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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
333km |
Meals
Harira Soup with bread |
Weather |
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Near Miztic, Gabon |
01 April
2004 |
Bush Camp |
00°22.597’N
11°27.940’E |
Odometer: 16134km |
Hot, humid 100(F) degrees
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We got up early this morning and sure enough
as we were packing up to leave the village showed up to see us off. They
brought us some enormous bananas for breakfast and Graham and Connie gave
them a bag Mountain Man candies. We set off and passed through Ambam on
our way to Kye-Ossi where we completed customs and immigration formalities
for Cameroon. We crossed the border and drove to Bitam where we went
through customs and immigration on the Gabon side. Someone here has
figured out that using a copy machine is quicker than copying details into
a book by hand, but they haven’t quite got that that’s only the case if
you actually have a copy machine. Graham and Witt followed the immigration
official’s lackey all over town to three different shops before locating a
functioning copier. An hour later we were finished and on our way to
Libreville, or so we thought. Police checkpoints in Gabon seem to be
spaced every 500 meters or so and in contrast to the happy, friendly
officials in Cameroon the Gabon officials are decidedly sour. Most of them
so far (we stopped at about 8 this afternoon) have asked for money,
although we haven’t paid anything. We suspect that they either aren’t paid
much or aren’t being paid at all. On the plus side, the roads are
excellent and while driving we make good time. We stopped for the evening
at a very secluded spot along the disused road that the current tarmac
road replaced. Instead of human visitors, we have tons of little biting
flies that leave red marks on the skin. We had a quick dinner of avocado
and tomato salad and harira soup with bread. After dinner we put on our
mosquito nets (that go over the head) and waited for darkness, when the
flies left for the evening. Fortunately there aren’t many mosquitoes. We
watched a bat in its nightly hunting routine and saw several fire flies.
We can hear lots of birds, insects, and who knows what else out in the
jungle. It’s hot and humid tonight, and unlike last night there is no
breeze. |
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Welcome to the Jungle! |
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
184km |
Meals
Hotel restaurant |
Weather |
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Reserve de Lope, Gabon |
02 April
2004 |
Hotel de Lope |
0°06.017’N
11°35.614’E |
Odometer: 16319km |
Hot, humid 97(F) degrees
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Last night was extremely hot and
uncomfortable, with sticky sheets and hot still air. We did get some
sleep, though, and were up just in time for the flies to come out when it
got light enough. We got on the road and after two more police checkpoints
left the tarmac. For the next 70km or so the road was under construction.
The project was huge, with lots of heavy earth moving equipment involved.
We decided that it was very important to make eye contact with the driver
of the 30-ton Cat front loader before driving behind him. We noticed that
in sharp contrast to the police the road construction guys are very
friendly giving us enthusiastic waves and thumbs-up signs. We crossed the
equator today, and of course stopped to take pictures of the GPS. The
scenery was breathtaking with the forest canopy completely covering the
road at times. We decided that we wouldn’t make it to Libreville in time
to begin visa applications before the weekend, so we turned off and headed
toward Reserve de Lope, a national park. We drove alongside the Ogooue
river to a hotel about 115km from the turn off. The drive was beautiful,
as is the hotel. It’s a full-on tourist resort complete with a golf course
and swimming pool. It’s set on a bend in the river and we heard thunder
from a distant storm while enjoying beer and gin and tonics. The place is
expensive at 32,000 CFA, but very nice. |
The road to Reserve de Lope There is lots of savannah in Gabon as well as rain forest Roughing it at the Hotel de Lope (roughing it because the swim-up bar was closed
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
km |
Meals
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Weather |
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Gabon
Missing Updates |
03 April
2004 |
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Odometer: km |
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
km |
Meals
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Weather |
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Gabon
Missing Updates |
04 April
2004 |
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Odometer: km |
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
0km |
Meals
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Weather |
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Libreville, Gabon |
05 April
2004 |
Mission Libremann |
0°24.386’N
9°26.925’E |
Odometer: 16709km |
Cloudy, humid 98(F) degrees
