"Enjoying Time @ 'Home', w/Friends from 'the day',..

    
                "Enjoying Time @ 'Home', w/African Friends from back in the day,.....

August 27, 2012, Monday, Cont'd.

                                               A welcoming group showed up to serenade us!,.....

     Still on our first day back at my home in the Congo,...we talked & talked, & had great times with the Africans.  A few were very elderly, & remembered working with my parents.  Others were sons/daughters of the 'old-timers', and even grandchildren.  However, as soon as I was introduced as 'Banuamazi, wa SaKatumbi',..i e: Roger Green of Ernest Green,.......EVERYONE remembered immediately!  I knew many, many of them as well.  What a reunion!,......

     Can you believe it????!!!!!   These poor people have next to NOTHING of their own,..however, herein lies the reason I call Congo a 'Land of Unbelievable Contrasts & Contradictions!!'  The group who came to serenade us, had bought a small solar panel & some batteries in Bukavu, the border town.  They trekked it over 200 miles thru the jungle to Station Katanti.  After they got it to Station Katanti, they hooked up the solar panel, batteries, & an inverter, to charge the batteries.  This allows them to play electric Stratocaster guitars, & use amplification,......all in the middle of NOWHERE!!  YIKES!!  The group sang/danced 9 songs. 

What's left of the 'girl's' bathroom from dormitory days...

What's left of the 'boy's' bathroom from dormitory days,.......

     After dark we took turns taking 'spit baths' in what's left of the old concrete tub, in the larger 'girls' bathroom from the dormitory back in my day.  Altho' the tub still drains, we save the 'grey water' for more 'spit baths'.  If you get my drift,..the last person used 'quite used' grey water for their spit bath.  So, we rotated,......The water was cold,..but oh well, better than nothing!  Even a spit bath refreshed us after almost 8 hours 'on the path!'  Each of us trekked in 1 towel & 1 wash cloth with us in our travelling bag/backpack.  The toilet had long ago been torn out of the girl's bathroom.  Across the hall is a smaller bathroom,-which was used for the boys of the dormitory,-back in the day.  It's toilet is still there,..and is flushable with a bucket.  (No running water anywhere).  Don't ask where the flush goes,..I have no idea,..and really don't need to know!!   Again, we conserve water as much as possible, since the best source is rain,..and this is the 'dry' season.   OH,..you wanted a toilet SEAT???????   Sorry, that had been missing for decades, so we just had to sit on the porcelain!,.......

                                                              Dinner in my Dining Room

Dinner with Mapendo & SaSimon

     Dinner was served by the 4 'bodyguards' at around 8 pm.  BTW, we were relieved to find they had boiled drinking water for our use,..and will do so daily.  Our own meager rations of bottled water are now depleted.  We had rice, sombe(greens), chicken in palm oil, & bugali(manioc root mush).  It tasted WONDERFUL,..just like I remembered from my youth!  YUMMY!  Another thing about the bugali(manioc root mush) is that it expands in your stomach to make you feel full.  Hence, it is a staple across much of Africa,-in various forms.

     Our beds were made up with mosquito nets,..which are essential.  One of the NGO'S(Non-Government Organizations) gave every African 3 mosquito nets a year or so ago.  Probably to fight malaria.....just a mat on a low wicker platform, one sheet, and the mosquito net.  You wanted a pillow????,..get serious already,  T I A,..This Is Africa...................

     Before going to bed one of the Africans informed us that the local Minister of 'Something' had heard we'd arrived, & wanted to see our papers,..i e passport, visa, & Go Pass.  So we sent them by runner to his place, probably 4 miles away, a place called Mapimu.  The runner returned to say that Kathy's paperwork was fine,...however, the Minister wanted to see Tom & Roger in person re: visa issues.  Specifically, the Minister sent word that my visa was invalid!!  Oh, really,.... So, it being late,..we decided to go appear before the Minister of 'Something'  the next day,.........neither Tom nor I were in any shape to have another 'standoff' over 'papers...............STAY TUNED,.....

                          My 'bedroom', in what was the Pantry, back in the day,.......
                        

     As I said,..STAY TUNED,.......
Rogers Banuamazi

"Miracles Really Do Happen!,..Going to my African Home.."

August 26, 2012:  "Going to My African Home,........"

     So, on this 'day of days',..we were to go thru the jungle once again on piki-piki's(motorbikes), with our destination Station Katanti,-where I grew up some 52+ years ago!   And, to see my house, which reportedly is still standing........My driver was a young man of 24, named Ramazani.   He was a friendly guy,..and a great piki driver.  PTL. 

