Central African Republic
République Centrafricaine
République Centrafricaine
Central African Republic, known until 1958 as Ubanghi Shari,
a landlocked country in Central Africa.
The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade.
a landlocked country in Central Africa.
The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade.
The Central African Republic is trapped in a circle of extreme poverty with a situation comparable to some of the most serious humanitarian emergencies in Africa. The cause - ten years of recurrent armed conflict capped by a civil war between October 2002 and March 2003.
Large numbers of people may perish from preventable diseases due to the complete collapse of basic infrastructure and social services, high insecurity and neglect by the international community.
The Central African Republic has a tremendous opportunities.
There is rain. There is water. There is fertile land. There is an enormous potential in agriculture.
This country could become a bread-basket for the region.
Large numbers of people may perish from preventable diseases due to the complete collapse of basic infrastructure and social services, high insecurity and neglect by the international community.
The Central African Republic has a tremendous opportunities.
There is rain. There is water. There is fertile land. There is an enormous potential in agriculture.
This country could become a bread-basket for the region.
March 22. Wednesday / 2:15 PM
I got my Benin visa. I also applied for my visa for Central African Republic and they told me
they will call me tomorrow,so I'm waiting another day here in Malabo.
I got my Benin visa. I also applied for my visa for Central African Republic and they told me
they will call me tomorrow,so I'm waiting another day here in Malabo.
March 23. 2017 / 10:03 AM. Thursday
My visa / Central African Republic / will be good for the next 2 months.
I already contacted hosts over there and will just stay two days.
My visa / Central African Republic / will be good for the next 2 months.
I already contacted hosts over there and will just stay two days.
SUNDAY 07 - MAY - 2017
Kenya Airways 513 / KQA513 / KQ513
BKO BAMAKO, MALI / NBO NAIROBI, KENYA
SUNDAY 07-MAY-2017 07:06PM GMT / MONDAY 08-MAY-2017 04:57AM EAT
6h 51m total flight time
Kenya Airways 513 / KQA513 / KQ513
BKO BAMAKO, MALI / NBO NAIROBI, KENYA
SUNDAY 07-MAY-2017 07:06PM GMT / MONDAY 08-MAY-2017 04:57AM EAT
6h 51m total flight time
Kenya Airways 572 / KQA572 / KQ572
NBO NAIROBI, KENYA
EBB ENTEBBE, UGANDA / BGF BANGUI, CF / 2h 35m total flight time
MONDAY 08-MAY-2017 / 09:30AM EAT / MONDAY 08-MAY-2017 / 10:05AM WAT
NBO NAIROBI, KENYA
EBB ENTEBBE, UGANDA / BGF BANGUI, CF / 2h 35m total flight time
MONDAY 08-MAY-2017 / 09:30AM EAT / MONDAY 08-MAY-2017 / 10:05AM WAT
MONDAY 08. MAY 2017
i arrived to Bangui now. I got my Congo DRC visa today too.
I will go to visit Boali 90 km north of Bangui tomorrow.
I also want to visit Mbaiki 100 km south possibly.
i arrived to Bangui now. I got my Congo DRC visa today too.
I will go to visit Boali 90 km north of Bangui tomorrow.
I also want to visit Mbaiki 100 km south possibly.
On Mon, May 8, 2017 at 8:18 AM
From NBO to EBB to BGF to NBO
I arrived to Bangui now. I got my Congo DRC visa today too.
I will go to visit Boali 90 km north of Bangui tomorrow.
I also want to visit Mbaiki 100km south possibly.
From NBO to EBB to BGF to NBO
I arrived to Bangui now. I got my Congo DRC visa today too.
I will go to visit Boali 90 km north of Bangui tomorrow.
I also want to visit Mbaiki 100km south possibly.
May 9. 2017 / Tuesday / 5:21 AM
I went to Boali. Tomorrow I will go to Mbaiki.
On Friday, I will leave to Entebbe and on Monday to Ndjemena.
I will leave to Paris on Thursday night.
I don't want to go to DRC right away because I need to plan it and the internet here in
Bangui is really slow. It is hard to find internet here.
