Cameroon, part 2 & Gabon, part 1

Cameroon, part 2

Day 5: we get to sleep in!  we then spent the morning & some of the afternoon on the vehicle. Cleaning the inside of the accommodation module, changing a water filter, cleaning the cabin etc.

After the cleaning we drove to Bastos, the embassy area to have a look around and a bite to eat.

In the evening we took Fr Patrick & S. Susan to a Cameroonian fish restaurant. The fish (Sole & what looked like Sea Bass) is BBQ over coals. We also had some cassava, chick peas and beans. Washed down with soft drink for some and beer for Ray. You eat with your hands, so before and after the meal they bring a bucked and pail and you pour water over your hands to clean them. It was very yummy.

Day 6: the spare parts arrived from Doula overnight, so Ray took the car to the Toyota dealership for the clutch to be repaired. This is not a cheap exersize!!

Avril took the opportunity for a relaxed sleep in.

As we were sans transport (note how we are learning so much French!), we spent the day at the mission catching up on administrative chores, doing some skype, emails (the mission has internet to the rooms. It is not all that reliable, but it is better than nothing) etc.

Day 7: we went for a walk and bought some breakfast from a street stall. Then Ray went a picked up the car. After a quick visit to an ATM, we were on our way to Gabon. It was a very slow trip out of town – in common with most African cities there are street markets along the main road into town.

We passed through the Cameroon side officials with no problems. No one asked for a bribe.

Gabon, part 1

Day 1: like the Cameroon side, the Gabon side officials were pleasant and no one asked for a bribe. The immigration office is at Bitam ~ 30 km from the border.

By time we checked through immigration it was getting late. We travelled along the road for a bit, then reminded ourselves that we needed to find some where to stop for the night.

At one of the many police points we asked if we could camp beside their check point. No worries. We meet the village chief, make gifts to the kids and some of the adults and generally make friends. We are fortunate that the village chief respects our privacy and ensures folks keep a distance.

The drive is mainly forest. Apparently Yaounde is drier and meant to be “savannah”, but we did not notice a great difference. It all looks tropical to us.

Avril still driving. ~ 340 km. 6 hours (including the border crossings). N 01⁰ 56’ 09.8’’  E 011⁰ 35’ 12.6’’

Day 2: we were woken by the unmistakable sound of a car screeching and of broken glass. A car had decided to go through the road block and collected one of the witches hats. As we were not in a rush, we took time over breakfast and packing. A very heavy mist had descended and the canvas was very wet. We know that will mean a struggle to erect the canvas tonight.

The road was tar for the 1^st ~ 250 km. Such a great change to the past few weeks. We have the opportunity to enjoy the drive, the lush rain forest and the villages.  We put 180 l diesel in the tanks for < $1.00/l! We also took the opportunity to buy some fresh fruit & vegetables. We have learnt to buy when you see it, but only enough for one or maximum two days. With the heat, fresh produce quickly goes off.

The country side is reasonably hilly and we descend from > 600m to < 170m. This means a lot of turns in the road, which are generally cambred the wrong way! When we get manage to get a glimpse of the distant view, it is spectacular.

Again our maps let us down, the turn off onto the N3 was out by ~ 10 km, which makes Ray stress tremendously. The final ~ 150 km was on dirt, but the surface was reasonable.

We arrived at the village of Lope at 15:00 and went through the motions of finding a place to stay and organising the next day. We decided to camp in the grounds of the Motel Embeyi and get the use of a shower and absolutions. We have a nice position with pleasant views across the rolling green hills. The country side is grass lands in places, we are not sure if this is due to human activity or natural.

Cost of entrance to the National Park is high, it looks better to take an organised drive – which we really do not like.

It is nice to arrive early and settle down

Avril driving. 404 km. 7.5 hours. S 00⁰ 06’ 28.1’’  E 011⁰ 36’ 38.0’’

Day 3: having decided on an afternoon dive, we slept in. Then we did some chores. In breaking news, Ray finally worked out the problem with the accommodation electrics. The earth was attached to the front passenger side tool box. This was the tool box that was wrecked in the accident in DRC. The connection must have held for a time and then gave in. So, with the earth reconnected, batteries can be charged and we can relax.

We filled the water tank, made some custard & jelly, cut up the biggest pineapple we have ever bought (very sweet too) etc. We had a look at the town of Lope which took ~ 10 minutes etc. At the end we were drenched with sweat – it is hot & humid.

We set off four our game drive at ~ 16:00. The drive was very average. We saw some (forest) elephant, buffalo and black monkeys. Ray took the Santos spotlight and commissioned it in anger. However, after 1 hour we did not see even 1 pair of eyes.

After managing to buy some potatoes, we had a nice stew for dinner. We then chatted to some folks in the bar to get up to date information.

