Through DRC...

Today was our last chance to get the Angola visa. We were summoned to the embassy, together with our group and the vice consul of Belgium to speak to the vice consul of Angola. Innitially the vice consul was very possitive and he realy wanted to help us get the transit visa, but after a few phonecalls it was apparent that he could do nothing. Because of the elections in august in Angola, all transit visa's were blocked, the only option for tourists is now to get the visa in the home country, and this was no option for our group, now 5 people from different countries, as it would take too long and cost too much. Most of us were allready more than 2 weeks in Matadi so we needed to make a decision. Luckily Anita got her visa sent by DHL today from Namibia, were she is resident, but the rest of us are condemmed to the long and hard Kinshasa - Lubumbashi road. Once in good condition under Belgian rule in the 50'ties, now only accessible during the dry season by some trucks and pushbikes. It is regarded as one of the most difficult roads in the world and our only advantage is that all of us researched this road for some time now. My friends (www.roamingafrica.be) did this road last year and their gps track will be our guiding line through the DRC, 2000 km towards Lubumbashi and then onto safe and modern Zambia.
Tomorrow morning we will leave, not stopping in Kinshasa, to make our way round Angola and it's retarded visa pollicy. This time, my fear outweights the excitement big time, it won't be easy. Expected next blog entry: in at least 3 weeks. Wish me luck!

Congo Brazza to DRC

From Dolisie, we made a 4 day tour to Pointe Noire to get some repairs done on Thomas' car and in the mean time, try our luck at the Angolan consulat. As expected, the consulat didn't even let us in, saying that no tourist has got the visa there, ever! With the repairs done we returned for a short stop in Dolisie and then went onto the piste towards Mindouli, where we would turn right to avoid Brazzaville and Kinshasa alltogether, as the ferry between the 2 countries is often referred to by overlanders as ' the worst experience of the trip' and we heard stories of tourists being put in jail on the Kinshasa side for no apparant reason.

Congo looking to the border of DRC

Mindouli trainstation

 The piste turned out to be alright and posed no problems now that we arrived in the dry season. Once we got to Mindouli, we had ourselves stamped out of the little Congo and were on our way to the dreaded DRC border.

Towards the border post

We had some trouble finding the little road into the mountains towards the border post and again we spend hours inbetween borders, strugling with badly rutted steep inclines before we arrived at the tiny post of Nzala, where we changed some money and nobody even mentioned the fact that we got our visa in Gabon and not in our home country. We were put onto the right grass overgrown track towards Luozi by the border people and arrived a little later at the family of mister Fidel at Moutanga Ntende, where we spent our first night in Drc.

 It took us two more days to arrive at Luozi along beautifull but hardgoing pistes, but as my bike suddenly and mysteriously consumed 50 % more fuel, I ran out of petrol just 20 km short of town centre. Luckily Thomas had some 2 stroke in his generator, which worked fine. The DMG (immigration services) where already waiting for us as they were telefoned from another village we crossed, and this time they made us pay 10 dollar for filling in the information form, witch we reluctantly paid after getting a receipt.  We would soon learn that the DMG would turn up just everywhere, even at a mountaintop bush camp, but mostly they where friendly and just wanted to write down our names.

Webcam fun

 In Luozi, Thomas decided to take the ferry, and me and Anita took on the piste that stayed on the North of the congo river as the scenary was just unbelievable and the roads were challeging but not too hard.

Bit muddy, otherwise fine...

160 euro worth in Congolese Francs

 We even spent an extra day just camping in the mountains so it took another 3 days to finally arrive at the bridge over the mighty congo at Matadi.

Pushbike, the main transport of goods to small villages

Not going hungry on the piste

DRC holiday

No phone reception all the way to Matadi

In Matadi, which proved to be quiet larger than expected, Regis, our French companion, was getting the visa formalities sorted, as he was there for already more than a week. He made good friends with a lady who worked in the embassy of Angola, but as the embassador was out on holiday, we had to wait till next week.

Matadi

Best campspot ever

Matadi by night, having some fun with long exposure shots

Boma, looking at Angola at the other side

As we had some time to kill, me and Anita went out of town, first to Boma, but as that was a bit of a disapointment, back towards Matadi, into the mountains that overlooked the city. When checking out a little village near the river, and as we both were out of the car admiring the view of the congo, some kid reached into the car and stole my Ipod. I only realised it that evening and the next 2 days we visited the village to find a solution.

At this moment, my Ipod was swiftly grabbed from the open car

 It was a bit surreal, the whole village knew about the theft, but explained it was already sold and they could do nothing, but after talking to the village chief, a big mama and some staged drama, the next day the Ipod turned up again, and I paid them a little compensation, as the story was the mama had to buy it back with her own money and the thief was on the run. We didn't let it get to us as we found a real perfect camp place on top of the mountain, overlooking the little thieving village and the bright and big Matadi.

Last news: well nothing, still waiting to get permission to apply for the Angolan visa ....

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