It was raining this morning, so I didn't get an early start.
In Mbaiki, there is cathedral, monastery, and university to see.
I went to Congo-Brazzaville embassy, but they said it will take 3 days to get the visa and 70.000 cfa.
It is only valid for 3 months. I already have 3 visas still to use,
so I decided not to get the visa because I will stop going to Africa until September.
I need to visit Chad next week and Ivory Coast in July.
I went to Boali. Tomorrow I will go to Mbaiki.
On Friday, I will leave to Entebbe and on Monday to Ndjemena.
I will leave to Paris on Thursday night.
I don't want to go to DRC right away because I need to plan it and the internet here in
Bangui is really slow. It is hard to find internet here.
It was raining this morning, so I didn't get an early start.
In Mbaiki, there is cathedral, monastery, and university to see.
I went to Congo-Brazzaville embassy, but they said it will take 3 days to get the visa and 70.000 cfa.
It is only valid for 3 months. I already have 3 visas still to use,
so I decided not to get the visa because I will stop going to Africa until September.
I need to visit Chad next week and Ivory Coast in July.
May 11. 2017 / Thursday / 2:35 PM
I visited Mbaïki today. I stopped in the village of Bosongo too.
I am back in Bangui now.
I visited Mbaïki today. I stopped in the village of Bosongo too.
I am back in Bangui now.
May 12. 2017 / Friday / 5:05 AM
I finished my trip here. I visited Boali and Mbaïki.
I am now at the Bangui airport and will go on Kenyan Airways to Entebbe, Uganda.
I hope I can go there because they changed the visa rules.
I need to connect in Entebbe with Ethiopian Airlines to reach N'djamena
because there is no direct service with Kenya Airways from Nairobi.
I finished my trip here. I visited Boali and Mbaïki.
I am now at the Bangui airport and will go on Kenyan Airways to Entebbe, Uganda.
I hope I can go there because they changed the visa rules.
I need to connect in Entebbe with Ethiopian Airlines to reach N'djamena
because there is no direct service with Kenya Airways from Nairobi.
Kenya Airways 572 / KQA572 / KQ572
BGF BANGUI, CFN / BO NAIROBI, KENYA
Friday 12-MAY-201710:42AM WAT / Friday 12-MAY-201701:23PM EAT
BGF BANGUI, CFN / BO NAIROBI, KENYA
Friday 12-MAY-201710:42AM WAT / Friday 12-MAY-201701:23PM EAT
Sit anywhere in the taxi, as long as you give space for the driver to see out the window.
(Central African Republic, May.8 -12, 2017)
The chief of the 10 security guards carrying baton bats
around this monument in N'Djamena,
Chad told me I needed to pay them 11,000cfa ($20) to take photos (so he can pay his workers).
Either pay them or wait around bargaining for an hour and pay 10%, but it's all a waste of time.
They told me if I don't pay, just to go home.
Super hot at 40C or 104F. (With my tour guide, Frederick).
Central African Republic is one of the last countries in the world
to allow people to ride on the roof of taxis. Never saw this one before.
(Central African Republic, May.8 -12, 2017)
The chief of the 10 security guards carrying baton bats
around this monument in N'Djamena,
Chad told me I needed to pay them 11,000cfa ($20) to take photos (so he can pay his workers).
Either pay them or wait around bargaining for an hour and pay 10%, but it's all a waste of time.
They told me if I don't pay, just to go home.
Super hot at 40C or 104F. (With my tour guide, Frederick).
Central African Republic is one of the last countries in the world
to allow people to ride on the roof of taxis. Never saw this one before.
Arial View of Bangui
Boali
Boali, Central African Republic. 9th Feb, 2017.
Notice, that most of the names start with a "B"
Pygmäen Schrittanz Zentralafrikanische / MBaiki
Mamadou M'Baiki health center MSF in the PK5 in Bangui
Kids playing in the water at Bosongo Village
My Trip in the
Central African Republic
Central African Republic
It is fun thinking about traveling the world in the comfort of your own home, but if you actually go out and do it for yourself, it is difficult! It is hard work! I’m not joking.
