and gifts. I didn’t pay the bribe. Total Cost to get 30 day Visa: $35 USD and just time.

Il’l be heading north and should be crossing into the country the first week of March providing my energy levels are good, and the wind works well in my favour. Wouldn’t you know it, the wind has shifted again and I’m going to be again riding into it for 400km on a highway which I’ve traveled on in the past. No Shoulders, Too many trucks, not too scenic. The only other option is taking some dirt roads with limited villages and towns, so I’ll bite the bullet and keep my head down, teeth clenched, and knuckles white on this stretch. I know little to nothing of Angola, and going to keep it that way making it a surprise – trying not to draw comparisons to another Portuguese colony I visited 3 years back – Mozambique. I’ll have to figure out a way to get into DRC from Angola – but will deal with it in Luanda, the Angolan capital city with a population of 5 million, giving me more time to become creative.

So what else has been going on? I’ve been staying in Windhoek – Namibia’s capital city, population 300.000. It’s quite the hilly city to go and cycle around, but is filled with restaurants, shops, bars, and a decent quality of life great for a rest. I’ve been staying with a fellow who I’d been in contact with for 3 years , who actually bailed me out of a blowout in Botswana when I broke multiple spokes – It just so happens he has the same bike, although a lot cleaner – it’s never been used! A lot of the time has been spent watching the Winter Olympics which have been on Television, sorting out a few loose ends in terms of my own personal projects and hobbies, and a lot of beer – I don’t know how much we’ve both consumed over the past 3 weeks, but It’s certainly in the triple digits – A huge number espeically when the beer sizes are 440ml or even going to 750ml. I even had a chance to see a friend who just completed his Scotland to Cape Town bicycle ride – he returned to rekindle a flame from a spark when he previously passed through.

 So it’s been a very positive experience none the less, getting a chance to stay in a country where things actually work, services like electricity, sewage, and clean water from the taps is huge, and something that I’ve missed. I would have been OK with heading back into South Africa, getting the chance to visit Lesotho and Swaziland if the Angolan visa process went sour, also getting an opportunity to visit AfrikaBurn, a festival at the end of April with the same ideals as the much larger, popular annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada (those who have been following may remember that is where I ended up in 2011 after many years away). Maybe in the future…

The only negative thing that’s come was within the past few hours when packing my gear, getting ready and hoping to start off early in the coming morning. I’ve been carrying quite a bit of paper currency when I was trying to get into DRC. There are no ATMs available in the country and I wanted to have enough to deal with travel, and upcoming country visa costs. When reviewing the pouch today and looking to hide it further on the bike I noticed that a rather significant amount was missing. I don’t want to lay blame as the only person to blame is myself for not being more careful, but certainly tough to swallow when the bag hasn’t left the house in the entire time. It couldn’t have been my host, leaving only one person else.  With nothing to prove I can only sit, learn my lesson to be more careful and figure out how I’m going to complete the tour, definitely this is going to cause a challenge going forward – The amount has been more that I’ve spent in Africa in total. Dammit. Let bygones be bygones and not let it hang a cloud over my journey – and find a way to make some dollars. To Angola I go..

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