Angola

Originally published 1 May 2014

Miradouro de Lua

Cousins,

I've just returned from a two week trip to Angola. The country is a study in contrasts. It has great wealth in oil and diamonds, but most people live in poverty. Sadly, because of the lack of infrastructure in Angola and in other African countries, garbage is pervasive. Not only is the garbage a danger to the health of the people, but it is a scar on our lovely earth. Also of particular note is that the Chinese are investing heavily in Angola (as well as other African countries). Where is the US business investment? In my personal opinion, the US needs to be much more involved.

My trip was for work, but I was able to see and experience some of the beauty of Africa during the intervening weekend. I was fortunate to visit the Kissama National Park. The park is being restocked with animals after virtually all the animals were killed for meat during the long years of war in Angola. I also visited an interesting geological location called the Miradouro de Lua, meaning Moon Valley Viewpoint. The terrain is reminiscent of scenes from the western US, but one can understand how it could be regarded as moon like.