Day 4:  we had been told that the road for the next 200km was bad, and could take up to 6 hours. So we set off at 07:15, prepared for the worst. As is our habit for bad roads, the rain belted down – it was very dark and we needed the head lights to proceed. However the road was not as bad as we expected and we were became complacent. At a difficult bog spot we felt that horrible slide – the one you get in mud when you have absolutely no control. We slid into the side of a very deep road edge – up to the top of the tray. Luckily, almost immediately a car came in the opposite direction. They managed to get through the bog and tow us out backwards, we were in 4 WD and did NOT burn the clutch!! In the process we commissioned the inflatable Israeli mats. They warned us there was a very bad bog ~ 10 min further on. We approached this with care. There was a semi trailer bogged in the middle of the road (in ~ 1 m of mud), but we managed to drive around the edge and get through. We felt a bit sorry for the driver and left him with drinks and some food. At the next village there were a number of trucks waiting. We showed them a picture of the bogged truck which they appreciated.

Apart from the one difficult stretch, the drive was very nice, mostly stunning rain forest but towards the end it opened out a bit and we had some magnificent vistas across deep and spectacular valleys.

We got to Franceville ~ 15:30 and after some confusion managed to camp at the Hotel Masuku. Ray had to wash the car. It seems to get very dirty in mud and dust. Then he had a swim. Followed by pre-dinner drinks, over looking some Franceville valleys. All very nice.

374 km. 8.25 hours. S 01⁰ 37’ 56.8’’  E 013⁰ 35’ 37.4’’

RoC, part 5 & Cameroon, part 1

RoC Summary: all in all we quite liked RoC. The people were very friendly and you can walk around, even after dark, with out fear. You are not hassled when walking along.

It is not ideal to travel in the wet season, but this really only impacted us at Bomasa and the last 200 km to Ouesso.

From a corruption perspective, it was only at the exit border crossing we were asked for bribes.

The game viewing is different, and we are more used to the savannah game drives. It is interesting to see the forest animals, but this takes time and patience.

There is a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables outside Brazzaville, and we do like these. So that is a bit of a negative.

We give the Bradt guide a pass; 5/10. It was only moderately accurate and not all that helpful.

Day 20: we needed to leave at 04:30 to ensure our German companions could get the plane back to Brazzaville. We decided on a boat trip rather than a drive as this is more enjoyable. So we were up at 40:00, then as we left our rondavel the sky’s opened up. It belted down. So there was nothing for it but to wait. Eventually we decided to change to a car and left at ~ 06:30 – a wise decision! We got to the pirogue crossing on the Sangha river in good time.

We picked up the car from the WCS office and booked into the hotel. Then went to the Lebanese restaurant for lunch with our fellow travellers

In the afternoon we went to the port to confirm the border details to go to Cameroon.

In the evening we went back to the Lebanese restaurant for dinner. Following lunch this was small. But the owner, Ali, had been to the market to get us some nice fruit. Then he insisted that we not pay. Unexpected generosity. 

Day 21: we got up early to be ready for our crossing. Unfortunately the hotel dinning room decided not to open for breakfast, so we went without.

We decided to have a guide assist us through the day, as we did not have any details of the route in Cameroon. First we went to the crossing at Maboku. We did the carnet very quickly, unfortunately the immigration folks decided not to show up until 08:30. Then we got a ferry across the river. The ferry and the road in Cameroon are owned by a logging company, so it is kept in good nick.

Cameroon, part 1

Day 1: The Cameroon border formalities are completed at Sokambo, ~ 12 km from the river. This also took some time.

Every official on both crossings asked us for money, but we resisted.

Then, the drive to Yokadouma. Everyone had assured us that the road was good. After workshopping this, we decided that “good” meant that you could get through. It did not relate to the actual condition of the road. Of course, as is our habit on not so good roads, it rained or drizzled most of the day, making conditions uncomfortable for Avril (she is still driving as Ray’s vertigo has not cleared yet).

The road is through rain forest, all the way, including a crossing of the Lobeke NP (with The NNNP and the Dzanga- Sangha NP it forms the renowned Congo Basin Rain Forest tri nation national park). Along the way there were 2 tree falls at different points across the road. At these points, the locals gathered to clear the road, using just pangas (machetes). For this service you pay a couple of dollars. Unfortunately at the second tree the vehicle in front of us (carrying a Spanish tourist) decided not to pay. Mmm, angry locals, eventually they grudgingly pay.

For this road, there is an interesting mechanism to prevent trucks destroying the road in the rain, the road is closed at a number of points with a barrier and trucks are not allowed to pass.

We did 314 km in ~ 11.5 hours, including the border crossings.

We stayed at the Elephant hotel in Yokadouma, cost is less than a lot of camp sites.

Day 2: unfortunately this morning we discover we have a problem charging the accommodation battery. The problem is beyond Ray’s capabilities and will need the assistance of an auto electrician. We do a little shopping and buy a Cameroon SIM card.

The plan is for our guide to take us out of town and then return to Ouesso. Before this can happen, as we leave Yokadouma, we are stopped by a customs officer who is clearly under the influence of something. After some debate, we have to go back to town and see the chief of customs. Ray goes into the office and Avril protects the vehicle outside. We then have a farce of taking down some vehicle particulars and silly talk, before the customs chief hits Ray up for CFA 20,000. By this time he is not in the mood and lets the customs chief know – then calmly sits with arms crossed, silent. After 15 minutes, the customs chief decides we do not need to pay and we are on our way. 2 hours wasted. We drop the guide at an appropriate spot and we are on our way.

