Angola1

Reaching Angolan territory we were tired, fed up, hot, dirty and probably smelly! Having had our last shower on Monday morning (we had been having bucket showers in between but they aren't the same) we needed to stop somewhere with some kind of shower and food! Driving towards M'Banza Kongo Rob's car lost all revs and steering because the pully which controls the alternater, steering and water pump had come loose. It was a quick fix on the side of the road but at this point it was decided that we needed to refresh ourselves and get things sorted with the cars. We reached the town and went about changing dollars.. We had been told the bank rate was under 200 Kwanzaa to the dollar but black market was around 350. It was a hard process and we ended up having to ask around a bit. Finally we did an exchange with a pharmacist who gave us 35000 for $100 (about 455 to the £). 

Next job was to find somewhere to stay, there was no where to camp so we all decided a hotel would be nice and the best idea! Arriving at Hotel Kongo we found out the price, saw the rooms and were beyond happy. For a decent price the room was large and clean, with a big bed, comfy pillows, hot water and a balcony! After having lived fairly wildly for the last few days it was welcomed! We first however needed to sort out our car... We found a gate welding shop and asked them whether they would weld the cracks in the body mount.. The agreed to do it all plus make some metal body spacers for the sum of 8000 Kwanzaa (£17). It took them about an hour in the boiling sun but once it was done the car was far less squeaky and Charles swore a whole lot less! 

 

Finding a supermarket we got some supplies for dinner (including a Flake chocolate bar), and headed back to the hotel. The colour of the water coming off during shower number 1 was disgusting, it had turned the bottom of the tub orange. The clothes washing session did not help, all our clothes had been covered in orange mud and dirt and it took a few washes to rinse them clean! By shower number two the water was running clear and it was time to relax! Sleep came quickly! Next morning we took our time, getting up, filling up the water and having breakfast (included in the price). We were slightly hindered by the fact we had to wait almost 2 hours for fuel but set off towards Luwanda at 12pm.. A lot of km before sundown!

We were meeting Andrew and Christina, a couple living in Angola who had done this trip plus many more before. Andrew had been a great help when we applied for our Angola visa so we were very much up for meeting him and his family. It took us about 7 hours to get to the camping spot, a hideaway on the coast of Angola, also next to a river estuary, the most perfect spot. The sand was so fine it glistened like glitter and the wind cooled down the warm temperatures. We arrived and met the camping party.. Including Kars and Simone who we had left at Hotel Hippocampe in Brazzaville.. When  I had last heard from them (pre election Internet black out), they were in Luwanda getting their car fixed after the awful roads in DRC - we knew that feeling! They had been camping in the Yacht club and the owners there had called Andrew (he is known for liking to meet Overlanders). He suggested coming camping with him, his friends and some Overlanders.. Two English couples.. Apparently the penny had dropped for them but due to our lack of internet signal we were none the wiser. It was fantastic to see them again, alongside Andrew's friends who were amazingly welcoming and kind! Sharing their food, drink and conversations with us. We had really landed on our feet! The Friday night was spent drinking and dancing, for once we did not have an early night and the partying went on until the early hours!

Saturday morning arrived and we woke up with bleary eyes. These were soon cleared by a swim in the waves and some scrambled eggs. The day was a scorcher so it was sun cream and lots of swimming in store. Lunch was pulled pork and salads.. Pork being something we haven't really had since leaving the UK! The beer and wine were flowing, the conversations interesting and the cars and kit around amazing (I will put photos below). Late afternoon we borrowed a kayak from Kelse and headed into the mangrove forest. It was eery being in there. So quiet and peaceful.. We saw some kingfishers and some fish that could go onto land! Very strange!  Dark undergrowth turned into open grassland as we headed deeper. The fire was lit and some food cooked as it turned dark and we toasted to another day in paradise. 

All things must come to and end and before we knew it it was time to pack up to leave. We wanted to head to Luwanda to get Rob's car fixed so decided heading back with the group the nest idea. Packing up amd leaving was leisurely, including swimming, eating and some beer but soon we were off and heading towards the capitaL.. Stopping a few times for refreshments! Arriving in the city it was a real contrast. Even on the way into Luwanda the roads, which had been tar, had turned to potholes and we drove past shanty town like accomodation. Rubbish everywhere and people trying to make a living. All of a sudden it was beautiful Tarmac, high rise and glass buildings, money everywhere! A real contrast! We arrived at the yacht club for a drink or two and unsurprisingly had an early night! 

Angola so far has been worth every penny and hassle the visa cost us. Amazing people, local and also other nationalities who are generous with their time and knowledge. Beautiful scenery, rolling beaches, mangroves, savanna like grasslands! I only look forward to more! 

(The river estuary and mangrove forest)

(Beach the other side. Andrew's rather nice landcruiser)

(Kris and Partick's car, our car, rob and Mandy's car and Kars and Simone's car)

(Fuel stop number one on the way home!)

(Car envy.. Kelse's amazing set up!)

(Shameless selfie)

More photos will eventually be on Charles Facebook (for those of you who know us.. I tend to share his photos), or Rob and Mandy's go directly on the Where to Next Africa page. 

Angola1

Reaching Angolan territory we were tired, fed up, hot, dirty and probably smelly! Having had our last shower on Monday morning (we had been having bucket showers in between but they aren't the same) we needed to stop somewhere with some kind of shower and food! Driving towards M'Banza Kongo Rob's car lost all revs and steering because the pully which controls the alternater, steering and water pump had come loose. It was a quick fix on the side of the road but at this point it was decided that we needed to refresh ourselves and get things sorted with the cars. We reached the town and went about changing dollars.. We had been told the bank rate was under 200 Kwanzaa to the dollar but black market was around 350. It was a hard process and we ended up having to ask around a bit. Finally we did an exchange with a pharmacist who gave us 35000 for $100 (about 455 to the £). 

Next job was to find somewhere to stay, there was no where to camp so we all decided a hotel would be nice and the best idea! Arriving at Hotel Kongo we found out the price, saw the rooms and were beyond happy. For a decent price the room was large and clean, with a big bed, comfy pillows, hot water and a balcony! After having lived fairly wildly for the last few days it was welcomed! We first however needed to sort out our car... We found a gate welding shop and asked them whether they would weld the cracks in the body mount.. The agreed to do it all plus make some metal body spacers for the sum of 8000 Kwanzaa (£17). It took them about an hour in the boiling sun but once it was done the car was far less squeaky and Charles swore a whole lot less! 

 

Finding a supermarket we got some supplies for dinner (including a Flake chocolate bar), and headed back to the hotel. The colour of the water coming off during shower number 1 was disgusting, it had turned the bottom of the tub orange. The clothes washing session did not help, all our clothes had been covered in orange mud and dirt and it took a few washes to rinse them clean! By shower number two the water was running clear and it was time to relax! Sleep came quickly! Next morning we took our time, getting up, filling up the water and having breakfast (included in the price). We were slightly hindered by the fact we had to wait almost 2 hours for fuel but set off towards Luwanda at 12pm.. A lot of km before sundown!

