| The real adventure begins with the 35 mile | | | | inexperienced drivers and 'cent-cent' truck |
| drive from Pointe Noire to Madingo-Kayes, a | | | | taxis. The name comes from the cost of the |
| city on the Kouilou River. Everyone had | | | | ride: 100CFA (some $0.10). These trucks are |
| agreeded that the pirogue would leave Madingo | | | | overloaded, with cargo at the bottom of the |
| at 6 am. From Pointe Noire, that would be a | | | | cab, passengers on top of the cargo, the |
| half an hour drive - plus the unforeseen. | | | | whole thing so unbalance that the truck |
| Let's leave at 5 am. In the Congo, that's a | | | | rolls over at the least bump. I rode one |
| two hour drive plus the unforeseen ! Let's | | | | once. Just once. It was the most |
| leave at 3 am... Why so much emphasis on the | | | | extraordinary and the scariest experience in |
| unforseen? Because of the asphalt. That's | | | | my life, between the songs, the prayers and |
| right, let me explain. The road starts with | | | | the food. I din't ask what the food was made |
| asphalt, but not any kind of asphalt. Some is | | | | of, and I'll never forget the smell nor the |
| as old as 20 years, some just vanished. Do | | | | indescribable taste. But the scenery was |
| you know what a pot hole is? There they call | | | | fantastic. We passed by fields of termite |
| it a cow hole - imagine the difference! Why | | | | mounds, not the huge well known ones, but |
| such bad roads? Lack of finance to fix them, | | | | smaller seaside ones, up to 2 feet in height |
| torrential rains that wash out everything - | | | | and a foot in diameter with a characteristic |
| don't forget that Pointe Noire is only some | | | | mushroom shape. In dense areas you can find a |
| 330 miles north of the equator. | | | | mound every 4-5 feet, not a good place to |
| | | | build a wood framed home! But the sight of |
| Quickly the highway becomes a dirt road, well | | | | such fields is breath taking. |
| not completely. There is still some | | | | |
| reminiscence of the concrete road that was | | | | Well, at 3 or 4 in the morning, you can't see |
| built in the sixties. This part of the road | | | | any of that, it's too dark. The sun rises |
| is the worse, the pieces of concrete slab | | | | at 6 am plus or minus 30 minutes and sets at |
| floating on the sand, the road foundation | | | | 6pm plus or minus 30 minutes. So to see the |
| almost hidden. When your front wheels hit one | | | | cow holes, concrete slabs, snakes, antelopes |
| it always finishes with a well known 'clong | | | | and other Sibissi, (no sorry, no elephants in |
| clong' noise and a cost over $500. To avoid | | | | this part of the country) you just have the |
| this, you have to drive slowly, very slowly. | | | | headlights, nothing less, nothing more. |
| Then asphalt comes back again when you arrive | | | | |
| next to the bridge crossing the Kouilou | | | | We arrived around 5:30 am at the bridge |
| River, it's still a good quality asphalt for | | | | which gave us time to stop at the center and |
| the last 3 or 4 miles. The bridge was built | | | | look out to sea and the Kouilou mouth's sand |
| in the late 80's by an oil company. This | | | | bar, which are oriented west. With the sun |
| concrete bridge is an anachronism compared to | | | | rising at our backs and a high tide coming |
| the surrounding structures. | | | | in, we were lucky to see a breathtaking |
| | | | scene. Waves were crashing onto the sand bar |
| This road is tough, very tough, and accidents | | | | a few yards away and the sun lighting up each |
| are frequent. Most are caused by | | | | drop. God's hand was not far away. |