     But first, we got up @ 6:30am,..with people already coming to Pastor Masudi's house to say goodbye to us........Finally, we got to eat a little 'something' about 7:15am.   After breakfast, we said our goodbye's again,..Pastor Masudi led us in a prayer,...and we started out.  The weather on that day had dawned clear, & sunny. 

     Within 2 kilometers we stopped to redistribute weight, and re-set the backpacks on the piki's.  With that accomplished, Tom's bike would not start,..so we push-started it for the first of MANY, MANY times that day.  We went another couple kilometers, climbing up by the river & the waterfalls where the wrecked hydro-electric plant is located.  Also, we were close to one of the gold mines.....just at that moment Tom's piki-piki quit running again.  This, you see, is quickly becoming the pattern for our day,..
That time we discovered a battery problem,..which took Tom an hour to fix,..but, fix it he did!  The man is a wizard with motorbike repairs!!   Reaching the top of "Telephone Hill" we took a very short break, followed by push-starting Tom's piki again.

     The trip looked a lot like this:  go/stop, mudpits, brackish water, river crossings on logs, bridges either logs or completely out of order,..in which case we had to 'ford' thru the muck.......The first 27 km took 3 hours,...& I counted 25 stops for either piki piki problems,.OR, because someone's bike had fallen,...or just to clear some obstacle/obstruction!  By that time we were all covered with the red mud & smelly water/dirt!  Tom & Kathy's bike was loaded the heaviest, & they had the misfortune of slipping/falling 3x in 27km!  PTL, neither they nor the bike were seriously hurt.

Jungle pit stop,..and wiping away sweat/mud!

     Somewhere in those first 27km, the back tire of my piki-piki went flat.  We pumped it up with a hand pump 3x, ;but only made it about 1km with each pumping.  Finally we reached Lugungu Village, where Berean has a church.   This is a major cross"paths" as well.  The local pastor had gone towards Station Katanti,-where we plan to be presenting the Biblical Leadership Seminar.  We still have 42 km to go,..we've been on the path for over 3 hrs.,..and we have a flat tire on 'my' piki piki!  Ramazani walked the village to look for a replacement inner tube for the piki tire.  We "Bazungu", (white people), slept on the ground under a big tree while we waited.  Kinda SURREAL,..as we were surrounded by local Africans,-kids & adults,-eager to see us.  The nap came slowly,..sent the crowd also cut off any breeze that may have been blowing...Ramazani found an inner tube SOMEWHERE,..(don't ask),...and fixed his rear tire.   So, we took off again on our last 42km to Station Katanti.

     The path we travelled was just barely a path, at all!  10 ft. jungle tight on both sides,..more mudpits/rivers/brackish waters,.......stop/go, more mud, more falling!!!   We pushed ahead, with our goal always in mind.

     Around 3:30-4:00pm we hit a stretch of path we used to call the "Katangila",...which I recognized right away.  This place was in a kind of clearing, and one could see it from my house ahead on Station Katanti.  As kids we used to watch this clearing to identify who might be coming to Station Katanti.  In later years, it was also used as an airstrip.  Now, however, it is overgrown with just a path to go on.......Most importantly, it meant we were only 2-3 miles from our destination!!

    Around 4-4:30pm we turned & climbed the hill to Station Katanti.  By now word of our coming had circulated,..and the path was lined with Africans,-singing, shouting our names,-and crying with joy!  I got goose bumps, the size of m&m's!   What a jubilant welcome we received!!!  We pulled up & stopped in front of "Jansen Hall", my African home for 10 years!  SaSimon, who had been an evangelist/teacher with my Dad all those years, was waiting with 50-75 people.  They had heard us coming,.....we dismounted our bikes,..and hugged/cried, hugged/cried, & SaSimon led in a prayer of thanks. They were so HAPPY to see Mantuku(Tom), Banuamazi(Rog), & Katarina(Kathy) again.  Words cannot express what was in their hearts & our hearts!!  They asked me to speak to the gathering, thru Tom's interpreting.  I greeted them for my parents, my brothers/sister, my own family, my church-CrossTimbers, Keller, TX, and gave them the few 'proverbs/sayings' I could remember in their own language, Kilega.  Such laughing & carrying on!!

My house, Jansen Hall, also a Dormitory for Missionaries' Kids School,  approx. 30 people.

