Painful soldier ant

I woke up to an early morning; once again the insects unleashed their fury on us.  This time the perpetrators were soldier ants.  They were similar to the one that latched on to Bobby’s flip flop during the forest walk except this time there was significant back up.  The whole campground was infested with them.  It seemed like the most idyllic locale last night but then again, the ants weren’t around.

I walked over to the outhouse and by the time I pulled my pants down, my legs were swarming with the vicious buggers.  They scurry up so quickly that you don’t notice them until they plant their forcep like teeth into you.  By the time I got back to the tent, one had gotten far enough and sunk its teeth into my butt causing me to yelp and jump higher than I thought possible.  I rushed to the tent as I quickly pulled my infested pants off and zipped myself safely inside.  The regular biting ants fled quickly enough but the soldier ants held on to the hem of my pants for dear life; planning their revenge on me, I’m sure.

We all tiptoed and yelped our way through the grounds as we tried to pack up as quickly as possible.  The campsite was located right near the border with Cameroon so we arrived quickly at the gendarmerie only to discover that we need to turn back to Bitam, nearly 30km away, to clear immigration.  We passed through immigration with no problem and even managed to pick up some beignets to much on to tide us over until we got to Yaoundé.

Cameroon seemed quite different from Gabon, the moment we entered there were motorbikes everywhere.  This was shocking considering we didn’t see a single one after weeks in Gabon.  Even the immigration formalities were different; immigration and the gendarmerie conveniently worked in the same building so one man stamped and the other recorded all of our information.  The Gabonese worked quickly enough but it wasn’t obvious at all what the procedure was or who we needed to speak with for that matter.  Well, even Gabonese bureaucracy was wonderful compared to the Congolese.

The roads were very populated the entire drive in Cameroon and we even had 3 tolls to pay before entering Yaoundé, which I was happy to pay since it the roads were obviously well maintained and there was a clear system.  The traffic in Yaoundé was mad!  It seemed like there were more people on the roads driving than there was in all of Gabon!

We found our way to the Presbyterian mission which was a lovely, tranquil haven in the middle of the city madness.  The grounds were grassy and inviting but we opted for rooms, luckily, because the famous Cameroonian rains started just after we settled in.  We would have been completely drenched and not have even saved much money since the rooms were 6,000 CFA (roughly 12 USD) and it would have been 3,000 for camping.  It will be nice to just sit for a little bit, do some grocery outings and get clean.  The only pity is that there isn’t hot water here like the other places.  Can’t win ‘em all.

After our experience with the mandrills it proved to us just how many creatures are living in these woods.  Just because we don’t see them immediately doesn’t mean that they are not there.  To think that Lope has a troupe of 1000+ mandrills roaming around and who knows how many other things!

The road was a very good dirt road for our entire drive today and even the ferry at Booé was functioning and efficient.  I love that when there are no bridges in Gabon, they have free ferries to transport you across.  Once we crossed with the ferry, we got on a paved road that stretched up to Bitam.  I recalled somebody mentioning that the customs office was located in Bitam so we made sure to clear our papers there.

In the Bradt guide, it mentioned a French expat who has hotels in the area.  We decided to track him down to get information.  Rather, I was the one who had to ask around to track him down and then sit and speak with him.  He grew up in Algeria while it was under French control and later came to Sub-Saharan Africa 46 years ago as a French volunteer, similar to Peace Corps.  He has property on the Cameroonian border that he was trying to promote for tourism, which has been sitting idle.  His son is managing the property but I guess not many people pass through this way.  He offered us the chance to camp there for the night.

It took a while to drive out to the area, it was a detour off the main track.  We arrived in a large village that we thought to be our turn off and decided to ask for directions.  There were a lot of people milling about as there was a local football (soccer) match going on.  The man we asked directions for told us to wait a minute and he ran off.  When he returned, he had the hotel owner’s son with him.  He came to the main town to watch the match.

He jumped in the car with us to show us the way to their property and we had to put Rob on the roof, not enough room for us all.  I get an earful of how difficult life is out there; how he is abandoned out at that property, he has no motorbike or transportation of his own.  The conversation consisted of all of the normal complaints that I have no ability to help change… wouldn’t that be nice if I could?

Our timing was great.  We were able to watch the sun setting on the lovely river on the property.  The tents needed to be set up quickly before darkness set in.  We had a simple omelet for dinner and got to bed early.  I hope that tomorrow we will reach Yaoundé in good time.

Mandrills proved to be very difficult to photograph, this is one of the only shots we managed to get.

Since we didn’t get too see too many animals, we made the decision to splurge for the mandrill tour that is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).  They put four collars on members of different packs of Mandrills to track their movements.  Even with this technology, it can be very difficult to encounter them in the jungle.

