I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the greatest at getting myself off the ship and exploring the area.  Thankfully I have great friends that give me that extra little push onto land when it is much needed.  Here are a few recent adventures - times shared with amazing people here in faraway Congoland...

It's just under a mile from the ship to the entrance of the port, and we all know I enjoy walking just about as much as I enjoy drinking water.  I know it sounds terrible, but embarrassingly enough it's true.  So when one of my friends suggested a bike ride I was totally game.  To me, there is no better way to see an area than to hop on a bike and cruise around...well maybe it's second to driving around in my Jeep with the top down but that will have to wait a little longer. 

After finding four kind souls to lend us their bikes, we were on our way.  I believe I stated that it's an adventure in itself walking the streets of Pointe-Noire due to the crazy traffic, well I think biking is pretty close to an extreme sport.  The random potholes and uneven ground mixed with ridiculously large railroad tracks (I don't know how the trains don't derail) and sand that I swear tries to swallow bike tires whole, makes for quite an interesting bike ride.  Now throw in the no-rules-apply driving; do you believe me when I say it was a miracle we all made it back to the ship in one piece? 

 

Why not help a taxi driver change his tire - at least we were able to provide a buffer so the cars whizzing by didn't run into him.

 

After navigating around town, we found our way to the nearby Atlantic Palace Hotel.  This is a little piece of paradise within the invisible walls of Pointe-Noire.  We walked inside and were immediately welcomed with air conditioning, fancy light fixtures, and smiling faces.  They took one look at the four of us - white, sweaty, and winded - and asked, "Mercy Ships?"  We smiled, nodded, and showed our badges.  We were then kindly escorted outside to the pool area.  It was heavenly - there was even green grass!

 

 

Once we had our fill of paradise, we reluctantly dragged ourselves away from the pool.  While we were soaking in the sun, we allowed ourselves to forget about our bikes that were chained to a nearby pole.  As soon as our feet hit the streets, we each said a silent prayer that our bikes would still be where we left them... 

They were there!

It was a great little outing - thanks guys!

 
A couple weeks ago it was actually somewhat quiet onboard.  It was a three day weekend, so aside from the hospital staff and few other Mercy Ship volunteers, many people were able to take advantage of the time off and get away.  I wasn't brave enough for a weekend trip, but I did manage to make a little day trip with a group of friends to the nearby Kouilou-Niari River. 

Hmmm...

Nine of us piled into one of the land rovers and made our way just past the gorge to the river; a few other groups had made the trip during the weeks prior so despite this sad looking map, we did actually have a bit of direction. 

Once we reached our destination we quickly were reminded that we were still in Africa.  Apparently some lines had gotten crossed and there were actually three groups of people waiting for their "reserved" river trip.  After a bit of confusion by our guides, we were eventually instructed to hop into the boat. 

Now when I say boat, I can guarantee that you do not have an accurate vision...It was a giant hallowed out canoe with nine plastic lawn chairs lined up, topped off with a motor attached to the back of the floating vessel.  It was a sight. 

 

 

The day turned out very well - I had my first taste of sugarcane, which was actually delicious - once you gnaw past the hard exterior, we motored by various mini villages along the riverbanks, and we even got a glimpse of a chimp hanging out in the wooded area near the reserve. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of smiles shared with a great group of friends.