     After the greetings, we were led into 'MY HOUSE',....a brick house with aluminum roofing, -built around 1950.  It IS still standing, but crumbling and falling apart.  4 Africans live in my house, as guards.  I wandered slowly from room to room downstairs,..taking pictures in each one.   I felt overwhelmed, and just let the memories flow over me,...........later taking my bag & backpack to what used to be the Pantry.  The Africans had made up a primitive platform with a bed under a mosquito net,..and a rickety shelf on the wall.  My "Home Away From Home!"   Tom/Kathy got the same things in a larger room we used to call the Guest Bedroom.   The dining room still has the same old wooden tables that were here in the '50's!  Wow!  We used to put the two tables end to end, and play ping pong on them,..when I was a kid. Now, here we were eating off these same tables!!!! 

     Next I walked slowly around outside, as it was getting on toward dark.  The front steps & porch were still there,..altho' crumbling.  (I decided to go upstairs to the second floor tomorrow).   Then, I walked around Station Katanti with Kathy and Elena,-SaSimon's daughter.  (SaSimon's wife is already deceased,..so his family lives with him in a different Mission house, which I saw as well).  "My" original mud/stick/thatch house from 1950 is gone,..and the jungle has taken over that place completely.  In fact, the only 2 houses still standing are the brick/tin ones.  The cement block schoolhouse I/we attended is still there,..but, the original church is gone,-burned and pillaged by soldiers more than once.  I found what used to be the carpentry shop, and the softball field we played on for all those years, too!  The Africans could not pronounce baseball,..so they called our game "Fay-ball!".  That is because they heard us yelling, "Fair Ball!";.......went down two trails where I used to go "Ku Bisindi",-ie to hunt squirrels in the jungle, back in the day.....

     OMG'sh,...what a JOY-FILLED day!  We sang a song with the Africans, prayed, & went to bed.  The first day back at my old house,..and getting to sleep in it, as well!!!!   I fell asleep dreaming of the old days,.....

     Rogers, Banuamazi

Rogers(Banuamazi on jungle trail "KuBisindi",..hunting squirrels

     P.S. I forgot, before leaving Station Katshungu that same morning I was sitting in a chair waiting for breakfast.  A scorpion ran out of the chair, down my arm,..and onto the floor.  Thank the Lord the scorpion didn't bite/sting me!  

"More Rain,..Finally Quit, So Church & Sunshine!"

August 26, 2012, Sunday @ Station Katshungu, Congo

Church service @ Station Katshungu, Congo

 

                                             Tom, Roger, Pastor Masudi & Bible School Leaders

     Did you notice in the title that IT STOPPED RAINING!!!  PTL & PTL.  Breakfast today was kinda meager, as we were running low on supplies,..having sent most supplies on to Station Katanti via bicycle.  So, we had coffee, cheese, & a little bit of coffee cake.   Ezra came by and made a nice speech to thank our parents, and us, for coming to bring the Gospel to the Congo. 

     Since it had stopped raining the Pastors decided to ring the bell for church.  Great fun, worshipping with the 150+ who came out to the meeting.  Each of us "Bazungu,-white people),-were "presented" to the crowd, & then, we each said a few words of greeting.  Great fun!   A little of my Kilega dialect was returning to my brain,-so I was able to communicate a few sentences to the people,..in their language!  The church service consisted of 3 songs,-and their custom is to sing ALL of the verses to EVERY song used!  Announcements followed the singing, & then, the 1st of 3 offerings was taken up!  There was a Scripture reading, more singing, & a 'special' number.  Pastor spoke on the 'woman at the well'.  At the end, a closing song was sung,..& Tom closed with a prayer. 

     One big DOWNER!,...while we were at church someone broke into one of the Pastor's houses and stole a bunch of his belongings.  I'm sure I mentioned that theft here is rampant?    Usually, he had someone stay at his house during his absence,..however, his wife was not available, as she was at the hospital.  WOW.   One reason for theft problem is:  Prices!!  Example(s): a TINY bit of sugar costs $10;  a TINY bit of salt costs $5; Gasoline is between $25-$30 a gallon.  MERCY!!!  The "jeunnesse" took items & money from the Pastor's house....

     After church, we visited the burned out/trashed church,-wrecked in the last uprising,-&then, found Tom's Mom's(Betty) grave on a hillside.   Went to the hospital, since Tom hadn't looked it over yet,..and met a man from Station Katanti, who knew my parents.  He also remembered that he had played softball with me as a kid in the '50's!!  The hospital is run via solar panels hooked up to batteries and an invertor. 

