First, I am sorry for the poor quality of these pictures. There is a reason.
During a heavy rainstorm, I fell into a pot-hole full to the brim with murky water. This "pot-hole" was waist high and took more than the width of the road. Me and the bicycle were totally submerged. My handlebar bag, which contained my Nikon FG camera among other valuables, immediately filled with water. I tried to dry out the contents later but the camera's shutter froze open the next time I used it. I rewound the film manually but it got scratched. I managed to salvage these photos at least (and one more on the next page).
In retrospect, this was the worst moment in the entire tour. I had 40km to arrive at my next village. It was getting late. I was hungry, tired and was running low on supplies. After I got the bike and myself out of the water, my situation overwhelmed me. In the pouring rain, I clenched my fists, screamed to the rain clouds, "What the @#$%^&* did I do to deserve this? I want to go home. I want to go home and have a cup of tea with my Mom!"
These pictures give you an idea of what Zaire was like.
The top left photo shows my method of transportation to cross a smaller tributary of the Congo River.
The top right photo is the national road (to Zambia) which became a sea of mud after it rained. Standing on the top of this road proved quite difficult for I kept slipping.
In the bottom right picture, my national highway became a tractor trail. This road ended up in a grassy field. My gut feeling told me to cycle on, where I eventually waded through a marsh (which smelled like a latrine) and then to higher ground. I reached my intended destination even though there were no road signs.
The bottom left picture is the real travesty. This is a national bridge on the "trans-national" road on your way to Zambia! What sickens me is that this country is one of the richest in the world...it can potentially feed Africa. However, malnourishment, disease and lack of infrastructure due to corruption prevails.
Note to Reader: Zaire (People's Republic of Congo) may be the most intense country you'll travel in Africa. |
