The night that I first arrived in Luanda was April 20th. I had chit chatted with the Calders about having a nice quiet dinner that evening with them, but it turned out to be St. George's Day, and we landed ourselves at the British Embassy with several others enjoying a Red and White party sponsored by the Luanda British Women's club to celebrate the occasion - by occasion, I mean historic DRAGON slaying, so well worth a party.
Sitting on a large veranda at the British Embassy surrounded by banana trees, bougainvillea, and other tropical delights, while sipping gin and tonics, eating curry, and playing fun parlour games with strangers was the perfect remedy for jet lag. It also confirmed that as a citizen of the Commonwealth with the right chromosome mix, not only was I qualified, but I was also interested in taking part in these fun activities more often. The president of the LBW club lives just down the street from us, so signing up was not a challenge.
And this First Friday after our plant purchasing extravaganza in Miramar, we landed down at the Ilha for the beer and pizza night at Club Navale, I with membership application in hand. You may have seen a picture of me from earlier this year beside a 10-12 foot long sword fish. THAT was at the marina that is Club Navale.
The Ilha is the finger-like peninsula that juts out on the west side of the city creating the harbor on which the Luanda sits. It is a host to several restaurants, clubs, and beach areas with views of the city or the west coast.
Like many places on the Ilha, Club Navale is a location you find because someone who knows takes you there - Emiquilson wasn't quite familiar with it, and from the outside road, the original building, which was probably in its prime during Larry and Isabel's heyday, looks (and is) completely defunct and abandoned. However, if you can find the right driveway, directly behind the building with broken out windows is a covered beach shack restaurant right by the dock. This place serves a mean pepper steak, Cucas (the local cerveja) in a cold glass, and some pretty yummy batatas fritas - ironically, no pizza.
We met several people - some familiar faces from St. George's and others new. Our neighbor and president, Jo was there with her husband Nick, and she greeted us with a warm WELCOME! We had a nice conversation with a couple about our age that works at BP, and we have some casual plans to spend an evening at dinner with them.
Additionally, we met some wiry gents who immediately asked - "do you HASH?" Some of you may be familiar with this activity (not too fast, my British Columbian friends), which consists of running/walking in large groups through different neighborhoods (barros) to see what is happening locally. The logic is that there is safety in numbers, so the amount of people generally ranges from 20-40. This safety may be slightly offset by some unorthodox running refreshments that come along with it - the HASH club is a drinking club with a running problem.
Around 7:30 or so, we thought "time to pay up," which is remarkably convenient for a group of over 20 people. The system consists of ordering freely from the waiters who are serving our tables, writing down what you selected on a pink piece of paper, and then going up to the bar to pay for your share when you choose to take off - very civil system.
As an aside, I stopped by the casa do bano for a quick break on the way out, and while in there, the power was cut and the bathroom was pitch black - a moment of slight vulnerability, shall I say.
Onward to dinner back in the middle of the city... a little Journey Management story for my work compadres is coming right up. Next Act - Restaurante BlueJazz.
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