Congo Travel Blogs

Mzungu in the Mist
Oct 29, 2004 (18 photos)

... the sign had told us was Zaire. But this is no longer the case, we were now entering the Democratic Republic of Congo. After our passports were stamped, we left the crumbly customs office with gunshot wounds and headed for the park permit office. We ...

Gorilla Trekking!!
Oct 6, 2005 (4 photos)

Whilst in Kisoro we drove the short distance across to the Uganda/Congo (Zaire) border, we passed through immigration with no problems whatsoever! It was actually quite scary being in a war torn country like Congo, the poverty there was like nothing we ...

DJ vs the Volcano - Round Two
Apr 28, 2007 (34 photos)

... the Goma/Lake Kivu area, but by the time I was arriving, things had gone relatively calm. When you are speaking about Congo, that is a HUGE "relatively." I found out that about 5 days after I left there were five murders during one night in the town. ...

Oh Give Me a Home.....
Nov 25, 2008

Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday.  It's the best thing about America, I think.  And although I tried hard to ignore it's coming and passing, it has struck me like a 2 x 4.  A wave of homesickness startling in it's intensity ...

Into the fire and ash
Aug 4, 2007 (10 photos)

... for some time, ever since I started thinking about tracking mountain gorillas, of visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This region of East Africa is both historically, and presently, tormented by rebel forces committing all sorts of atrocities. ...

BVAWT005 - FCBB
Sep 13, 2008

FCBB -  Maya - Maya Airport 

Gorilla Trekking
Sep 12, 2006 (2 photos)

... , they have 1,000,000 shilling notes...worthless and speak French and Swahili so Kenyan boy Stu fitted right in...'You are a Congo Man!' Over the border a 3.5hour drive in old rickety 4x4 with no suspsension before we even began the trek. I was starting to ...

Hometime, Downtime
Nov 3, 2008

This weekend was the first one in a month or so that we actually spent time at home, usually we try to get out of Pointe-Noire for Sunday at the very least.  But this weekend we stayed in town.  Saturday we visited with two lovely ex-pat ...

Congo Graduation Day
Sep 4, 2007

... ", PLNC for short.  It is an effort by Didi and Musee to curb the overwhelming corruption among government leaders in Congo.  The have had some measured success so far and their efforts have already yielded about $7,000 dollars being turned back ...

Buying wicker furniture
Dec 26, 2008

We recently had an interesting experience buying a piece of wicker furniture, a chaise lounge for the sweet bare terrace that wraps around our apartment.  Our friends had had two made for them buy local craftsmen, so a few weeks ago Ann-Mary and ...

Oscar's Entry (with Henry's comments)
Aug 23, 2008

Dear everybody, I made a real castle (photos to follow!). We're still unpacking. Workmen are helping us down in the school. I'm helping unpack the boxes, too. We went out with Davina to a restaurant. I am trying new food. I had some french ...

UUgh
Jun 11, 2008

I should mention that we aren't moving from Cambridge to Pointe Noire, first, we are moving home, to our house in western Mass. Yes, two moves in six weeks.  I am trying to rid myself of everything unnecessary.  How do you do that with toddlers ...

Just another day
Oct 30, 2008

There are things that you get used to in Africa, like your kids' skin ailments, and washing your hands a thousand times a day.  Also watching your kids play in the sand and dirt and then take a big handful of snacks and shove them in their mouths ...

Independence Day
Aug 15, 2008

Today was Congolese Independence Day, 48 years free of French rule. Our boss, Tony took us to a party he was throwing at a local restaurant for his employees. The food, once again, was delicious. We were even given our own Schlumberger tee shirts (what ...

Before We Begin
Jun 6, 2008 (2 photos)

... , antibiotic cream, pots and pans, books, it just goes on and on.  We received the offer to go to the Congo to open an International School which teaches in English on Monday, my husband's last day of graduate school classes.  We signed and ...

