DAY 42: Tuesday - April 13
Pete: Up early today to head for Zaire. Stopped briefly in Ruhengari for a few last minute purchases and to mail some aerograms home. Reached Gisenyi by around 11:30. Beautiful town located on Lake Kivu. Large homes on manicured lawns and nice hotels. Just stopped long enough for lunch although we all thought a stay in one of the hotels on the beach looked inviting for a stay of a day or two. Travelled onward to the Rwanda border. Expecting a much larger hassle entering Zaire. Stopped for a couple of hours in Goma to exchange money and buy some sweet rolls, a cigarette lighter and a fifth of Johnny Walker Red ($8.00). It was immediately noticeable upon crossing the border that Zaire is a much poorer country than Rwanda. The children especially are more aggressive in their manner of begging and yelling at the truck as it passes. Lillie: Today we left Rwanda and had a relatively easy transit to Zaire. We had expected several hours of delay and we did spend several hours unloading the luggage and having it searched. We also went through the town of Gisenyi before crossing the border. Lake Kive there is a beautiful blue lake with a small sandy beach. However, because there is "bil" (a parasite that attacks man in the form of a worm that burrows into the skin through one's feet), it is not wise to swim there. There were numerous colonial mansions that appear to have been turned into hotels. Gisenyi appears to be the most wealthy city we have passed since Nairobi. It reminded one of Hawaii - palm trees, flowers and tropical plants. Immediately after entering Zaire, we came upon the city of Goma; quite a quaint, neat, clean town. Again, there were Asian shops in town, which were the most well-kept stores. The black market is also very prevalent, so we exchanged about $10.00. Most items in the shops were very expensive. Typical items which would be considered luxuries were: milk powder, canned goods, chocolate, cakes and biscuits. A small chocolate bar sold for $2.50. DAY 43: Wednesday - April 14 Pete: Camped about a half hour ride past Goma last night. Up very early at 5:15 a.m. before sunrise. After the french toast breakfast a la Beth, headed off down the road for a brisk walk with Chris and Barry. The truck caught up with us about 45 minutes later, but not until after a pleasant hike over a road that bisects a large lava flow. Passed through Virunga National Park at a fast clip in about four hours. Nice scenery, arid, only noticed hippos, deer and distant herds of elephants. Beautiful blue sky day. Passed through the villages of Rwindi and Kayna Bayonga stopping briefly to shop for veggies and whatever else we could find. George did quite well in a purchase of the evil weed, but there were otherwise only the usual shops selling the obligatory bar soap, smokes, khangas and Omo soap. Lillie: We continued to travel north through Virunga National Park. We saw large groups of hippos; lovely mountains and lush meadows. Unexpectedly, the food has been really great since entering Zaire. Lots of veggies - so I am feeling stronger. The weather is still damp and cool, especially at night. DAY 44: Thursday - April 15 Pete: Several opportunities today for a good walk ahead of the truck. Excellent form of exercise. Got in about 40 minutes after breakfast and 60 minutes after lunch. Felt a significant increase in my appetite, though. Passed through highland rain forests today. Temperature stayed below 70 degrees fahrenheit all day. Humid cold. Millions of eucalyptus trees lined the entire stretch of rocky, hard packed, dirt road. Passed through endless stretches of villages strung along the road. Seemingly, Africa's millions assembled 8 to 12 in mud thatched roof huts each exactly 50 paces from each other in suburban symmetry. Then there would be miles of uninhabited rain forest, forbidding dense and ringing with the sound of exotic song birds. We are camped just a few miles from the equator, yet the altitude deceives the expectation of hot, oppressive weather. Stopped at the small village of Lubero to locate a doctor for Robyn. Found an English speaking Zaire trained African doctor and a small "hospital." He diagnosed malaria and injected a massive dose of chloroquin. Her symptoms are unexpectedly severe. Lillie: We arrived in Lubero today. It looks like a ghost town because there are lovely Belgian colonial type houses standing abandoned. We stopped in town to try to find a doctor for Robyn. She has been pitifully ill. The doctor says she has malaria. All I can say is it is the pits. She has not eaten in three or four days. She cannot take any nourishment. It appears that we will be