The Rough guide to West Africa describes the road we now travel on as the worst in Cameroon, and we certainly hope this is right. It is a mixture of rough corrugations and pot holes. Some of the pot holes are of Angolan proportions.

Eventually we reach National Road 10. Now dear reader, we are sure you will as shocked as we were to find that there was no difference between NR 10 and the “worst road in Cameroon”. So on we trudge. Not even 100 m of remnant good road all day.

As we have been delayed 2 hours, we decide to stop at Batouri, 90 km before our intended destination of Bertoua, We read in the Rough Guide that the sisters at the local catholic college welcome guests, so we go there, but they are not in. So we try our luck at a “petit” seminary up the road, but it is not appropriate. However, the priests there say we should be able to stay at the Bishops residence/guest quarters. We are a bit dubious, but follow them to the residence. The bishop is not in, but we are allocated a guest room and a place to park our vehicle. Then the priests ask a nun from the nearby hospital, Sister Frieda, to come and chat to us (as she can speak English, she had worked in RSA with disabled children for many years).

We are asked to dinner with the sisters and then meet Sister Susan (both nuns are from Belgium) a medical technician at the hospital and spend a very pleasant evening chatting. So the delay of 2 hours gave us a unique experience and a very pleasant time

190  Km over 6 hours. N 04⁰ 25’ 48.4’’  E 014⁰ 21’ 57.6’’

Day 3: we are up at 05:30 to go to the English language mass at 06:00. We hear a great & amusing sermon from Fr Patrick (who had been a missionary in Mongolia! He is very tall and the folks in Mongolia thought he was an NBA star). Then the sisters invite us over for breakfast.

Sister Susan is driving to Yaounde today and we ask if we can follow. S. Susan knows some forest roads which mean we do not need to continue on the “worst road” in Cameroon. The road is mostly passable. An added bonus is that we follow directly through the road blocks and this must have saved us at least 2 hours on the day.

Then at some point, we reach a tar road. We luxuriate in the smooth ride and the lack of shaking and bumping.

Along the way we stop and buy some pineapples (~ $ 0.30 each). And continue on to Yaounde, closely following S. Susan in the city. We had thought that we would stay at the catholic mission mentioned in the guide book and used by other overlanders, however S. Susan takes us to another rest house, which is very pleasant.

Fr Patrick also came to town a bit later and took us to his family home for a traditional Cameroonian dinner. Fruit, fish, beef & vegetables etc. It was very nice and very generous of the family. He then took us for a drive around the city showing us the most important sites.

 Avril still driving. 396 km over 8 hours.  N 03⁰ 50’ 24.9’’  E 011⁰ 30’ 28.8’’

Day 4: a very lazy day. Following a very fierce storm (despite promises that in this area the wet season was over) we got up late after our late night. We went down town and drew some money from an ATM, had the car washed and bought some fruit & chocolate ice cream (for Avril). The walk around town was easy with only a couple of persistent beggars. For the first time we see them annoy a black person, who turns and gives them a wack!

We went into a super market down town and were very pleased as this is probably the best one we have seen in Africa (including RSA). There is even diet Coke.

Avril was not a 100%, so she rested and Ray worked on some GPS maps for our future travel.

Fr Patrick & Ray went to the Toyota dealership ( Fr. P has a cousin there) and they confirmed that the clutch is gone. Fortunately there is one in Doula and Fr Patrick is arranging for this to be bought over tomorrow. Seems he has a lot of cousins who can assist in most things.

On the way back from the Toyota Dealership, Ray is stopped by a police (clearly wanting $). Ray explains to Fr Patrick this is normal, but he is not all that happy. And even less happy when the policeman also hits him up for a few bob. “You would even ask a priest for money??” Suitably ashamed, the policeman apologises and lets us go. But, we fear next time will not be so easy.

During the day, Ray also tries to discover the problem with the electrical system.

We have dinner at the mission with 2 bishops! Our strong impression is that the clergy here a very humble and the leaders very approachable. There does not seem to be the aloofness that  sometimes the Australian catholic leadership seems to display. 

RoC, part 4

Day 13: a relaxing day in Ouesso. The Bradt guide is quite disparaging about the town, but we quite like the feel. It is multi cultural with folks from different areas, countries, religions etc. It seems very safe, we wander around after dark and have not been approached or seen anything untoward. It is on the Sangha river, which at this point is very wide and fast flowing.

We had an early brunch (though we seem to be only eating 2 meals a day at this time anyway). We caught up on our emails and with a slow connection this takes time,

Ray tried to get the stairs on the accommodation unit repaired, but they do not have the tools here.

We meet with Rolland from WCS to discuss our trip to Ndoki-Nouabale National Park (NNNP). But he only speaks French and we only speak English, so we decided to sort out the details in Bomassa where Thomas is based (We have been in regular email contact with him and he speaks English). There will be fellow travellers in the vehicle, so we cannot arrange a departure time until their arrangements have been sorted.

We packed our bags for the park, not knowing how many days or the actual activities!

The highlight of the day was our meal with Facoli & Ali at the Lebanese café. Koffta, Kibbi, a great salad (our 1^st in a long time) and chips. Wonderful. Maybe we ate a little (or a lot) too much,

 

Day 14: today we set off on our journey to NNNP. Our travelling companions are the German Ambassador (& Sabina, his partner) and his head of aid (Simon) (&Zhou, his partners). They had driven the night before from Brazzaville and we needed to wait for them to be ready in the morning. Whilst waiting we had breakfast and did some internet stuff.

