Here at last…..

I met up with our charter pilot the following morning and after some questionable ‘fees’ to fly out, loaded my gear and departed to go to yet another, distinctly different, jungle. The flight out was really nice as I chatted with the pilot, listened to his i-pod, and slept. We landed in Kole to a rather large crowd of onlookers and ‘official’ looking people. Of course, I was requested to pay a ‘landing fee’ and, of all things, ‘tourism fee’. Paul, whom I’m replacing, was able to negotiate a $15 dollar fee to pay the aforementioned charges and tip the baggage handlers. We loaded our gear and moved out to the lab to drop off the boxes and then to the house.

I will say the atmosphere here is much more laid back than in Kinshasa. There are the occasional people asking for money, but over all, everyone is very nice. I met the Sisters (Nuns) and our lab personnel and began getting my bearing as Paul gave me the layout and began showing me the ropes.

If you think you are hard-core, wait until you see an 80 tear old nun on a motorcycle riding through the jungle....you'll think twice!

The food here is outstanding. It is all fresh (killed or out of the ground) and cooked in palm oil. There is tons of fresh fruit, bananas, passion fruit, pineapples, coconuts, etc.) and I was shown the big stick we use to whack the fruit off the tree with. There are ugly lime type fruits which go very well, sliced or squeezed, in adult beverages. One of the best things (and most recommended) is the pili pili, a hot oil made from a local variety scotch bonnet (habanaro pepper) cooked in palm oil and spices and goes well on everything. So far I’ve had the local chickens, some sort of giant sardine (very good), antelope, wild rice, red beans, tons of fruit, greens, and fresh bread.

The accommodations are great. We live in a 1950’s Belgian house, all mahogany and teak doors, windows, and furniture which gives the house a warn spice smell. It is probably one of the nicest houses around. Most of the locals live in mud brick or palm and stick houses. There is a very camping feel here with all the wood fires and lack of facilities, which, make no mistake about it, is how these folks get by day to day. The guilt of my lodging and provisions has set in after seeing the conditions in which these pleasant people subsist. Never the less, they are friendly and offer a polite ‘bonjour’ as I walk by. Being the new white guy, I am still a bit of a spectacle. The cowboy hat doesn’t help :)