camping on the equator tonight. The scenery is becoming more and more typically "jungle" area Tarzan. It should become more and more humid in the next few days. We have been on the trip for one month now. I am pretty much settled into the routine of camping, even getting up at 5:00 a.m. Of course, sometimes I take a catnap on the truck. DAY 45: Friday - April 16 Pete: Returned to Beni today to attempt to find a flight to Kisangani for Robyn. Her condition is worsening. Several fainting spells from weakness. Has not been able to keep down food for 4 or 5 days. She could not get a flight until Monday, so she, Beth and Barry holed up in a local hotel then. They will meet the rest of us when we arrive in Kisangani late next week. While we were waiting around in town, we came across a grocer who sold fresh meats, cold cuts and cheese. The price was a bit expensive, but we decided to splurge. Bought 100 grams of sliced ham for 18 Zaire's ($1.80), a packet of french bacon cheese for 20 Zaire's, and a loaf of bread for 3 Zaire's. The ham and cheese sandwiches which followed were delicious. Enjoyed the lunch so much, went back to the store and bought a kilo of mincemeat for 20 Zaire's and another loaf of bread, and a half packet of french Boursin cheese (herb and garlic flavor). Made fantastic cheeseburgers and pigged out for dinner. Pandemonium broke out as dinner was being prepared when about 25 locals showed up with local crafts to trade. Got one bow and arrow set for a t-shirt and a slingshot for a Bic pen. Lillie: Today was a really long day, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on the road. We went through two rather large towns, Butembo and Beni. The villages are one after another. There is hardly a break between houses. Thousands of kids met us, screaming and waving. The roads are getting progressively worse and the humid jungle is creeping in. Because this area of Zaire is heavily populated, it is difficult to find a campsite. I had a good day today; enjoyed the ride although the last four hours were very strenuous and bumpy. The children are so lovely coming to meet the truck, smiling and cheering. It looks as though we will be having fruit for at least one meal a day. DAY 46: Saturday - April 17 Lillie: We spent the day today trying to find the airport so that Robyn could go to the doctor in Kisangani. She has not even been able to eat for a week. She was so weak she could hardly walk. We did make it back to a campsite about two hours from Beni. It looks as though Robyn will not get to Kisangani until Monday. No planes are leaving Beni. Africa is so frustrating in terms of conveniences. Nothing is predictable. I guess that is the aspect of Africa that makes it so appealing, yet so frustrating at the same time. DAY 47: Sunday - April 18 Pete: For joy! The locals were back again this morning after breakfast for another furious round of bartering. Really loaded up on the bargains. Got a bow and arrow for a Bic, a wooden carved tea pot for one t-shirt, one shirt, one bar of soap, one deck of cards, and one cigarette package. Got a basket for one t-shirt, a gourd flower vase for one Bic, three arrows for one Bic, four necklace charms for two packages of cigarettes. Great fun bartering. Passed through Mambasa late this p.m. Nothing there but a few small shops. Camped about 10 kilometers north of Mambasa. Secluded campsite hewn out of the jungle about 200 yards off the road. No locals evident. About an hour after setting up camp, had a wonderful tropical downpour. Went out for a shower with Tom and Donna. Cleanest I have gotten since leaving Nairobi. Really refreshing washing naked in a heavy rain on the equator after a long, humid, hot, dusty day bouncing around the truck. The rain stopped after about an hour. Nice meal tonight of savory meat, pancake crepes, and mashed potatoes. Pineapples for dessert. The pineapples here are the sweetest and nicest I have ever had. Avocados for lunch. Great served open faced mashed on a piece of bread with salt and pepper. Lillie: We made our way through the jungle to Mambasa today. It is a very tiny town. We passed several churches (small mud huts with log benches). We are also getting into pygmy country, less western dress and more craft work such as baskets, swords and bows/arrows. Pete purchased several authentic, local made crafts. We also had some mincemeat hamburgers which were great! DAY 48: Monday - April 19 Pete: Deeper into the rain forest jungle we go. The roads were a bit muddier after last night's rain "shower" so the going was a bit slower. Passed the time with a rousing game of hearts on the truck's fold-out card table. Won the game just