Of course, if you are going to have a ton of money and just hire a tour guide, go to a hotel, have a private driver, and rent a car, then things might be easier, but I’m doing it all local style. I’m going to each country as if I live there: I meet local people, ask to stay at their home, use public transportation, catch rides with locals, and walk around on my own.
I would say I like trying to local food, but since I’m vegetarian, I stick to eating fruits and vegetables and similar foods. I’m not too adventurous, but if you want to try grasshoppers, worms, and other exotic foods, there is always the opportunity in Africa. That’s what’s I’ve seen being sold even in a gas station convenience store. Can you believe it?
Going to Bangui was a bit difficult. I couldn’t find any hosts after attempting to find one for over a month. Since my visa would expire soon, I decided I needed to go there and just hope for the best. Someone recommended I stay at the catholic mission. I arrived to the airport and it was loaded with UN people coming to work. I was the only tourist arriving.
I asked my fellow passengers for advise and then the guy who had sat nearby me helped me. I asked if I could catch a ride with him into town. He had a private driver picking him up. Of course, no UN workers are allowed to host. I was on my way to the catholic mission and talked with them. The person of contact was gone, so I decided to look around and first go to the embassy of Congo DRC.
After being there for 1.5 hours, I was able to get a visa because I was a special case. They told me usually the NGO and UN workers are coming to get visas, but they never had a tourist want to come and get a visa. I was happy to get the Congo DRC visa because it is one of the hardest visas to get! It wasn’t even that expensive. I walked down the street searching for water and then I found the main cathedral in town. It was popular because many people know about it.
I went inside to take a look and when I was coming out, I saw a guy wearing a Vietnamese red shirt with yellow star! I bought the same kind of shirt back in Vietnam, so I was surprised to see him wearing it. I asked to take a photo of the shirt and then I was surprised he spoke English. He was looking for an electronic piano to play because he is a part of a church group and they are practicing for an event.
While getting to know him, I asked if I could stay with his family and he told me it would be possible. He would just need to call ahead to tell them I was coming. That solved my accommodations problem for Bangui. I felt relieved after meeting him. It was only 3pm and I stuck around the cathedral with him. I wanted to visit more of Bangui, but I would be able to see things later.
I didn’t feel too comfortable walking around on my own and seeing UN vehicles and sometimes the occasional UN pickup truck with armed soldiers patrolling the area. Since it was my first day, I didn’t know the rules and I wanted to make sure I was safe. I listened to them practicing singing until dusk. I got bitten by a bug, possibly a mosquito. The itch swelled up like a mosquito, but I wasn’t sure.
I really dislike mosquitos because I’m afraid of getting malaria. When we went home, he went to a pharmacy to buy mosquito coils to burn at night and ward off potential mosquitos. Luckily, I had no more problems with mosquitos for the remainder of my 5 days in Central Africa.
The standard issues occurred as elsewhere in Africa: limited electricity, basic facilities, and dusty roads. I had to take the bucket shower, but there wasn’t even any small bucket to fill and pour over my head. Instead, it was just a large bucket and I had to use my hands in a cup formation to take and pour over my body for the shower.
Of course, I got used to it. I’m not a big fan of African food (particularly cassava, which they just love here). I didn’t eat much as a result. I ate the mango, avocado, and baguettes. My host was John and he came from a family of 7 children (5 from the first wife and 2 from the second wife). His father had two wives, but his second wife already left him.
I was informed to go visit Boali, which I did the second day of my visit. I wanted to leave by the third day, but I was recommended to visit Mbaïki. That means I extended my stay from 3 days until 5 days. There are not flights everyday, so that caused a bit of planning. I went to the cyber café, but internet is so slow! I was trying to book my ticket, which took 30 minutes just to load the webpage and then the power went out and all the computers went black! It was so frustrating!
Africa teaches you patience. I almost want to cry sometimes. On my third day, I basically did nothing. The director of the cyber café allowed me to use his laptop and I finally managed to book my flight ticket. It was a relief, but I would have to stay now in Central Africa for another two days. Traveling isn’t enjoyable as much as it sounds. I sent a text to my new friend, John, and he came to meet me at the cathedral. This cyber café was next door.
