Thank you Noel for your hasty judgement, slurring deprecations, and arrogant advice. Nice to know that there are people like you on the forum who can pass that judgement sans any knowledge of what is going on. First, it is not the hardship, nor the struggle. If you knew my history which I choose no to share with you, anything you have gone through in your entire life would not equal 4 years of mine. WHAT is important is time. I have made arrangements to be at orphanges in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda & Botswana. I can't fail to get through Angola before the rainy season begins. I also have made tentative reservations to see the mountain gorillas and since those have to be made at leasst 6 weeks in advance, again time plays a critical role. Wasting two weeks waiting for a visa throws the whole schedule out of whack. Of course, since you are a world traveler who has never made a reservation or committment to anything but your own self-centered viewpoint, you could never understand that. Another reason we can't waste time is that we can carry only so much medicine at one time. Now if I were wiling to risk running out of the heart medicine my wife needs to stay alive, I could take the chance. If I were assured of getting the visa, then I could wait. There is, however, no such assurance, so we will get through Angola as quickly as we can. There are other places to see and other roads to ride. Hopefully, I won't see you on one of them.

Thanks Robert, getting a 10 day visa sounds pretty good. Less pounding and a little more relaxing. I hadn't looked forward to pushing that hard, but it is critical that certain time elements be adhered to until we turn back north to the east coast. Much of it is dictated by the rainy season, but I have obligations in east central Africa that also mean being there on time. We also have to be in Namibia or Johanesburg where arrangements have been made for tires and heart meds for the Old Woman who rides behind me.

Thanks again for the hint about the 10 day visa

Joe

Hindu,

I don't think you will meet me any time soon but you will surely meet many like me.

Have a nice life and good luck

Cheers,

Noel

PS; I don't think a 10 day transit visa exists!

[quote=noel di pietro;200420]Hindu,

I don't think you will meet me any time soon but you will surely meet many like me.
............quote]

So true Noel. I often meet people who subscribe to the view that "if you're not doing like me, then you're doing it wrong". They're pretty much everywhere.

Hindu:

I reached Point Noire in Feb. I couldn't get to Brazza because of bandits (two days after we were told this, the train was robbed), so we tried Point Noire. The Angolan embassy there would give us a visa for Cabinda if we had a plane ticket, but would not issue one if we were bringing our own vehicles. Odd, but that's how it was. A catch 22 situation and in the end we ended up airlifting the bikes to Windhoek directly from Point Noire with TAAG airlines (Angolan airlines). Also, southern Angola at the time was impassable due to flooding. The price was very reasonable allthough I cant remember the exact price. As I understand it, time is an issue so this solution may be worth looking into if all else fails. They have two departures Point Nore- Windhoek every week. If I recall, the price for the bikes was about the same as my one way ticket.

But....you will miss out on Angola. And from the (generaly) praising posts on this forum about Angola, that would be a crummy deal. Just throwing a ball here in case you run into impassable obstacles. Good luck

McThor- VERY useful info, I have already added notes to my map in case I fail to enter Angola again. As you say, you never know about roads, flooding, etc, etc...Thanks for the tip! By the way, Joe: I consider my visit to the mountain gorillas one of the highlights of my time in Africa. I don't really care for cats- regardless of their size! Hook.

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Anybody who has travelled extensively in Africa can confirm that schedules are highly unpredictable, things go always different than anticipated. Travelling on such a tight and precise schedule is just not very practical if not sufficient float is built in! You need to be flexible and adopt a certain "take it as it comes" attitude, especially from a timing point of view. Has nothing to do with "if you're not doing like me, then you're doing it wrong".

A friend of mine got stuck for 8 weeks in Gabon because his bike broke down and he actually had the time of his life.. Doesn't sound like a fun trip when being so tied down on time. Not even mentioning the medicine complicating things a lot.

