"Let the Games, 'Hassle' Begin,....Shabunda, Congo"

August, 24, PM, Shabunda, Congo, Africa:

     .....You'll recall we had just landed in a rickety old plane at the dirt strip, aka, a clearing, in the middle of nowhere!    In this case,....'nowhere' is a regional town in the middle of Maniema Province, Congo.  This is one of the worst areas of unrest,  but on this day all appeared to be peaceful, PTL.  

     Immediately, an immigration man met us 3, and insisted we needed to follow him to a mud/stick building for Immigration.  Altho' we had somewhat expected this,..we had no idea what was to follow!  We showed him our papers,...which made absolutely NO difference!!   We were told we'd need to be 'processed', and the man produced some kind of form, which looked significantly like the ones Emile had prepared for us in Bukavu,-precisely, so we wouldn't need to deal with this here!   This Immigration man's words were punctuated by the appearance of two African soldiers/police, who insisted we MUST do this.  Oh, by the way, the forms would cost each of $30US, & if we would just fill them out, we could go on our way.  My guy, Tom,-doesn't like to pay these "fees", since doing so just perpetuates the graft and hassle in this country,...and, I agreed with him.  Besides, we had not planned financially for this eventuality.  So, while we sat in the boiling, humid, heat, they questioned our papers, visa, passport, residency,..etc.,etc.,.....just because they CAN!!!  SURREAL!! doesn't even come close to describing the situation.  I had to admit this seemed like 1960 all over again,..back when we fled the Congo the first time!  Now, we were having a hassle to get INTO the Congo Downcountry!  YIKES.  Tom negotiated, and called Emile in Bukavu to explain,..and guess what?,...the local officials wouldn't talk to him on the phone!!!     (Turns out this local official doesn't like being told what to do,..and so he's obstinate).  Negotiations continued until the locals were down to $5 each.  We stood on principle, while they stood on their demands,..and the soldiers/police turned up again!  So, who's going to blink first!???  (Tom had signalled me that if I wasn't there, & he hadn't promised to take me to my former home at Katanti, he would have just left on the next cargo plane out of there!).    So, we waited for 3 hours, being 'treated' to many & much shows of authority,..just because they CAN!!.......EVERYTHING is a BIG ISSUE,...talk, talk, talk, talk, talk,.blah, blah, blah,....it sure is a good thing Tom is doing the negotiating,..as I would certainly have lost my cool!  .Finally, 2 local pastors came to bolster our case,..and after all that, we were allowed to just "register" our presence,  and go!  PTL. 

     Gratefully, we walked 2 miles to pastor's house.  His lovely wife fed us rice, sombe(greens), & pineapple.  Two or three people from Katanti were at his house to greet us as well.  We had 'flirted' with the idea of going to another place, Station Katshungu, to see those folks, & to retrieve gasoline from the Mission stockpile there.  Since it was getting on into the afternoon,..we decided against going to Katshungu.  HOWEVER,  the idea was quickly resurrected, since the pastor had motorbikes,..here called piki-piki,..and we were told we could leave soon.  We were also told it would only take 1 1/2 hrs. to go to Katshungu, so we still had plenty of daylight.  Or, so we thought!  

     First, it took at least an hour for the piki-piki guys to show up.  Then, as is ALWAYS the case in Congo, much talk, talk, blah, blah, about the price to go.  I think I mentioned to you that EVERYTHING is a problem and a process here!??,..even the smallest detail!   After 'making a deal', the guys had to go fill with gas for their bikes,...another couple of hours lost!  If memory serves me correctly, the piki-piki guys charged us $20 each, plus gas for the trip,..(they had started at $50/ea.).   And, if my math is any good, the gas in Shabunda was about $30/gallon!,..out of a plastic bottle.  Where do they get the gas???--don't ask!!    We finally left at 5PM, for what we were told was a 1-1/2 hr. trip.  I was on the back of a piki-piki driven by an African; Tom/Kathy drove/rode on the second piki-piki; & Songo, from the hospital in Katshungu loaded our considerable luggage onto his piki-piki.  (Forgot to say we did send things for the Seminar at Katanti on ahead with a man on a bicycle taking that stuff). 

     So, heading into the setting sun, in the rainforest, with 3 piki-piki's,-two driven by Africans,....AND, MY driver immediately complaining & complaining that "the Muzungu,-(translation white man)--isn't riding on the back of his piki-piki correctly"!!!!    Frankly, I didn't know there WAS a 'correctly', instead focusing on just staying ON,.........and, as O'Hara once said to Scarlet,.."frankly, my dear, I don't give a -------!!!!"!!

     In just a few kilometers, we were stopped at a decent sized river,..where the bridge was OUT.  Had to walk the bikes on logs across the river...........BUT, that is tomorrow's blog,.....

Rogers