Guest Post - The Congo, Part I: Kinshasa
Eleven years into this blog, I can finally present the first guest blog on Worldchump. And from what better source to obtain it than my wife, Liebi, who has been part of this long adventure as much as I have? Here is her post about her recent trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Kinshasa doesn't look like much when you first arrive, but like an onion, as you peel away the layers, you find hidden gems throughout the town.
When you land at the airport, be sure you have your yellow vaccination card to prove you've had a yellow fever vaccination or you will either be vaccinated on the spot or returned to where you came.
Getting from the airport into town can be quite a treck depending on traffic. The road between the airport and downtown is a wide straight highway, but if you time it wrong, what should be a half hour ride can take 2 hours. I've arrived twice on Sunday afternoons during the middle of violent political protests downtown. We had to sit at the airport until it was clear to proceed. The protests are often and getting more frequent as elections continue to be delayed and the population continues to seek change.
And how is this for change? Recognizing the need for some traffic lights, a group of women students built some traffic robots that can be seen up and down the avenue into town. The robots have red and green lights, and for the most part, drivers respect the lights when they are on. There are almost no traffic lights downtown, and if you see one, it's usually turned off, and every intersection is a free for all jam. I used to think that Congolese drivers were the worst in the world, but now that I see how they navigate through the chaotic jams at 4-way intersections, I think they are the best drivers. Most of the cars on the road look like they've been through the Battle of Gettysburg, and that's why. Also, the people piling into buses, vans, and taxis as we sit in standstill traffic has become one of the best people watching episodes I've seen. A van going to a certain part of town stops, 20 people all clammer to get into the door at the same time, there's a guy selling tickets who literally clings onto the back bumper as the van drives away, occasionally someone jumps in through the side window, sometimes the door to the van gets pulled off. That's okay, they just put it on top and keep rolling.
The downtown area has many modern buildings and a range of nice international restaurant options, although they are not cheap. If you want something cheap and fast, pizza is everywhere and so are shwarmas. My go-to place is Hunga Busta which has excellent falafels. Many businesses are run by a large Lebanese community that has resettled in the Congo, although it's a very international city with people from all over. Most people speak French but one can get by with a little English and a lot of creativity. Congolese people are warm and easy going. They are used to the foreigners who stream through for business and international aid, but there is no tourist industry here. Size-wise, the Congo is enormous and has vast resources and used to be the breadbasket of Africa. It could be again if the political situation changed. Instead, most produce is shipped into Kinshasa from other parts of the country, making it expensive, of lesser quality, and it arrives overripe and a little beaten up.
The Congo River is massive, with a strong current that carries all sorts of things downstream all the time at a fast clip. You'll see floating branches, clumps of earth and grass, and all manner of debris. Across the river is Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. The population is around 2 million, while the population of Kinshasa is around 14 million. There is no bridge, so one has to take a boat to get there. They say that the "Congobrazza" is more developed, safer, smaller, and a little more gentle. I'll try to go there on my next trip, but one must have a visa in advance to get in and at this time I don't have one.
It's too dangerous to walk around town in Kinshasa, as it's very common to be robbed at gunpoint, and kidnappings are also a threat. There is one part of town along the river, which is essentially Embassy Row where its safe to walk in a two-mile loop called the River Loop. Embassy guard forces, Congolese soldiers, and a slew of napping gardeners like the loop. I'm not sure they'd do much to help if danger arose, but it's nice to see them there. Along the way, several food sellers or Food Mamas, as they are called, cook over small fires and will serve up a plate of some home cooked meal that you can enjoy on a small plastic table and chair on the side of the road. There's a guy who walks around with a tub of baguettes and meat on his head who will make you a sandwich, and many others carrying around food items for sale like muffins, Belgian waffles, and bags of water (yes, bags, not bottles).
(To be continued)
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