We passed through Congo in just a few days. Despite a short visit, Congo made a lasting impression. A country full of barbed-wire, armed guards and police in the streets, patrols, dirt roads, river crossings, smiling children running next to our trucks, vast landscapes, bug bites and my first ever fire ant burn. OUCH! I feel so blessed to have experienced such a rural country with 11 amazing people from seven different countries. The Congo/DRC border crossing was hands down the most violent and heartbreaking any of us have ever witnessed. The helplessness we felt there, as we watched women with their children, cripples and blind men get whipped and attacked, was overwhelming. The expression on Kees’ face in the last photo shows the intense emotions of rage, disgust and helplessness we felt there.
It’s always fun to try to communicate with the locals that come to check us out.
The roads of Congo are rather fun to drive.
Our team drivers checking out the river before passing through.
The amazing yellow “tortoise”.
Dusty roads throughout the countryside make driving rather dirty.
Congo has beautiful lush greenery as well to see.
We have another bridge to make passable.
Ben takes the river instead of the bridge and gets himself stuck for once. And finally the big yellow truck can help.
Miles of sandy roads to drive.
This is a much needed gas station.
A very pretty beetle though I can’t find a name for it.
Congo beauty.
There are always lots of friendly people waving in every village.
Little villages along the way are always so neat and clean.
Some fire ant or something did this to Me. A very, very painful burn.
Feeling a little sorry for myself and in a lot of pain.
Dinner time prep crew. Brazzaville
Friendly village children.
Police check point are very random through out the country.
A Police station.
Choking on the exhaust of over loaded truck is not an unusual thing.
More friendly faces.
Happy children come to see us.
I love the gorgeous flowering trees and shrubs.
Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is on the Congo River.
Traffic in the capital city Brazzaville.
Taxis and roundabouts are abundant in Brazzaville.
Malikiyya Mosque in the capital city of Brazzaville.
City life is very different to the village life.
People on the streets of Brazzaville.
Brazzaville
Nabemba tower, Brazzaville
Brazzaville
Time to cross over the Congo River to DRC.
The of Port of Brazzaville is really not a nice place to be. We saw terrible brutality there.
Kees is so upset and trying to stay calm with what we saw going on at this port in Brazzaville
Stay tuned for more #FridayFotos. Next week is Côte d’Ivoire
For more of my travel photography, check out my Instagram account! See you there!
Savannah
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