Welcoming party in Angola

Forced to abandon a broken-down car, reader Jay Singer was stranded for six hours in Benguela, on Angola’s Atlantic coast, where locals’ spontaneity lifted his mood. “Some kids lined up to have their picture taken,” says Singer, adding that their joy surprised him, given the country’s history of political unrest. The trip a year ago marked Singer’s 21st to Africa -- and fulfilled his goal of visiting every country on the continent.