     Following lunch, Tom worked again on Phillip's piki piki,..and got it running!   Since it is a long ride to our next destination,-Station Katanti,-we decided to stay one more night, & leave early the next morning.  Also, we made a deal with some local guys to transport us for $40 & 8 liters of fuel.  HALLELUJAH,..things are coming together!

Medical Records @ Hospital

     I asked about the absence of monkeys & snakes,..as when I lived here before, they were rampant & we often came across them.  Anyway, the monkeys have been hunted so much for food, that they are now 3 hours walk into the jungle,...for their own safety.  Snakes are not as plentiful as they used to be either,...yes,..people do eat some snake meat.  We talked a long time with Pastor Masudi,..then decided we'd leave the next day at 9am. 

     Went to bed at a decent time,......NO DAY is uneventful in the Congo,..so we need to be READY for the challenges of the upcoming motorbike trip thru the jungle to Station Katanti.........

Rogers, Banwamazi..

    

    

    

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

"Still Raining!!!!,.,.....& other Saturday Craziness!...

                    

                           "Still Raining,......& other Saturday Craziness, at Station Katshungu"......

August, 25, 2012: Saturday

SO,....this is the 'path' to the outside latrine,..aka hole in the ground!. OH, a problem,....rain has made the path to the 'john' slicker than slick!!!......

        Toilet contraption Pastor made for the Muzungu's,..whites,...to use. Note leakage around bottom!                    gotta love it anyway!

     So,.......Phillip's motorbike, -piki-piki,-still wouldn't run.  FRUSTRATING!  Now gas was also leaking from the carburetor,....so carb must be changed,..did that.   We were also sending out word for other piki drivers we could make deals with to go to Station Katanti......Hoping they would do it just for a reasonable price, & the 'free' gasoline we have stockpiled. Maybe we can ride on Sunday,..& maybe on Monday,....all depends on the rain!!! 

     Went to my bedroom for a nap,..while Tom was meeting with some guys from the village.  When I awoke, they were gone,...& Tom was sound asleep on a chair.  While Tom napped, I sat by the piki piki needing repairs,..just to GUARD the parts, tools, etc.  One really must keep a watch on things here,..stealing is a BIG problem!  Even Pastor Masudi's own kids steal from their Dad.  MERCY/YIKES!  Basically, this is a lawless culture.  The so-called Central Government just ignores the Eastern provinces because they are too hard to govern peacefully.......

     Here at Station Katshungu the missionary/African tennis court is gone,....soccer field is overgrown,..and any/all thoughts of cottage 'industries' are gone.  With this location being on a much travelled Path to the Interior, the danger factor from rebels/soldiers is much higher here,...besides there is a gold mine here!  Pastor Masudi has been here 40 years, & has fled to the forest 45 times,.....3x this year!!!  Masudi's been on the soldier's 'death list' for years.  Example:  one time when the missionaries were still here,..Masudi sheltered some of them in the forest for a month,.....this was done at his own peril, and that of his family,...at risk for 'harboring'.  Other times he has taken his family to Bukavu for safety's sake,....
                                                                                 
      Later: some men came to have a big discussion about the Christian Education department in their school.  Basically, they were asking for help.  The government wants the churches to run the public schools,..& in return they can have 1 hour daily to teach Bible principles.   Problem: their aren't any female teachers,(which would be advantageous), to do the teaching.  Why?- because over 30 women who came to the last training school, but do not want to take responsibility to teach.....When the soldiers come, they burn all the school materials in the front yard of the teachers,..& make the villagers watch as their school stuff is pillaged & burned,.......!!!   And, that's the least of what could happen,.....

    Mid afternoon 2 soldiers came to Pastor's house for another 'shakedown'.   One was nice, & one was drunk!  The drunk one took Tom apart for "not telling them, (the soldiers), we were coming,-& getting their permissin!"  Oh, by the way,..there is no 'permission' required,....he was just saying it was "against regulations", so he could try for some $$,........blah, blah, blah, blah,....Tom said, "We're sorry,"...& left it at that. YIKES.

    A local radio station is talking about our coming to do a Leadership (Bible) Seminar @ Station Katanti.  Apparently many, many people are already on their way there,..some walking up to 200 miles!

     Remember now.....T I A,....'This Is Africa!'............we can now close the book on Saturday @ Station Katshungu,.......

     Oh, I FORGOT,....it is still raining,......so we're going NOWHERE,......
Rogers, Banwamazi

                                       

"Time At Station Katshungu,..watching it RAIN!"