An interesting aside; on the drive from the south we were waved down by a large truck. In the dark & rain, with charades they explained that a soldier had lost his backpack from the truck. Could we please keep an eye out and when we found it drop it off at the Ouesso military base. We did find the pack and kept it at the hotel. Whilst Avril was on the internet Ray spotted a soldier in the street. So, more charades and Ray fetched the backpack from the hotel. The soldier was a bit suspicious but we managed to find a translator and they began to believe. Then, the brother of the owner of the back pack came along and claimed it. So there was joy all around – and many thanks for us.

Having stowed our car at the WCS HQ, we set off at 11:00 down to the port by taxi. There we had to register with the police and immigration. Immigration hit us up for a few bob, the police wanted a bit more so we asked Roland to investigate. No money paid.

We then caught a pirogue across the river with the school kids returning home after class. Ray regaled them with photos and finger puppet movements.

Then we had a ~ 3 hour drive to Bomassa, the park HQ. It is in a great setting on the Sangha river. Our sleeping bungalow is set on the river with only fly wire around us – very neat.

We caught up with Thomas who had been arranging everything and had a few beers. We also caught up with Tomo who we had been in email contact about logging tracks, and had a few more beers. As Simon the German head of aid said, sort of like a computer date.

From the Ambassador we found out a little about our forward program – hopefully we get full details tomorrow!

Day 15: it rained very hard overnight and leading up to day break and hence our departure was delayed. During the night Avril watches 2 elephants outside our rondavel, Ray sleeps through this.

We got the details of the trip, costs etc. And have asked Peter to pay by bank transfer.

We drove (in the WCS vehicle)  ~ 1.5 hrs, stopping a few times to remove trees from the road. Then we walked ~ 3.5 hrs to Mondika camp. This involved wading for ~ 45 min through water waist high. The area is pristine rain forest. It has never been logged and people have never lived in it. In addition the level of human habitation at the park boundaries is quite low, thus preserving the pristine nature of the forest,

After lunch the Ambassadors group went to visit a group of gorillas (scientific name for the western lowland gorilla is “gorilla,gorilla, gorilla” interesting hey!). We bathed.

Then had a nice dinner and conversation over a few beers.

Day 16: again it rained hard all night, but as per instructions we were up early to be ready for our visit to the gorillas. There are two habituated (means that human activity does not impact the group) groups at Mondika. We visit Buka Mokongo’s (silver backs name meaning back breaker)

We wait until the rain is finished the allow 3 hours for the gorillas to come down from the trees. Avril goes back to sleep.

At ~ 11:15 we (2 x trackers & guide) set off and within 30 minutes we locate the trackers who are with the gorillas. The trackers quickly locate the silverback, he is feeding and on the move. We need to move through dense undergrowth to stay with him. The trackers hack away at the undergrowth to make a path. Our presence and cutting the path do not seem to impact the gorillas, they ignore us completely. Unlike the mountain gorillas who tend to stay together, the western lowland gorillas spread up to 300 m apart when feeding during the day.

After a time we leave Buka Mokongo and locate other members of his group. This is not easy, the trackers take some time to locate other gorillas and then cut a path. We spend time with a blackback male and one of the females. We also see some of the other gorillas in the trees. The protocol allows humans to only approach within 7 m, but at times due to the undergrowth we are closer and at one point a gorilla passes within ~ 1.5 m of Ray.

In all we are in the area of the gorillas for ~ 2.5 hours. Our visit was every thing we had heard about plus more. To be close to the gorillas was totally amazing and we felt lucky to have been able to make this trip.

Bleck, our guide, times our arrivial back in camp perfectly. We just have time for a bucket bath and then the rain comes down – very hard.

The trackers are from the Baaka pygmy clan in Central African Republic. Apparently when researchers 1^st came into the area they thought it was part of CAR, so they employed trackers from there. Only with detailed mapping was it discovered that the area was in RoC, but they continue to employ Baaka trackers to today.

Another pleasant dinner chatting to Mike Stucker the American in charge of the camp. He is a great host, even giving us a CD of his photos etc at the end of our visit. He is very knowledgeable on gorillas, the forest etc.

Day 17: today we reverse the walk out of Mondika. Due to the rain over the past 2 days, the water is higher. Then a 1 hour drive to the Ndoki river, followed by 1.5 hr pirogue upstream on the Ndoki and then the Mbeli River (stream) and 15 minutes walk to Mbeli camp.

After a quick lunch we have a 1 hour walk (through mud etc) to the Mbeli bai. There is a well appointed viewing platform high at the edge of the bai. We spend a couple of hours observing the animals at the bai; elephants, sitatunga (finally Ray gets his photo!), buffalo, birds  etc. As per our experience at Odzala, forest game viewing is not like the savannah, here each sighting is special. Most of the animals are individually named.

We go back through the mud to the camp and have a bucket bath.  Then we have dinner with the 2 researchers/managers here; Kelly from the UK and Marie from Belgium.

