You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jan 25, 2009 07:00 PM Kin - la belle?
In the colonial period they called the capital of Belgian Congo Kin-la belle... Not much left! Few shaded streets cose to the grand river - some villas locked around by high fenced walls...
The highlight for me was Sta Anna Catholic Mission ) escape from the noise and ever)present police /keep your camera well hidden in the bag/
Todays Kin is crowded dusty and polluted 8-million metropolis!
To be there once and to see is enough.
Some 25 km from the town I visited rare bonobo monkey sanctuary /entry 5 USD/! I was working hard to get for you best possible pictures! Then alfa-male big bonobo throw on me and a camera a big portion of the sand from the distance of 2 m! They did not warn me about such a danger. Excuses came too late...
Ca you imagine that the 10 km car ride from the central bouleard 30 Juin to the hotel can take in the evening more then 2 hours in a smog ) thats Kin la Belle!
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Jan 24, 2009 07:00 PM Kinshasa: last state- last frontier
Bonjour! I landed in Kinshasa - DR Congo
Hot - crowded and corrupted! It has the opinion to be one of the African last frontiers. I have been already twice very close to Congo: in Brazzaville and in Rwanda - but I did not decided to enter because the fights in this huge and poor republic.
It seems to be the last state in the world that I did not see before! I am always emphasising that traveling is not a sport and that I do not travel for points and awards! But most people rank travellers according to the number of countries they visited - they ask me very often about that. So now the answer will be much simpler.
Tomorrow I plan to go around the city and later to try to sail the Congo River.
Greetings from African outback!
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Jan 23, 2009 07:00 PM Where are your diamonds?
In the distant Freetown airport they do not have any working screening machine... So they have many body and baggage controls before they allow you go to the plane. I was asked twice to open bags and they checked almost every pill in my first aid kit. Yes, they search for diamonds! Tourists are still rare here so they are surprised that you are not smuggling.
I thing that real smugglers use the other way then the airport or they pay huge bribes not to be disturbed...
The flight to Accra was on time. In Accra "transit officer" (you must find her) took me through the immigrations without any control. I found my backpack on the belt. OK. Then we get out of the terminal to enter again departure hall from the street (nothing will surprise me - it is Africa!) I checked in for SA flight to Joburg without transit visa and any stamps in the passport.
Then 6-hours night flight in the cold airbus... Brrrr... I got cold... I am sneezing and coughing. You can survive the jungle but you will get a sick in the modern aircraft!! :))
In JNB airport I got my backpack with partly destroyed cover - I have to repair it now.
I stay a night in Shoestring Airport Lodge - www.shoestringsafrica.com - they provide free airport transfers - the place is worth to recommend... I am resting before tomorrow's flight to Kinshasa.
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Jan 22, 2009 07:00 PM Harmattan is blowing...
It is blowing today, waves are high... Those of you who want to enjoy the blue sky in Sierra Leone should come here in the end of February/March...
Today the sky is grey... I do hope that they will not cancel the departure of an junk hoovercraft conecting Aberdeen with the distant Lungi Airport.
I am departing today - it will be difficult operation - three flights almost one by one: via Accra and Johannesburg to Kinshasa. I do hope that African airlines will not loose my backpack... The itinerary looks non-logic, but believe me - that was for me the last expensive solution to move to Congo.
Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Jan 21, 2009 07:00 PM Chimpanzees and the warm ocean
I stay in Aberdeen - Lumley Beach area with nice beaches... It is hard to find here cheap and safe accommodatiom - the last expensive solution if you want to be close to the beach is Sweet Mother's Motel where they charge 100 000 leones per room, where (sometimes) they have electric power and running water.
It cost 15 000 leones by taxi each way (like one hour drive) to get to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. They allow tourist to get in at the time of feeding - 10.30 am daily. You have to pay 30000 leones enfry fee and then the guide will take you for the tour.
Chimps - almost a 100 of them - have here wide enclosures and a lot of freedom, but the disadvantage for tourist is that they stay in a distance. I loved most the babies from the quarantine section - I have some good pictures of them. Couple of adult chimps were throwing rocks on the visitors - you should be careful...
I the afternoon I was swiming in the warm ocean. Sierra Leone has probalbly the nicest beaches of West Africa... They are almost empty. Tomorrow I'll fly out of the country - so it was the last chance to enjoy it...
