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...