Day 18: our plan is to spend a full day at the bai, so after breakfast we walk to the viewing platform. It is a slow start to the day, so Ray takes the opportunity to grab a few extra zzzz.

Over the day we see elephants, sitingua, colobus monkeys, buffalo, gorillas (including a silverback who apparently had not been at the bai for 4 years) , a bright green snake (slid across the deck in front of us)…

We then went back to the camp, had a bucket shower and again a pleasant dinner with the researchers. Ray to bed early, but Avril stayed up to chat.

Day 19: After a latish start to the day (08:00), we travelled back to Bomassa, NNNP HQ.  Back down stream on the rivers to the landing point. A very large tree had fallen over the road (and the tree was so large the chain saw broke) to the landing point. So we had to wait for the Landcruisers, and as events turned out we had to walk ~ 2 km along the track (still rain forest) to get to the vehicles and drive back to the camp. We arrived in Bomassa at ~ 13:30.

A lazy afternoon. Avril decided to wash her hair in warm water. However, in the middle of this an elephant came into camp and decided to wreck the plumbing. We were all watching the carnage and Avril appeared from the shower, with towel wrapt like a toga and hair full of shampoo to complain about the sudden lack of water. The brought her a bucket to compete the task.

All in all, we enjoyed the NNNP experience. However, 6 days travelling for 2.5 hours gorilla viewing and 1.25 days at the bai is a large commitment both financially and time wise (though we have plenty of the latter).

RoC, part 3

Day 9: we had a nice evening chatting to Ian & Nick. Then a lazy start to the day, we arranged to have some laundry done etc. We asked Jeremy (up here doing assessments on the eco scouts) to come along to the next camp and he said yes, so we finally got underway at ~ 09:00.

The drive into the park was interesting. Despite being almost on the equator, there are large sections of open savannah with other areas covered in rain forest. We got to the camp, set up the camper and chilled for a few hours chatting to Jeremy (for all the Generation Kill folks, he was in that unit a few years ago, long after the film and the Iraq invasion).

At 13:00 we set off to get a pirogue. We travelled up stream for a while, then trudged through very deep mud to get to a bai. Unfortunately we did not have a really good days viewing, though we can now officially claim to have seen a sitatunga in the wild. When we arrived at the bai there was a large troop of Colobus monkeys in the trees. Then the trudge back through the mud, pirogue then landcruiser back to the camp.

The guides were clearly not happy we had not seen an elephant and took extra time to go upstream to see if we could find one – but no luck. Then a short time after they had dropped us off they came back excited, there was an elephant near the camp. So we jumped onto the back of the landcruiser and drove ~ 1.5 km to see the elephant in the distance. Too dark for photos, but a nice gesture.

The forest along the river is truly spectacular and makes up for any lack of wildlife. The variety of vegetation and the different vistas were great.

In the eveing we joined Baz, Andrew and a couple of architects for dinner. Baz & Andrew are from Wilderness Safari’s. Ray had been in contact with Andrew and he was the person who introduced him to Leon & Christelle (the park managers). Wilderness are in the process of establishing 2 new camps here.

30 Km N 00⁰ 36’ 19.0’’  E 014⁰ 53’ 92.9’’

Day 10: we were up at sparrows (before day break) to get a pirogue. It should be noted that these pirogues are the real thing, not like the plastic ones in Botswana. We glided down stream, without using the engine to try and not scare animals. We were rewarded with some great views of forest elephants (smaller than the savannah type). At one point we passed with in ~ 3 m of an elephant grazing at the side of the river. We also saw a number of herds of buffalo.

Again, the river itself was fantastic. We stopped at a bai and trudged through streams and mud, complete with hydrogen sulphide smell to a landcruiser, the  ~ 1 hours drive back to the camp.

Then after washing in the river, we got stuck into the chores.

We have run out of Colman fuel for the stoves, so tried to commission on ULP. Jeremy had kindly purchased a couple of bottles in the town (yep, they sell fuel in old glass bottles here – not from a pump). The stove ran out of control last night, so Ray cleaned it all up, oiled and checked the connections and tried again – same result. Lots of spluttering, but no flame. Mmm, then it hit home, maybe it was the fuel. We had a little bit of “good” fuel left (ex RSA) and put that in the stove. It ran very well.

Game viewing here is different to the parks in eastern & southern Africa. The approach here is to sit at a bai for extended periods. It is not possible to drive around and the river side vegetation so dense that spotting whilst moving is not a good strategy.

In the afternoon we went for another pirogue trip on the river, sort of a sun set cruise, without the drinks. We were happy just to glide along, but did see a couple more elephant at the rivers edge.

We have been lucky enough to have 2 gorgeous days weather wise whilst in the park. Really no rain, clear skies and not too hot. An added bonus is that hopefully it has dried out the road out.

Day 11:

Originally we had planned to go to a bai out side the park and spend another night near Odzala NP. However, Andrew and the crew were heading back to the main road. Discretion – we decided to exit the area in convey. The comfort of having another vehicle along more than making up for the lack of another bai. They had planned to leave at 06:00, so we got up at 05:00 to make sure we were ready. We got underway (Avril driving as ray still has vertigo) ~ 07:00 and went back to Mbomo to collect some laundry etc.