We were meeting Andrew and Christina, a couple living in Angola who had done this trip plus many more before. Andrew had been a great help when we applied for our Angola visa so we were very much up for meeting him and his family. It took us about 7 hours to get to the camping spot, a hideaway on the coast of Angola, also next to a river estuary, the most perfect spot. The sand was so fine it glistened like glitter and the wind cooled down the warm temperatures. We arrived and met the camping party.. Including Kars and Simone who we had left at Hotel Hippocampe in Brazzaville.. When  I had last heard from them (pre election Internet black out), they were in Luwanda getting their car fixed after the awful roads in DRC - we knew that feeling! They had been camping in the Yacht club and the owners there had called Andrew (he is known for liking to meet Overlanders). He suggested coming camping with him, his friends and some Overlanders.. Two English couples.. Apparently the penny had dropped for them but due to our lack of internet signal we were none the wiser. It was fantastic to see them again, alongside Andrew's friends who were amazingly welcoming and kind! Sharing their food, drink and conversations with us. We had really landed on our feet! The Friday night was spent drinking and dancing, for once we did not have an early night and the partying went on until the early hours!

Saturday morning arrived and we woke up with bleary eyes. These were soon cleared by a swim in the waves and some scrambled eggs. The day was a scorcher so it was sun cream and lots of swimming in store. Lunch was pulled pork and salads.. Pork being something we haven't really had since leaving the UK! The beer and wine were flowing, the conversations interesting and the cars and kit around amazing (I will put photos below). Late afternoon we borrowed a kayak from Kelse and headed into the mangrove forest. It was eery being in there. So quiet and peaceful.. We saw some kingfishers and some fish that could go onto land! Very strange!  Dark undergrowth turned into open grassland as we headed deeper. The fire was lit and some food cooked as it turned dark and we toasted to another day in paradise. 

All things must come to and end and before we knew it it was time to pack up to leave. We wanted to head to Luwanda to get Rob's car fixed so decided heading back with the group the nest idea. Packing up amd leaving was leisurely, including swimming, eating and some beer but soon we were off and heading towards the capitaL.. Stopping a few times for refreshments! Arriving in the city it was a real contrast. Even on the way into Luwanda the roads, which had been tar, had turned to potholes and we drove past shanty town like accomodation. Rubbish everywhere and people trying to make a living. All of a sudden it was beautiful Tarmac, high rise and glass buildings, money everywhere! A real contrast! We arrived at the yacht club for a drink or two and unsurprisingly had an early night! 

Angola so far has been worth every penny and hassle the visa cost us. Amazing people, local and also other nationalities who are generous with their time and knowledge. Beautiful scenery, rolling beaches, mangroves, savanna like grasslands! I only look forward to more! 

(The river estuary and mangrove forest)

(Beach the other side. Andrew's rather nice landcruiser)

(Kris and Partick's car, our car, rob and Mandy's car and Kars and Simone's car)

(Fuel stop number one on the way home!)

(Car envy.. Kelse's amazing set up!)

(Shameless selfie)

More photos will eventually be on Charles Facebook (for those of you who know us.. I tend to share his photos), or Rob and Mandy's go directly on the Where to Next Africa page. 

DRC

Well the start of DRC left us feeling rather frustrated and fed up! Unlike the rest of the travellers who have known to cross the DRC (now about 3), they have all taken a route between Brazzaville and Dolise. Having spoken to locals in the week we spent at Dolise they all told us there was a crossing near to there so we would not have to double back on ourselves. Having already lost time due to the elections we decided to take this route. If in the next few paragraphs It feels like I am having a rant, I am sorry, I am.

We left Dolise at 7am picked up fuel and food and set out on our way. The road was piste so not great but it was fine as we plodded along to the border. We got there and the first lot of police took our details and told us we couldn't cross here because the river was too high - at this point we should have turned around however time restrictions playing on our minds we decided to carry on..! At the second crossing point we had our details taken by another set of police to be told again this crossing had been affected by water. Right.. So it was now 30km to the border. Having gone down this road for about 6 hours we had started in Congo, swerved into Cabinda, come back to Congo, into the DRC and back into Congo. Great start.. We arrived at a town about 15km from the 'border' to be told this was where we needed to get our passports stamped out, so we sat there for a while waiting for the customs man to be dragged out of the pub, he stamped our passports but could not do our carnet. 'La bas' he said which I now know to be African/French for somewhere but I am not too sure.. On we went.. At the other end of the village we were flagged down again, our names written (wrongly) into their book, another stamp in the passport (apparently they have to as well), and no carnet stamp. Down a horribly pot holed road carried on which had only seen motorbikes for about 30 years (well done again tracks for Africa who said it was a 4x4 road). The road was amazing however, real 'explorer' stuff. The sea of grass around us came higher than the car and as we were driving we were dodging trees.

No customs emerged but what looked like the DRC border post did.

Arriving there we were met by a man who was dressed in a NYPD police shirt (10/10 for effort), who told us he was in charge... He looked at our passports and then went off on his bike for 30 mins to return with some forms. He asked us for $10 for each form which I point blank refused. He started writing out the forms anyway and it was like watching paint dry... During this point the boys had tried to get the carnet stamped (if it is not stamped out of a country - Congo - the stamp in of the next country can be used as proof of exit), however the self procalimed Douanes officer told us he couldn't do it as he had no stamp and we would have to go to Louzi. We tried to explain our car would be illegal but he seemed to think it would be OK, along with the fact there was no where to buy insurance so on two counts our car would be illegal. 3 hours later he had finished the forms... Half way through he realised he had only picked up 2 forms (despite knowing there was 4 of us), and started writing by hand the questions and then the answers. I am a patient person but my temper was tried a few times.. At the end of the process he gave us our passports back.. No stamp. At this point tempers had frayed and we all started talking.. English and French! Luckily there was another man with more than two brain cells to explained to the man in charge that because we had been stamped out of the Congo we needed to be stamped into somewhere.. He relented and after being shown how to put ink on the stamp and having had a few practise goes we were stamped in. Still no carnet, by this point it was 6pm and we were even asking about a lesse passe. Which as you can guess they did not have.

We were let through the the make shift barrier and off we went. Light was fading and after Rob got stuck we decided to head to the next village and ask to stay. Arriving there at dusk we were allowed to stay however we became the village entertainment - I now know how animals feel at the zoo. All we wanted to do as go to bed. Mandy did well, she played some games with the children, they showed us some dancing and looked at the cars. Due to there being so many people around us we couldn't get the tent out so opted for staying in the car for the night. It wasn't until we made the point of saying good night that people left us alone. A long day.. 

An early start and having had not much sleep we were positive we would get to Lousi by lunch, thinking the day couldn't be worse than the previous one.. The road was bad but it said only 26km of piste on the ever so reliable satnav. This was wishful thinking. We arrived at Sambokunda to find a padlocked barrier in the way of the road. When I say barrier it was two metal poles with one sitting procariously on top, not falling down due to the 3 padlocks. Walking up to the chief policeman (who we found out later he knew we were coming last night.. Why he hadn't made sure there was a key there beats me) we showed our passports.. All fine.. Visas.. All fine.. However there was one slight technicality... There was no key. The key was with the delegation officer in the next town up. At 7.30am he was called.. Not long they told us. And they kept telling us.. 9am came.. 10am came.. 12pm came.. Soon they kept saying. Again we are all fairly good at waiting but this was taking the biscuit. We played the squares game, we played name games, we played Mandy's cross word puzzle book.. And still no delegation. Fed up did not sum up how we felt... With it all getting a bit two much and the tears about to emerge Charles suggested lunch. Back to the car we went and ate avocados! Small things always work to lift the spirits (shame we had no actual spirits). Our body mount (car stuff) had twisted meaning the back door was now lower than the bumper and it was unable to be opened.. So Charles spent some time in the roasting sun taking of the bumper completely and tying it to the roof.. This was done with an audience of the local children (about 20 of them) who really seem to have nothing else to do - actually this is a lie they spent most of the 4 hours we spent watching them playing marbles and slapping each other with dusty flip flops. Bumper done and finally at 1.30pm the delegation party of 1 man arrived.

