cacuaco: it’s… complicated
okay, so i just got back from, uh, cacuaco. and honestly? it’s a lot. like, a lot of things. i wasn’t expecting much, to be honest. it’s a suburb of luanda in angola, right? seemed like a footnote in some travel guide. but it’s… something. i’m still processing, really.
first off, the location. it’s at roughly 8°46'S, 13°22'E. that’s… a lot of south and east. and it’s only 55 meters above sea level. feels pretty flat, actually. the climate is a hot semi-arid (steppe) climate - BSh classification, apparently. i just checked and it’s...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. it’s hot. seriously hot. i’m sweating just thinking about it.
historically, it’s… sparse. a 2005 marburg virus outbreak in a slum area. that’s… unsettling. it’s a post-colonial urban expansion thing, i guess? it’s one of nine municipalities in luanda province. it’s not exactly a glamorous history, you know?
neighboring cities? wow. it’s practically glued to a bunch of other places. cazenga, município luanda, baia do bengo, barra do bengo, canginge, caunda, funda, kicolo, lagoa panguila, mariana, mulenvos, ndala mulemba, and panguila. if you get bored, [cities] are just a short drive away. it’s a whole network of places.
there aren’t really any ‘major tourist attractions’ listed, which is kind of a bummer. but there’s the ship’s cemetery, avenida 4 de fevereiro (jogging paths - seriously?), the museu da moeda, the museum of natural history, the monumento do soldado desconhecido, the palacio de ferro, and some churches - igreja do carmo and church of our lady of remedies. and, get this, a railway station! apparently, it’s connected to a northern branch line. and… the sat3 fibre optic sea cable landing station. like, a massive telecommunications hub. someone told me that’s what keeps the whole place running. it’s wild.
food? nothing specific. apparently, it’s just… angolan food. which, honestly, i wasn’t expecting to be a huge deal. i’m not a food expert, obviously.
population-wise, it’s a lot of people. 1,279,488 in 2019. it’s divided into three communes: cacuaco, kicolo, and funda. it’s densely populated. it’s… a lot.
and the health risks. don’t forget the marburg virus. it’s a thing. and, you know, general angola travel advisories - infrastructure, safety, limited tourism facilities. tripadvisor says the hotels are… basic. i’m not going to lie.
what really stands out is the sheer scale of the telecommunications infrastructure. the sat3 cable landing station. it’s a huge deal for the region. it’s like, a quiet, unassuming suburb that’s actually a critical piece of global connectivity. it’s… fascinating, in a weird way.
seriously, it’s a messy place. a complicated place. a place that doesn’t really want to be on a postcard. but it’s there. and it’s… real. i’m going to need a strong coffee after this.
pressure: 1014, humidity: 80, sea level: 1014, ground level: 1013
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