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We visited the Angolan embassy this morning in
anticipation of hassles, but were told that the embassy was closed today
and we should come back tomorrow at 9am. We visited the Congo-K embassy
and applied for visas there instead, and were told to come back in the
afternoon to pick them up. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing
laundry and writing web updates. The weather in Libreville is extremely
hot and muggy, and the addition of wet laundry to our room in the mission
doesn’t help. Graham and Connie visited Mbolo, the local supermarket,
which is the biggest we’ve seen since Marrakech. We anticipate a large
shopping trip there before we depart. Witt received an email from Vicky
today and we met them for drinks and the sunset at the Tropicana Hotel on
the beach. They are a group of five in two vehicles, with Vicky, Slade,
and Krissy in a Land Rover like ours (www.popadd.com/ksv2africa) and Urs
and Elsa, Swiss and French (respectively) in a 6x6 Pinzgauer. They are
interested in joining with us for the next section, which we are happy
about. We enjoyed drinks and a beautiful sunset over the Atlantic before
dinner at a local pizza restaurant. |
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Sunset at the beach |
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
0km |
Meals
Restaurant Papa Union |
Weather |
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Libreville, Gabon |
06 April
2004 |
Mission Libremann |
0°24.386’N
9°26.925’E |
Odometer: 16709km |
Sunny,, humid 104(F) degrees
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We went back to the Angola embassy this
morning, where Graham and Jen had a good conversation in several languages
with the lady at the embassy. We filled out the appropriate forms, paid
our 30,000 CFA, and were told to return later that afternoon to retrieve
our passports. We were quite surprised (and pleased) by how easy it was to
obtain the visa. We visited the US embassy, where we found no new
information relating to the coup attempt in DRC that we heard about in
Youande. In the afternoon we found a café for lunch called Parad’ice,
which serves yummy ice cream treats. We picked up our visas for Angola and
met Vicky’s group for dinner, where we discussed our route. Based on
advice from many different sources, we have decided to go via Franceville,
then south to Dolisie. From there we will either go straight to DRC or go
via the Angolan enclave which contains Cabinda. We have decided to spend
one more day in Libreville doing some car maintenance and depart on
Thursday. |
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today:
0km |
Meals
Restaurant Papa Union |
Weather |
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Cape Esterias, Gabon |
07 April
2004 |
Hotel de Mer |
0°24.386’N
9°26.925’E |
Odometer: 16709km |
Sunny, humid, 102(F) degrees
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We met our new friends this morning so they
could show us where to buy an oil filter (finding quality spare parts
isn’t always easy). We purchased the filters and some oil, then went to a
Total station where we paid the attendant 4000 CFA to use the pit to
change our oil. It didn’t take long, and afterward we met at Parad’ice for
some lunch and ice cream. Graham is having trouble with his steering box,
so we spent the afternoon trying to locate a new one, without success.
Witt and Jen drove to Cape Esterias for the evening to enjoy a night away
from the city, while Graham and Connie spent time on the internet and
enjoyed a nice meal at a restaurant on the pier. |
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Updated Information
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Date |
Camp Site or Accommodations |
GPS |
Distance Today 328km |
Meals
Stir Fry |
Weather |
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Near Reserve de Lope,
Gabon |
08 April
2004 |
Bush Camp |
0°6.333’S
11°22.997’E |
Odometer: 17037km |
Partly Cloudy, humid 98(F)
degrees |
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Our group of four cars departed this morning
at about 9 am. We saw lots of bush meat along the road today, including
monkey, crocodile, and some sort of rodent. We turned off the paved road
the junction for Reserve de Lope, as this is also the road to Franceville.
It rained off and on as we drove, and the road was much wetter than it was
the last time we were here. The rains left rainbows and low hanging clouds
in the valleys, which made for incredible scenery. We stopped to help
extract a car from a mud hole, but still made it to our camp site in time
to catch a beautiful sunset. We made dinner and sat around talking and
watching the stars. As we were getting ready for bed, someone noticed an
orange glow on the horizon. It turned out to be the moon, and we watched
the huge orange ball rise into the night sky. |
Elsa and Urs in their Pinzguer Mucking about with the winch Slade, Krissy and Vick's Landy, "Sid", ploughing through the mud We saw this enormous stick bug in camp
Elsa and Urs in their Pinzguer
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More on Gabon |
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