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Up and off. Breakfast at the stalls of omelette and coffee. Douane is shut so wait outside till they turn up at about 08:00 then down to the river. Simon is pissed off because he was going to go across alone with some diesel and fetch the ferry. He went the wrong way.. Negotiate with the chief on the price of a pirogue crossing and get across for 1500CFA, some deodorant and my straw hat. (Thanks Richard). Then have to negotiate with the ferry skipper and get 4 vehicle for 200FF. In the mean time we have patched up a crew member who slashed his foot. Get across the river first and drive up to the dilapidated customs building. Then it starts. The immigration officer manages to purloin $100 from me and $50 + £20 from Pat before we realise what he’s up to. Manage to get that back by pure luck and lack of brass neck on his part. Meanwhile Rob & Simon are informed their visa has expired - $100 each to get an entry stamp. Move on to customs and they want $6 for each camera, a scam I think especially when the last permit was issued in 1989. But for $6, I’m too tired and pay. Get Z20,000,000 in change. Vehicles are then inspected and the two who paid get through fairly easily. Mike’s is inspected carefully and they find one of the four cameras in Rob & Simon’s. Meanwhile the truck has arrived to be informed 5000CFA/vehicle for overtime on the carnet. We make off and manage to get 25km into Zaire before the end of the day. Spend the evening bartering with the locals. | ||
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Local spectacle as we have breakfast. Mike’s starts then falters with air in the fuel. Don’t know from where. Get on the road and make good time to Mongo. Incongruous. Street lamps and a huge brick built mission. Stop at the mission for water and advice. Are told the ferry on our intended route is not working as the water level is too low, so are forced to head for Bondo. Road doesn’t improve.
Constant concentration. Kev manages to rock the vehicle while horizontally suspended. Mike does the opposite and gets cross axeled.
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Mike’s again fails to start, so end up towing it. That puts me in the lead. Make a couple of mistakes, taking off one small bridge and dropping a tyre off another. No known damage. Road into Bondo very good. Town itself disappointing, but with another impressive mission. Spent some time in the market area which was probably a mistake. Drove down to the ferry and were met by an immigration official and some soldiers. We were totally unprepared and came away much the poorer. I lost $90, $50 fine and the other $40 purloined. Also lost my Swiss Army knife and the solar calculator. No I didn’t I just found the knife. God is great, god is kind. Also found the calculator. So I’m $90 down. Hilary and co. are $400 down. They found $300 stashed and the form was wrong. Mike lost another $50 and then everybody else lost something, a coat or a camera (Mary Lou). My catapult went but the guy who took it turned up carrying it - so I got it back. When we did get away the ferry then wanted 10l per vehicle. It could also only take one at a time. Realised overnight that the $40 was the ‘donation’ to the soldiers. Got to the far side as it got dark and drove ~ 5km till met the disused railway line. Drove along for 100m & set up bush camp. To bed about 21:00 | ||
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Woken about 00:30 by a fire burning 10m away. Wake Kevin & Rob and we put it out. But why was it started. Back to sleep for an hour to be disturbed by a larger fire 400m away. Enough. Pack up and set off through the night. Rig the halogen hand held as a driving spot. Very useful. Slightly detached from the experience. Flash memories. Stopping Kev because my fanbelt has gone again. Being guided across a bridge in the dark and the guide being backlit. Over a railway bridge rocking and rolling on the sleepers. Driving quite easy because the potholes show up well in the light. Arrive in Likati just as it starts to get light and ask directions from an early riser. Over the bridge with broken cross beams. Stop for breakfast at the roadside - plenty of strong black coffee. Road quite good in places and very bad in others but in the main getting better. Join the main road, but no obvious difference, still single track. Get to within 60km of Buta at about 12:30 and stop in a gravel pit for the rest of the day. A Kumuka truck passes empty North bound. They have followed the northern route and have not encountered any problems. | ||