as we arrived at the Epulu River and campsite. The land of the pygmies, the Epulu River is a fairly fast run of water etching its way through the mid-Zaire jungle. Excellent secluded campsite along the edge of the river. Tall densely foliaged trees shade the area from the oppressive sun of the equator. Had the opportunity to spend the afternoon washing clothes in the river, relaxing and strolling along the jungle paths. Lots of exotic birds calling from the trees and a large clan of Rhesus monkeys frolicking overhead. Highly unusual animal on exhibit nearby called an Okapi. Looks like a cross between a giraffe, a zebra and a donkey if you can envision that! Lillie washes some clothes in the Epulu River while a couple of young boys fish
Lillie: Today we spent half the day on the road travelling to pygmy country on the Epulu River. It was great to have the afternoon free. We took some photographs, me washing clothes in the river, two local kids fishing, the dikdik, and okapi. The okapi is one of the rarest animals in the world. The okapi is a cross between a donkey, zebra and giraffe. It is an unbelievable sight. Pete and I went on a short walk through the rain forest. We saw wild monkeys overhead in the 100 foot tall birch trees. The monkeys' agility is amazing. They do not touch the ground, but almost fly from one tree to another. There was a small chimp in a cage. I had not realized how similar to a human a chimp's hands and feet are! It was ironic to see this little one caged while his cousins played in the trees above him. We had part of a chocolate bar today. Oh how a little sweet calms the spirit! Also, the question came up "Why are the pygmies so small, about 4 to 5 feet (even the men)?" Pete says it has to do with lack of sunlight and the fact that they have to stoop to crawl through the jungle all day! A ranger explains the wonders of the Okapi and the chimps
DAY 49: Tuesday - April 20 Pete: The long awaited day with the pygmies of Epulu. Up at 7:00 and left with the pygmies around 8:00. About a mile hike to their jungle village. Rumors were true. The pygmies are short. Did not see any that approached five feet. Not a large village, only 4 or 5 huts evident. As we arrived, one old lady was smoking a pipe over five feet long loaded with dope. Some of the pygmies were in western dress although most were scantily clothed and some had decorative paints on their bodies. Found them to be very friendly but even more mercenary. They wanted gifts for every photo taken, and not merely cigarettes or candy. They were demanding t-shirts and such. Bit disappointing in that respect. Left after about 45 minutes for the dikdik hunt. Went for several hours trekking through the jungle then they stopped and strung out nets around the area and spread out making noises to scare the small deer like animals into the nets. Successful day since they caught two. Went for a swim later in the Epulu River, washed down the rapids! Lillie: Today we took a trek with the pygmies. At about 8:00 a.m., we went to their village. It was very disappointing to see what tourism had done to these unique people. They were constantly demanding cigarettes and even t-shirts for photos. Of course, we are the ones who made them that way. It appeared that the village we visited had not changed its physical appearance for outsiders, however. Although several of the men wore western dress, most of the women wore belts and tiny cloths around their genitals. The women also go on the hunts and participated in running the dikdik. Each net was about 100 feet and they were set up in the bush in a circle. The hunters make noise to run the small antelope (dikdik) into the net. We watched as they killed/skinned the animal. Every bit of the animal was saved and wrapped in tea leaves. The walk in the jungle was quite long, slippery and damp. I am sure we walked five or six miles. After the walk we left the lovely Epulu River for parts unknown. We should arrive in Kisangani in three days. I may spend my birthday there. Our visit to the Epulu Pygmy village
A Pygmy women smoking bhang. The pipe is so long that she had her kid light the bowl with a coal from the fire.
After our visit in the village, the Pygmies invite us to join them on a hunt in the jungle for the small deer known as dikdik.
Lillie and the Pygmy hunters head into the deep jungle. Notice the nets the hunter on the right is carrying. They will be strung out through the forest to snare the deer.
The group splits up. One group advances through the jungle making noises to scare the dikdik and make them run into the nets. We snare two of the deer and they are quickly dressed by the young men.