The employees of the WCS first triangulate the position and we drive around looking for an entrance in the jungle close to these points.  They try to predict which path the mandrills will then take and set us up in a high point hidden behind camouflage.  Mandrills can travel in groups of hundreds, even a thousand.  It is best to stay hidden so they aren’t spooked.

We sat for about an hour before we had the first sign of the group.  First, we heard the deep toned hooting of the males and rustling of leaves getting closer.  It grew louder and began to surround us and then we got our first sight.  I didn’t know where to look because they were every where.  The young were playing in the branches in front, some were drinking from the stream, and others grooming.  It was unbelievable.  I spent the entire time transfixed with my camera and then I realized after they had gone that I actually forgot to press the button.  Our guide had tried to go back with my camera to get a shot for me but they had already scattered.

This experience more than made up for the lack of animals the day before.  Mandrills are unique to the area so it was well worth the money to see them since this is the only place to do it.  We are now satisfied to move on, this was a great note to end our time in Lope.

A family of elephants passing through the jungle clearing.

Today was our big day for game viewing.  Unfortunately there wasn’t much that wished to be seen.  The animals that we did see were very skittish, they obviously still regard humans as being a threat.  I don’t blame them based on all of the bush meat we have seen throughout Gabon.  It will take a long time for them to feel secure enough to stay out in the open areas so that we can see them.
During our jungle walk, the closest we came to an animal was seeing some fresh elephant dung.  Nevertheless, the experience in general was great, knowing all the of the different species are probably watching us.  During the afternoon driving safari, we did come across some buffalo and elephants.  It really made me appreciate the safari that we did in India, how at ease the elephants and tigers were in their park.  Despite not having much game this time, I am sure if we would come back in 10 years or so we will have a very different experience.

Our first day at Lope let us lounge around and get clean!

Nestled amongst the mountains, forest, and the Ogooué River, Lope really is a strikingly beautiful place. We camped last night in a nice grasslands about 80 kilometers outside of the park. It took a while to travel the last stretch since the roads weren’t in very good condition, we weren’t able to go faster than 30 kph.

The Lope Hotel was our first stop. We had to wait a few minutes to get information regarding rooms and safaris because the receptionist was busy having her hair braided. She was eager to quickly give us the information so that she could get back to her hair. We ended up taking a suite that we could all share to try to cut back on costs.

Tomorrow will be a full day; a jungle walk in the morning and an afternoon vehicle safari. I don’t know what to expect other than trees. I don’t want to get my hopes up. The staff from Mayumba had told us that they have seen all sorts of animals in a leisurely day at Lope.

We went into the little village to try to buy some goods for lunch. The bread being sold in town looked tasty enough. As I bit into mine, I realized there was a pretty good amount of sand that must have gotten mixed in with the flour. I was the fortunate one since it was only sand. Peta bit into hers and with a grimace, pulled away. She discovered a strange piece of string in her loaf. A tug revealed that this rope had been in the entire length of bread. It was by far the least appetizing lunch of our trip.

Today I finally did some washing in the sink. I have been wearing the same fuchsia shirt and khaki pants for god knows how long. The colors have changed quite a bit from all the dirt caked on them. I feel like a new person now that I have showered in an actual shower and am wearing fresh, clean clothes.

The beautiful scenery as we drive to Lope National Park.

One day of rest and relaxation was sufficient to recharge our batteries to head out to La Lopé National Park.  On our way past Libreville we made our mandatory stop at the Cécado Supermarkets to stock up on beers and things.  This particular branch of the supermarket was next to all the wholesale fish sellers.  We couldn’t resist the big bags of prawns that the persuasive fishmongers were touting and took a big bag full for dinner.

Leaving Libreville, we passed through the 10 odd checkpoints quickly.  Nobody seemed interested in pulling us over today.  Despite this, we were slow moving out of town due to general traffic and will not reach Lopé tonight.  Even if we don’t reach the park, at least we have the lovely prawns to look forward to.

I'm taking in the view just before sunset.

Our original idea for coming to Cap Esterias came from a Swiss overland Peta and David met in the Congo.  He insisted that if we drive through Gabon that we must stop in Cap Esterias and stay with the French woman there, Marie-Claire.  He had passed a few weeks there I believe and just fell in love with the place.

It took a little bit of guesswork to determine if we were actually in the right place.  When we drove out of Libreville northbound, the road was all under construction and very muddy.  Everything in Cap Esterias seemed closed; apparently, the weekends are when everyone comes.  Being that it was Thursday, we had a hard time encountering a soul.  We finally found the restaurant that is Marie-Claire’s and she permitted us to camp on her grounds. 

Lucky for us; it is a shaded and grassy spot a stone’s throw from the beach.  We spent the majority of the day lounging about, reading magazines, and enjoying the company of a particularly lovely 3 legged dog.