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Off down the road to Buta. A couple of iffy bridges but no great problems. Mike’s fails to start again so I tow him and end in the lead. 4km from Buta cross a bridge and are stopped at a checkpoint. No hassle. Don’t even want to see papers. Get into Buta and meet a North bound Encounter Overland truck. Again have taken the northern route. Not much news. Find the mission then go to the market. Very expensive, tourist rates. Spend part of the afternoon in the bar (an old butcher’s shop) then return for dinner. The rest drink on then smoke some ganje into the night. I crash out. Started with 290l. Remaining 205l used 85l ferries 10l Consumption 75l for 500 km = 15L/100Km 205l remaining gives 1,350 km range and have ~900km to go. | ||
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A late lie till 08:00. Very lazy day but replace another spring bush on the front left spring and top up the gearbox oil. Gets very hot towards midday, so we drift off to the hotel by the river to have a wash and wash clothes, then a cold beer and that sets the mood. From the hotel make for the Butcher’s Shop and spend the rest of the day there. Some continue smoking and Pat has to retire before dinner (cooked at the Butcher’s). Rob is unable to eat his, or even to pick it up. With the parting comment ‘I’m f**ked’, he disappears. Depart the Butcher’s in varying states of inebriation and head back to the mission. I lead and actually take the direct route to be accused of going all round town. I crash as the traditional game of 500 starts. | ||
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Get up at 07:00, but is a very slow start. Decide to make a report about the thefts at Bondo but it takes till 13:00 to get it all typed up. The hotel has no cold cokes and the Africa Explored truck arrives and buys all the cakes from the market. Plantain is bought instead of bananas so lunch is a bit strange. None of the others have had bad problems at Bondo although the truck got the initial ‘into the room’ treatment. Leave Buta, headed for Kisangani still as a convoy of four. The deal is no white roads and only one night in K. The road is good and make about 40kph before stopping in a gravel pit. The road is still dry, even dusty in places but also damp areas and the jungle is closing in. Some large trees close to the road. Pass one broken down Toyota, with a broken 1/2 shaft. In the evening Mike dismantles his front hub to try and cure an oil leak. | ||
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Slow away as wait for Mike to reassemble his front hub. The road continues on in very similar vain, with myself in the lead. Avoid one mud hole to watch Mike come straight through and get stuck. KERR recovery works well. Later I avoid a hole and get stuck (well stuck) in the diversion. Am towed out backwards to the delight of the group.
Arrive at the Banalia ferry about 13:00. The timetable says he doesn’t run until 14:30 but there are obviously enough vehicles and he comes across with a truck to collect us.
The Girls are not impressed having it delivered as they finish dinner. They have only cooked for their car, so I end up cooking pasta and soup for the rest of us. Kev had stayed to cure an oil leak on his front swivel. | ||
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Get up and go. Road of similar quality all the way to Kisangani, boring but not fast. Pass one small town, perched on the banks of a Congo tributary, beautiful setting but basically in ruins. Arrive in Kisangani about 09:30. Checkpoint into town is a mere formality. Find the hotel Olympia and check in. Eugene, the local fixer, is in residence and are also besieged by tailors and others selling knickknacks. End up with three pendants for Z2M and two sand paintings for $6 each. Al arranges a trip to see the Stanley Falls and pole fishermen for $2 each. Supposed to start at 11:00, we got away at 14:30. Very touristy, 1/2 hour walk with a pirogue ferry to where the fishers are , demonstration of the fishing, move on to see more of the falls, much smaller than I expected but water very low. Next a visit to the village to see the chief in full regalia using the talking drum. Then a pirogue trip down the rapids but avoid the fast water. Have hassle through the morning with immigration (quite straight, but time consuming) and Securite ( a total waste of time taking us to the HQ where nobody wanted to see us). Visit Post Restante and collect a few letters for our group and others we know have gone past. Hils parcel is not there. In the evening find a locals kitchen and have haricot beans & rice for Z2M in a small compound. The rest eat chicken and chips at the hotel for Z15M. Mike has changed camps, eschewing local food for the Western equivalent. | ||
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Up at 06:30 but that was a dream, left at midday. Morning spent collecting things. My trousers arrive but were a bit tight - ended up swapping with Hilary for a pair of West African prints. My second pair also turned up and were much better (but no extra pockets). Had breakfast and got some provisions from the market and also traded three of the groups plastic jerry cans for Z20M each. Two cases of beer were bought and that filled the morning. The road out past the mosque was good tarmac until a cursory checkpoint then good dirt. The sky blackened as we went and we soon had a torrential downpour with good lightning flashes. The Girls breakdown twice but Simon kept them going. The group decided to crack on for Bafwasende and a mission, rather than take a gravel pit I spotted. Ended up driving in the dark again, hitting a couple of holes hard. Headlight switch is dodgy and lost lights a couple of times. Also some other problems with the auxiliaries. Fridge running overtime to cool the beers. | ||