DAY 50: Wednesday - April 21 Pete: Camped last night about 18 kilometers west of Epulu. Up at 5:30 a.m. again today to make some progress toward Kisangani. Spent most of the day bouncing along at a relatively fast pace. Did lose a couple of hours due to mechanical difficulties, clogged fuel line, etc. Stopped briefly at Niania for some quick shopping and lunch. Getting deeper into the heartland jungle every day. Thicker forest, closer to the road. Huge stands of bamboo. Villages farther apart. Monkeys in the trees, though very shy. Heat oppressive from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Extremely humid, no breeze. More like the Africa usually envisioned. Have lost some weight. Do not know how much, but my new shorts and trousers fit nicely now. Probably between 10 to 20 pounds. Booger getting birthday fever. Probably spend it in Kisangani, near the center of Africa. Fortunately, not much rain encountered to date. Have not had too much problem with mosquitos or other insects yet, either. A few were biting last night. Other than the road conditions, Zaire has not been the horror story we expected. Lillie: Another early morning beginning at 7:00 a.m. on the road. Pete and I had a good talk last night. We have some of the same impressions of the trip. We both are somewhat disappointed with the organization and leadership of the trip and we do not feel too much camaraderie with the others. I guess since we are both administrators, managers, we scrutinize "operations" thoroughly. But, we both are learning lots about ourselves and Africa. We are still thinking about our experiences with the pygmies. The dichotomy between our childhood experiences and those of the pygmy children is overwhelming. It is as if they were from another "time." They train in the jungle school from early infancy, riding on their mother's back, while most of our socialization is external to the family, in school, etc. The pygmies receive little communication through the media (even printed material) with the outside world. What happens in the United States has little if any relevance to their existence. As Americans, we have such a shallow, narrow, self-centered view of the world. Slowly, western ideas/culture is moving into Africa. However, we are also continually widening our technology, etc., so I do not see the technology gap between Africa and the rest of the western world narrowing in the future. Maintaining or "survival" is still the primary activity of the tribal peoples of Africa. So, according to Maslon's hierarchy of needs triangle, the African nations are not even ready for formalized education and social structures. Although some of the larger towns look like early 20th century America, the social consciousness is still on the tribal or perhaps social village level. Well, back to the activities of the day - made some tracks toward Kisangani. We stopped at Niania (a very small village) for lunch and because of mechanical problems. We were also halted twice more to correct fuel pump difficulties, so we did not make as good a time as hoped. DAY 51: Thursday - April 22 Pete: Made excellent time on the road today. Camping about two hours drive to the east of Kisangani. Not a particularly eventful day. Stifling heat again from 10 to 2, especially uncomfortable during lunch and water gathering. Can understand why the locals sit around in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Cannot understand why they are not more industrious or creative with all their free time. It seems to me that wood carving, basket weaving and crafts would be the perfect way to conquer the boredom of sweltering afternoons. Yet these people do not seem to know boredom. They seem content to just sit in their open air verandas and while away the hours. This is evidenced in every village and dwelling we have passed since we crossed the border into Zaire, and it is not just that there is not enough tourist traffic to justify the effort of making crafts. They seem content to passively sit around with nothing more than their mud hats, some chairs, a few pots and pans, and their banana and pineapple plants. Lillie: We spent the day travelling in rain forests. The truck crossed a bridge where we had to walk across. Boards were missing from the bridge! We travelled many kilometers today, only stopping at one village, Bafwasende, which was so small that it had very little in its market. DAY 52: Friday - April 23 Pete: Up at a more respectable hour, 5:30 a.m. Arrived in Kisangani before 10:00 a.m. Quite a large town