1st bush trip

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KabeashaI've now got my first bush trip under my belt and i can finally say ive experienced the Congo roads. Myself Murrey and Mubanga tarveled up to Kabiasha, a small village 230 km north of Lubumbashi. we were traveling up there to deliver medical supplies for the local clinic and also 2 sowing machines for the women form the church.

We set off at 6.30 in the morning so that hopefully we could make it up in one straight drive and allowing for maybe a couple of delays. the first 100 km were very straight and also level so that was no problem so we flew through them. but then the fun began. some of the roads were roughly 70-100 meters wide but had around 5 routes in all directions and it was just a huge pile of sand around 2 foot deep. so you have to drive fats enoguh not to get stuck in the sand and slow enough so that you dont destroy the car. Mubanga drove the whole way up. and after that type of road it changed up to a more narrow road with again the deep sand but it also had some divets in the road which had been cause from the heavy wet season rains with wud have trapped a truck who would then have had to dug himself out so let would be divets and holes up to 6 feet deep. and then the likes of trees accross the road. even some times we had to drive off the path into the fields cause the roads were just unpassable. and at one stage we had to drive between two trees with an inch or two either side to spare. all these roads/paths were filled with cyclists traveling down to lubumbashi with a load of charcol or maze to sell in the city. and also we passed through plenty of small villages with the children and even some adults running after the car shouting at you muzongo muzongo (white man white man). and then 12 km from the village we got to a river which the bridge had been completly destroyed and we had to drive throguh the water with kids infront of the car standing in the river so that we knew how deep every part of the river was. so all in all it was a great introduction of the congo road system. allthough we didnt have to dig ourselves out atol which was a pity.

then we arrived up too Kabiasha and out of nowhere people just poped up. and we were unloading everything into the shed were we were gona sleep with crowds watching our everymove. and i couldnt believe how intimidated i was i didnt expect it but there was just so many people crowding around you watching everything. eventually murrey had to go off to some meetings and mubanga was off visiting old friends. and i was left as a child magnet with around 100 kids to entertain. so i pulled together all of the old cssm games and added soem of the rock favourites. and then a game of footie with 50 garcon against 50 fille + pete turned out at a 2-1 to the lads when duck duck goose was called into play cause some stupid kid burst the ball(a balloon wrapped in a plastic bag)

Then when it began to get dark we had set up a huge screena nd a projector to show a version off the jesus film in swaheili but we changed to keloba, then after that the women fromt eh local church had cooked us up a chicken and some rice. then the next day was prity much entertaining the kids all days but most off the day the kids were at school so they would run down to my house at there lunch break to play some games. but the ones who didnt go to school were stuck playing dizzy sticks all day long. then at midday we marched down to the clinic with the medicines so that all the local people would see that the clinic had new supplies. then that night we showed a film on New zealand and then a Film on the storey of Joseph. after those films we got a bon fire going cause supprisinly it was getting cold. and that night was freezing.

The next day we started are return leg of the journey too get back to lubumbashi and i tried not to fall asleep again so i just nodded off for a mile or two. We got to the river crossing just 12 km into the trip to find a jeep had got stuck the night before and was still stuck their 12 hours latter. they had got their back left tyre stuck and also the batterey had gone dead, so we helped dig them out and got them accross the river.

My dads comign out on Wednesday i think and we will be here in Lubumbashi for 7 days and then we will fly up to Manono or Mulongo on the 27th of June

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