From Gabon to Congo

The convoy. Regis went ahead to DRC.

Bridge to Lambaréné

Lambaréné center

The Albert Sweitzer hospital, where we camped for free

On one of the many bushcamps..

..we enjoyed the sunset

Welcome in Congo

Everybody does what he can

Congo drivers

Lay it down gently

It will get even worse

Stunning Congolese landscapes

Gabon - central Africa

After 5 months and 16000 km, I passed the border to Gabon. Again, most of us got through a country without insurance, a stamped carnet or laisser passer. One of our group even had a 3 month expired visa, and although there was no shortage of checkpoints, every time we bluffed our way through, showing plastificated copies or just our european insurance. Swithing subjects or language would also work when talking to police, as does listing all the countries you passed through to get there. After shaking their head in disbelieve, they would just wave you on.

Can't believe it took me 5 months to get here!

The first days in Gabon we finally crossed the equator while enjoying the perfect asfalt moutain road towards the turnof to Libreville. This road is a real bikers dream through dense rainforest following the big Ogooué river for the last 100 km.

the fast flowing Ogooué river

 Here me and Anita made a bushcamp near the river at a real idylic place, and as we checked out the dense bamboo we heard branches breaking followed by a very big splash in the water. We froze for an instant, as we both realised it could only have been a big crocodile, but we didn't see it, nor any other that evening.

 A bit later it began raining hard without warning, so we retreated in the car and the tent and later took a nice rain shower, all the time watching out for more crocs.

The last bit to Libreville was the usual african potholed asfalt and we found cheap accomodation at the 'Soeur Bleu' as we applied for the last visa's on our way down the west coast. The Congo 'Brazza' visa was no problem and also the DRC visa's seem to be handed out without trouble here in Libreville (40000 CFA for one month, one photo + application form). There is only one visa left and that is the Angola one, the embassy here assured us that at the border in Matadi (DRC) we will get the transit visa, but we know from other travellers that it is near impossible, as it is in Brazzzaville, Kinshasa or Dolisie.

'Soeur Bleu' in Libreville

We will have to see and hope for the best, as we go on this last and hardest bit of West Africa, the roads will sure get 'interesting' now in the rainy season and if Angola lets us in, we might be in 'western' Namibia pretty soon...

Relaxing in Cameroun

From Yaounde, we went on towards Kribi at the coast of Cameroun, a touristic city popular with the expats. We managed to find some cheap places, right on the beach, although the heavy cars got stuck a few times in the soft sand. It was good practice for the winch on Regis' car and the sandplates got used for the first time too.

Streetfood, eat for less than 1 euro

Camouflaged my bike

 Internet was a bit of a problem through Cameroun, and here in Kribe again it was very slow and you need to watch out to get a cyber café with a generator, or the mail you were typing for half an hour, is gone when the power cuts out (happened several times to one of us).
My problem was that I wanted to get some movie clips online, but after trying 7 times over several days, I only ever got as far as 3% upload, so I gave up and hoped for faster internet in Gabon.

Ebolowa

Ebolowa was our last town in Cameroun and was reached along a reasonable piste from Kribi. Most of the pistes here are safe to drive, unless it just rained , and the red soil becomes a sticky and slippery mud road. But so far I got lucky and only on the ring road near Bamenda it got tricky with the bike. The road was so slippery, that on the hills the cars would come sliding down with all 4 wheels locked, unable to steer. (see video cameroun part 2).

I found Ebolowa to be a charming town with good food and for 2 days I enjoyed the luxury of hotel Sara, where for once, everything just worked as it should, plus it was realy clean and modern and good value at 10 euro.

The road to the border of Gabon

So after 3 weeks in Cameroun, we were sad to leave, as it is such a nice country. Most of the asfalt roads are good, there were bars and street food in the smalest villages and  the landscapes were amazing, but we needed to move on, always on the run for deadlines on our visa's.

Cameroun in the rainy season

Camping in the mountains near Bamenda

Bushmeat

More bushmeat

Attack by MutMut flies

The road to Cameroun

We spend a week here for free!

After spending 3 weeks in Abuja, and  being looked after by Stefan and Dagmar (thanks again for everything, guys) the frame of Anita's car was welded realy proffesionally (here we have to thank Udo Strack, we owe you big time)

So now we could leave for the border of Cameroun, before our extended visa's ran out. That evening we found a nice place on the riverbank near Katsina, but the locals came and insisted we saw the village chief. That ment we had to pack up everything again, and reluctantly we followed them to the village on the main road. After getting the permission it was almost dark so we setteled for an improvised camp under the bridge where we were witness to a spectacular lightshow announcing the start of the rainy season.