He was a police officer from somewhere, by this point I didn't care where I just wanted him to open the barrier. He took our passport details and voila the barrier was open. He gave us some story about his motorbike not working and him having to find a lift.. Rubbish I would say! Barrier open and we were still not allowed to leave. We sat down again and he went on about petrol for the bike.. After a while of staring at him the chief police of the village basically said did we have anything to donate. I replied we have just crossed the border into a country with a different currency to the last, is there a bank? He laughed and said CFAs would do.. In my head, and I think everyone else's, I was thinking no you idiot, we have waited 6 hours for this muppet to turn up and he has the audacity to want money, for doing his job badly. He finally left and we were free to leave. Before we left the chief of police asked again for money, mainly for the  phone calls he had to make.. We gave him 500CFA and I said I would find a bank in Louzi. 

Despite the problems on the first few days the driving did reward us with amazing scenery and smiling faces. And to finish my rant on a positive note it didn't rain .. Doing the roads was bad enough dry let alone with rivers running down them! Fingers crossed for the rest of the DRC!

(At about 6.30am day two! The sun was rising and the clouds over the mountains were spectacular)

The light was fading fast at about 6.30pm but we pushed on to cover the last 20km which took another hour. It reminded us of crossing the border into Mali when 60km of piste took us 9 hours and we arrived at the campsite just as it was getting dark. There was lots of night jars flying around, almost took a couple out! We arrived at a Catholic Mission in Louozi at about 7.30pm. Luckily it was fine to camp, there were toilets but no showers which we sorely needed after two days of no showers! We managed to get some water into a bucket and have a wash.. Narrowly missing being seen by the locals wondering about..! We were all shattered and sleep came fast, I think I tried to read but it was not hapleneing, asleep by 8.30!

Next morning and it was the search for the Douanes to get our Carnet stamped. Luckily having looked of the iOverlander app we found out it was literally 500m down the road and as we pulled up they opened up for us. The officer there knew exactly what he was doing and we were in and out in 10 minutes.. Finally someone who is competent at his job!! Finding the ferry as another easy process, we arrived to find no real organisation but a guy in a lorry who told us he thought it would be coming at 9.30 (wishful thinking again). We waited until 9.30 and move further down the jetty so our place in the line would be secure. As we were sat their waiting the local taxi drivers were obviously rather interested in us. They can't speak French particularly well but we have come to understand one word 'Mdella' which is the same as tout-bap. It kept being said and more and more crowded around the cars. It is a little daunting having a group of men around the car, generally asking for money or food. They moved around the back of the car and the lorry driver came and told them to leave.. A scrap ensued resulting in a young lad being pushed about a bit. A little scary but it cleared them off for half an hour or so! Finally at 11.15 we were loaded on alongside all kinds of goods and lots of people.. There were bags of rice, chickens in hand bags, men taking photos and printing them off there and then. Just another intersting experience.. Not like a P&O ferry crossing.

The road to Luvo, the border town, was another nightmare of a road. The 78km took us 4 hours with frequent stops. With only about 20km to go all of our body mounts had broken meaning myself and Charles had to salvage the wood and attempt to jack up the car and hammer into place. It was a tense ride to the tarmacked road but we managed with only one disappearing! The road really took it out of our car, bumper broken, body mount sunk and a possible wheel bearing on its way out a well! Landrovers... ! We needed to find a decent welder and fast.. Easier said than done! 

Arriving in Luvo we stopped off at another Catholic Mission. The teachers there knew some English and everyone was again very friendly, and interested in us. It wasn't long before the local children were gathered around the car, showing off and trying to out impress each other! It is not that we don't like chatting to locals but after a day of driving and having only eaten 5 laughing cows, we were tired and hungry. Due to it being Holy Week there were lots of practising and things going on in the Church. We heard a group practising sheet music for Sunday, and also a group of women who were singing more traditional music, again in preparation for Sunday's service. The girls were practising the movements to the music. It was a nice evening but we were glad when it was all over and they had left! Food and bed! 

We thought the border would be easy however after driving 8km up a road we reached a toll road. We got out thinking we could probably pay some dollars and be through but they told us $50 per car! I thought I had my numbers incorrect (something I do a lot). We said we weren't paying and waited in the car for a bit going back with CFA, which granted is not the currency here. They told us no. The only other option was to drive to Matadi but then do 70km of off-road the other side, something our car would not be able to do in its state. After I asked a lorry driver how much he had to pay ($50) we went back again saying we aren't paying that if the lorry pays the same. They explained to us it was an international rate we had to pay, I asked why and he told me it was the same everywhere, I replied it didn't happen in England or France. He got a bit irate then, so did I. One of the other men then negotiated we could do pay one get one free. After all the commotion we were allowed through onto this road... $50 for this road..

(This was the better part, we ended up going through a stinking litter infested town as well..)

With our guard up we got to the border, getting stamped out was a nightmare chief immigration officer did not recognise the in stamp from the tiny border we came in through. He also didn't understand why we had bought our visa from Benin and not from home. After lots of map looking and explaining we were allowed through.. Carnet was easy! Luckily! 

Driving into Angloa was mental, people everywhere.. As we tried to get through a gate (one side being broken) a fight broke out in front of us and a guy got stabbed. Getting to the gate, it was also a scrum, people coming in from everywhere with boxes but not being allowed in, it was a little like an international rugby match. The customs in Angola was easy, photocopies of passports and a stamp later and through. The carnet again easy.. Then we got to another gate.. Again we had to wait. Due to lorries blocking the entrance we were just stuck there.. Finally after 30mins of being harassed for water or dollars we were let through and into Angola we went!

#africa #overlanding #travelling #thisisafrica #DRC #democraticrepublicofcongo

Congo part two.. The quest for the Angolan visa

I will first correct a mistake from my last blog, I was writing last Sunday and not Monday.. Days seem to roll and merge into each other rather like that bizarre period between Christmas and New Year. 

Any way.. We headed towards Dolise on a road renoun for bandits and car jacking.. I did not inform my parents of this before we left for obvious reasons! The road however was fine, no drama, no problems just lots of pot holes. The pot holes were for the first 80km and then as if by magic the road was perfect tar.. This happens a lot! You could be driving in middle of no where on a horrific road and out of the blue the most amazing road will appear.. Africa! 

Whilst on the road Rob's car was still leaking oil, something he had tried to fix in Brazzaville. It was a little tense as he relayed the information that it could be fatal for the car and the onwards trip.. To be continued (cliff hanger).