considering its location on the Zaire River in the center of Africa. Zaire is governed by a military backed "elected" president. Many military/police were evident. Upon arrival, we were "cordially invited" to visit the tourist office. Several of us were interviewed but no search of the truck was made. Also had to make a stop at the bank to change some money officially and obtain a currency declaration form. The ordeal took two and a half hours to exchange a mere $5.00. The finest example of African bureaucracy to date. And it is not as though there were others in front of us. We were served almost immediately. But there were a myriad of forms, umpteen officials to rubber stamp their approval, calculating, counting, tokens to hand out, lines to stand in - exasperating yet hilarious at the same time. Met up with Robyn, Beth and Barry. They had just arrived from Beni via Goma. Plans are to fly Robyn to a London hospital since her malaria is now complicated with liver problems. Bruce (Canadian) is sick now, complains of chest pains and indigestion. Great meal at the hotel we were camped at. Steak with mushroom sauce. French cuisine. Nice present early for Booger's birthday. I enjoyed it too. First cold beer since we left home. Lillie: Arrived in Kisangani and immediately spent two hours in the bank trying to exchange money. This had to be done so that we could file our declaration forms. The bureaucracy was maddening. After the two hours there, we spent an hour and one half at the tourist office checking in with our passports. Now, we have a member of the tourist office following us around (a secret agent in disguise!), seeing if he can find us doing anything fishy. Kisangani has one good place to eat, the Hotel Olympia, next door to the car park where we camped. Pete and I had my birthday dinner there; steak, fries and salad, not bad for African standards. Robyn will be leaving the group because of her health. She is ill with a liver ailment, jaundice, complications of malaria. So, it looks as if we will be in Kisangani until plans can be made to expedite her departure. There have been rumors that planes do not fly out of here but every two weeks! We will see what Guerba can and will do for her. What a predicament to be in! We hope to do some shopping in Kisangani. However, there are threats of rain, but this may be the last stop in Zaire where purchases can be made. Overall, I have found Zaire to be fascinating, just hope malaria is not an outcome. Everyone was bitten much here in Zaire! DAY 53: Saturday - April 24 Pete: Camped again inside the compound at the Olympia Hotel. Rained like a monsoon most of the day. Did not deter us from shopping in the town market for vittles. Quite a lot of fun actually. Did not mind the rain much thanks to my cagoule. A bit of luck in finding a bakery (boulangerie) just down the street from the hotel that would make a birthday cake for Lillie. Ordered one and George picked it up later in the afternoon. So after dinner of hamburgers and fried "Plantains" (bananas), we staged a bit of a surprise birthday party for Lillie one day early. Took a small hunk out of my left index finger while slicing veggies. Will not be playing guitar for a while. Dave raised quite a stir when he accidentally hit the hotel's pet crowned crane with an errant stone from his sling shot. The manager ranted and raved, threatened to throw us out, but sanity prevailed when Barry, speaking in French, explained what the manager wanted to hear; that David was an idiot and we all thought he was an idiot, etc. The party continued until about midnight with George polluting his body with rot gut spirits and his mind with the evil weed. Lillie: Mostly spent this rainy day reading. The campsite in the carpark of the hotel is the pits. There is an open trash pit and lots of mosquitos and sandflies. There were also loads of blacks trying to sell their wares. One of the members of our group was practicing using his slingshot, and he hit a rare crane that belongs to the hotel manager. I thought we were going to be kicked out immediately by the berserk manager. I had an eventful birthday party this evening. Pete found me a cake! Quite a feat in Zaire with chocolate icing. It is quite an experience celebrating one's birthday in Africa. I also got some practical gifts, bubble gum, cheese and crackers, etc., and other food goodies. Lillie's birthday party at the Olympia Hotel compound in Kisangani. Do you have any idea just how difficult it is to find a chocolate birthday cake in central Africa?