Cheers,

Noel

maby a bit of toppick but last wendsday frends of us got 30 days angola visa without a invitation letter or other problems on the spot 100dollar each in abudja nigeria
succes

Hey Noel, when and where did you get your Angola visa? Thx ~~

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Hi,

That was in Libreville (2006) but I don't think they still issue tourist visa there since 2007, only business. Nonetheless, if you've missed the chance to get it in Abuja, as Reinier and Anne suggest, it is always worth checking when you're in Libreville. They turned us down at first too but we were persistent, up to the situation that we were at the reception and sort of refused to go without first speaking to the Consul. Always be nice and friendly and you may win them over. It is local policy what they do with visa and policy may change per day!

Cheers,

Noel

First of all.. Noel thanks for saying what everyone was thinking.
Obviously this guy has never heard that the journey is more important than the destination. Of the 27 countries we have traveled in Africa Angola was one of our favorites because tourists like Hindu haven't taken the time to go there and ruin it.
So Hindu please avoid Angola and just buy a round trip ticket to South Africa and spend a week on the beach and feel like you really visited the true Africa and then come home and tell your friends how amazing you are.
Cheers,
Josh

By the way for better Gorilla viewing take the risk and go to Central Africa Republic to Dzanga Sanga park and have a far better time. The only allow 2 tourists a day to visit the park instead of being in a group of 10 overweight british tourists and it only cost $150 per person. By the way it was a little odd that visiting the orphanages took second place to your "gorilla adventure" on the schedule.
Cheers,
Josh
Welcome to www.quadsacrossafrica.com

Hey Josh, thanks for demonstraiting so graphically that there are pretentious asses like yourself in every endeavor. Had you read my original post, you would have seen that my anxiety over Angola was waiting for weeks to get a visa and then not getting one. It had nothing to do with the ride itself. By the time we arrive in Africa we will have already ridden thorugh Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, The 'Stans, and the Middle East. It was not the hardship of the ride (I have ridden in many Asian countries) nor being in unfamilar surroundings--I have been in all western European nations on both bicycle and motorcyle. You, however, have decided that I am a fat, overweight tourist who is only interested in getting from point A to point B. Thanks for your inane advice of getting a round trip ticket. Do I expect to amaze people with a ride around the world? Nope, not a bit. I just want to see things that 58 years of work have prevented me from seeing. Oh and as to your idiotic observation about the orphanages taking second place--apparently you are unable to read very well. You MUST make the reservations to see the gorillas 6 weeks in advance. If you are not there on your reservation date--welll you just don't get to go. Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the orpanages are not going anywhere and will accept my work whenever I get there, I would have thought anyone could see that. But then, you are one of those people who delight in flaming people whose ideas are different from yours. If you choose to respond to this post, do it by pm. There is no point in you subjecting the rest of the forum to your infantile, vitriolic pompousity.

I have been following this thread and it has left me slightly saddened to read... can someone tell me when we all started to grade our travel experiences and desires to the exclusion of others?

I thought this was a site for everyone who wanted to travel, full stop! how, why, where, who with, how much money and many other things being totally irrelevant... the only common thing was the desire to travel itself.

A first trip to Spain on his Suzuki Bandit for one man is as exciting as an expedition across Africa for another, they are both as meaningful as the other. Surely we are big enough people to not become travel snobs!

Please people, we all travel in different ways and we should respect other travellers regardless. Remember, there is always another guy/girl out there who will travel lighter/braver/go places you wouldnt etc etc but that doesnt detract from your experiences at all.

Take this snobbery off this site.

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Will

Some day so soon....

Very eloquently put, and I agree 100%.

Wow I sure struck a nerve. My response was based around your comment about Angola "a country that offers nothing except landmines and treacherous roads, but there are better things to do." That is quite an opinion for a country you have never visited.
My guess is you are going to have quite learning experience crossing Africa especially if you are not willing to wait. In Africa you either have to have a. allot of time or b. allot of money. Sorry your vast expierence in Western Europe and the wilds of Asia aren't really applicable to Africa.
I think you are making a bigger deal of the date for the Gorillas. Having seen the Gorillas it will be a highlight of Africa but you are listening to the hype I met several people who showed and had no problems. Again I would actually skip Uganda and go to CAR and see the gorillas there you will get a more genuine experience.
Well good luck in Africa I am sure with your obvious display of subtly and patience you will fair quite well.
Cheers,
Josh