January 14 – Leaving Guest Wharf in Pointe-Noire
Good day, January 14th. I left Guest Wharf—an unusual name for a hotel—in Pointe-Noire. The morning started with a small misunderstanding involving the security guard. The night before, they had asked for permission for him to wash my car, assuring me I wouldn’t need to pay him. I agreed.
In the morning, however, he seemed unhappy when I didn’t offer payment. It felt a little awkward, but I stuck to the original agreement. The car looked beautiful again, though in the daylight I could clearly see the minor damage from the previous day—nothing serious enough to stop the journey.
Stopping at Toyota for Repairs
Before leaving town, I stopped at a Toyota dealership to see if they had a replacement rear light, since mine had been damaged. They didn’t have one, which in hindsight made sense. They also gave me a quote to properly reattach a loose flap, but the price seemed excessive for what amounted to a few nuts and bolts. I decided that would be a repair for another day—likely something I could handle myself.
Heading Toward Angola and Cabinda
It was time to continue toward Angola. Angola has a province called Cabinda that is separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). To reach Cabinda by land, you must pass through the DRC first. From Cabinda, you can either take a boat to Soyo or re-enter mainland Angola by land.
Because of this, I had previously obtained a DRC visa in Accra. It was expensive, but I didn’t want to rely on uncertain border arrangements.
Border Crossing into the DRC
The border crossing wasn’t far from Pointe-Noire. It wasn’t particularly eventful—just time-consuming, as border crossings often are. At one point, my passport disappeared from sight for a while, which is never comforting. You simply hope everything comes back as it should.
The officials were generally friendly, but they documented everything—taking photos of my car and my passport multiple times. That day’s movements were very well recorded.
Arriving in Cabinda
From there, I continued to Cabinda. My first stop was a hotel called Hotel Maria. It appeared to be a very nice place, likely right on the ocean, but unfortunately it was fully booked. I didn’t get much of a look before moving on.
After trying one or two more places, I finally found accommodation that worked—Hotel Soul, if I remember correctly. It wasn’t anything special, but sometimes you simply need a place to rest, and it served that purpose.
End of the Day
In the end, everything worked out. Another border crossed, another country entered, and another day safely completed.
Thank you very much for coming along.