 
 Next day we drove up to the border, first on perfect tarmac to Takum, then on potholled roads to Bissaula. Nigeria had been crossed without problems, except for  a few rather aggressive immigration officers holding us up for an hour or two, and the people were friendly, athough not all of them appreciated having their picture taken, or as they call it here 'make a snap'. Many times we heared them say 'did you snap me?' .

So that was Nigeria, but we sure expected to get to Cameroun a little easier. Our logic on where to cross into Cameroun was a bit faulty, which had us end up on the worst road between the 2 countries.

 We didn't want to take the infamous Ekok-Mamfe stretch (just type it in YouTube) although we were informed that it is easily passable now and soon the Chinese will finish it. We also had information on the moutain road via Gida, Beli, Mayo to Gemou which was good but ment a 200 km detour. So when we arrived in Takum, and the locals assured us the road was good (why do we every time believe that) to Bissaula and the border.

 Actualy the locals were right, up to border the road was nice, with a few water crossings and beautifull lush rain forest. It was the next day, just after we were stamped out of Nigeria, and still in no mans land, things got hairy. After a watercrossing and a steep rocky hill, that already had my heartrate up and had me sweating profusely, I decided to put all my luggage in the car. A little further came the real test, even without the heavy luggage I only made it halfway up the nasty steep and very bumpy hill. When a big rock slowed me down, I had to put the bike down, luckily just hurting my finger, but by then I was exhausted, and close to heat shock. It took me some time to catch my breath, all the time being harassed by the tiny flies (witch had the habbit to crawl only into my ears, the others had no problem).

The hill that beat me. Trust me, it is steeper than it looks here.

 When I tried to attack the same stretch, it went all wrong at the same place, the bike went to the ground, sending me flying down the hill. There Regis was in the right place to catch me in full flight, and we almost went down toghether, but we mannaged to stay on our feet, lucky escape. We then decided to get the cars up first, especially Regis' car, which had a winch, that could winch us up in the worst case scenario. With fear and amazement I watched the cars crawl up the hill, the diff lock on and the 4 wheels strugling to find grip on the loose rocks, all of them only just missing the stranded bike while rocks shot from under the wheels. When we had a break halfway up, eating some pineapple, three guys arrived on a moped (a moped in Africa carries 3 or more, yes) and they convinced us we had to get the bike up as soon as possible, because by now it had started raining, and the piste would get slicker by the minute. With combined effort, it took 6 guys and a towing rope, we pulled the bike up 30 meters. The last part up was just as difficult, but miraculously I stayed on the bike and 20 minutes later all the cars and the bike were on top.

Santa and his helpers

Sliding down

 A quick snap with our rescuers and then on to the descend, as daylight was fading and the skies looked menacing. This also soon turned out to be tricky, just as steep and more slippery as the other side, my two wheels where going in different  directions and as I picked up more speed I came close to having a crash several times. The others seemed to enjoy all of this, but I'm no thrillseeker, no adrenaline junky, I find it hard to enjoy myself when I fear for my life, and this was certainly the scariest thing I ever did! So after the cars slid down, some sliding into big rocks or ditches, we made it to a flat piece of road just before dark and spent the night right there, on the 'road'.

Next day rewarded us with an easy connection onto a good piste where we picked up some workers and gave them a lift to the border town police office of Ako. Some of us then  got into Cameroun without a valid visa, because the officer didn't bother to look at any of the visas and as the customs where not in the village, we also didn't bother with a 'laisser passez'. If it wasn't for the gnarly road, I would even recommend this border, realy easy.

Cameroun was all I hoped for, nicer and more developped than Nigeria, very friendly people and stunning landscapes. It was no coincidence then that our bushcamp that evening was the most special so far, under some eucaliptus trees, right next to a spiky hill, overlooking the whole valley.

The 'Fon' of Kungi

An 'actor' from the movie

 The villagers soon informed the chief that some strange people had landed, and a couple of hours later the 'Fon of Kungi' himself was standing on the hill. We promised to come to the palace the next day, where a whole ceremony with some fermented drink and cola nuts followed and it was made clear that a donation was expected. Kungi was such a nice place, and soon it was decided we would stay for a few days. Regis especially liked it as he got to play a role in a movie some guys where filming and even we were filmed having breakfast at our camp place. The next morning we saw the 'gorilla' the people said lived on the mountain. It turned out to be a baboon, but it made the whole experience even more special nevertheless. This place was just magic.