A couple of weeks ago we put up a slideshow of the Bonobos in DRC. This time it is some of the Lowland Gorillas, Forest Elephants and people we met in the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo. A fantastic time for those who want something a little different.
Some tips if you are about to go there:
1. Expect the unexpected.
2. Carry some Euros. This is by far much preferred over the US$ as the local currency (the CFA) is pegged to the Euro.
3. Brush up on your French.
4. The food you eat will actually be very good. However the Pygmys catch animals in nets in the Forest, some of these are dried and smoked. We were not hungry enough to take a bite of one of these!
5. Expect the unexpected and be disappointed if everything goes according to plan!
Enough of that, here is a quick slideshow:
The shots at the beginning if the slideshow are the tribe who dug us out of the mud. Their reward some hard currency and a few packets of cigarettes. The shots of the Elephants taken from a hide overlooking a bai, which is a clearing in the middle of a rain forrest where animals and birds come down for minerals. Finally we took many of the people shots in a market where snakes and various monkeys were available as meat. To us disturbing, but for the local people a source of protein.
Check our website in a week or so as we are working on a trip-report and putting some more high-res photos on the site.
Julie and Adam
More shots from our recent expedition - 13 September 2009
Bonobos and Lowland Gorillas - 31 August 2009
We came back yesterday from our 20 day expedition to the Central African Republic (CAR), the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo; what an adventure! Some of the highlights:
2. Having the real privilege of trekking Lowland Gorillas in the dart rainforest in CAR. We managed three treks. On the first, elephants came between us and the Gorillas and we could not get round them. On the second we were under really heavy tropical rain. Imagine being in a shower on full blast and trying to take photos and you get the idea. On the third, we walked for perhaps three hours before having the joy of seeing them up close and personal. Less hairy than the Mountain Gorillas found in Rwanda and Uganda but equally impressive. The Silverback was stunning.
3. After the Gorilla trekking we travelled by pirogue down the Sangha river and then caught one of the most extraordinary flights to Brazaville. Extraordinary because the flight was three hours late, passengers did not use the terminal and stood out under a large tree but as it started to rain (again) we all rushed through the barricade and stood under the wing of the plane until we were allowed to board amidst a scrum that would have defeated the British Lions on any day.
4. Finally a week with the Bonobos at the Lola sanctuary just outside Kinshasa. As you can see from the pictures below you can get really close to these amazing creatures almost all of which have been saved from cruelty and inhumane conditions. A great charity doing some serious work which we support in our own small way.
Adam trying to get a shot!
Julie being caught by surprise!
And set out below is a slideshow of some of our shots of the Bonobos.
Within a few weeks we will put more photos up on the site, a slideshow from the first half of the trip and a trip report with more details. Thanks to David, Robin, Marian and Lisa for being such great traveling companions. As we hope you can tell, we had a terrific time and as first time visitors to CAR and the Republic of Congo would recommend them to anyone with a sense of adventure and acceptance that not everything will go according to plan. We are planing to return to all three countries, possibly over Christmas and New Year of 2010/11.
Julie and Adam
Botswana - a slideshow for some special friends
Bonobos in distress - 13 April 2008
We support in a small way a very worthwhile charity in DRC that rescues Bonobos suffering at the hands of humans: "Friends of Bonobos" which runs a sanctuary called Lola Ya Bonobo. Recently we were dismayed to learn that a virus had swept through the reserve killing a number of the Bonobos. For a time the reserve was closed to the public to protect the Bonobos. Thankfully it seems that the epidemic has passed, although with a cost to the lives of some of these gentle creatures and in $$$ cost for medicines and care. We believe this charity does an excellent job and would encourage readers of this blog to donate anything to support it in its time of need.
If you would like to donate copy this to your search engine: http://www.friendsofbonobos.org/
We are returning to DRC and Lola in August and will report back on conditions there. We are saddened because some of the Bonobos that we saw last time we visited did not survive.
Julie and Adam
India expedition 2009 - 5 April
We came back from our Indian Expedition this time last week. A full trip report will follow, but for us the highlights were:
Tigers - our group saw ten! Amazing, beautiful and hard to see. Unlike in some parts of Africa you cannot drive off-road and have to stick to the park's pretty good tracks. At the start of the day it is somewhat of a race to get to the places where are guides think they may be able to find a Tiger. When it works it is absolutely breathtaking!
The people and culture - we spent some time away from the reserves visiting temples and markets. The colours, smells and vibrancy of the country impressed us all. What is nice about India is that almost everyone likes to be photographed.
The temples are extraordinary and allowed endless photographic opportunities.
And finally we loved the food. Never in the history of Adam's life has he eaten so many Naan breads and Chapattis! Fresh out of the oven or fires and at times with a coating of melted butter .... mmmm mmmm! Three times we ate at roadside Dhaba "restaurants". The food at these places is always fresh and made to order (despite first impressions!), is a little more spicy and gives you a different view of life than our fine hotel dining rooms.
We liked the trip so much that we are planning another at the end of the year to Rajasthan.
Julie and Adam