Been meaning to post this quote from the book Blood River, A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart by Tim Butcher, mentioned the other day here. The speaker is Verond Ali Matongo, mayor of the upper Congo River town of Kasongo:
"I am the mayor, appointed by the transitional government in Kinsasha. But I have no contact with them because we have no phone, and I can pay no civil servants because I have no money and there is no bank or post office where money could be received, and we have no civil servants because all the schools and hospitals and everything do not work. I would say I am just waiting, waiting for things to get back to normal."
"And when was the last time things were normal?" His smiling face suggested he did not find my question overly rude.
"The 1950s. From what I hear, that is when this town was last normal."
*****
So that got me thinking. It's not surprising that there would be - barely - tourism in U.N.-heavy Goma on Lake Kivu and the Rwanda border. There are fits and starts at gorilla treks on the Congo side of Mt. Sabyinyo, which forms the border between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. And it figures there would be someone offering tours around the capital, Kinshasa, a thousand miles to the west.
But incredibly, there's a "22 Days Congo river Expedition, Kisangani - Kinshasa" on offer from an apparent travel agency called Hakuna Matata Tours. The literature makes it look almost like a parody "The boat is operated by a licensed and experienced captain, a mechanic and a sailor." And "Day 16: Visit of a cacao plantation. The plantation has suffered from the isolation due to the civil war." And "Travellers are expected to bring their own towels and shampoo/soap.) It appears that it may be a legitimate offer. At least there a photo, labeled just about two years ago.
From the web site hakunamatatatours.com
Interested? Better drop everything (except your soap and towel) and head on over there. The next available departure date is coming right up: 6 October. Inquire at [email protected] for the rate.
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