DAY 60: Saturday - May 1
Pete: With the truck extracted and undamaged, we were ready for an early start today. Forgot to mention that Rob was the second victim to fall to malaria. Happened night before last. Totally wiped him out. Off for a walk just after breakfast. Not a very populated area. Still, basically rain forest. So enjoyable walking alone in the wilderness. Reached the Central African Republic (CAR) border aground 11:00 a.m. and crossed the ferry and cleared the "officialdom" with a minimum of hassle. The ferry was interesting, nothing more than three pontoons connected by planks and propelled by about 20 singing Africans with long poles and paddles. A noticeable change immediately upon crossing the border. CAR has much nicer two lane dirt roads, super highways compared to Zaire. The mud huts are larger with tall cone shaped straw roofs. The people are generally more stylishly dressed with colorful khangas, braided "corn row" hair, and jewelry. Noticed some Moslem influence at one of the villages we stopped at. Men in long white and print robes and the traditional caps. Camped tonight at the beautiful Kembe Falls on the road to Bangui. Enjoyed a fantastic shower in the warm water of the falls. Lillie:
We crossed a river by ferry into the Central African Republic today. It was a holiday and thus the first town of Bangasue was virtually shut down. We camped near Kembe Falls which were lovely for swimming and washing. The people of CAR are distinctively different in dress and in the structure of their communities. The Moslem influence is definite. We saw several men dressed in folding robes of lovely colors and Arabic-looking headdresses. The women too cover their heads more frequently. CAR has better roads than Zaire and village life appears to be more active. In Zaire, the villages were tiny (one of two huts) stuck virtually in the jungle, while in CAR the settlements are large. DAY 61: Sunday - May 2
Pete: An entire morning of relaxation this morning at beautiful Kembe Falls. Slept in until about 7:00 a.m. and immediately headed for another "soak" in the falls. Spent several hours washing laundry and sunning. Outstanding campsite on the expansive flat rocks bordering the falls. The falls are not a great height, but rather are terraced steeply creating an exciting tiered turbulence with a convenient ledge to sit on for an abundant shower. Left after lunch squeaky cleaned. Continued on the road to Bangui in the afternoon. Stopped at several villages for brief shopping excursions. Very colorful market places with larger variety of fruits, veggies, and sundries than any we encountered in Zaire. The people we have met thus far in the CAR are delightful. All greet you with a genuinely friendly smile and wave or handshake. Also the police are reserved and restrain their curiosity to a tolerable degree. The weather today was overcast, but cooler as a result. A pleasant respite. Lillie: We spent the morning enjoying the falls; getting our wash done, etc. We should have some lovely photographs of the falls. It is certainly one of our most picturesque stops. The water was a perfect temperature. When we left in the afternoon, we also stopped at several villages. Contrary to the lack of active markets we experienced in Zaire, we found much activity in these villages. The residents are very friendly and appear to be fairly affluent (by African standards). DAY 62: Monday - May 3 Pete: Not a particularly eventful day. Started off with a walk ahead of the truck in the morning for about an hour. It was overcast for the whole morning, and started raining before lunch. Continued west on the road to Bangui all day. Stopped for a couple of hours in the town of Bambari to change money and look around. Our first opportunity to purchase post cards since entering Zaire. The bank was amazingly efficient. Only one form to complete and no lines to stand in. Accomplished the transaction in 10 minutes. Not typically African. Moving at a fairly fast pace on excellent dirt roads. CAR, at least the portion we are transiting, is mostly forest. Not rain forest, but a less wet combination of trees and grasses that the locals exploit for coffee growing, agriculture (to a small degree), and raising hogs and goats for their personal use. Still not much in the way of souvenirs and crafts available yet. Rather disappointing in that respect. Saw some nice ivory carvings in Bambari, but I refuse to aide the slaughter of the elephants by the purchase of such adornments. Lillie: Except for two hours spent in Bambari, we spent the rest of the day on the truck. In Bambari, several of the business establishments were again run by the Arabs. We stopped in one stationary book store run by the Catholics. We met a white Baptist (fundamentalist) minister who was born in CAR and the son of a missionary. He seemed very unhealthy and somewhat at a loss to communicate with us. Somewhat "shaky" to say the least. Unfortunately, the afternoon was mostly rainy. It looks