The next part of his humanitarian trip is so far off the beaten track that even renowned adventurer Kingsley Holgate admits he is nervous about travelling through it.
“Sleepless night last night, I’m a bit worried about this remote part of Angola,” said South African adventurer Holgate with hesitation.
“Zambia is now behind us, Angola here we come. We’ve been warned that further north, in this remote region, we could be mistaken for diamond dealers. They may see the Landy’s (Land Rovers) and think we are carrying diamonds and cash,” Holgate continued, clearly nervous.
“We have to watch our backs; we’re given the following warnings: ‘don’t get hi-jacked. Don’t travel at night, and oh yes, be careful of un-exploded land mines, there are still some knocking about’.”
Holgate told The Star he has some very bad memories of going into this area. He was once taken and interrogated for hours by Unita rebels.
“It happened during the days of our Zambezi Congo expedition in open boats in the footsteps of Livingstone and Stanley. It was the worst interrogation of my life, they took us to their bush hideout… the rebel commander told me that the only reason he didn’t kill me was because I was so bloody friendly,” Holgate said.
Holgate has hired Jonathan Kasongo to take them through this neck of the woods. He is a local Lunda-speaking man (Lunda being one of the 72 languages and dialects spoken in Zambia). “He was born in Angola, then ran from the war to Zambia, so he speaks Portuguese and English.”
Holgate said someone once asked him what was the most important thing to have on an expedition. “I responded that it’s an empty seat, so as to travel with locals. Local knowledge, local language, at times it has saved our lives.”
As always, one of the team’s bikers, nicknamed Shovashova Mike, rides up ahead on his mountain bike as he leads the Landy convoy, leaving the big Landy Defender loaded up with bales of mosquito nets and the other humanitarian items in the dust.
“Our journey continues, we’ll keep you posted,” Holgate said, signing off with his usual greybeard smile.
The Star