Blogs from West, Congo, Africa

Hey all so I have an hour break right here between classes and am in no mood to write my paper so I thought why not post something here? Not that I feel anyone really reads this too often... anyways so this week here at school is called RAG week... stands for something along the lines of raise and give. But yeah besides the point prettymuch what it means is that everyone is just drunk all day long and the school sponsers all these crazy events and the clubs and pubs get it on it too... basically just the best week ever. Yesterday I saw tons of people just walking around campus with bottles of cider and beer and just shamelessly whipping out flasks and at 11am there was already a line out the door of ... read more

Point Noire, Congo to Lilongwe, Malawi.... 4 days and lots of patience!! A laughable attempt to get home So this was it, the day finally arrived after 6 weeks my flight home was approaching and I made the biggest mistake of all, looking forward to it. All was set, having managed to walk into Point Noire and find an internet cafe that worked after the internet on the boat died again.... all was arranged to fit perfectly, out of Point Noire, after an afternoon stroll round the town and on to the beach, down Avenue General De Gaulle, past the new buildings including the new “horrible” looking structure that the Presidents daughter is having built as the “premier” hotel in Point Noire, not finished and yet as with so many fancy buildings amidst all the ... read more

Dry land for the first time in a month! Well, if you can really call it that, not much of the experience I would normally look for, but the chance came up to head into town, via the FRC (Fast Rescue craft) so I took it to go and have a pizza in Pointe Noire. Having been on something that moves constantly with the motion of the ocean since 26th November, I ended up on a boat, anchored in Pointe Noire harbour and just after Xmas, 2 of the other guys I work with said they wanted to head into town for a pizza, would I care to join them. I figured it would be a bit of exercise and i might get to see at least what the some part of the town looked like! ... read more

Congo and Pointe Noire, a deep green sea holding the future of a country? Arriving off the Air Gabon flight from Paris CDG, I am joining the many "oil workers" that have descended upon the West coast of Africa in recent years. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that the airport worked well and efficiently, passport control took less than 5 minutes, there was the usual gaggle of "give me luggage ticket, I will get for you" when you are stood next to the already working baggage carousel. I will be back to see if the same welcome is available to the tourist.... but that is for another day The city streets were the same as many a busy African city, taxis with no brakes dodging potholes that would swallow them, the odd policeman ... read more

Initial reaction of intense disappointment. Where has the city so revered by Europeans and Congolese alike been hidden? True, the coast with its Atlantic waves and golden sand (just like light brown demerera sugar) is stunning. Yet the oil rigs and Disney style resorts invade the beauty. There is an air of something perverse, although that could just be the presence en masse of macho, chain smoking oil rig workers who expulse an aura that money is power. 21 July 2008 I have seen the light. Driving down Avenue Charles de Gaulle at night with the illuminated facades of shops, restaurants, casinos and night clubs shows Pointe Noire in a new light. It almost seems like a European coastal resort - save for the drone of generators and accompanying stench of burning diesel. Yet once beyond ... read more

Back once again to Pointe Noire in the Congo staying at exactly the same safehouse/hotel as I was the last time I ventured here. Not much has changed in a few months besides the food which seems to have gotten much better. Maybe all the meat I was eating was tasty because it was freshly killed? Or maybe it was because it wasn't loaded with chemicals. Bah, either way the grub was good, and the fruits are still fantastic. Head down any street in the city and you will come across some vender hawking their wares. There were these tiny ugly round greenish orange things that when bitten into would blow up in a juicy waterfall, oh man were they good. This time around though I had a few troubles along the way. Chief of which ... read more