as though we may make it to Bangui tomorrow. DAY 63: Tuesday - May 4 Pete: Headed off immediately, after grabbing a piece of french bread for breakfast, for my morning walk ahead of the truck. Got about 13 kilometers down the road before the truck caught up two hours later. Took them longer than usual to catch up because George and Bruce were stricken with bad cases of malaria. Bruce to the point that he could hardly walk. Stopped at the first village to get them and Beth treatment. After about three hours, they could see that Bruce's condition was deteriorating rapidly so we proceeded rapidly to Bangui. On the way, about 3:30 p.m., I felt a very sudden urge to vomit. Barely made it out of the truck in time. Health went rapidly downhill after that. Severe diarrhea, fever, backache, all set in so that by the time we reached the police barricade outside of Bangui at 7:00 p.m., I was hurting for certain. The goddamn police would not let the truck pass due to a curfew, so after much negotiating and a bribe, we took a taxi the 13 kilometers to the hospital. Spent the most miserable night of my life in that cesspool of a hospital. Mosquitos fed on me while I had severe diarrhea every 15 minutes along with incessant cramps, fever to the point that I became delirious, and a violent vomiting session. There was no toilet, so I had to squat over a bed pan each time which helped weaken me further. Lillie and Barry atoned for many sins that night by nursing Bruce, George and me. The male nurses would not empty the bed pans or assist in cleaning us up when we soiled the linen or our clothes. The injection I received was the size of a horse needle and very painful, but worked because by 4:00 a.m., the symptoms gradually began to subside. DAY 64: Wednesday - May 5 Pete: By morning my temperature was back to near normal. Felt very weak and still had those awful cramps and diarrhea. Had to sit around until 10:00 a.m. waiting to see the doctor. Looked us over and prescribed chloroquine for malaria (2 tablets per day), and bactrim for the diarrhea (1 tablet 3 times per day). The conditions at the hospital were atrociously unsanitary, so I was pleased when the doctor recommended we move to a hotel. Proceeded to the Rock Hotel on the Ubangi River. Quite a nice hotel. The rooms were fairly clean, air conditioned, tubs, etc. A double cost $42.00 per night. Lillie, Barry and George went to dinner in the hotel restaurant while I relaxed in the first clean bed and linen I had seen since the Hilton in Nairobi back in February. The cramps and diarrhea finally subsided around midnight. On the road to recovery. DAYS 63-64: Tuesday & Wednesday - May 4-5 Lillie: What a fateful day! It started with at least three cases of what we thought were malaria! George, Beth and Bruce (from Canada) were having the usual symptoms of chills, high fever and diarrhea. Bruce had to be carried to the truck. As we drove toward Fort Sibut, he became progressively worse. It was decided to stop to try to seek medical attention for the trio. At Fort Sibut, it was suggested by the doctors that Bruce be taken to Bangui as soon as possible. So we transported him immediately. On the way at around 3:00 p.m., Pete had to stop the truck to throw up and use the "loo." He had come down with the malaria and diarrhea. By the time we reached the outskirts of Bangui, he was very feverish, delusional and frequently having diarrhea attacks. On the outskirts of Bangui was a police barrier. We were told we could not enter the city since it was past curfew. However because Bruce was so ill, the military police took him into Bangui, with Barry going along as interpreter. It was apparent to me that Pete (as well as George and Beth) needed medical attention as soon as possible, but I did not know if it would be possible to get him to the hospital. We heard a rumor that one could bribe a taxi driver to get into town. I knew that I needed someone who spoke French, so I asked Chris to go with us (at that time, I thought it would only be Pete and me). In the meanwhile, Verona returned to say that the hospital had accepted Bruce. With Chris's aid we got a taxi. Beth, George, Bruce and Donna had decided to join us. The ride was very difficult, with the taxi driver constantly avoiding pot holes. The cost was $10.00 for 10 miles, which was more than we had decided on. The grungy emergency room of the hospital was like a pre-World War I military hospital. No bathrooms at all. The doctor suggested that George and Pete remain there. Barry and I had to go to the pharmacy to purchase the drugs they needed. At that point, we had no indication what a night it would be. Upon our return, George and Bruce were given IV's. The trio was having frequent diarrhea bouts. No attendants were in sight. By midnight the only attendant had locked himself in a room and was fast asleep. Barry and I had nursing duty including cleaning Bruce and the others after each bout of diarrhea. The bedpans had to be emptied in an open