We knew we would have trouble where we got bogged on the way in. The plan was for Baz to drive our vehicle in the difficult spot, as he has local knowledge etc. He headed straight into the spot with the highest centre rise and got stuck. He then burnt the clutch rather badly. So we have learnt yet again that we know our vehicle, others may have better knowledge and driving experience but that does not compensate for vehicle knowledge (we reckon we may be up to 4 T fully loaded, the tray sits a long way out from the rear wheels and we have a very wide turning circle). Fortunately Wilderness has a unimog at Mbomo, and Chris came down and towed us through the bog.

We then drove on in convey to Etoumbi, where we had lunch and filled up with fuel. Then back to the main road at Makoua. We waited there to say good bye to Andrew and the Wilderness folks, but some how managed to avoid them (and the place is not that big). A big thanks to Andrew & all the crew. They are a great mob, very hospitable. Hopefully all goes well for them in their new endeavours.

At ~ 15:15 we headed off to Ouesso. 250 km. We thought we should do it in time to check into a hotel early and get some dinner The 1^st 50 km to the Mambili river was good. The next 200 km took 6 hours! We passed a number of conveys of Chinese drivers in their big tip trucks, from long bitter experience we knew this spelt trouble. Where the construction traffic has been the road is a mess. At some points we literally had to bulldoze our diffs along the road, the centre hump was so high. To make matters worse, the sun sets quickly and promptly at ~ 18:30. So we were driving in the dark, on a bad road in the rain (did we mention the rain?). We had a plan opposite the Chinese drivers – we pick a solid piece of road, stop and make them go to the edge and get around us, thus minimising our chances of getting bogged. At one point we stopped to get some thing out of the fridge and (due to tiredness) forgot to but the steps back up, so now we have a repair job to do on the steps.

Before leaving Australia we had promised ourselves that we would start to look for a camp at 16:00 and be set up by 17:00. Every time we break this rule we have trouble.

We arrived in Ouesso at ~ 10:30 very tired. After a debate at the only good (and this is a very comparative term) we managed to get a “simple” room for the night. The entrance gate to the secure compound was very tight and unfortunately we scraped the passengers side door on the way in. We could not wind up the window and the staff were very helpful in getting some plastic to keep out the rain.

Not the luxury we had driven so long for. We sat down for a drink – Ray beer and Avril soft drink.

The vehicle is totally covered with red mud and the engine now dirty.

Ray is quite proud of his strategy of keeping out the biting things – long pants & socks. But that means they now attack his arms and face. He has a swollen hand from a reaction to the bites. Things even manage to bite on the back of thighs where nothing should be able to get. Avril is persevering with her strategy of heat minimisation i.e. shorts and sandals. That means she is always getting bitten (a new experience for her) and is very, very itchy. We now have a solid collection of various ointments to stop itch (even Tiger Balm) and Avril has started a course of anti histamines. She has swollen ankles.

432 Km N 01⁰ 36’ 54.2’’  E 016⁰ 03’ 19.7’’

Day 12: The “simple” room was OK for a sleep, but we have requested the suite today. We move in early, but there is no water. Maybe water & power at 15:00

Ray gets up early and goes for a walk through town to get an idea of the layout. Avril has a bit of a lie in. After breakfast (omelette & fresh baguette) we get about our chores.

After Opposite Lock at Mile End (you will recall they got the 1^st raspberry – and we hope you Adelaide folks have done the right thing there) the next Rasberry goes to MTN. Their promised Africa wide service seems to only work in southern Africa. We purchased a RoC MTN card on 31/10 with a promise it would be activated at close of business that day – it was finally activated a few days later. Then (just after we had topped up the credit) they decided to delist our number. Great.

So, today Ray got an airtel card, activated on the spot and seems to work.

Next to a wash area to get our vehicle washed – a 2.5 hour job! Then fill with fuel (when you see it – buy!) and to a local repair shop to get the window done (Ray had already tried to pull out the dint by pulling on the external mirror with a small degree of success). The chaps here work a little magic and decide not to do any panel work, but the window now closes.

Avril investigates where the internet is, does some itchy stuff shopping (lots of sympathy from the folks here for her speckled legs), get some fruit & water. A lot of the “locals” here are from Cameroon & they speak English, which is a great relief.

We relax in the balcony of our suite – still no water. At 13:00 we hear the Muslim call to prayer – memories of Cairo.

We also spend time arranging the trip to Ndoki-Nouabale (an extension of Dzanga –Sangha NP in CAR and Lobeke NP in Cameroon) – described as an untouched, last Eden.

Dinner was at a local café, turned out to be run by Lebanese. We have arranged to have kibbi tomorrow!

RoC, part 2

Day 2: a nice clear day in Brazzaville. Fortunately it did not rain all day.

There are a couple of other overlanders here at the moment: Joerg Mackes  www.macky.eu

He has been here of and on for a few months. He was riding his motor bike though Africa and unfortunately got water into the engine. Then follows a long saga of trying to get his bike out of RoC, paper work, flights etc.

Daniel Dungate from the UK has been here 3 weeks trying to get some brake parts for his Landcruiser. He does not speak highly of the local Toyota people. Also, it seems that at least until the elections are over in DRC, that the DRC is not issuing visas. So he cannot proceed south. He is looking to ship his vehicle from Pointe Noir to Namibia.

