Pre-Thanksgiving Update

It is now the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and after a brief jog along the Congo River, I headed to a celebratory BBQ for my friend who will be promoted to Chief Master Sergeant. It was a great afternoon of lounging in the pool, eating, and relaxing with good company. Ahhhh...

How's your winter? 

I thought the picture of the 10 in. of snow my sister sent me looked bad, and then I saw the pictures from Buffalo, NY on the news! 

I wish I could say that I missed winter even just a little bit, but I don't. After 13.5 years in Los Angeles, I am very comfortable being in an environment where you can be outside all year round without fear of body parts going numb or freezing.

Although the rainy season still isn't as rainy as I expected here in Kinshasa, the humidity and the mosquito population have both increased noticeably. In the Deet vs. Malaria battle, Deet is always the clear winner for me. It's my perfume of choice! Of course I'm still taking my doxycyline too. Five months on an antibiotic and no side effects (that I'm aware of) yet. I'm hoping it stays that way.

Last Saturday was the Marine Ball. It is the one formal Embassy event that we have. I'm not much for getting all gussied up, but I have to admit that I was looking forward to this particular event as it was my first ever. 

The evening was very enjoyable. I even lasted 5 hours in my red heels before I had to swap them out for flip-flops! 

Love our Marines!

A few weekends prior to the Marine Ball, I had the opportunity to road trip with a caravan of Brits going to Zongo Falls. Any opportunity to see a little more of the DRC outside of Kinshasa is an opportunity I try not to pass up.

Zongo Falls is a mini-resort in the Bas-Congo province and a 3-4 hour drive from Kinshasa depending on road conditions and the weather.

Having rained the night before, we were hoping for good weather, but five minutes into our trip, it started up again.

Kinshasa Rain

Matadi Road

School Children Walking in the Rain

Village Landscape Outside of Kinshasa

Off of Matadi Road, one of the main, paved roads out of Kinshasa, there are two options for getting to Zongo Falls. There's the "adventurous" dirt road that is a shorter route, and then there's the much less exciting graded, well-maintained dirt road that is the longer of the two routes. Everyone in the caravan had 4WD, thus the plan was to take the shorter, more adventurous route.

When we arrived at the turn off, and I saw the uneven, wet, red dirt road, I knew things were about to get interesting!

The Beginning of the Adventurous Route

Once we made it to the bottom of the hill, we were greeted by a swampland of mud, and it only took minutes for car #2 in the caravan to get stuck. Out came the tow rope, and once #2 was freed from the sludge, we continued less than 1/4 of a mile more and realized that the mud was only going to get worse.

At that point, it was decided that the longer route was a better option, and the caravan turned around and headed back to the main road.

 More Adventurous Than Expected

After making our way down Matadi Road a while, we came upon a small town where the turn off was located. The road was congested with people going about their business, and it would be the last we'd see of a significant population until we headed back to Kinshasa.

Road Through Town to the Longer Route

The drive took us through many little villages where people could be seen washing their clothes or cooking. The lifestyle could hardly be simpler. It left me wondering...

One of Many Villages Along the Way

What Must Life Be Like?

After few a hours of driving through rural Bas-Congo and seeing the many villages, it appeared out of           nowhere...Seli Safari Resort.                                                                                                                                        

The Resort Entrance

"Mind the Grass"
This sign on the side of the resort driveway made me laugh.

Seli Safari Resort at Zongo Falls

(I stayed in one of the A-frame chalets shown here.)

Seli Safari Resort Property

As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, I could hear the loud rush of the water as the river and the falls are right beside the resort.                                                                                                                                                                                    

The Mist Rising

The Falls Edge

Carefully Getting Up from the Fall's Edge

Pathway to the other side of the waterfall
(3,000 francs if you take a camera)

WARNING!

Halfway to the Other Side

More Mist and the River Continues on

Zongo Falls

More Zongo Falls

A fifteen minute drive from Zongo Falls led to a set of smaller falls to which you can easily hike and sit under for a "massage" or swim in the pool of water around them. 

The Two Smaller Waterfalls

The Massage Area

A Wave As We Pass By

As we headed back through the villages towards Kinshasa, we met two trucks filled with men. I don't know where they were going or what they were doing, but they were proof that overcapacity does not exist in the Congo.

A Truckload of People

A Truckload of People 2.0

The road trip was another eye-opening experience that reinforced how grateful I am for what I have. The opportunity to live in this part of the world and have first-hand knowledge of the DRC is an incredible gift. Of course I try to constantly remind myself that I'm a First World citizen temporarily living in a Third World country, and I am only ever a step away from the Embassy bubble that shields me from the real life that the Congolese live daily.

On Thursday when I am fully inside the Embassy bubble, feasting on turkey specially imported by Shop Rite supermarket for Thanksgiving, I will again be reminded of my privileged status, and I will be humbled and thankful for where my life has led me.

Thank you to all of you friends and family who have supported me, inspired me, loved me, and put up with me along the way. Happy Thanksgiving!

A special shout out to my awesome sister and her birthday milestone! Happy birthday JaNeika, JaSheika, and Jackie, and thank you Lory for the killer care package. You just upped my snack drawer reputation around U.S. Embassy Kinshasa!