DAY 54: Sunday - April 25 Pete: Lillie's long awaited and much heralded birthday. Went for a walk together around 9:30 a.m. She was afflicted with cramps and diarrhea again. Unsure why. Perhaps a reaction to the chloroquine malaria pills. Got back from the walk around 11:00 a.m. just in time to head out for the airport to put Robyn on a plane for London via Kinshasha and Brussels on Air Zaire ($1,080 to Brussels). Though the flight was scheduled to leave around 12:00, it was delayed in great African style until 3:00 p.m. Camped about 2 hours drive north of Kisangani on the road to Bangassou. Five or six of the group were bitten mercilessly by sand flies while we camped at the Olympia Hotel. Zoe especially had red welts all over her elbows, knees, arms, buns, etc. Fortunately, Lillie and I were spared from this affliction due mainly I think to the Cutter insect repellant we literally bathed in. Supper was my last night of my 3 day cooking rotation. Spent several hours picking "crunchy bits" out of the rice for the vegetable curry. A lot of effort but it was worth it since we had the first batch of rice that did not have surprise teeth crackers in it. Lillie: Today we finally got Robyn on a plane to Europe. I am also a year older although I really do not feel it. Pete says I look better than ever, probably because I have lost some weight in my face. We camped about one hour outside Kisangani and I have developed another upset stomach. So no food for me tonight. I hate having to skip meals. We should be leaving Zaire in the next 3 to 4 days. Zaire has been an experience, its bureaucracy is amazing, and it appears to be the epitome of the unpredictable living arrangements of Africa. Being in the middle of Africa, it has the flavor of the Congo and the jungle, what one typically imagines as "Africa." DAY 55: Monday - April 26 Pete: Continued north all day on the road from Kisangani to Bangassou. Extremely hot and humid, especially at lunch time when the sun is directly overhead and there is absolutely no breeze. This part of Zaire is not particularly scenic, all rain forest and the endless villages stretching for miles along the bumpy roads. Lillie is pulling out of her recent affliction of the intestines. In the late afternoon, after plummeting ceaselessly along the eroded packed clay road, we entered the expiring town of Buta. The tree-lined lanes, paralleled on each side by dilapidated brick homes, belied what was certainly a long ago quaint community of gentile white Europeans and gentle Zaire villagers. We were greeted, however, by a machine gun khaki clad African waving us into his headquarters. His purpose was officially to inspect our passports. Suspect his ulterior motive was a free lift home, since it was so close to quitting time and that is precisely what he obtained, a ride home after the "necessary escort" to the village market. Lillie: A very hard day of travelling through jungle and passing no villages. The mosquitos proved to be very bad today. It was great to be camping in the bush rather than in a city. The cities seem to breed filth; while the bush seems relatively clean. DAY 56: Tuesday - April 27 Pete: The insects in this region of Africa must be experienced to comprehend. Every night we are treated to an assault of wondrous "horrible bugs" (as George would put it). We decided to sleep in the mosquito net at first last night, but were deceived into thinking rain was imminent about an hour later by a brilliant display of lightning and approaching thunder. So we raised the tent in darkness at 11:00 p.m. Typical Daily Schedule 0530 Wake up, pack up sleeping bags and mats 0600 Breakfast 0630 Pack up tent 0640 Go for a walk ahead of the truck 0730-1300 Travel 1300-1400 Lunch 1400-1730 Travel 1730 Pitch tent 1900 Dinner 2200 Retire DAY 57: Wednesday - April 28 Pete: An eventful day, if you consider getting the truck unstuck and upright from a partially collapsed bridge. The roads in this part of Zaire are deteriorating rapidly as we approach the northern border. The roads are so narrow that bamboo, trees and foliage are constantly scraping both sides of the truck making it dangerous, if not impossible to either sit in the crow's nest or hang your feet over the sides of the truck without threat of loosing a limb. The aforementioned "bridge" was merely one of the typical plank crossings over the streams. We were halfway across this particular bridge when the rear right wheel disappeared as one of the planks shattered. Luckily, the truck did not capsize over into the dry stream bed five feet below, or we would still be there now. We were able to jack up that side of the truck and by using sand ladders, drive out of the predicament in about an hour and a half. Several trees were down across the road, and we had to chop our way through them. Two ferry crossings, one unmotorized also contributed to a day of slow progress. A plank breaks on one of the "bridges" crossing a stream
DAY 58: Thursday - April 29 Pete: Thought yesterday was eventful, today was absolute adventure. Most of the day was spent chopping, bouncing and bashing our way through the rain forests again. Until, that is, we attempted to cross a bridge that broke under the weight of the truck. Another three inches and the truck, David, and all our belongings would have disappeared into the stream 10 feet below. As it was, the truck miraculously came to balance on its axle on a beam as we who had crossed ahead on foot stared in disbelief at our misfortune. Or fortune, since we still had a slim chance of recovering the truck. And a slim chance it was, for it was obvious that the slightest error in judgement or a shake of the truck would send it toppling to starboard with nothing for us to do but gather our broken belongings and walk the remaining 30 kilometers out of Zaire. Chris, being the smallest and lightest, "volunteered" to crawl on the back of the truck and retrieve the necessary tents, food and essentials. Thus equipped and with darkness quickly setting in, we set up camp for the night in the road to face the task of righting the truck tomorrow. On another bridge, it happens again! The planks collapse and the truck nearly topples into the river 10 feet below. This time some locals appear and assist.
