The first challenge can be parking. On the 2nd of January, many New Years revelers were probably at home resting which meant we found a spot right away. This is usually a major headache as parking is scarce and cars may be stopped at the main highway turn off leading down to the parking area and have to wait for spots to open up.
The second challenge is getting a boat. Simple, outboard boats ferry people back and forth across the bay. Locals will run up and immediatly begin haggling as they all want customers. The discussion can get quite heated, but we had already commited ourselves to the man that had "helped" us park. As soon as this was made clear, things quieted down and we proceeded on to the boat. We all got life jackets although some of them were ill-fitting. The ride was surprisingly fast and the water was a beautiful turquoise-green. Mussulo sparkled ahead.
We had not known what to expect, so we took along beach chairs and drinks. Apparently the fact that we brought our own cooler limited us to where we could actually go since some of the restuarants do not allow coolers on their premises, so we trusted the captain.
We were let off at restaurant/hotel/ facing the bay which had "tiki" huts and two lounge chairs each. There were several empty huts, but at first told that they were "reserved". After further questioning, the waiter decided that we could, after all, set up camp under one. After a while, the waiter came to collect for the use of the hut and cheerfully informed us that we owed $40.00! Not only that, but the restaurant was only serving a buffet lunch and that the pricer per head was $75.00!!! We were certainly glad that we had had a late breakfast and had packed some pretzels and some mixed nuts. We think that the price was slightly higher than normal due to it being holidays , but even so...
Granted, the huts were beautifully made and structurally sound, but their shade was nothing less than what you would expect from any shade: shade. The surroundings were nice, but nothing that warranted such an extravagant price. The showers were non-functional, but the fee also allowed us to use the bathroom which was pretty nice: toilet paper, soap, towels and functioning toilets. Again, just what you would normally expect from a bathroom.
Luanda is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but I continue to be shocked. Next time, we will also pack food and our shade tent and be left off on the Atlantic side where there are no facilities and enjoy ourselves just as much at a fraction of the cost!
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