A final post about my trip to Africa, just to add a few things that I forgot.
1. I missed one of the dangers in visiting the Congo; that being flying. These are a couple excerpts from this article:
"Congo has one of the worst air safety records in the world. The country's safety regulations are notoriously lax and the old and ill-maintained planes are constantly being overloaded. "
"The fiery crash underscored the dangers of flying in Congo, which has experienced more fatal air crashes than any other African country since 1945, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The turboprop belonged to the Congolese company Africa One, which has been barred from flying in the European Union because of safety concerns."
2. Life expectancy in the Congo is only 44 years. The man that I previously mentioned, the one that gets malaria every month or two, is 48 years old. He jokes that he is living on borrowed time.
3. The guys who made this trip two years ago saw a noticeable difference in the economy/activity of Kolwezi. A large copper mine has reopened, increasing the population (both good and bad) and investment from external sources.
4. WorldVision has completed a school and is in the midst of a water project adding 16 (I think) wells that will bring safe drinking water to thousands. Safe drinking water is a key to their healthy living.
5. In the Congo they speak Swahili, French and a few lesser used languages. I was surprised at how well my French came back to me and at how much I was able to use it. That was kind of fun.
6. After the bungee jump I guess I still didn't have enough. I did a tandem gorge swing. A cable was attached to us and to another cable off in the distance. We jumped off the bridge and swung down and in a large arc and eventually settled at the bottom. This was not so good an idea. I wrenched my neck and back and Jeff felt like he broke a rib but was likely just a pull or tear of some cartilage or something. Next time, I'll just stick with the bungee.
7. On the safari we also saw warthogs. Among all the animals that is the most appropriate name. They are nasty looking hoggy things, not cute like Pumbaa from the Lion King. Speaking of which, they really do say Hakuna Matata in Swahili.
Finally, pictures are up. Click here. As always, thanks for the readership, votes and comments.
AZ
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2 comments:
The pictures were great. A friend of mine that does some amatuer/professional photograghy said your pictures look professional. You were lucky you only wrenched yourself on that swing. The hippo and the zebras were the best.
Hakuna Mikata!!
Well, I can't take credit for all the pictures. They are a combination of everybody's; I just picked some of the best.
P.S. Mikata was our dog. It's Hakuna Matata.
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