If you search for any photos for Central Africa, it will come up with terrible images. I decided to take a look at what to expect in Mbaïki, but the first image that popped up on the search was terrible. I closed the page, not wanting to see that the internet shows! I would rather listen to what people tell me than listen to what the internet says. I realized that the internet just scares you and you’ll never want to travel to certain places. But, the opposite is true too and the internet makes places look beautiful when they are actually dirty (like Thailand).
The problem was that it rained for the first two mornings, so I couldn’t get an early start at 5am. The sun rises early around 5:30am, so everyone is up early here. Luckily on my fourth day, I got up at 5am and it wasn’t raining. My big goal was to visit Mbaïki, which was 105km away from Bangui. John told me how to manage taking the three shared taxis across town and then finding a bus.
However, when I got across town, I couldn’t find any transportation. I waited an hour. Africans always seem to be helpful and are helping me find a way to get to my destination. I already got a taste for public transportation between towns: taxis would overload their car with people sitting everywhere, including the roof, trunk, and even front windshield.
They make it feel like this is the last car going to the destination. It is partly true because you don’t see many vehicles driving between cities. I get tired of crammed conditions. When I went to Boali, I was given an inside seat in the front, but had to share it with a mother and her child. On this trip to Mbaïki, I decided to skip waiting and just try hitchhiking.
It was way more comfortable! I got into a car in the front seat and had a nice window to look through and I could take many photos. I enjoyed passing by those overloaded taxis and minivans. He only took me 40km down the road then I had to walk through the village and over the hill until I found another vehicle. I passed by a palm oil manufacturing plant (small one).
I walked and talked with the locals for about 2 hours until I found the next ride (a flat bed truck). It took me to the next National Guard police station. They had to register my passport and name then asked for money. Why do I always have to encounter problems in Africa! Of course, I didn’t want to pay, but I had to be friendly and not make them mad. It is always another obstacle to pass and it becomes annoying.
Yes, I have plenty of time and that’s what you need if you don’t want to pay: make them bored with you. I told them I have no money and that’s why I was hitchhiking, but they told me I must have a lot of money because I flew here all the way from America. I told them I work at the airport and my tickets were free. Then a pickup arrived and registered with them. I asked them if I could go with the pickup since it was another ride for me.
They studied my passport like a book because it has 92 pages and so many visas inside. They were already bored with me, so they gave me back my passport and let me catch this ride onwards to Mbaïki. Luckily this couple in the pickup truck drove me straight to my destination and dropped me off in front of the cathedral. I visited the place for 10 minutes, got photos, and was happy nobody bothered me. You always have people wanting to help you, give you a tour, and accompany you. They are just curious about you because I’m like an alien to them.
I saw some kids with a stick trying to catch mangos from the tree. I joined them and helped collect mangos then I ate about 5 mangos. I ate another two down the road and an 8th one even further down the road. I was full and was happy I managed to get a mango lunch. I caught a ride with a Doctors Without Borders Jeep and he took me nearly to a bridge then I walked further. I wanted to visit the ISDR University. It has been open since 1968 and never had any problems in this area.
There are 40 professors (some are part time) and it has 120 students. I finally made it there and talked with one of the teachers, who had been teaching there since 1991. I barely had any time left, so after talking for 20-30 minutes, I had to leave. I got a ride with a motorcycle (4 of us on it) then hired a motorcycle to take me back to the cathedral then I asked for a ride on a pickup truck with 19 people sitting in the back.
I would prefer to sit inside, but it was getting late and I had no choice. We drove down the road for 45 minutes then stopped to join a party. I don’t know what the occasion was, but people were drinking a locally made beer (probably palm wine). I always get confused in Africa and I don’t understand them completely. Luckily, I know some French, but it is never enough. While waiting for them, I saw another pick up truck. I stopped it and asked for a ride. Luckily, this time I got to sit inside and there was only one guy in the back.