sewer outside the hospital. To experience an African hospital is an astonishing look at African culture. The bathrooms (which did not exist in the emergency room) were filthy in the regular hospital, where we moved Bruce the next day. It was as if there was no understanding of the primary need for a hospital to have cleanliness standards so as to prevent disease transmittal. There were also no sheets or blankets in the hospital. Barry and I worked all night caring for the three. Mosquitos were profuse. It was ironic to see a poster indicating that one could fight malaria by taking a particular medication in the same room with three of its victims. Pete was really scaring me with his high fever and delusional behavior. He was singing barbershop songs and making jokes. I am sure his fever reached the upper limits of 105 degrees. He received an injection of chloroquine and by 5:00 a.m., his fever had subsided and his diarrhea had greatly improved. The trio was supposed to have further tests in the large hospital in the morning. The luck of the day came when a European doctor was found. He immediately prescribed some other medication. So away I went again to the pharmacy, this time on a moped. I asked directions from a doctor and he instead found me a ride with a black guy on a moped. Upon my return from the pharmacy, George and Pete had decided that they were not staying in the "god-awful" hospital, so we decided to wait for the truck and go to the Rock Hotel. The hotel was lovely, especially after our experiences of the night before. An air conditioned room with hot running water (sometimes!). Pete and George started looking better almost immediately. Barry decided to room with George since he had not gotten any sleep. George was feeling well enough to eat a delicious dinner with Barry and I. Expensive, but worth it. I had steak brochettes and fries. So that evening I went to sleep with some relief that Pete was improving. DAY 65: Thursday - May 6 Pete: Felt somewhat better today. Slept in awhile, “attacked” Lillie, took a bath, and then went down to breakfast with Lillie, Barry and George. The restaurant of the Rock Hotel is quite a nice respite from the usual fare in Africa. It is just outdoors under tall shade trees overlooking the Ubangi River. The layout, menu and service is typically French in character. We lingered for several hours over our continental breakfast of rolls, coffee and papayas. Commiserated and joked about the previous ordeals. Since George and Barry were checking out of the hotel at noon, we decided to move into their room since it had hotter water, a lanai and a beautiful view of the river. Spent the rest of the day resting around the pool and in the air conditioned room. At 7:00 p.m., Lillie and I went down for dinner. Enjoyed a leisurely meal of brochettes, frittes and red wine. My appetite still has not recovered but I managed to complete the tender beef. Lillie: Pete and I decided to stay another night at the Rock Hotel. Pete ate well today, so his strength should return fairly swiftly. We have not had much time to explore Bangui. However, I do not believe most of the people on the truck have done much exploring. This is the last major town until Kano, perhaps two weeks away. Pete and I have spent quite alot of money at the Hotel Rock. The food however was delicious. Tonight we even had the military eating with us. CAR is controlled as a military state. The French influence is also very strong. At the Hotel Rock, there were numerous French businessmen who are going to start businesses here in CAR. Pete returns for a visit to the doctor tomorrow, after which the truck will probably be on its way toward Cameroon. DAY 66: Friday - May 7 Pete: This morning started much similar to yesterday's. Slept in, went down to breakfast, had a delicious ham omelette and a glass of orange juice. At 10:00 a.m., just after we had finished packing, the truck arrived, so (reluctantly) we checked out of the hotel and went with the truck to the hospital. Fortunately, the doctor was in and was able to see us almost right away. Just asked us (me, George and Bruce) how we were feeling and gave us the requested note of explanation for the insurance company. Said we should gradually start to feel better and did not expect that we should encounter future complications. Proceeded to the bank and shopping, though due to the heat and my weakness, I did not feel like venturing any further than the "boulangerie" (bakery) across the street for a chocolate ice cream cone. Lillie volunteered to go shopping with Tom and George for me since tomorrow our cooking rotation is to start again. Drove out of town about two hours on the way to Bouali Falls. Camped about 12 kilometers from the falls. Lillie: It looks as though the truck will not be moving out of Bangui till Monday or Tuesday. The money from Guerba for diesel and salaries has not arrived yet. Supposedly, there is a telex at the bank saying that the money should be given to