Daniel showed us around the city centre. It was great to be able to walk around the city with no hassle. We went to a café that had wifi, had brunch and did some emailing.

As others have said, there seems to be a different feel to Brazzaville. There does not seem to be the underlying sense of violence/aggression. There seems to be an efficient taxi system. ATMs on the street are also useful. We could even take some picturers.

We did a little shopping; supermarket and local market for vegetables. Then cooked some meat & cocous for Daniel and ourselves. Beer is served in 650 ml bottles. After 2 of these Ray had an early night.

A pleasant day in Brazzaville after Kinshasa. Though, listening to the others it does experiences are not as challenging as theirs.

Day 3: the sky’s opened up at dawn, so it was easier to lie in bed for a bit.

Then, up for the days chores, organising the next few weeks.

We went to a travel agent down town, who said we needed to go to a tour operator. The travel agent had one of his people walk us around to the tour operator. Unfortunately, they could not assist – not sure why. However, a young chap from their came with us to contact the agencies that run the parks. Ever so nice of everyone, very helpful

We went to WCS who run the Ndoki-Nouabale National Park in the north. I had tried to contact their USA & Brazzaville offices by email, but never received a reply. They advised to contact the WSC folks in the park. We emailed them later in the day.

We then went to the Gorilla project people (they run a program near the Lefini reserve). We prevaricated a bit, but Olivier here at Hippocamp says it is worthwhile, so we will probably do it.

Then onto the Department of Forestry to see if we could get a permit for the northern part of Lefini. The people in the office here gave us the contact of the local chap at Ngo and assured us he will be able to assist.

Then brunch and internet at café Mandarin (they do Lebanese food!). In the middle Ray purchased a SIM card for his phone (which does not seem to work!!!) as our South African cards do not seem to work here.

Back at Hippocamp, we met Christelle Lamprecht who with her husband runs the Odzala national park. Many thanks to Wilderness Safari who put us in touch with them. Christelle gave us a huge amount of information on the park, what to see, directions for travel etc.

So many people assisted us today. It is very comforting that so many people went out of their way to help us.

Day 4: for some reason the people next door to the hotel started to have a party ~ 03:00 last night, so that put a bit of a dint in the nights sleep. Worse are the number of bites from any manner, size or colour of biting thing. Ray is used to this, but still it is agony. For the 1^st time in her life Avril has also gotten the itches. We need to somehow obtain lots more stingoes or such. In addition Ray has taken up wearing long pants – better the heat than the bites.

It was a public holiday here today for All Saints Day. We went to our favourite café (free internet!) for brunch.

A bit of planning for the next phases.

We went to the rapids on the Congo river and the Case de Gaulle. It was interesting to see the rapids on such a huge river, they are not that violent, but sufficiently large to prevent river traffic and so they impede commercial development. The Case de Gaulle is near where the house was built for de Gaulle when Brazzaville was Capital of the free French in WW 2. There are views along Brazzaville and across to Kinshasa.

Day 5: we spent a good part of the morning getting the SIM card for Ray’s phone activated. It costs a fortune to use the RSA pay as you go plan, so we will try and get a sim card for each country. It was supposed to be activated on Monday, but who knows. They say they need Ray’s passport; but you already have a copy;  give me your passport, and so it goes. We are not going to win this one, grab a taxi, back to the hotel and get the passport. Eventually the phone works!

In the meantime we brunch at Café Mandarin.

Then off to do a bit of shopping for the trip north and Ray searches for a new mud tread tyre to replace the one slashed in the accident. After a search of many premises, including Daniels dreaded Toyota garage, it seems there is one place, but we are not too sure. Lets see if it is there as promised in the morning (yes Ray did go back to check, but following the French tradition, businesses shut down over lunch for what is described as 1 hour, but in the case of the tyre shop was > 2 hours and we had some chores to do).

Ray checked the tyre pressures and other vehicle things then filled up the water tanks (via the triple filters). We started to run the generator to charge the accommodation battery, but Olivier kindly let us charge from the mains (i.e. his generator). Ray decides to run the engine for 30 min to chare the main battery, Avril locks the car and goes looking for remedies for our bites and scratches – so the engine battery gets a BIG charge).

Day 6: we set off early for the promised mud tread tyre. You will not be surprised to know that, actually they did not have one. But the delay in going to the tyre shop means we are firmly in the middle of peak hour as we try to exit Brazzaville. It takes 1.5 hours, but eventually we are on the open road. Whilst we are still in the Congo basin, the soil is very sandy and so the vegetation is more like savannah rather than rain forest.

The road is good with an occasional small pot hole, nothing like the huge pits of Angola. Avril driving.

After another ~ 90 minutes we turn off the main road onto a track that any self respecting Australian farmer would be embarrassed to have in his paddock.

We enter the reserve and lunch at the picturesque Lac Bleu (which we think means Blue Lake – but it is nothing like the one in Mount Gambier). The countryside opens out into a vista of very green rolling hills, with only trees in the valleys and grass covering the hills. Quite something.