There were 5 people inside, including the driver. I value safety, especially since I saw an accident my first day of a motorcycle, who hit a taxi. The things I see on my travels never surprise me, but on this ride back to Bangui, we drove through a village and ran over a chicken. It was flopping its feathers all over the place afterwards. But, I guess it really doesn’t matter since they were probably going to kill the chicken anyway. I got back to Bangui after dark.
I really dislike roaming around after dark in African cities, but I was becoming comfortable with this city after passing through the city. I managed to get back to my neighborhood where I stay, but there are thousands of people walking along the street at the marketplace. I called my host and he came to find me. I was invited for dinner at his neighbor’s house. We ate with candlelight because there was no electricity or light. I ate cassava and a veggie sauce.
I’m not a big fan of African food, but I managed. We had to walk home in the dark because there was no electricity, but luckily there was a full moon. I never realized how important a moon is until I came to Africa.
I slept well, sharing the bed with John all 4 nights. His family has a 4 bedroom house: John has his own room, the three boys sleep in another bed in another room and then in the other room is a bed for the two sisters and finally the fourth bedroom is for the parents and the youngest sister sleeps with them. It was nice of them to host me. Everyone looks at me when walking through their neighborhood. John’s neighbors would ask, “Where did you find him?” in reference to me.
Finally the last day came and I was happy to finally leave. But, even leaving isn’t easy. There are so many obstacles everyday in Africa. Why does life have to be so complicated? I never dreamt of the western world as much as when I’m in Africa. I appreciate my time only after I return from my trip. Photos are forbidden at African airports and I’ve already had my share of bad experiences in the passed, so I didn’t want to risk it anymore. I was very careful.
The airport was very old, probably from the 70s and small. It is antique and interesting for me, but sadly I couldn’t take a photo. I don’t understand their logic. There was a departure tax I was supposed to pay, but I managed to avoid it. I don’t know whether it was true or a bribe, but luckily they let me pass without paying. I got on the plane bound to Entebbe, where I’ll pass the weekend then fly on Ethiopian Airlines up to N’djemena, Chad.
I’m curious to see that country because it is supposed to be one of the hottest countries in the world because it is right in the middle of the Sahara desert!
Of course, if you are going to have a ton of money and just hire a tour guide, go to a hotel, have a private driver, and rent a car, then things might be easier, but I’m doing it all local style. I’m going to each country as if I live there: I meet local people, ask to stay at their home, use public transportation, catch rides with locals, and walk around on my own.
I would say I like trying to local food, but since I’m vegetarian, I stick to eating fruits and vegetables and similar foods. I’m not too adventurous, but if you want to try grasshoppers, worms, and other exotic foods, there is always the opportunity in Africa. That’s what’s I’ve seen being sold even in a gas station convenience store. Can you believe it?
Going to Bangui was a bit difficult. I couldn’t find any hosts after attempting to find one for over a month. Since my visa would expire soon, I decided I needed to go there and just hope for the best. Someone recommended I stay at the catholic mission. I arrived to the airport and it was loaded with UN people coming to work. I was the only tourist arriving.
I asked my fellow passengers for advise and then the guy who had sat nearby me helped me. I asked if I could catch a ride with him into town. He had a private driver picking him up. Of course, no UN workers are allowed to host. I was on my way to the catholic mission and talked with them. The person of contact was gone, so I decided to look around and first go to the embassy of Congo DRC.
After being there for 1.5 hours, I was able to get a visa because I was a special case. They told me usually the NGO and UN workers are coming to get visas, but they never had a tourist want to come and get a visa. I was happy to get the Congo DRC visa because it is one of the hardest visas to get! It wasn’t even that expensive. I walked down the street searching for water and then I found the main cathedral in town. It was popular because many people know about it.
I went inside to take a look and when I was coming out, I saw a guy wearing a Vietnamese red shirt with yellow star! I bought the same kind of shirt back in Vietnam, so I was surprised to see him wearing it. I asked to take a photo of the shirt and then I was surprised he spoke English. He was looking for an electronic piano to play because he is a part of a church group and they are practicing for an event.