We got to Dolise just as the heavens opened.. Raining 'cats and dogs' as one of the owners was proud to point out (think he wanted to use this phrase he had just learnt!). We stayed at Salla Ngolo, another amazing place doing great work. It is a Catholic run vocational training centre, for children between 14 and 20 who have left school because they find education tricky. We asked to camp and were allowed to park up next to the hotel which provided much needed funds for the centre - like many places across Africa funding is hard to come by.. In many cases the EU pump money in to begin with then pull out funds when their agenda for the country changes. We settled down for the night in the rain ready to get to the Angolan embassy in the morning.

Bright and early we woke up and arrived at the Angolan embassy.. It was a small consulate in the middle of town with obviously very few visitors. We walked in, and sat down in the office. Initially we wanted to find out what was needed so I was nominated (mainly for my French speaking ability.. Not necessarily my charm), and was ushered into the small air conditioned room with a stern looking man.. He asked what we wanted and why we wanted it, did we have the paper work (he wanted only a hotel reservation however we had luckily been given an invitation letter .. Addressed to the wrong embassy however!). He told us to come back at 12 to see the consulate. 12 came around and I had a phone call from him saying he wanted our letter printed out.. It was a mad dash to find an Internet cafe to print all 25 pages of the letters and get them back to the embassy. Again I had another interrogation, the letter said we wanted multiple entries (so we could go through Kabinda) but on hearing the price (double the cost) we decided we didn't! I had to come up with a story in French as to why we now only wanted one entry.. Something along the lines of when our friend wrote the letter we though the DRC was not safe  and wanted to do little as possible, but now we think it is safe so we want to see some more of it. He seemed to buy that and we were allowed to fill in the forms (which cost us 2000CFA per person!). Forms filled and they said they would call us when it was ready...

In the mean time we enjoyed not having to drive. As explained earlier Rob's car gained an oil leak and was blowing out white smoke.. He felt it might be fatal. However two days of draining the fuel and cleaning the engine it was diagnosed as not fatal but dirty fuel - he had filled up at a different pump to us. This was to the delight of both Mandy and Rob as they were able to carry on with the intended route not the stressful one of finding plan B! We visited the grand marche, buying some fabric for a dress to be made. Mandy and I had been talking about it all trip and finally we were in one place long enough. Buying fabric is a great experience, they have so many to choose from and in different shops the prices different considerably. In one shop it was 16000CFA for 6 yards and in the shop we finally bought from it was 14000CFA for 12 yards.. About £15. The dress cost us £6 to be made.. Lined and with a zip up the back! Just amazing prices! Something you would not get in England! We also ate lots of food, finally getting back into the routine of cooking .. Tinned foods mainly again but we had corned beef and tinned veg spaghetti one night and tinned veg curry another night. We also bought the local starch.. Hardened Foufou (type starch) wrapped in palm leaves. Again another nice food. 

(The local starch - 100CFA  and very filling!)

(Sky just before it tips it down!)

(Being meausre for my dress and trying to communicate what I want in French.. Whilst sweating buckets!)

(Finished product)

(Enjoying a celebratory drink after getting the Angola visa!)

We met and chatted to the manager for Salla Ngolo whose English was very good, he had been posted to Ghana and Nigeria so had learnt there. He showed us around the place, talked about the work they do, and then sat and had a few drinks with us. He was very knowledgable and good company, telling us about the upcoming elections and the local area. 

By this point it was Wednesday and still nothing from the embassy.. So we traipsed back to find it closed (it closes at 2pm). Thursday morning arrived and we arrived there early ish.. Again we were told it was not done because the consulate had not come in yet (he had not been in all week). The visa was fine but needed the signature... They again said they would call but it would be either tomorrow (Friday) or Monday! Monday was not really an option because we wanted to be in the DRC by then but what can you do. On our way to the bakery.. A little place we had found by chance and had been eating breakfast there regularly, we decided just to pop in the embassy.. To see the progress and chivvy them along a little. I spoke to the main man who said the consulate was coming in at 2pm and we could get our visas then.. He also informed me he had no credit .. Obviously phoning would have been out of the question... Lesson learnt.. When someone says they are going to phone don't hold your breath! Back we went at 1.30pm to be told the consulate had arrived and it was being signed. A sigh of relief as our passports came back with the visa!! All the hassle was worth it! $300 later (for two visas) paid in CFA (a lot of notes) and we had them our hands! Celebratory drinks all around! Our letter addressed to the wrong embassy was fine, my dodgey French was fine and our attempt at filling in a form that was written in Portuguese was fine! Winner winner! 

We had planned to leave on the Sunday, after spending Saturday picking up our dresses (which looked good), walking around the market and eating in our favourite bakery, however we were told the elections on Sunday meant all the roads were closed. This scuppered our plans to be in Louzi by Sunday however we decided to take our chances on a smaller border apparently near Dolise on the Monday! This is where I write off.. On Saturday afternoon, preparing for a day of staying put tomorrow whilst the election maddness continues around us tomorrow and to hopefully be in the DRC on Monday! Timings whilst again have been tight in the Congo, and whilst we have driven for half the time we have been here I think we feel like we have been able to ground ourselves in one place and get to know the people a bit more than in Cameroon. We haven't seen anything amazing or any spectacular sights however the scenery is always stunning where ever you drive here, the rain itself is amazing and the people lovely. 

#africa #overlanding #travelling #thisisafrica #congobrazzaville #congo #visa

Congo

Arriving at the border post Mandy said to us that on her iOverlander app it had been marked as a notoriously tricky border with bribes being asked at every opportunity. To get our passports stamped we had to wait a while, whilst us girls were waiting the boys went to sort out the Carnet. Sadly they were not so good as the Cameroonians with what to to, however the learnt from their mistakes and after getting the first attempt wrong managed to get it right! Mandy and I got called into immigration and the officer looked at our passports, he asked where our invitation letter was... We knew full well we didn't need one, but was insistent we did and told us it would cost us to get our passport stamped without it. I explained to him this was the first border we had been asked to pay for a stamp, we had paid a lot for the visa and we would not be paying for it. He took his time, expecting us to relent however 4 stamped passports later, no money exchange and we were out. As this was happening the boys were getting the cars searched.. We thought they were thoroughly searched in Mauritania but this was something else..they had every box open, the roof box open.. Who knows what they were looking for but they didn't find it! Charles stood there calmly, took his time to pack everything away and they moved in. That is the trick, don't get annoyed and don't make it easy/worth their while! We went to have our yellow fever certificates checked by a lovely lady who was rather fierce.. A man came in demanding her to do something, she told him no and stuck up her finger at him! I did think good for her! Whilst the border was hassle we got through it quickly. Charles and I were talking after saying if that hassle was back at the beginning of our travels we would never say no to an immigration officer (or police officer!) and probably would have paid, it is amazing what the experience has taught us! 

Leaving Ntam it was a red dirt road through the jungle. Normally after a border post you are stopped about 1km down the road to register your details again, normally with the local police. This time we were stopped by the military who wanted everything. We got out and gave them passports, licences, car documents, insurance, yellow fever and the Carnets. They were very friendly, and we chatting away to us about our journey and about the Congo. After they checked our documents they wanted to search the cars.. This was another pain staking task, everything came out and was very thorough. As we were stood there one of the men said it was because of the up coming elections, they were having to be vigilant.. To be honest we really don't mind being searched at least they are doing their jobs and keeping people safe! As it came to end of the car searches one of the men looked at our flags and asked where Congo was, explaining to him we had literally just crossed the border he insisted we put it on there and then, and then had photos with him in front of it! We parted on a good note with a more positive experience than the border.

