We arrive in Ouesso on Tuesday the 14th of October – a pretty small town – earlier than scheduled (the flight does not run on Tuesdays – ours was a make-up … I wonder if maybe delayed on purpose (despite some story that the tire could not be used in a grass field so we had to wait for a new one – which clearly was a lie as the runway is paved – just no lights) to accommodate our fiend “The Man in the Pink Suit”’s schedule. Anyhow we are here. Jessica suggests I will be more comfy on the boat in a light colored t-shirt and shorts (I’m wearing jeans and a dark shirt and it IS hot). By now I have lost all inhibitions so I changed my shirt outside – just “discretely” turning around. I draw the line at changing pants – we all have our limits. I will do so in the bush later ….
Jean-Pierre gives some money to the police to stamp our passports (every step requires a bribe) and we take a taxi to the boat. Even though Jean-Pierre had tripled checked with the boatmen they are not ready – have gone off to get gas. Jean-Pierre gives us the “wait” sign which is a downward hand wave – hard to describe but I expect it will stay with me for a long time – definitely will try it at work :-) -- if I get back – I am probably FAA’s only employee that is longing for the place while on “holiday”. We go for a bush break – only a couple of people around so somehow that seems OK to us. And of course we all carry toilet paper – a necessity as the even the fanciest restaurant does not have any. I go back and change into shorts. Another bribe to the exit police to get our passports stamped again (I have stopped questioning all the passport checks even though we have never left Congo). The boatmen come back (seems like a lot of them) and we get on. A large wooden canoe (more roomy than I thought and amazingly stable). Plastic chairs. Jessica goes off to buy umbrellas for those that do not have them. The boatmen try to take off without her (and Laurie) – and amazingly Jean-Pierre – who hired them. Eventually everything is straightened out and off we go – again providing a spectacle with our umbrellas.
I am sitting at the end near the boatmen. Jessica passes out sandwiches. I am too stressed to swallow so I gave half of mine to the boatmen. They are happy – Jessica is not :-( Off we go some more—it is extremely hot but ignorance of what is ahead is a very helpful narcotic (though by now “the worse the better” is starting to feel more like “the better the worse” – that is if something is smooth something is likely to go wrong soon). Which of course it does – the motor breaks down. Amazingly the boatmen have taken off without a paddle or a spare motor—for an 11 hour boat trip in a crocodile infested river. We are still in cell phone range so there is much screaming and carrying on. We are going against the current so eventually we should float back to port – but of course we have no way of maneuvering. The boatmen manage to get the motor working somewhat (a 40 hp motor to go on a very fast moving river – we are not going THAT far – it is just that the means of getting there is slow) so we make our way back. The guy that I thought was the head boatman and I had given my sandwich to turns out to just be hitching a ride (he was someone who could be helpful to Jean-Pierre and as our means of transport was one of the fastest he wanted to go with us and Jean-Pierre could not refuse him). So he makes us stop so he can get on a boat going the other way. Jean-Pierre has that look of defeat. I am a bit relieved – thinking that maybe we can now start focusing on going home (though there is no flight till Friday I think – but who knows here). We get back to port – and the motor is miraculously fixed. We pick up two spares (one a 15 hp) and some more gas. Jean Pierre moves to my seat to keep an eye on he boatmen and I move forward. Off we go again.We make our first “bush break” stop about an hour out – where we also pick up a paddle. The people in the village help with the boat – perfectly normal to have a group of people pull up and use your back yard as a toilet. Off we go again – every change in the sound of the motor making my heart skip a beat. And it happens a lot since the boat has to slow down every time another boat goes by. The river is really swollen – a month’s worth of rain. I naively think we have lights – but Jean-Pierre corrects that delusion quickly. He assures me we will be able to see just fine. By now it is windy so the umbrellas (a brilliant move by Jessica) now serve as wind breakers. Starts to get dark – but the moon comes out. I can even read my watch – which I am checking every few minutes. Akos thought we would get to Bombassa (to the WCS run camp) in 5 hours or so – but the current is strong. Jean-Pierre offers a more realistic assessment.
Eventually we do get to Bombassa (the Wildlife Conservation Society -- WCS -- Camp) about 9:30 PM (we had left at 1:20 PM the second time after the motors). 8 hours ….. wow. The boatmen unload the luggage. There is much yelling and screaming. I do not want to part from my book bag – my Blackberry is not working but presuming we get back to Ouesso it is our insurance that we can call for help. I also need my other bag to get my jeans as by now is cold when we move. Quick group meeting – choices are to stay at Bombassa and compromise the chances we can all see the gorillas or press on. We want to press on – but the boatmen want to stay. They unload the luggage. There is much screaming and hand gesturing from a local woman about getting shot at the Central African Republic border. But somehow Jean-Pierre sorts out everything and off we go.
Because the river is swollen there is some concern about the rapids. I am actually scared for the first time. But the moon is bright and the rapids turn out to be a non event. Eat some bread for dinner. Skip the beer – Mark does not. The rest of the evening goes by VERY slowly. Sleep in fits on and off – Mark is fast asleep. Others seem like they are dozing on and off – and of course freezing. Now it is impossible to stop for a bush break so the side of the boat and two umbrellas is the new option. At least we are inventive. Jean Pierre keeps getting asked when we’ll get there. He is getting impatient and gives a long time or says he does not know. It is easier to endure things but I can understand his nervousness.
We make one bush break near the border as the sun starts to rise. Of course it is not clear where the border is – but that’s OK – used to ambiguity by now. Once it is light things are better – see some pretty birds with exotic names I cannot recall. Talk Jessica into doing the drawing for gorilla visits. Claire, Sharon and Bjarne are in group one. Mark, me and Andy are in group two. (We go together but we have to wait a bit till they have their hour). Laurie and Sanya will go with Akos and Jessica the next day. Spirits are lifted as we see the camp (after 17 hours on the boat in the Sangha River) and disembark (after some creative dock building by the camp folks). Hopefully "The Worse he Better" will prove true with the gorilla experience ..... We are in country #4 (or #5 if you count the boat trip into Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) waters :-). We are now officially in the Central African Republic -- illegally as we did not stop to get our passports stamped at the border hut -- Jean Pierre feeling that the guard would be angry if we awoke him ... I cannot believe we are in an unstable African country illegally. Jean-Pierre collects passports. I worry about being stuck here forever ... but put it out of my mind.
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