Travel Story: Angola through the eyes of Pioneer Hanneke
It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Imagine a pressure cooker. Throw in a group of stubborn adventurers, each with a strong story and an even stronger personality. Put them in tents or huts, let them cook together, wash dishes, sleep, pee, laugh, cry, and above all, discover. Welcome to the Pioneer team in Angola. A kind of speed dating, endlessly on the road on unpaved roads with lukewarm Cucas by the campfire as a reward. And chicken. Lots and lots of chicken.
The Northern Loop started with Bruno. 29 but an old soul with an impressive knowledge of nature, history, and culture. Much more than a guide. A real storyteller, a mirror, a bridge to Angola. And honestly, he didn't make things prettier than they were. He spoke about the strength of his country, but also about the vulnerability of the population, nature, and the future. Gradually we got to know each other better. Ruben, who felt uncomfortable as a white visitor in a poor village. And Bruno, who cautiously asked: "But, define poor – what does that mean to yóu?" Bruno as a friend forever in everyone's heart.
The language barrier? Well. We spoke a little Portuguese, they spoke little English. Yet we managed to make ourselves understood. At the market it was negotiating with hands and feet: you ask for one tomato, you get a whole bucket. Slippers, cloths, vegetables – everything in bulk and always with a smile. Muito obrigada.
The 4x4s Rita, the Yellow Caterpillar, 't Beestje, and the Boombox dragged us through dust, mud, dunes, and endless roads. Along the way we got to know the rawness of Luanda, sleeping with the overwhelming white noise of the Calandula falls, we said an earlier goodbye to Michiel Attenborough, the impressive Padras Negras with a Chief chair happily parked in front of our tent with Ton on it. Pooping. Good morning Ilse.
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Nightly pangolin hunt, a football tournament in a remote village. Stopping again, drone stops for Misch and Mike here and there, the funny and sensitive Siamese camera duo. Roving reporter/photographer Steef with all the thorough and funny questions. We shared everything: from wet wipes to life stories. Ilse’s successful photoshop and her printer working overtime, Anna’s wonderful ukulele and singing skills, the motorcycle race afterparty dancing until the early hours with my daughter Martha. Recognition in conversations with Heleen. And Ton, singing with earbuds on his way and children by his hand, far ahead of the rest.
The Southern Loop brought us Harrickson with his buckets of food and smooth dance moves. The Angola Waves boys with a load of testosterone, the vast Namib desert, camping in the Red Canyon and deep conversations at sunset *topped off with a big middle finger from Amber. From peeing under pressure anxiety to names in the sand. Surfing and getting washed, (tire) pressure here and there, limbo dancing, beautiful speeches from Wouter, Sjoerd and Anna topped off with skinny dipping and a big hangover.
What lingers? The hospitality. The pride. The children calling for ‘bola bola’. The rawness of life, and the cheerful eyes of people who possess little but radiate much. Such beautiful people. Sometimes curious, sometimes expectant. Above all, enormously real.
It was intense, messy, magical, educational, funny and grand. Camping in the desert, surfing, hiking, talking, staying silent. Each their own story and all the space to be who you are. We left with a backpack full of expectations, we all came back with a heart full of stories.
Enormously grateful that I was able to experience this adventure with all these lovely people and a big shout out to OG pioneer Charles with whom it all began💛. 
