Nous Sommes Libres!

We finally made it out of Congo-Brazzaville!


On Thursday we said goodbye to our lovely South African friends after Annalisa gave us all chakra cleansings and massages, which, strange as it sounds, made everything seem right and resolved. My chakras that were closed exactly matched all the confusing thoughts and insecurities that somehow crept into my travels these past two months. The treatment left me totally at ease and revitalised to resume our trip.

We also had to part ways with Olivier and Catherine, the owners of the Hippocampe restaurant and hotel. They were so kind and supportive of us that I actually felt sad leaving Brazzaville; it had almost started to feel homey after making so many new friends at the hotel and from the US Embassy.

And strangely enough we also had to say goodbye to a wormy little puppy that our local friend, Destin, had impulsively bought off the street and thrown in my lap. He was in sore shape--worms in his belly, fleas, maggots coming out of his back leg and barely old enough to be away from his mom. But we were able to get a vet to come see him who agreed to take the dog, but not before I got a little attached.

So, with all of us in good moods, heavy hearts and nervous we approached the Brazzaville-Kinshasa crossing again. This time everything went smoothly with the help of DRC consular who called ahead to immigration officials and ensured us a safe passage. It only took two hours to clear immigration and customs was no big deal--they didn't even search the cars nor hassle us about "disinfectant spray" for the cars.

We gleefully headed into hectic Kinshasa with our new host, Bob, and English expat who's been in the Congo for about 15 years. He was quick to get us beers and potato chips (which were quite the luxury--it is wicked expensive for the nastiest stalest generic chips, and here he was offering us bbq potato chips and DORITOS!!) and offer to take us out to his favorite pizza place and bar. The restaurant, O Poeta, and bar, Greg's Place, were 99% white people. It was so weird to hear so many American, British, Belgian and French accents. Kinshasa has a hug diplomatic and UN presence. Something like 20,000 UN employed folks alone who, trust me, know how to revel in the delights of Kinshasa nightlife. We hit club Ibiza and afterwards VIP where I met folks from Boise, Idaho and Vancouver, B.C. I was so excited to talk about the good ol' Northwest, especially when the UN flight attendant from Vancouver said, "You're from Seattle?! I love Seattle! My favorite clubs are Neighbors and R Place. And have you ever been to Manray?"

Anyways, after a series of funny events that I won't mention to save a friend some embarrasment, we decided it was best to leave Kinshasa the next night and head to Chutes d' Zongo, one of the ONLY tourist attractions listed for the DRC, upon recommendation of Bob. The waterfalls ended up being beatiful and relaxing. You can hike around to the opposite side of the canyon and bathe in the mist of the powerful falls and there are plenty of scenic lookouts. We camped the night and met some other folks from the US embassy camping for the weekend as well as a group of Dutch folks taking a break from their jobs at Heineken. We ended up sharing some beers with the Dutchies(of course locally brewed, compliments of Heineken), after which they offered to let us stay at their guesthouse in Matadi.

Things couldn't be going better for us now. We are being put up graciously in the Heineken guesthouse, each with our own rooms, a cook and a refrigerator full of Primus an Mutzig beers and Coke. This morning we went to the Angolan consulate to apply for our visas and were told to return tomorrow morning first thing to get them, no problem. Plus Matadi is a beatiful city. It's all hills and winding roads with the Congo river passing right through. So, for the first time in two months, things are truly going our way!

Hopefully my next post will be from somewhere in Angola or, perhaps even better, Namibia or South Africa. My plan now is to be back in Pretoria by July 4th for the embassy Independence Day celebrations and to see my friend John Clemo, my former housemate and now a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, at the festivities. I'll post some good photos of my new friend Denis, the chief of police on the Brazzaville-Kinshasa ferry who for some reason let us take photos with him on board (major security no-no) and the falls as soon as I get a chance.