The famous MBOLO center, providing Libreville with all of its imported luxury goods.

First thing in the morning, we went straight to the Cameroonian Embassy to requests our visas.  With the large expat community in Gabon, there is a large, fancy market to suit their needs.  In Libreville it is the Géant Casino Mbolo that sells the imported cheeses, meats, and various other palate pleasing goodies. 

Since our flat tire incident leaving the Siat Ranch, we’ve been carrying around a bad spare.  So it seemed fitting that we make arrangements to patch the tire and get some balancing done while we are at it.  I approached one of the many foreigners at the market and asked if he knew where we could get our tires fixed. 

The nice gentleman, a Polish forestry worker here, not only told us but drove ahead to make sure we found the place alright.  The garage was Lebanese owned and run and charged Western prices but also carried quality goods.  They managed to fix the tire with no problems but spent quite a lot of time attempting to balance the tires.  We literally sat there for hours.  The owner in the end gave us a discount since they were having such difficulties.  I guess it is not a common service in Gabon. 

Everybody was starving after the long wait at the garage so we went to one of the restaurants (also filled with expats) on the waterfront.  It was an authentic Italian restaurant and fantastic (they charge for it also). 

After lunch, our visas were ready and we left straight away for Cap Esterias to have a bit more peace and quiet.  We arrived just in time for yet another stunning African sunset over the Atlantic.

Omar Bongo's Palace in Libreville, Gabon.

Libreville is a surprising place. It was the first time since arriving in Africa that had traffic lights, modern buildings, tons of restaurants and foreigners. Despite all these modern and efficient appearances, we’ve learned that it is still Africa.

Every street corner seems to have an ATM; although we have not yet found one that actually works. It always seems that the system is down or the entire building has lost power. We were pulled over by a cop looking to make some extra money. He saw Peta pulling on her seatbelt and saw that as a good excuse to get us. Most people don’t even sit on seats in vehicles here, let alone have seatbelts. We all played dumb and just started handing him one document after the other. He wanted 40,000 CFA, nearly 100 USD.

We continued to pretend we didn’t understand and he was getting very frustrated at not getting his point across. We all started requesting a ticket, a receipt, or something official. He said we would have to go to the police station then and we readily agreed. All of a sudden, he wasn’t so interested anymore. David said to him “South African, little money; Gabonese, lots of money”. The cop nodded and smiled. David passed him a South Africa World Cup sticker and the officer was thrilled. Amazing after that, we were on our way to the convent in Libreville that was literally only 100 meters away.

We worked our way over to the Cameroonian Embassy also to get our visas. Of course, since none of the ATMs in this sparkling city actually function it looks like we will need to drive out to the airport to pull the money for our visas. It sounds like that is the only one in town in service. Libreville indeed still is Africa after all…

Hungry, hungry hippos

As always, we all woke with the sun. Today we arranged with the fancy hotel in town to take a pirogue ride on the Ogooué River. We packed the cool box with drinks, cheese, bread, and sardines.

We walked over to the hotel and basically just went straight back through it in order to reach the river. The boatman was waiting for us and our first stop was the gas station just on a little dock alongside the river. Also on this platform were some of the catches of the day. The river is teeming with life; hopefully it will stay that way.

Once we set off on our river tour, the animals began to reveal themselves. Luckily for us, David and Peta are very good at spotting birds and animals. We saw countless varieties of birds and I even saw my first hippos! This was also the first area where people started getting mad at Bobby for taking pictures; they do believe that a picture takes a part of their soul.

We all kept remarking on how amazing African rivers are here. It truly is a continent of extremes. The river systems here that are seemingly insignificant would be lauded for their grandeur if placed anywhere else in the world. The rivers provide the food, transportation, and employment for the people living around it.

We stopped along the banks of the river to visit the old mission there. I am not sure if the school or church still functions there but there were still people milling about among the ruins. People were busily laying fish out to dry and there were even small garden patches. I found the tombstones behind the church interesting. They buried the unlucky missionaries who had come to Lambaréné in hopes of doing some good there. It had been a common occurrence for foreigners to fall victim to the illnesses here since they had no previous exposure or immunity. It made me wonder if they were either naïve or brave for having made the voyage.

In the afternoon we visited Doctor Schweitzer’s hospital. He and his wife came to set up a clinic here in the early 20^th century to help the people of the area. The original buildings now house a museum showing the equipment Dr. Schweitzer had used but there is also a modern hospital operating carrying on his work today.

Lambaréné seemed to attract all sorts of do-gooders. There are the kind nuns at the mission where we are staying and all the international doctors who came to work with Dr. Schweitzer. The entire town seemed to have a good vibe to it. Now it is time to leave and head out to the capital, Libreville. I’m very curious how different it will be.