While getting to know him, I asked if I could stay with his family and he told me it would be possible. He would just need to call ahead to tell them I was coming. That solved my accommodations problem for Bangui. I felt relieved after meeting him. It was only 3pm and I stuck around the cathedral with him. I wanted to visit more of Bangui, but I would be able to see things later.
I didn’t feel too comfortable walking around on my own and seeing UN vehicles and sometimes the occasional UN pickup truck with armed soldiers patrolling the area. Since it was my first day, I didn’t know the rules and I wanted to make sure I was safe. I listened to them practicing singing until dusk. I got bitten by a bug, possibly a mosquito. The itch swelled up like a mosquito, but I wasn’t sure.
I really dislike mosquitos because I’m afraid of getting malaria. When we went home, he went to a pharmacy to buy mosquito coils to burn at night and ward off potential mosquitos. Luckily, I had no more problems with mosquitos for the remainder of my 5 days in Central Africa.
The standard issues occurred as elsewhere in Africa: limited electricity, basic facilities, and dusty roads. I had to take the bucket shower, but there wasn’t even any small bucket to fill and pour over my head. Instead, it was just a large bucket and I had to use my hands in a cup formation to take and pour over my body for the shower.
Of course, I got used to it. I’m not a big fan of African food (particularly cassava, which they just love here). I didn’t eat much as a result. I ate the mango, avocado, and baguettes. My host was John and he came from a family of 7 children (5 from the first wife and 2 from the second wife). His father had two wives, but his second wife already left him.
I was informed to go visit Boali, which I did the second day of my visit. I wanted to leave by the third day, but I was recommended to visit Mbaïki. That means I extended my stay from 3 days until 5 days. There are not flights everyday, so that caused a bit of planning. I went to the cyber café, but internet is so slow! I was trying to book my ticket, which took 30 minutes just to load the webpage and then the power went out and all the computers went black! It was so frustrating!
Africa teaches you patience. I almost want to cry sometimes. On my third day, I basically did nothing. The director of the cyber café allowed me to use his laptop and I finally managed to book my flight ticket. It was a relief, but I would have to stay now in Central Africa for another two days. Traveling isn’t enjoyable as much as it sounds. I sent a text to my new friend, John, and he came to meet me at the cathedral. This cyber café was next door.
If you search for any photos for Central Africa, it will come up with terrible images. I decided to take a look at what to expect in Mbaïki, but the first image that popped up on the search was terrible. I closed the page, not wanting to see that the internet shows! I would rather listen to what people tell me than listen to what the internet says. I realized that the internet just scares you and you’ll never want to travel to certain places. But, the opposite is true too and the internet makes places look beautiful when they are actually dirty (like Thailand).
The problem was that it rained for the first two mornings, so I couldn’t get an early start at 5am. The sun rises early around 5:30am, so everyone is up early here. Luckily on my fourth day, I got up at 5am and it wasn’t raining. My big goal was to visit Mbaïki, which was 105km away from Bangui. John told me how to manage taking the three shared taxis across town and then finding a bus.
However, when I got across town, I couldn’t find any transportation. I waited an hour. Africans always seem to be helpful and are helping me find a way to get to my destination. I already got a taste for public transportation between towns: taxis would overload their car with people sitting everywhere, including the roof, trunk, and even front windshield.
They make it feel like this is the last car going to the destination. It is partly true because you don’t see many vehicles driving between cities. I get tired of crammed conditions. When I went to Boali, I was given an inside seat in the front, but had to share it with a mother and her child. On this trip to Mbaïki, I decided to skip waiting and just try hitchhiking.
It was way more comfortable! I got into a car in the front seat and had a nice window to look through and I could take many photos. I enjoyed passing by those overloaded taxis and minivans. He only took me 40km down the road then I had to walk through the village and over the hill until I found another vehicle. I passed by a palm oil manufacturing plant (small one).
I walked and talked with the locals for about 2 hours until I found the next ride (a flat bed truck). It took me to the next National Guard police station. They had to register my passport and name then asked for money. Why do I always have to encounter problems in Africa! Of course, I didn’t want to pay, but I had to be friendly and not make them mad. It is always another obstacle to pass and it becomes annoying.
