One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things - Henry Miller

2 June 2019, Canjala to Casa Branca, 68,8km
Hospedaria 4,000Kz (R178)

Despite 10 hours of sleep last night, we arose tired and set off slow this morning, but perked up as we entered Canjala to find the Sunday market in full swing. Much of the fruit and veg in village markets is of inferior quality, and the oranges we bought were not particularly sweet. We did manage to purchase ice cold water and gathered quite a crowd while we transferred it to our flasks where it stays icy all day.
Along the road were small groups of people walking toward a sizeable church we passed a km or so later. Girls and women wearing bright fabrics tied around their necks and hanging across their shoulders and down their backs like capes. The “panos” is a traditional African wrap-around batik fabric with multiple uses. Many carried a chair of small and brightly-coloured plastic. From the church itself, on a small hill to the west side of the road, the entire congregation greeted us.
We cycled today through beautiful scenery, all mountains, winter trees, orange-red aloes, naked baobabs, euphorbias, thorn bush. Long green grasses lined much of the road, growing right to the edge of tar narrow enough to qualify as a country lane. Each time a vehicle passed at speed, the grasses moved in the wind created by its passing, a Mexican wave of grass. And every few metres, in the quiet of hills and heat, I would hear a rustle in the grass, something sizeable scuttling away from the whirr of my tyres. On the roadside, and at small villages, cane rat, known as bush meat, and small buck for sale.
We had hoped to reach Sumbe today, but the terrain was tough, despite a cooling breeze, and a long 40km from our planned destination we called it quits when we came across an unexpected hospedaria in a town not marked on our map. We later found out the town was called Casa Branca. The hospedaria offered rooms by the hour also, but was clean, and provided lots of water for our bucket bath, drawn from an on-site well. It also boasted a canteen and restaurant. While the staff prepared our room, we shared a bowl of good soup, and in the evening dined really well on meat with rice and a Portuguese fish stew.

For today's route see below photos
For overview route, click on ROUTE tab above…