David; however, the bank will not honor this, but actually wants the currency in hand. This does give Pete the opportunity to get a little stronger before we do lots of traveling. However, it just puts us further behind in meeting our schedule to be back in London. We are going to spend the weekend at Bouali Falls, two hours outside Bangui. Then we will return to Bangui on Monday in hopes that the money will have arrived. I got to see some of Bangui today. I went shopping to help purchase the food for Pete's cooking group. The city is filled with French-owned businessmen including a beautiful boulangerie with French pastries, ice cream, etc. The central market was a colorful, busy spot with merchants selling everything from live chickens to vegetables. They were so eager to sell their goods that one is accosted immediately upon entering the market area. Hopefully, when we return to Bangui on Monday, Pete will feel like walking around town. It is an expensive city, but also fairly westernized as a result of the French influence. DAY 67: Saturday - May 8 Pete: Up at a more leisurely 8:00 a.m. this morning. Feeling very wiped out all day long. All I could do to get on and off the truck. Fortunately, Lillie came to my rescue again by taking over most of my cooking rotation for me. A real sacrifice for her considering she had to pull double duty by washing the dishes too. All this and having to put up with Tom. Packed up and moved on to the Boali Falls arriving around 10:00 a.m. The falls are quite beautiful. The water falls about 125 feet cascading down several ledges. They are quite wide. Actually, a cluster of about five separate flows sending a rainy mist floating all over the valley below. Spent the entire day shading and reading under some nice verandas very close to the head of the falls. A restaurant is located there, so Lillie and I splurged and had lunch. She had steak and fries and I had a ham omelette and fries. Camped a couple of kilometers away from the falls in the typical gravel pit. Lillie: Today we awoke after a very rainy night to an overcast day. However, we did get to sleep a bit later, so all was not lost. We travelled the 12 kilometers from the campsite to the falls and took a short walk along a path by the falls. Unfortunately, these falls do not allow for easy bathing like Kembe Falls. We enjoyed a lunch of steak and fries and spent most of the day catching up on my postcard writing. Pete seems to be improving slowly and surely. I have never seen anything take so much of his strength. DAY 68: Sunday - May 9 Pete: Feeling quite a bit better today, at least not quite as lethargic. Up to a leisurely breakfast again this morning. Headed back to the falls. We are basically just killing time because Guerba did not receive its mid-trip shipment of money to Bangui on Friday. Hopefully, it will arrive tomorrow. Spent the day again sitting under the veranda and making great gains in reading the "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." Donna and Martin came down with malaria making the list of malaria victims longer than those not yet stricken. First was Robyn, then Rob, Beth, Bruce, George, me, Donna and Robyn. Forgot to mention that last Wednesday I weighed myself at the doctor's office, 88 kilos or 193 pounds! A weight loss of 32 pounds in 60 days. My jeans fall off my hips. Had a lunch today at the Boali Falls Restaurant of bar-b-que chicken and chips. Headed back on the road to Bangui this evening around 5:00 p.m. Travelled about 45 minutes before finding a campsite just as the sun set. Lillie: We spent another day at the falls. Pete is still regaining some of his strength. I feel good and bad at different times. But I am hanging on. I helped with the cooking today. I know what Pete feels like trying to work with Tom. He will not take suggestions or work as a team. He has his own agenda. DAY 69: Monday - May 10 Pete: Still no money has arrived at the bank from the Guerba office so here we sit for yet another day in Bangui. Parked outside the "Boulangerie Patisserie" most of the day and just had to go in and scarf up some more pastries and an ice cream cone. Shopped around town looking for crafts and souvenirs, but none to be found except ivory and collages made from butterfly wings. Came upon an interesting art store but it was quite expensive and nearly all of the works that were for sale contained ivory. Have to admit there were some beautiful wall sculptures and such. Camped out of town but still inside the police blockade at a tourist campground. Nice showers and a zillion kids that lined the perimeter of the campsite taunting the "tourists." Finally left when the sun went down. Had a fantastic meal of roast beef cooked in the pressure cooker with gravy, rice pilaf au Petzoid, tomato and onion soup and carrots. Dessert provided by Bruce of cheese and wine. Finished reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," by William L. Shirer. Lillie: Today we went back to Bangui to see