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Heavy dew overnight with mist in the morning. Get up at 06:00 and leave about 07:00. Get to Nia Nia mid morning and are quickly through the police checkpoint (very cursory). Stop in town for breakfast but no omelettes on offer. Only have coffee, the rest have rice & beans yet again. Then the market opens. The plastic jerry cans go sporadically at Z20M each, Rob & Simon selling four, Mike and myself one each. Simon’s travelling market then opens and they make a small fortune selling excess materials. (well at least Z100M). Leave sometime after 11:00 and head for Epulu. Road good at the start but degraded towards the end. Passed one section newly bull dozed and from there the road very rough. Some large holes, one of which we took a diversion and I smacked the passenger door. One more piece of character. Am losing a lot of oil from the rear main seal again which is worrying. It’s hot but the oil is not that thin. Lots of butterflies on the route and also a fair amount of other traffic. Arrive in Epulu early afternoon, The Girls have been here for a couple of hours and are well settled in at the bar. The campsite is amazing. Full facilities in a beautiful setting. | ||
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A slow start by all. I get up at 08:00 and wander up to the village with Kevin, looking for breakfast. Not much hope. Came back and did a batch of washing. Then started on the car. Front offside bump stop has gone so fashioned a temporary replacement from a shot engine mount.
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Late start for an 08:30 departure on the bush walk. Not what I expected, the trail was very narrow, which was good but there was not a lot pointed out. Did see an ants’ nest in a tree, the roost of bats in the bole of a tree, strangle vine, primary and secondary forest growth, scrapes for wild pigs, wild seeds (coriander?), hornbills feeding, an ‘alarm’ bird, various fungi. The pygmy camp was a major anti climax as most were in Epulu to get their weekly rations, leaving a skeleton crew one of which was an old hag. Usual souvenir opportunities of bows and arrows and dried seed necklaces - no takers. Back at midday meeting more pygmies on the road. Back to work on the truck in the afternoon. Also pumped across the reserve tank, leaving me with the two front jerries. Repaired the dip stick by fixing a ring to it but oil level looks OK even though it’s parked to favour the dip. From town got a supply of local honey, complete with insects, at Z6M for 500 gram tin. | ||
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Up at 07:00 away at 08:00 heading for Mambasa. Road very good, too good. About 5km from Mambasa hit a horrendous pothole. Spotted it but too late and slid into it at speed. Car, passengers and contents all went in different directions until we hit the ground again. Argh...Drove on and checked for damage, seems OK but a bit of oil leaking from a front flange. Mike limps in after me. He didn’t see it at all and hit it hard at speed. If it didn’t need it before (and it did) his chassis needs repairs now. Have breakfast in town eating the supply of eggs then find the mission and it’s associated repair shop. It’s like a mini industrial site with numerous vehicles being worked on, a sawmill, a flour mill and a wood working shop. | ||
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Spend the night under a tarp covering some new machinery. Kept me dry, the rest get damp from a heavy dew. Stars, constellations changing although Orion is still visible. Need to spend some time getting orientated. Got up at 07:00 and have breakfast in town as Mike prepares for the welding session. Look out our rods which may be usable. Emptied under seat tank which gives about 7/8 full main tank. Repair fixing of front jerries to wings. So have approx. 105l ~ 700km range max. Kabale is ~ 570km. Purchase 100l of fuel for $92 from the mission, I take 60l, Mike 40l. Impressive electrical storm comes in as it gets dark forcing us to shelter. The welders go off on a beer run leaving us playing 500. Use the tent for the first time since Ghana. | ||
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Pay up and leave the mission at about 08:00 and hit the white road to Beni. Despite the rain there is good grip but progress is slow (~8kph) due to the road being badly cut up. Have to cut a couple of small trees to get through but all the bridges are concrete.