We set up our tents in the middle of the road and proceed to cut down trees to rebuild the bridge. Lillie spends the day tending the fire to boil drinking water in the 100 degree jungle heat.
DAY 59: Friday - April 30
Pete: Well, the truck was still perched on two planks tottering on the bridge though David got up several times in the night declaring he thought he heard the bridge creaking and was certain the truck would soon fall. So we proceeded to jack up the right side of the truck inch by inch, first front, then back, and then the front again until we had raised it level once again. Then we proceeded to cut down trees and use the logs to reconstruct the bridge under the wheels on the right side. It took most of the day to gather enough timber and boulders to shore up the bridge enough to drive across, all the time with the threat of the truck tumbling down on top of us. We had the help of about five or six local residents. They worked hard beside us and showed us a thing or two about the use of an axe and a rope. Around 4:00 p.m., we had reconstructed the bridge sufficiently to attempt the crossing. And a jubilant success it was. Afterward, Lillie, George and I went to visit the home of one of the locals who showed us around. Inch by inch we jack up the truck, stabilize it with boulders, and install the newly hewn timbers.
Finally we reach the point where we risk driving across our makeshift repairs.
DAYS 56-59: Tuesday thru Friday - April 27-30
Lillie: Today the villages we have passed have been tiny without any markets to speak of. So our food has been off the truck. We have traversed two ferry crossings. One in an African canoe, very slender wooden boat with 10 of us hanging on needless to say. I wasn't sure we would make it. The bamboo in the jungle is like none I have ever seen before. It is so thick that it is used in the construction of their huts. On 04/29/82, we got stuck on a bridge; the truck was halfway down into the crevice. It was a very close call. It took 25 hours for the locals and our group to rebuild the bridge. Several of the Zairian bridges were real thrills. I spent most of the day boiling water and hauling logs. In the evening after the success of crossing the bridge, several of the Africans, who helped with the bridge reconstruction brought out their musical instruments, bells and music box. We asked if we could visit their huts and they agreed. One of their neighbors lived in an two-story mud hut held up by bamboo poles. It was furnished with bamboo beds. We would have liked to buy one of the musical instruments, but it was obvious that the old man loved the music box and would not part with it. Sitting with the Africans in their house was one of the best experiences I have had. Tomorrow we cross to the Central African Republic and hopefully out of the dense jungle. The jungle has taken a toll on all of us, from ulcerated mosquito bites to another case of malaria. The humid climate seems to aid in the formation of sores, etc. |
It was immediately noticeable upon crossing the border that Zaire is a much poorer country than Rwanda (L-R: Chris, Lillie, Beth, & Martin)
The children are so lovely coming to meet the truck, smiling and cheering Really refreshing washing naked in a heavy rain on the equator after a long, humid, hot, dusty day bouncing around the truck. It was ironic to see this little one caged while his cousins played in the trees above him The walk in the jungle was quite long, slippery and damp. Getting deeper into the heartland jungle every day Thicker forest, closer to the road Huge stands of bamboo Villages farther apart Monkeys in the trees, though very shy The truck crossed a bridge where we had to walk across. Boards were missing from the bridge! Overall, I have found Zaire to be fascinating, just hope malaria is not an outcome. Everyone was bitten much here in Zaire! I had an eventful birthday party this evening. Pete found me a cake! It is quite an experience celebrating one's birthday in Africa Five or six of the group were bitten mercilessly by sand flies while we camped at the Olympia Hotel Extremely hot and humid, especially at lunch time when the sun is directly overhead and there is absolutely no breeze. The insects in this region of Africa must be experienced to comprehend. Every night we are treated to an assault of wondrous "horrible bugs" (as George would put it) The truck miraculously came to balance on its axle on a beam as we who had crossed ahead on foot stared in disbelief at our misfortune We set up camp for the night in the road to face the task of righting the truck tomorrow It took most of the day to gather enough timber and boulders to shore up the bridge enough to drive across, all the time with the threat of the truck tumbling down on top of us. It took 25 hours for the locals and our group to rebuild the bridge |