By 12 we were hungry having to had breakfast. Food as been a little more scarse than in the Western countries, there at lots of tinned things however tinned sardines for breakfast doesn't really do it for me! Stopping off at the first town for bread and eggs the boys were approached by a man who wanted to see the Carnet. They went with him to his office and came out a while later saying he wanted 5000CFA for a stamp and signature on it. We all knew he didn't need to stamp or sign it and after telling him so and refusing to pay we went on our way! Again some people are crafty.. They see us and just see the dollar signs! Stopping for egg sandwiches our eggs were off which kind of summed up the whole experience in the town! 

We had to head to Brazzaville however it was over 1000km away and we had approximately 12 days to get there then onto the border. The first 35km was red dust piste which is a nightmare.. Red dust coupled with sweat is a pain! The arm by the window becomes orange, as does half your faces, ear and hands! You being to look a little bit Essex! I even look tanned (which as most people know I don't ever tan)! After the 35km we reached beautiful Tarmac! It was like the till Ouesso where a hotel was on the cards if only for the shower and running water! 2 showers later (you have to scrub off the mud), and 2 loads of washing (we had not done any for a while) our room looked like a laundry service however we were clean. Food was cooked hurriedly, beer was welcomed gladly and bed could not come sooner! 

Having a late start the next morning was welcomed, we left the hotel at 9 to try and find some diesel. We had been unlucky the night before.. There seems to be a shortage in the country at the moment so we filled up a jerry can as well. We picked up some food also, some tinned beans and sausages, a pineapple (sadly not ripe because I wanted it now) and some bread. We headed along the road to Brazzaville stopping a few times for the police; here they don't want money they want juice.. Luckily we don't carry any so couldn't give them any even if we had wanted to! We arrived at the town nearest the equator and we greeted with political rallies. We had seen the remenaints of one in Ouesso the night before but in this town it was the middle of one! Steams of people everywhere, mopeds all with flags on parading around. Music blaring and lots of beer being drunk! The police who stopped us spelt rather strongly of it! We seem to be following the president as he campaigns in the upcoming elections on 20th (we saw him fly overhead in his helicopter). Whilst stopping to find somewhere to stay (and we tried a lot of places but most were full due to the rally), Rob realised he had an oil leak in the car, luckily once we stopped he fixed it and Charles also fixed our central locking issue.. The car had been tempramental when it came to locking recently! 

Driving the next day the terrain seemed to go from jungle to flat open grassland. At some point we crossed the equator, sadly, unlike in Gabon, there is no tourist sign telling you you have crossed which is sad, however the sat nav began to register the south coordinates instead of north. The buildings in Congo seem to be of better quality and bigger, built with a plaster effect as well as bricks. There is a lot of contradictions, whilst the houses and general conditions of the general population seem better (the government has put water systems in each of them - once the photos go up on charles' Facebook they are red, yellow and green tanks, you seen them everywhere), the contrast between rich and poor is still huge.. There have been some amazing glass structures buildings, and we have driven past immaculate housing estates with helipads! 

(Quick snap of the landscape in Congo, as you can see the roads are prefect tar. I said earlier like Enland, however the roads are better than the majority of roads around where we lived!)

Driving day by day we seemed to be chasing the presidential election rally in each town we passed. I have mentioned before.. Driving through one town we seemed to get right into the tick of it. There were thousands of people wearing their t-shirts with their chosen candidate on, women wearing their traditional skirts in bright patterns with the faces of the candidates as part of the pattern! People having a good time, singing, jogging, mopeds beeping! Just madness! 

(Not a great photo illustrating the above point, however at this point we were stuck behind a group of about 50 people jogging and singing)

Arriving in Brazzaville we headed to hotel which allowed you to camp for free, arriving there is noticed a tent already up and as we came around the corner we realised it was Simone and Kars who we had met in Togo! This along with Kris and Patrice who were also in the parking lot! Familiar faces and English speaking people is always a welcome sight and we opened up our tents and got chatting! They had shipped their cars from Togo to Gabon and driven up. Now in the Congo and moving onto the DRC quickly. That evening we had a Chinese buffet dinner! Amazing! We didn't know what to dowith ourselves   after eating so much food.. We have been living off dairylea and bread mostly the last few weeks! Second day we had a rest day. The boys had done so much driving and rob had not been very well. They fixed the cars, we wandered to the bakery and then went out for a few drinks! Brazzaville is full of amazing bakeries.. They are run by Lebanese and just have the most Amazing cakes and pastries. We definitely pigged out a lot!

It is now 6am, Monday morning and I cannot sleep because it is so hot! Best time to write emails home, blogs and go on the Internet! We are heading to Dolise for the dreaded Angola visa! Fingers crossed!

 

#africa #overlanding #travelling #thisisafrica #congo

A small side note.. Books!

For those of you who know me well, I am an avid book reader - Charle is always amused at where and when I read.. Bumpy dirt roads are proving the hardest at the moment! However having bought myself a Kindle before we left (with a back light) I have steamed my way through a lot of books.. Possibly 90.. having picked lots of people's brains (in person and via face book) for good reads I thought I would share some of the ones I had read and loved! 

Game of Thrones - George RR Martin - I was sceptical about reading these books, but wanted to read them before watching the series (Charles was chomping at the bit to watch them). I really enjoyed them and they are some of the only books that I have taken a while to read. At times they are complicated but the story line remains fresh and exciting throughout! 

Into the fire - Manda Scott - This is about Joan of Arc .. Half historical conspiracy and half modern day police mystery set around election time in Orleans. 

Kauthar - Meike Ziervogrl - A British girl, Lydia, converts and practises Islam. It is her journey through this process. 

The ballroom cafe - Ann O'Loughlin - A simple, but nice read about two sisters who do not speak to each other, through the opening of a cafe to raise funds for the maintenance of their home they work through their differences.

The girl who saved the King of Sweden -Jonas Jonasson - About a girl from Soweto in South Africa and her journey up to saving the life of the King of Sweden. Very well written and very funny in parts.

The last train to Istanbul - Ayse Kulin - I bought this on a whim but am so glad I did, I loved it. It is about the Turkish Jews during the Second World War. Very well written.

The last letter from your lover - Jojo Moyes - Ellie finds a letter from a man in the 1960s asking his lover to leave her husband. It is a mystery but with a sweet undertone.

I am currently reading the Loney (Andrew Micheal Hurley), and due to having decent wifi have downloaded a few more today: a man called Ove; Running the Rift; The Trouble with Goats and Sheep; All the light we cannot see; After Anna. I also have a few more that have been suggested but I need to wait for the prices to drop (I am a stingy reader!). 

So if you have any suggestions for me please give me an email or comment below! I am not a fussy reader! 

A small side note.. Books!