Yes, I have plenty of time and that’s what you need if you don’t want to pay: make them bored with you. I told them I have no money and that’s why I was hitchhiking, but they told me I must have a lot of money because I flew here all the way from America. I told them I work at the airport and my tickets were free. Then a pickup arrived and registered with them. I asked them if I could go with the pickup since it was another ride for me.
They studied my passport like a book because it has 92 pages and so many visas inside. They were already bored with me, so they gave me back my passport and let me catch this ride onwards to Mbaïki. Luckily this couple in the pickup truck drove me straight to my destination and dropped me off in front of the cathedral. I visited the place for 10 minutes, got photos, and was happy nobody bothered me. You always have people wanting to help you, give you a tour, and accompany you. They are just curious about you because I’m like an alien to them.
I saw some kids with a stick trying to catch mangos from the tree. I joined them and helped collect mangos then I ate about 5 mangos. I ate another two down the road and an 8th one even further down the road. I was full and was happy I managed to get a mango lunch. I caught a ride with a Doctors Without Borders Jeep and he took me nearly to a bridge then I walked further. I wanted to visit the ISDR University. It has been open since 1968 and never had any problems in this area.
There are 40 professors (some are part time) and it has 120 students. I finally made it there and talked with one of the teachers, who had been teaching there since 1991. I barely had any time left, so after talking for 20-30 minutes, I had to leave. I got a ride with a motorcycle (4 of us on it) then hired a motorcycle to take me back to the cathedral then I asked for a ride on a pickup truck with 19 people sitting in the back.
I would prefer to sit inside, but it was getting late and I had no choice. We drove down the road for 45 minutes then stopped to join a party. I don’t know what the occasion was, but people were drinking a locally made beer (probably palm wine). I always get confused in Africa and I don’t understand them completely. Luckily, I know some French, but it is never enough. While waiting for them, I saw another pick up truck. I stopped it and asked for a ride. Luckily, this time I got to sit inside and there was only one guy in the back.
There were 5 people inside, including the driver. I value safety, especially since I saw an accident my first day of a motorcycle, who hit a taxi. The things I see on my travels never surprise me, but on this ride back to Bangui, we drove through a village and ran over a chicken. It was flopping its feathers all over the place afterwards. But, I guess it really doesn’t matter since they were probably going to kill the chicken anyway. I got back to Bangui after dark.
I really dislike roaming around after dark in African cities, but I was becoming comfortable with this city after passing through the city. I managed to get back to my neighborhood where I stay, but there are thousands of people walking along the street at the marketplace. I called my host and he came to find me. I was invited for dinner at his neighbor’s house. We ate with candlelight because there was no electricity or light. I ate cassava and a veggie sauce.
I’m not a big fan of African food, but I managed. We had to walk home in the dark because there was no electricity, but luckily there was a full moon. I never realized how important a moon is until I came to Africa.
I slept well, sharing the bed with John all 4 nights. His family has a 4 bedroom house: John has his own room, the three boys sleep in another bed in another room and then in the other room is a bed for the two sisters and finally the fourth bedroom is for the parents and the youngest sister sleeps with them. It was nice of them to host me. Everyone looks at me when walking through their neighborhood. John’s neighbors would ask, “Where did you find him?” in reference to me.
Finally the last day came and I was happy to finally leave. But, even leaving isn’t easy. There are so many obstacles everyday in Africa. Why does life have to be so complicated? I never dreamt of the western world as much as when I’m in Africa. I appreciate my time only after I return from my trip. Photos are forbidden at African airports and I’ve already had my share of bad experiences in the passed, so I didn’t want to risk it anymore. I was very careful.
The airport was very old, probably from the 70s and small. It is antique and interesting for me, but sadly I couldn’t take a photo. I don’t understand their logic. There was a departure tax I was supposed to pay, but I managed to avoid it. I don’t know whether it was true or a bribe, but luckily they let me pass without paying. I got on the plane bound to Entebbe, where I’ll pass the weekend then fly on Ethiopian Airlines up to N’djemena, Chad.
I’m curious to see that country because it is supposed to be one of the hottest countries in the world because it is right in the middle of the Sahara desert!