We arrived at the Gorilla Rehabilitation project early in the afternoon. You park ~ 200 m from the camp and access the actual camp area via board walk and pontoon over a small stream. The camp is nice and clean with common cooking and ablution facilities – we are the only ones here.

We visited the baby gorillas, viewing then across a stream for 25 minutes. We gather they are all orphans. They play around, thump their chests etc. All very cute. Mind you at $ 45 each (just the viewing), it seems a bit steep.

We finally get to see a sititunga – albeit the tame one at the camp!

Ray has an afternoon nap – then the sky goes black and we wait for the big rain.

On reflection; the rehabilitation premises are very clean and well set out. However, for $ 100 per person, we think it was a bit too much
Spaghetti for dinner.
  ~ 140 Km S 03⁰ 16’ 11.2’’  E 015⁰ 28’ 15.7’’

Day 7: it rained heavy for a lot of the night and we had the wipers on intermittent all day. Ray has a bit of vertigo, so Avril drives.

We make the main road after driving through a track covered with water.

We want to visit the Lefini reserve and the Bradt guide says in the village of Mbouambe-Lefini there are “numerous amenities” for us touristic types. So initially we head for the village. Yeah, amenities! None in this dorp.

So we head to the next big town, Ngo. By pure chance one of the forestry officers we met in Brazzaville is passing through and recognises us. Old friends now. Again, by chance the Chief Conservator of the reserve is also in town. He says he will be back at park HQ at 12:00. That suits us, so we head out to park HQ to wait. Then follows a bit of a farce, with the village folks and the forestry officer from Brazzaville (who just happens to drive by again) we work out that the Chief will really return at 17:00. We also look at the track into the reserve – it makes yesterdays track to the gorillas look like a motorway. Remembering our dislike for getting bogged, we say thanks, but no thanks and head off to Oyo.

The road is mainly fine but at times it does try and compete with Angola, some particularly badly pot holed sections. The rain is also a bit of a drag and in places there is water over it. Avril does a fine job negotiating the potholes, water, oncoming traffic and pedestrians on our side of the road.

The vegetation is again the stunning rich green, we notice the individual plants are about 300mm apart, but the vista is great. Where water can lie (eg in ravines, gully’s, valleys etc), the vegetation changes to rain forest or jungle.

Oyo is the Presidents home town and we pass the huge brand new airport on the way in. We go to the Belair Hotel. It is in the Bradt guide (mmmm) but unfortunately it is full. We pluck up the courage to ask, can we camp in the car park: “no problem”. Very nice people try to assist us as much as they can. Avril gets a lot of visitors to look at the “petit massion”.

Friday night, could be noisy!

362 Km S 01⁰ 09’ 46.2’’  E 015⁰ 58’ 20.9’’

Day 8: Last night we dined with a group of Italians who are the helicopter pilots and mechanics for the president and the Minister of the interior. Very interesting to hear about their work, though they were professional and did not gossip. One of them has relations in Geelong, Mt Macedon & Keynton and had been to visit.

We woke to a very heavy fog, which is apparently usual for after a few days rain. After buying some fresh baguettes, we set off for Odzala National Park. The road was new tar for ~ 150 km and we managed to fill up with diesel just as we turned off the tar road.

We had been warned that the 1^st 25 km was not too good but managed to get through that. Then there was new road and when that ended the old road was not too bad. We arrived at Etoumbi and a kind person took us down to the river to get the ferry. The ferry is powered by human muscle. It was interesting to see how they used pulleys and the river current to manipulate the ferry to the opposite bank. Leon had warned us that the 500 m after the ferry was bad mud, and so it turned out to be. But Avril did a great job, not only getting off the ferry buy also negotiating the mud without getting stuck. It was sunny today, so hopefully it will not be too bad getting out.

The drive through the rain forest was great. Loads of butterfly’s (not sure what the collective noun for a butterfly’s is?) of different colours. We now really understand what the term “impenetrable” means. Along the way we cross the equator.

The ferry operator told us another Australian had passed through that morning! Then just before Mbomo we see a couple of white faces: Nick Streeter & Ian Brown and a Unimog (apparently with a broken brake line). We stop and chat for a bit. They are staying where we are staying this evening. Maybe time for a quite ale.

We were going quite well and very proud of ourselves. Then: at the River that is the start of Mbomo village (our destination) and 200 m horrible stretch of mud, made worse by the trucks making the centre way impassable for low clearance vehicles like ours. Our 1^st attempt ended in a bog. With the assistance of many locals (who all assisted willingly and without asking) we reversed out. Then we tried a different approach, running our tyres along the centre rise, but with the mud conditions it is impossible to control the tyres track and so we slipped again. We needed to reverse a bit to allow a truck to pass. Then the locals volunteer that one of their people is a great driver, so reluctantly we agree. Disaster he gets bogged and almost rolls the vehicle. A truck driver comes along and remonstrates with the group, he will tow us out. But 1^st we must dig under the tyres to level the vehicle. This plan worked. We will try and get the truck driver to assist on the way back!

One of the helpers comes along to assist us in finding the park HQ – which even though this is a very small dorp is not that easy.

Much relieved we get to the park HQ. Set up camp, register, organise the next couple of days in the park and pay the fees.

329 Km N 00⁰ 26’ 11.7’’  E 014⁰ 42’ 03.7’’