For those of you who know me well, I am an avid book reader - Charle is always amused at where and when I read.. Bumpy dirt roads are proving the hardest at the moment! However having bought myself a Kindle before we left (with a back light) I have steamed my way through a lot of books.. Possibly 90.. having picked lots of people's brains (in person and via face book) for good reads I thought I would share some of the ones I had read and loved! 

Game of Thrones - George RR Martin - I was sceptical about reading these books, but wanted to read them before watching the series (Charles was chomping at the bit to watch them). I really enjoyed them and they are some of the only books that I have taken a while to read. At times they are complicated but the story line remains fresh and exciting throughout! 

Into the fire - Manda Scott - This is about Joan of Arc .. Half historical conspiracy and half modern day police mystery set around election time in Orleans. 

Kauthar - Meike Ziervogrl - A British girl, Lydia, converts and practises Islam. It is her journey through this process. 

The ballroom cafe - Ann O'Loughlin - A simple, but nice read about two sisters who do not speak to each other, through the opening of a cafe to raise funds for the maintenance of their home they work through their differences.

The girl who saved the King of Sweden -Jonas Jonasson - About a girl from Soweto in South Africa and her journey up to saving the life of the King of Sweden. Very well written and very funny in parts.

The last train to Istanbul - Ayse Kulin - I bought this on a whim but am so glad I did, I loved it. It is about the Turkish Jews during the Second World War. Very well written.

The last letter from your lover - Jojo Moyes - Ellie finds a letter from a man in the 1960s asking his lover to leave her husband. It is a mystery but with a sweet undertone.

I am currently reading the Loney (Andrew Micheal Hurley), and due to having decent wifi have downloaded a few more today: a man called Ove; Running the Rift; The Trouble with Goats and Sheep; All the light we cannot see; After Anna. I also have a few more that have been suggested but I need to wait for the prices to drop (I am a stingy reader!). 

So if you have any suggestions for me please give me an email or comment below! I am not a fussy reader! 

Cameroon

Leaving Nigeria and moving onto Cameroon was an interesting morning.. Arriving at the first immigration check point Charles, Mwandy and Rob were informed that our visas had expired previously and we were illegally in the country. The officer told us to carry on however as we were already headed for the border. This left us with a slightly worrying thought about the border to come and the possibly implications.  We had not realised we had over stayed at all, mainly due to our visa being 30 days (we arrived on 15th Feb) and not seeing the arrival stamp in our passports which gave us an exit date (this is due to the stamp being on a completely different page to the visa and us not checking), so it genuinely was an honest mistake. Anyway we carried on and got stopped again, again they picked up on our visa. We accepted that we had overstayed and we explained to them why we didn't realise. They accepted our version of events but told us it was down to the officer on the border to give us however much time he wanted to.. This seems rediculous to me as we had paid (a lot) for a month visa. They officers also could not understand the visa either.. On there it says you have 3 months from date of issue (5.1.16) to use the visa and once it has been presented at a border you have 30 days in the country.. Again another instance (like Burkina Faso) of immigration officers not being able to understand what the visa says.. We were allowed to go without a problem and headed to the border. Once there we expected the worst, however we got out passports stamped out, the officers there were fine with it and after a questioning session abut our next movements they let us out - I think the questioning was due to the fact that we were heading to Cameroon and they wanted to make sure we knew what we were doing.. They had loads of posters of known terror suspects all over the walls so I guess they can't be too vigilant! We crossed a bridge onto the Cameroon side and waited in the boiling sun for our passports to be stamped.. Back to French was tricky.. Having spoken English for the last 2 weeks it slowly returned! Getting our Carnet stamped was simple, the customs officer knew what it was (that's a first) and we were allowed in Cameroon. 

We decided to head to Mamfa, the first major town from the border.. We needed money (go to Central African Francs now.. Different to the CFA in Western Africa annoyingly! But the same exchange rate) which was easy to find, we picked up a SIM card and found some street food. The road to Mamfa was amazing, English like! The Chinese were everywhere building roads, and they were immaculate! We were stopped only twice, mainly to have our names written in the visitor book and sent on our way! The hotel we stayed in was a bit of a dive, it was cheap however fairly unclean and all through the night we had visions of creapie crawlies running over us! It made getting up and going very easy!

Another long drive and we got to Kumbe, or K-Town to the locals! A bustling town which we welcomed after kilometres of red piste. Fuel was also welcomed as we had almost hit empty! We stopped off for some food, rice and bean stew for 60p, a huge plate which as wolfed down! We found a hotel with secure parking and asked for a room. We were very fortunate, we got a big air conditioned room with a living room for 12500CFA (cheaper than it should have been). We went and bought some boxed wine and watched a movie. It was great to relax on comfortable chairs!

(Looming rain clouds above Mount Cameroon)

(Our first roads with red mud! It will only get worse from here)

Heading to Limbe the next day was easy, it wasn't a too long drive and we arrived at an amazing hotel. We were allowed to camp (nice and hot), and it was right next to the sea with a breeze! Wifi was also free so calls home were done all around! It was nice to cool off in the pool, and was even nicer when the temperature dropped and thunder and lightening ripped through the sky!

We began the trip towards the capital the next day. We have some time restraints mainly due to not having the Angloa visa yet. We thought we would be able to get one in Yaounde however when we looked there was no embassy, this leaves us with Dolise, Brazzaville (both in Congo), or Matadi (DRC). The second catch is our DRC visa starts on 21st March and we have only 8 days to get through. We decided to get to Congo quickly to maximise our time to apply (can take up to 5 days), so we can be in the DRC the day our visa starts. As we are in rainy season as well we need all the time we can get to cross muddy, wet and dangerous roads! Stopping in Yaunde for the night we arrived at beautiful camp site on the grounds of an old Prespetarian church, we were surprised to see a UK number plate. We set up camp, went out for a curry (a bizarre experience - curry in Camerroon), and when we got back our neighbours had returned from the embassy. They were a family of four, who had had more visa issues than us (driving back to Ouagadougou to get a Nigeria visa when they could not get on in Benin), and were very knowledgable and friendly (the parents, Claire and Eddie had done this trip already!). We chatted to them for a while and sadly we left the next morning due to wanting to get to the border (another 300+ km away). They were able to share so information about the Angola visa with us however, a mutual friend we had met in Togo had just got theirs in Dolise, so fingers crossed we will be able too!

(This is geobunny, a teddy who has travelled the world. We were given him in Benin by Andi, and finally manage to pass him on on Cameroon! It is amazing the places he has been to!) 

After driving for about 9 hours we realised we needed to find somewhere to stop. Arriving in the biggest town we had seen for hours we began the task of finding somewhere to stay .. After going through the town twice we accidentally took a wrong turning and ended up near a church. As we went to turn around we saw some European looking people walk towards us.. As they came over we realised they were Spanish however could speak English. We spoke to them about needing so,where to stay and they offered us a piece of land in front of their NGO. We were introduced to all the volunteers (about 9 in total) and over a beer found out about the work they do there.. They work with the local community, mainly the Pigmies (the native people of Cameroon) who have been displaced from their homes. They were all very passionate and it was interesting to hear about their successes as well as their struggles. We had had no food since lunch and tagged along to their normal Sunday dinner of grilled fish and accompaniments (a almost hard version of Foufou - nice though). We were told that one of the guys was heading the way we wanted to go the next day to fix a well so we could head out in convoy with him. Early start, early night!

