This morning I arrived early at the DRC Embassy. A much more impressive building and district than the one in London. In Paris you can see the Eiffel tower from the front entrance, in London it is Kings Cross station! I walked into an already busy waiting room. It was not clear what everyone was doing as they appeared to be Congolese and presumably did not need visas? Anyway after a while I was able to go up the dark back stairs of the building and meet an elegant chap who spoke good English. He took my passport and the supporting documents (letter from bank, message from the Paris police about my stolen passport, yellow fever certificate and invitation letter) and said come back at 4pm when it "should" be ready.
Off to Air France where I booked myself on the Saturday morning flight hoping that the visa would come through. Calmed myself down with a nice lunch and a bottle of house red and then back to the Embassy. More waiting around with the same group of people. We were all looking confused, but the Embassy people seems to be well organised. Eventually I was shown back upstairs and waited in a very elegant reception room with a photo of DRC's ruler; Major-General Joseph Kabila. At 4.50pm the nice chap came back with my passport with the visa.
This brought a very big smile on my face! No complaints at all about the Embassy in Paris. Pretty slick indeed ... Thank You!
Adam
I like it when a plan comes together - 28 December 2007
Letter from the Congo - 28 December 2007
Apart from the humidity, everything is very enjoyable. Tropical fruit is so plentiful and the meals are really good; a combination of Congolese and Belgian-French. And the hospitality here at the guest house has been very generous. (A far cry from first impressions on arrival at the airport but that's another story.)
I have three favourite locations: one is a bit of a walk (only half an hour or so but the humidity is the killer) but the forest is so serene and peaceful when you get there that it is well worth it. The other is on a bateau, floating quietly in the river where my 500mm F4 on a tripod with the Wimberly head comes into its own. And the third is at Bamboo Beach, a tiny little spot where some of the Bonobos also step into the water; here a 200-400 lens on a beanbag is fine. ISO needs to go up to about 200 by about 3.30pm. 
I have been out on the bateau a few times now. Today I saw one of the Bonobos slide itself down head first, on its back to drink water upside down from the river. I am not sure why (!!) the shots are certainly very interesting. The little ones are always fun to watch with their quizzical expressions. And the adults are climbing the trees, their feet allow them to be more adept at climbing and holding things and they are sleeping up there, all spread out like a leopard along a horizontal branch. A couple of them walk across the shallow part of the river from one side to the other. I have found some eggs which I am allowed to feed to them tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to get them right where I want them!
One of the Bonobos is sick, nothing serious but she looks miserable. Some of the others stay with her and don't come down river to feed. Quite nice I thought - most of them are very kind, there's just that one mother to stay clear of.
There's also a lot of sexual behaviour - it's quite extraordinary but hey, it seems to keep the peace.
Julie
More frustrations! - 27 December 2007
As Julie is with the Bonobos in DRC I continue to be frustrated here in London! I spent three hours outside the DRC Embassy in London waiting for it to open. Various people turned up with the same thought; ranging from couriers delivering passports through the Diplomatic protection arm of the police to various Congolese men. The embassy did not open ...
I rang the DRC embassy in Paris, which was open but unfortunately did not speak English. I had been chatting to one of the Congolese chaps who offered to speak in French to the embassy staff. He did so with great gusto and told me that if I turned up in Paris tomorrow the embassy would issue me with an "urgent" visa.
So back on the Eurostar this afternoon, stay overnight in Paris then to the Embassy tomorrow morning.
75% chance of getting a visa and flying on Saturday? Bets are open.
Adam
Heart of Darkness - Christmas Day 2007
I arrived in the Congo on Saturday evening and it is always incredibly humid! I certainly notice when I am shooting. Perspiration runs down my face and arms and the Bonobos take advantage of me when I stop to wipe my face; they get in quickly trying to snatch my sunglasses or yank at my shoelaces, or worse, have a go at my camera strap. I have learned to have the strap around my neck at all times although I daresay they are not fussed whether a camera comes with or without a neck. Their curiosity is no different to Chimpanzees and they are a lot of fun although I am not convinced they are always gentler. They do noticeably settle most disputes with sex so squabbles don't last long.
There are 62 Bonobos here and they live in three different groups, each group with its own keeper who knows them all by name and personality. I have seen all five babies. The groups are easy to get to, although there's one very short, steep hill to get up. No big deal even with the humidity and the camera gear.
Today was such a great morning - I spent all my time with one group who gave their all. There was one adult female who seems a bit aggressive and I am wary of her. She threw quite a lot of dirt at me, to the extent my camera was covered in it, and my face and arms caught a lot. She really caught me by surprise but I have clocked her now and am on guard. She then had a go at an adolescent Bonobo which had got a bit close to her baby. Bonobos have a really high pitched squeal and this adolescent squealed for the Congo, I have never heard anything like it. Ironically, it was the female's baby that made peace by handing over some fruit - and then some others provided some pretty fruity behaviour and harmony was restored.
I was also treated to seeing a couple of the Bonobos going into the water. There are a couple who apparently cross the river frequently. This was a treat although I was a bit too far away for good shots. To help me out, the keeper is going to get me out on the river in a boat, (no engine) which will be brilliant - I should be able to get closer to the crossings and also just get a different perspective.
Julie
Dangers of Paris - 23 December 2007
We arrived in Paris on Friday, 21 December, and went out to buy some lens cloth for our lenses. I was suffering from the end of a Christmas flu and was not on best form. The next morning when packing for the flight to the Congo I found my money belt and Irish passport missing. After tearing the room apart, we concluded that I had probably been the victim of a pickpocket. Reported it to the local Police (who insisted on ONLY speaking French) and then some thinking.
Quick decision; Julie to catch the original flight and I would make my way back to London and try getting another visa on my UK passport (I have dual-nationality) on Christmas Eve and fly to the Congo on Christmas day.
Out of interest, on my arrival at the Eurostar I had no idea how difficult it would be to get back to the UK without a passport. Fortunately Gordon, a very nice Brit from the border people, checked me on the computers and let me through. Out of interest I was wrestling with 75kg of luggage and was not in the best of moods.
So today ... Julie arrived at the reserve and is photographing and observing the Bonobos ... Adam in the office putting together another visa application form and wondering if the embassy is open tomorrow or not.
Not a great start for Adam, but Julie is in deepest Africa enjoying the Bonobos.
Adam (feeling very frustrated indeed)
Bonobos - 7 December 2007
Bonobos alongside Chimpanzees are mans' closest relatives. Whilst Chimpanzees are well known, Bonobos are not. Partly because they are only found in one country (the Democratic Republic of Congo) and partly because they were only discovered relatively recently.
Yesterday Adam collected our passports from the Embassy with our Visas. Over the Christmas break we are heading to the Congo in central Africa for a chance to interact and photograph these fantastic creatures. We are staying at the "Lola ya Bonobo" or "paradise for bonobos" which is a sanctuary whose aim is to protect the species by a variety of means. If you are interested, we recommend reading their excellent website. As well as paying for our lodgings, we have donated US$3,000 as a way of contributing to the work of this charity.
We are really looking forward to spending time with these wonderful relatives of ours! We will keep you posted - we are going to see whether we are able to update this blog whilst we are there so watch this space from December 26th. And as a travel tip, to get arund the one piece of hand luggage restriction at London airports, we have decided to take the train to Paris and fly from there.
Have a fabulous year end and holiday season everyone. Safe travel.
Julie and Adam