Rainy Sunday
Dec 7, 2008

Instead of going to the "secret beach", we stayed around the house most of the day because the rains rolled in around nine o'clock.  We thought there might be a break in the weather, but it only rained some more until about one.  We've been ...

Saka-saka
Dec 5, 2008

Our maid/nanny made us a treat this week, a local dish called Saka-saka.  It is a hodgepodge of leeks and scallions and other greens, with fish and eggplant and (we think) peanut butter...it may sound strange, but it all comes together for a rich ...

time, hair and TV
Dec 28, 2008

So here I am thinking today is Monday and that there are I leave in 11 days. Turns out its Sunday. I have lost all track of time in this place. At one point, I was one hour ahead, then I was OK and now I find that for the last week I have been a day ahead ...

New Years
Dec 31, 2008

Its 7:13 and dawn and I have spent the last 1hour getting ready to go out for new years. I have spent the last 10 min trying to stop tearing up. :( You guys all know that I dont wear make-up, and the reason is because I am a make-up gimp. I cant put ...

Pigs in the 'hood
Feb 3, 2009

So we have some pigs who live in the neighborhood.  They used to be less visible, spending most of their time up on the rise above the swamp dump land across the street.  Then they had babies and suddenly Lyle was all electrified anytime we ...

Stratified Life
Sep 17, 2008 (5 photos)

... I don't mean to wax philosophical, but I used to think that we, as people, could actually change the world through our own actions. Congo makes it real that it's a much bigger problem than that. And besides, what am I gonna do? NOT haggle at he market? ...

Goma -- Day 3
Sep 1, 2007

... packages, resource for church planters, a radio station and many other exciting opportunities to transform Goma.  It was an exciting, but exhausting meeting.  It has been a great day and I can report great things are happening in Congo!

All coming together
Jun 12, 2008

Our travel arrandements have been made and our appartment has slowly benn emptying out.  Friends and family have come to claim everything were giving away, either to keep or to take care of for two years, which is a generous offer.  Time is ...

Bukavu Training Center
Sep 5, 2007

... need to pay another $30.  Now I fully understood why Didi had wanted to have a ministry that would deal with the corruption in Congo.  The claims of the officers were not valid, but they were the ones calling the shots, sooo... I paid the $30 to ...

Getting Better all the Time
Sep 7, 2008 (4 photos)

... 'l School Pointe Noire AM Cloutier (or) David Potter C/O Schlumberger Logelco INC Zone Indutrielle De La Foire BP 602 Pointe-Noire Congo DHL delivers directly, might be expensive, but Adam sent us a big stack of our mail for $11 using a priority ...

Getting around Pointe Noire
Aug 7, 2008

Well, the smell of the generators continues to annoy me, but I got my first look at the market today. How effing cool. Packed, jammed, crammed, teeming. Everywhere you look there are these beautiful women in these crazy patterned cloths made into the ...

The Cape WhoooHooo!
Jun 17, 2008

            The kids last day of school is tomorrow, then we go to the Cape for a week with Auntie Lou, my best friend, and then we move home, temporarily.  The Cambridge apartment is in ...

Another big day at the beach
Nov 23, 2008

... don't have to pay the excessive customs and bone charges that are otherwise part of the way of doing business here in the Congo.  Speaking of which, we have finally had our requisite run-ins with the police while driving in town and minding our own ...

Food Fetishes
Jan 31, 2009

So food is one of the few forms of entertainment available here, and it's also a bit of a battle to maintain and refresh the supplies of staple foods at home that make life hum along with a greater sense of normalcy.  I finally made it to the local ...

Panashe and Dawn Arrived
Dec 24, 2008

So Panashe and Dawn arrived yesterday afternoon. I had spent the last 2 days wishing they would arrive sooner, then when the two little bastards arrived, the first thing they said was "Denise, what happened? You are fat!!!". Bloody idiots. No, hey Denise, ...