We awoke at 5.45am and put the soggy tent down! The evenings are a lot cooler at the moment so we are getting condensation on the tent!  We made a stop at their trusted mechanic to get some welding down, and were on the road by 8am. We pulled up at this tiny village deep in the heart of the jungle and were ushered into a school room where a man was giving the villager a lesson in well maintenance. We were told this well had been broken for a while and problems occurred because the villager did not know how to fix it - also children had been dropping things into it affecting the water quality! After the lecture it was the practical! We watched locals and experts put the cleaned well back together again, however it was in vain because the water level had dropped too far and they would need to order another pipe. Despite this it was interesting to watch and speak to those who are volunteering their time to help those in remote places in the country. As time was ticking on we sadly headed off on our way to the border. Find out more about the NGO by visiting www.zercaylejos.org.

(Watching the locals fix the well)

(The local children!)

(Our view most of the time in Cameroon).

Driving towards the border we got to Mtam (the border town) at 3pm. We were stopped by a policeman rushing out the bar to check our paper work and chatting to him he told us there was an Auberge nearby. We wouldn't be able to cross the border tonight he said, because it was too late and there was nowhere to stay after it. We took his advise and went to the Auberge. Now we have stayed in some interesting places however to say we opted to stay in our tents over a room says a lot! We bought one room for the shower however! Red dust from the roads means a decent shower is needed! We wondered back into the village stopping off for a drink and some food, true to form the police officer was still drinking at the bar we left him at, getting slowly more and more intoxicated, whilst stopping vehicles! Madness! He eventually stumbled back out, then came back shortly later to order another beer! Whilst in the bar we met a man from Yaounde who transports and sells cows in Congo. It was interesting listening to him, and we went to see some of the 84 cows he was transporting! We think we get hassle at the borders.. We listening to his stories sew realised ours was easy in comparison! We ate dinner in our rather dodgy camp spot and had an early night! 

I have loved our short stay in Cameroon, it feels like, and is that, we have driven literally from place to place never really getting a chance to visit anywhere - and there is a lot to visit. This is due to the previously mentioned time constraints. It is a shame it has happened in this country. The people are lovely, the food amazing and scenery stunning! We have had issues with the police, not as many stops or asking for something as in Nigeria, but due again to the right hand drive we have had some lengthy waits at stops... Some are due to the police not knowing the laws around the temporary import of cars (we are legally allowed with a right hand drive for 6 months), and once they speak to their bosses they tend to apologise and let us go. We had one painful incident when a high visibility jacket police man (I don't even think they are police.. But road safety men), stopped us and told us we had to pay 25000 CFA because we could not see out our back window... Yes laughable compared to some of the overloaded lorries we pointed out as we were sat there. He then told us we were illegal and had to pay. We sat there and said no, then asked for a receipt. He couldn't provide one, but kept saying you must pay.. We kept saying no.. At this point his co worker came over and rolled his eyes at him (there always one officer who can't be bothered to play the bribe game and at that point you know you just have to wait it out). The man gave up and said how much do you want to give me., our reply was nothing and we sat there again in awkward silence for a while. He then told us he would take water.. We again said no.. When this didn't work he asked Charles if we were married.. Charles said no to which he replied well I will take her for my wife instead.. It was comforting to know that on the bribe scale it went money, water then me...! In the end we just laughed at him/with him and drove off. That has been our worst here and for those travelling who are put off by horror stories don't listen.. Again I wholly believe it is your attitude to police which guides your interaction with them and how much rubbish you get! 

In conclusion we all wish we had more time to spend in their beautiful country, they love and welcome tourists so it may be on the list for another visit in the future.. roll on Congo!

#africa #overlanding #travelling #thisisafrica #cameroon 

Nigeria (2)

We left Lagos at 7.30am after a final breakfast of tea (with milk) and toast! We had decided to head out early to avoid the notorious Lagos traffic however we got out with no problem. Our plan had been to drive as far as we could till about 2pm then spend time finding a hotel. By 3.30pm we had exceeded all expectations and were in Benin City. It took us just over 6 hours and were stopped about 20 times however we had no real issues, unlike driving to Lagos. Mandy managed to find a cheap hotel with a working fan and electricity..  occasionally, it was basic but it was fine! We headed out to find a cold drink and stumbled upon a small bar. The music was pumping and after a first drink a lady came over to tell us about a Guiness Africa promotion (buy one get one free). The Guiness here is different to at home, here is it stout, but the Africa version is different still. It has a blend of 'African herbs', take that how you will, however the end result is good. Whilst sitting there we got chatting to some local students about life and culture here.. Nigeria has many languages, and it was interesting trying to speak even basic words! Waking up the next day we decided to spend a day on the cars, the boys fixed some running repairs whilst we spent time trying to clean the inside.. A fruitless task!

We needed to head to Calabar next, again it was another long drive which we had decided to attempt in one or break up along the way late afternoon. Luckily we headed off at 7am, because we ended up in Calabar at 6pm. The roads were awful, and again we had a lot of police interest! Mainly asking us about where we were coming from/going to, and only 20% possibly asking for something.. Our standard reply was 'we have been travelling for 8 hours and been stopped 30+ times, everything has gone', this seemed to be a fairly plausible excuse and we were waved on! Arriving in Calabar the boys were tired and we all just wanted to sit down! Arriving at an expensive hotel we were given a budget option, this sounds fine however going to see the rooms it looked like someone was already in their... After some deliberation they told us they didn't have any rooms! I have learnt now that once given a key to a room never hand it back in, the administration is often not good enough to determine whether rooms are in use or not and you run the risk of other people nosing about in your stuff. Also never keep valuables in there! The owner said he would take us to another hotel down the road with rooms for the same price.. However after looking around their rooms we were told it would be more. After discussing and Mandy going back in we agree on two nights at a cheaper price! She is good a negotiating! We settled in with tuna mayo sandwiches, watched some game of thrones and bed. Our diets when in hotels is not so great, especially in Nigeria when we are getting such a bad exchange rate - restaurants/road side food stalls are about but the variety is small (and expensive) especially when it comes to veg (back to only tomatoes and onions!). We tend to eat from our rations box (which we decided we don't need any more as packet food is easily available), however again it is not highly nutritious.. We tend to crave fruit.. This can be picked up easily in the day time.. Bananas and pineapple are everywhere st the moment! Tesco is currently doing us proud! 

(Some of the things you see on the road.. This truck had 3 men sitting on top and at one point there were about 4 cars all trying to overtake at the same time)

(An interesting building along the way, it has a hand coming out the top of it.. Not sure what it it though)

The next day was spent getting the Cameroon visa.. Turns out it was the easiest to get! Arriving there we were met by a very friendly security lady who showed us into the office. We filled out a few forms and in half an hour it was done! We paid 90$ for 3 months which at the rate Rob paid for them was cheaper than paying in Nira... Bargain! We surprisingly left at 11.30am and the walk back to the hotel was sweaty.. Highs of 35 degrees. You can imagine our delight to find a cold drinks shop.. Stopping there were got chatting to the locals who told us about the history of Calabar.. It was a major slaving port before its abolition, and then became colonised by the British, they told us to go and visit the museums. As it was late in the day but this point we decided we would stay another day (we had intended to leave the next day), and after pizza (again highly nutritious!)we returned to the hotel for the night.