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Early start to leave by 07:00. Road pretty good all the way to Beni with one impressive steel bridge. What was this road made for? Got to Beni about 11:00and are back in civilisation, tarmac, good market, banks and shops which are open and a hotel selling good food and cold beer. Have an extended lunch and leave just after 13:00 heading for the Ruwenzoris. Get about 30km to find the road blocked by an overturned lorry. A petrol tanker (empty) had tried to get round the side and its trailer had almost pushed it over the edge. There was no way we were getting past for at least a day. The crews were more concerned about collecting spilt fuel than getting the road clear. Glimpsed the mountains through the mist and turn round. Back to Beni to buy some more beer then on down the road. Scenery dramatically different, with cultivated slopes and pasture land. Heaps of spring onions being transported to market. Arrive in Butembo as it gets dark and spend best part of two hours finding somewhere to camp. Camp at school and have a massive audience in the morning. | ||
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What an amazing day.
Suddenly there is a view out over a perfectly flat plain. Descend the well maintained road and meet the road building squad, then on to tarmac. Pass a herd of antelope (the first wildlife) and arrive in Rwindi just as it gets dark.
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What a waste of a day. Set off fairly early to arrive in Rutshuru at about 09:00. The checkpoint asked to see the carnet and driver’s licence, which we duly handed over. We were then told we needed insurance, despite our insurance not being checked and having been in the country 3 weeks. Are taken to the insurance office where we state our case and wait. Get into the ‘camp in the office’ routine. While the insurance broker finds various commandants to support his case. It’s a scam we were warned about by Freddie but had forgotten. Spent the day based in the office going for breakfast and finding the mission. Get so well established that Simon sits behind the desk and picks the lock of the drawer holding the carnets. I then carry them out in my document case and after a suitable gap (filled getting some beers) we make our way to the mission. Simon, Rob, Kev and Mike stay behind as rear guard and end up having a fight (so they say) with the insurance sh*th**d and also one of the soldiers. | ||
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A fairly easy day. There are no police roadblocks waiting for us and we make our way to the gorilla post to register. Very run down especially compared with Rwindi, but we book down to see two families the next day from Bukima. Then go off for breakfast/lunch back to a village on the way to Rutshuru. Have rice and beans then return to the centre. The rest go on to find out about the volcanoes and find a superb market with strawberries amongst other things. Regroup at 14:00 to drive up a rough grassy track for 1 hour. From where we stop it is 30 mins walk up to the gite but costs $40 per person (?) per night to stay there so we camp at the car park (!) It becomes obvious that the group is going to split. Mike and Simon want to do a three day trek to climb three volcanoes, I don’t feel fit enough for such a trip and frankly it doesn’t appeal especially as we are getting a lot of rain. Am sick a couple of times overnight and sleep very badly. Southern cross and coalsack visible. | ||
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Up at 07:00 to leave at 08:00, am feeling very rough and eat a light breakfast. Takes 30 mins to climb up to the guide’s hut and then another hour through farmland until we enter the forest. Then follow good tracks for a while before we break off into the bush. Walking then become very varied over broken vegetation.
The group is very placid and largely ignores us. The infants are playing in the bushes knocking each other out of the trees, while the adults are resting and eating. Can get very close but are told not to touch them. Spend an hour with them which goes very quickly. Surprised to find them in the trees but a bit disappointed by how uninterested they were in us. When we get back the other group have had a much more active group which were at playtime ( the guide told us we would be lucky to encounter this - they did). | ||
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Camped at the gorilla booking centre and spent the morning separating group equipment between Mike and myself. The party is splitting with 6 and 2 Landrovers staying behind to climb volcanoes and the rest heading for Uganda and the Ruwenzori. The morning is miserable with constant rain and cold. Accompany the others to the first volcano, picking up provisions at the market on the way. When we get there they discover they will climb the volcanoes as two separate trips - there is no way between them. This makes more sense but I still don’t see any attraction in climbing now dormant volcanoes for $40. We return to the mission and do some washing and repair two punctures for The Girls (just Hilary and Caroline now). Repair the horn - a lead had fallen off. Coming back into town are stopped, again, for the insurance scam but basically just drive through. |
Last Changed 23rd Novemner 1999 (Links to full resolution pictures); 22nd Sept 2009 (ported and restructured)