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Jan 20, 2009 07:00 PM Freetown - the capital of Sierra Leone
Freetown is located on the hilly peninsula. In the past - in colonial times it was probably nice city. But now it is one-million people African city. Noisy, crowded and polluted. Withe permanent traffic jams, thousands of people on the roads and sidewalks. It is really hard to survive for the nature-loving traveller like me... But there are still some places to see. Number one is in my opinion old railway museum (they had two lines). Old locomotions and carriages stay in the big hangar and are worth a visit. Entry by donation...
Then there is huge cotton tree in the central part of the city with a court building and some high banks around. When I was taking a picture an agent accommpanied by a policeman stoped me and investigeted who am I and why I am taking the pictures. Finally they decided let me go but it was unpleasant event and it gives you an image how the things go here... National museum has just 2 rooms and charge 9000 leones per person and there is St John churs to visit nearby. I decided to escape from this poluted city to the other side of the peninsula where the beaches are...
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Jan 19, 2009 07:00 PM Poda-poda to the capital
There are two buses per day between two largest cities of Sierra Leone. They depart from Bo at midnight and 4 am.
I did not want to travel during the night - you miss the chance to enjoy the scenery, it is unsafe and tiring...
Thanks God there are also little, carampy and junk minibuses called poda-poda departing in the morning. What is the time of departure? It depends how fast they will fill-up. I was waiting only slightly more then an hour - and this was very good result - as they said. The fare is 20000 leone per passenger plus 2000 per backpack. First hour were driving on the paved road and I became very optimistic. But then asphalt dissapear - it was again well-known red, gravel road with clouds of dust. Palms along the road are red, so are the houses in the villages...
We reached Freetown at 3 pm. The capital has so much trafic congestions that poda-poda do not enter the centre. I was walking about an hour to get to the Place Guesthouse - sweaty way, but also a good exercise after hours spent in the crampy poda-poda!
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Jan 18, 2009 07:00 PM Bo - where the diamonds are...
Old, colonial Sir Milton Hotel in Bo (second large Sierra Leone's town) has water 24 hours per day and the electric power from 7 pm till 7 am! What a luxury! They charge 50000 leones per night including continental breakfast...
I had a chance recharge my batteries and to make a great laundry. And to have a little rest after hard adventures of the last days.
Bo is full of different Diamond Offices - places where middlemen buy raw diamonds mined by the local people in the countryside around. I hear here about Europeans coming here with a hope to find their Eldorado. But many of them loose...
People in Bo are nice and friendly. As you can see I found an internet cafe where they charge 8000 leone for an hour of the slow connection. There are mosques and poor churches, but I enjoyed most the colonial architecture of the commercial streets in the compact center of the town.
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Jan 17, 2009 07:00 PM Sierra Leone - African outback
Tiwai Island on Moa River. In the morning local ranger took two of us for the walk through the jungle. Tiwai Island is descripted to have high concentration of the primates. But do not think it is a ZOO and that chimp monkeys are coming to your hands... They live in their natural habitat. We saw them jumping like in the circus some 15 m above the ground at the top of the high trees. Rare red colobus and Diana monkeys... They eat fruits and fresh leaves... The rainforest was lush, hot and humid and the paths very tiny... We saw also a lot of flowers , butterfies and fruits.
It is advisable to make clear at arrival what you will pay for. Most of Tiwai visitors are diplomats and NGO workers from the capital. They do not take care about the pennies. So the locals try to milk them as much as possible. Make sure what will be on your bill - what your meals and guide will cost!.
In the afternoon we took aboat from the island to the village (it is included). But there were no single car in the village. They called for the motocycles from Potoru. So it was for me another day on the motobike on the red, dusty african roads. We changed the transport twice. In the evening we reached Bo.
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Jan 16, 2009 07:00 PM A night in the jungle...
Did you hear about Tiwai Island Wildlife Sancturary? I the remote part of Sierra Leone there is an island on the Moa River - it is 12 km long and 6 km wide. The local authorities establish there a sort of National Park.
From the little village of Potoru I was traveling again by motorbike - it is 10 miles on the narrow gravel road and the charge 15 000 leone for the ride. 1 USD is worth 3000 leone. Then from the little village on the bank of the river they will take you to the island. they have a camp there.
The entry to NP with accommodation in the tent costs 60000 leone per day. That's the place where I spent a night listening to the sounds of the jungle. There were two tourists only on the lush island!
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