Congo, Democratic Republic of the

After reading the book, Congo, I have wanted to go here. Explore the jungles, discover the ruins, dive into the rivers. Danger may lurk, but, alas! I will be prepared, with my trusty guide and band of foliage slashers… pulls out machete

to thailand

Went on a boat trip down the Congo, amazing. The Congo is so wide that it feels like you are out at sea. You catch this boat that goes down the river where no cars go. People live on it. It has all you need. The boat goes to places where it is some people’s only contact with the outside world. People cook on it(MAINLY MONKEY BRAINS!), wash on it and to some it is their life. There are three levels depending on where you are in society, being white we were on the top level. Not all mod cons by any stretch of the imagination but truly an experience I will never forget.I still have the image in my mind of the locals riding up on canoes to try and attach to the boat to sell their wares, phenominal…...

The rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo contain great biodiversity, including many rare and endemic species, including both species of chimpanzee: the Common chimpanzee and the bonobo (also known as the Pygmy Chimpanzee), mountain gorilla, okapi and white rhino. Five of the country’s national parks are listed as World Heritage Sites: the Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The civil war and resultant poor economic conditions have endangered much of this biodiversity. Many park wardens were either killed or could not afford to continue their work. All five sites are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage In Danger.       

As a result of its equatorial location, the Congo experiences large amounts of precipitation and has the highest frequency of thunderstorms on Earth. The annual rainfall can total upwards of 80 inches in some places, and the area sustains the second largest rain forest in the world (after the Amazon). This massive expanse of lush jungle covers most of the vast, low-lying central basin of the river, which slopes toward the Atlantic Ocean in the west. This area is surrounded by plateaus merging into savannas in the south and southwest, by mountainous terraces in the west, and dense grasslands extending beyond the Congo River in the north. High mountains are found in the extreme eastern region.       

because i have heard all of m friends talk about it and they say its really good

Very relaxing

i was working in goma, congo on a hospital that was destroyed in a volcano eruption in 2002. at the time we were their the boarder between rwanda and congo was closed because of politcal stress and fighting going on in nyakakoma between rebels and congo. so we saw quite a few UN trucks and personel in the city. i have been to mexico before and and seen poor, but this place makes mexico look like a vacation. it was eye opening. we stayed on a hotel that was on the water of lake kivu which was beautiful. saw some amazing sunsets while i was there.

... in the 80’s!!!
It’s harder to go there now unless you really know where and what you’re doing/going, with whom!
Everybody I knew there misses it now though!
And I misse it BIG TIME!

My stepmom was born here, in Léopoldville, now Kinshasa. I have a strange obsession with this country and would like to go there someday ;)