Our extra day in Calabar started off with a 2mile walk to the museum. Luckily the temperature wasn't too high at this point of the morning! Arriving there we paid our 100Nira to a rather abrupt lady and wondered about the museum. It was very intersting, documenting the slave trade which moved onto the palm oil trade after the abolition. It also talked about the British coming in and also the missionaries and their part to play. It was a lot to take in, especially with the heat, there were lots of school children so how they concentrated I will never know!

(Not sure how clear this is, but it amused me!)

(Inside the museum)

After our educational morning we walked down to the marina, it was beautiful. Again there was another museum which was very intersting and some beautiful views of the a River Niger. Walking back was another boiling affair, and getting back to the hotel we had tuna wraps and went to bed.  

Arriving at Afi Drill Ranch we immediately felt at home. A small camp set in the heart for the jungle, with a long drop for a toilet, an outside shower and a main kitchen area (with amazing views), we felt we had hit the jack pot! We were met by Innocent, the manager, who told us a bit about the place. The sanctuary had been set up 28 years ago by two overlanding Americans who had learnt about Drill Monkeys and their decline. From there the sanctuary had grown with now many groups of Drill Monkey and a group of Chimpanzees. With 30 staff and countless volunteers it was a larger operation (just to keep up with the amount of food needed for the animals was a job in itself). Spending our first night camping there was one of the best nights sleep we had in a long time. No whirling air con, no generators and a cool temperature! Spending out first day there we attempted to hike up the mountains with some ex-pats working in Abjua. We alomst got up to the top however took a wrong turning and didn't quite make it to the plateau .. It was unbelievable to hike in the jungle, the sounds and trees were stunning (having studied jungles with my class last year it was great to be in the heart of one!). That evening and the next morning we were able to go and see the Drill Monkeys, it was incredible.. 

(Feeding time)

(Obviously not monkeys however these ants are amazing, their bridge like structure was fascinating! They were a night mare though.. Getting everywhere and they were nasty when they pincered you! Charles accidentally took a photo whilst standing on a group.. You can imagine the agony as they moved up his trousers!).

(View from the kitchen area)

(Kitchen area, the morning of day 2)

Having taken an interesting ride in the back of the the defender to the village the previous evening for beer and food, we had a group breakfast before our hiking comrades left. Omelettes, beans and avocados were on the menu! We have met some fantastic people whilst on this trip and the four we met here were just the same! We spent the morning going onto their canopy walk (much like in Lagos), however it did not go the whole way due to a land slide 4 years ago causing destruction to the end of it - we later found out that a contract had been agreed with a Canadian company to fix it however the Goverment was yet to send the money.. The afternoon was spent washing and waterproofing the tent (in anticipation for rainy season), and we sat in the kitchen chatting and making dinner. The people who work here are so passionate. What they are doing here is just amazing, they are trying to protect these endangered animals with little to no help. The locals hunt them, burn down their habitat for farming, the authorities are too corrupt to do anything about it (normally they are paid or supplied with bush meat), and the Government have no interest. It is a battle every day! They rely on charitable donations, people visiting (they have cabins for people to stay in) and volunteers to keep up their good work. Meeting the co-founder in the evening of day 2 we again kept hearing his stories of corrupt Goverments, struggles with locals and the lack of education or care from the wider community. They are desperate for volunteers.. So any one wanting to spend any time volunteering here you would not regret it! The place is a haven and you would be doing some amazing work (and people speak English!). I cannot recommend this place highly enough, Charles and myself were seriously considering staying.. 

That evening we were escorted to see the group of Chimps. Chimps, we were told,are different to the monkeys. They are more intelligent and can recognise your face years later after meeting you for the first time. They were breath taking, bigger than I imagined, and very vocal (especially around food time!). We were able to watch them for about 20 minutes. They are aggressive, there is a constant struggle for power, so watching them wind each other up was amusing. Also their interactions, a mother and her child, or them using the straw to drink the water. Charles was highly  amused by one making raspberries at him, we later learnt it was a sign for wanting food! They eventuallly got fed up of us and threw a stick at Mandy.. that was our cue to leave! Bisson,a worker at the ranch, who showed us the chimps, was saying that they have specific keepers as they are so sensitive to humans and 'routines'.. This in comparison to the monkeys who are not so bothered (they work by the sound of the wheel barrow bringing their food! However on a side note their key keepers know every single one of the monkeys by name.. And some groups have 100 monkeys.. Just amazing!) Bisson was a very interesting man, he had completed a degree in wildlife Studies and had been lecturing at get university, he had been scouted by the Drill Ranch to come and work due to his knowledge and expertise, he knew all the names of the chimps, all about them and also a lot about local trees (he tried to test us but we were useless!).

Day 3 was spent watching the monkeys, Charles and myself went out and sat, waiting and watching. 

Day 4 and we decided to track up the mountain to try and reach base camp.. I was not sure whether knowing what was coming was better or worse than not knowing.. It was gruelling! Especially the first hour, tired legs from the previous hike and hot temperatures meant we were dripping in sweat within 10 minutes (I could wring it out of my tshirt!). However as our legs warmed up and we got into a routine we began to enjoy it! Charles as ever felt no pain and was bounding up after the guide like a gazelle.. The rest of us were struggling along at the back! Getting higher up our guide, Chris, stopped and said it had been raining.. The ground was wet and started to get slippery! However in 2 hours we made it to base camp which was very rewarding! From here you could track gorillas or other wild life. We had met some researchers, Irowrow, Ben and their team, who had spent days tracking and trapping bats from base camp. Listening to them was fascinating, their research has shed some light on bat species and feeding habits (Mandy I am sure will post the link to their research via her blog). After reaching base camp we wanted to head on, however as it was getting late and the track treacherous it was decided to head down. Going down was faster, however very slipping and I ended up on my bottom more than once! Highly amusing! Getting down to the village we had a beer and headed back to camp on a motorcycle taxi. That evening we sat down with everyone and chatted, in the distance we heard thunder.. The workers at the Ranch got every excited! The lightening arrived along with the wind.. 10 minutes later the rain came down! The first rain of the season! Everyone got to work battering down the hatches and congregated in the main kitchen area! It cleared the air completely and another cool nights sleep was awaiting us! Leaving on the final morning was hard, we left with an invitation to come back in August for a year which we will seriously consider! 

(Very sweaty on the way up to base camp)

(I tried to get a photo of the darkening sky as the rain came in! In Ikom the next evening it rained again, the sky went almost black, the winds were howling and the rain was pelting it down! We were having a beer at the time and had to retreat into the safety of the hut!)

We are currently heading to Ikom to cross the border into Cameroon. We have lovely Nigeria which has come as a shock to us. Again it has proved the theory of take heed of the media and foreign office advice, but take it with a pinch of salt..

(Last photo.. Doing out washing! Coming back from the Drill Ranch our clothes were disgusting.. As you can imagine finding water, let alone a washing machine is tricky! Any time we get a hotel room or enough water the washing gets done! It's currently drying in obscure places around the room!) 

#africa #overlanding #travelling #thisisafrica #nigeria