if the money had come in. No luck! So we enjoyed shopping and eating sweets at the pastry shop. We went by the American Embassy today. It was good to be on home territory today. The commissioner had been in Africa for five years. He commented that the last overland truck had been through about five days ago. Several members of the group had jiggers, a flea that bores into one's foot and lays eggs. One member of our group has the jiggers and had to have the eggs cut out. One of the hazards of travel in Africa! With sanitation the way it is, I am surprised African travellers do not come down with more tropical diseases. It looks as though Bruce (Canadian) will be leaving the group tomorrow, flying home. He was really happy to be on his way. We had one of our best meals tonight, roast beef, rice and carrots. Bruce provided cheese and wine for a going away party. DAY 70: Tuesday - May 11 Pete: Up early at 6:00 a.m. today in order to get Bruce to the airport this morning. He decided to take advantage of his malaria and obtained a note from his doctor to fly home at the expense of his medical insurance. Apparently, he had had enough of the "Mazumga Express." Dropped him off at the airport and proceeded to town in another attempt to shake loose Guerba's money from the bank. This time met with success and David finally got the cash. Meanwhile, Lillie and I went shopping for canned meats to supplement our frequent fruit salad and bread lunches. Bought petrol and got "on the road again" by 2:00 p.m. The paved road west of Bangui was excellent so we were able to cover a good deal of distance before stopping at another of the familiar gravel pit campsites. We had seen about all Bangui had to offer. No, not many tears were shed upon departure. Our numbers are down to 16 now. Actually, the stop for a few days did the malaria victims a lot of good. I am feeling almost normal and my appetite has returned. Lillie: We finally moved out of Bangui this afternoon. The banks came through with the money. The morning was spent roaming the streets of Bangui again; enjoyed pastries and ice cream. We also picked up some meats to have with lunches, otherwise the lunches are lacking of meat. Prices were very expensive in the supermarkets; everything is imported from France. A jar of spices is $3.00, a jar of peanut butter is $6.00, and a small bag of popcorn is $1.00. We are camping tonight in the familiar gravel pit so it looks like it will be back to the road again tomorrow. DAY 71: Wednesday - May 12 Pete: Got just about all my strength now. Up early at 6:00 a.m. and got breakfast and packed up quickly in order to get a hike in. Hiked at a fast pace for about an hour and a half (10 kilometers) before the truck caught up. Most of the day was spent travelling west across the smooth, hard dirt roads of the CAR. Stopped briefly in the village markets of Bossembele, Bossangoa, and Bouar. Fairly typical markets with the usual fare of veggies, peanuts, expensive khangas, etc. Still no crafts to be found, so if we do not locate something tomorrow, we will not have a souvenir from CAR. Growing rather fond of avocados, a habit which Lillie acquired before me. They are a nice addition to the fruit salad lunches. Small ones cost about 8 cents. Camped a few kilometers west of Bouar. The days are still quite warm, but the last two nights have been pleasantly cool. Rain threatens occasionally, but nothing more than an hour or two shower every third night. Lillie: Today was our last day in CAR. We travelled through several small towns, including Bouar, where we purchased some avocados. We are both getting very attached to avocados with vinegar. They are very inexpensive, 10 to 15 cents each. We drove by quite a few French troops today. The cooks bought some meat around 10:00 a.m. this morning. It appeared to be fine. However, by dinnertime it had turned green and was foul smelling. Sometimes I think it is dangerous to chance the meats from the open markets. |
The people of CAR are distinctively different in dress and in the structure of their communities The Moslem influence is definite Health went rapidly downhill I was hurting for certain Spent the most miserable night of my life in that cesspool of a hospital Lillie and Barry atoned for many sins that night by nursing Bruce, George and me The grungy emergency room of the hospital was like a pre-World War I military hospital Pete was really scaring me with his high fever and delusional behavior He was singing barbershop songs and making jokes I am sure his fever reached the upper limits of 105 degrees The bedpans had to be emptied in an open sewer outside the hospital CAR is controlled as a military state The French influence is also very strong The falls are quite beautiful The water falls about 125 feet cascading down several ledges Several members of the group had jiggers, a flea that bores into one's foot and lays eggs We had seen about all Bangui had to offer No, not many tears were shed upon departure |