                                     "Time @ Katshungu,..with Songa & family & his new laptop!"
August 25, 2012:

     SO,.....this is the 'dry' season,...SO, why did it rain for 3 days!!!   Like Tom said, 'Roger, dry season is a myth,..Congo really has a 'rainy' season, & 'a rainy-er' season!   Time on our hands @ Station Katshungu, watching it rain.............the 'path' would now be a thrill a minute,-when we left on piki's, to go to Station Katanti!!,...........

     Woman came to visit with us,..and me.  NyaYoanne's her name.  She is the daughter of a man who worked starting the Bible Schools with my Dad many, many years ago.  She's quite elderly now,..but a real "hoot" of a lady,..........great times!  We talked & talked.  She says it is sad that the Balega people are losing their culture, language, proverbs, sayings, & tribal markings on their faces. 

     The picture above shows Songa & his family.  Songa is a nice young man, who works at the Hospital here.  He is showing off his new laptop, he just bought from Tom.  Later, he realized it is programmed in English,..-which Tom had told him upfront,-& wanted to know if Tom could take it back to Bukavu & re-program it in French!   "Yes," said, Tom, "but it will take me time, & you'll have to pay for the French program!"   So, there you have it!   I'm guessing Songa didn't think that thru before buying the laptop??  But, it wasn't a big deal, & I'm sure Songa figured it out with Tom.

    Up early on that day,..after it rained most of the night.  Many Africans came to see Banwamazi, aka Rogers, & Tom/Kathy.  Much laughing, talking, & praying!   This is how they show their appreciation for our working so hard to come & visit them.  NyaYoanne brought me a live chicken,..in an old tote bag she got from somewhere!   The gift was for me,..but for all of us to eat for lunch, just a couple hours later. 

     For our part, we were busily discussing "Plans A thru Z",..since our original plans had been scuttled a long time ago!  Tom decided to try to get his nephew Phillip's motorbike working, so we wouldn't have to rent another motorbike.  Also, we had to figure out how to measure gasoline in Congo, since it is sold only in used plastic water bottles,..and we had to figure out 7 liters to take us to Station Katanti!  Like I said earlier,..'everything is a big issue here!'  Tom discovered he needed to take the carburetor off, and trade it out with one from another 'hospital' motorbike,......

                Tom working on nephew Phillips bike,..to save us some money,........stay tuned!

              Dirt & deposits Tom cleaned out from Phillip's gas tank, after sitting idle for 3 years!

     Mid-morning, Kathy & I asked Songa to take us on a walk around Station Katshungu, while Tom worked on the bike.  Toured Station on foot.  Hospital still in use,-making do with what little they have & using African doctors/staff;  Pharmacy & Clinic buildings no longer in use,-they have been folded into the hospital bldg.;  missionary Dr. Zemmer's house is falling down,-with Africans living it it;  Maxine Gordon & Joyce Owens house is gone.  We came across several hulks of trucks and cars,..now overgrown with jungle.  Also, we saw a house built for Tom/Kathy some years ago,..now crumbling to the ground.

                        Rudimentary Maternity Delivery room,..in Station Katshungu Hospital

Pastor Masudi's palm nut press.

"Gold Creek"

On our Station tour,  suddenly the pastor stopped & said "We can't go up that hill, to see that house!  Soldiers have come & taken it over!"  We were all too happy to go a different direction!  Other lowlights or highlights(!):  the Bible School building is still in use,..however, soldiers came & stripped the Library & classrooms;  the Secondary school is still in use,..in AWFUL conditions;  in one place we came upon a gas engine-operated 'flour mill', & Pastor Masudi's palm nut press.  First, it presses out palm oil, then the nuts are heated & ground for palm candles,..then, still later, the husks are sold for making soap.  By Pastor Masudi's press is a stream with dubbed "Gold Creek".   Yes, it IS gold in color from all the gold dust in the water.  There is mining upstream,..where they are taking out gold bars the size of cement blocks,..and you can see gold in the hillsides, where they have been dug out.  

     That day I wore Tom's clothing,....Tom is a size 44 & I'm a size 34,-so it was interesting to say the least.  My clothes were having the red mud/clay washed out.  And, with the rains falling, nothing was drying out! 

     Last project for the day:,......now that I had lost my cell phone & all its pictures in the river on our way thru the jungle,...I was even more upset when I dropped my backup digital camera on the ground,-right on its lens!   Of course, it bent.  So,..Tom & I fiddled with it for an hour,..and got it to work again.  In the meantime, I used Kathy's,....but then had my own back again,...YAY...!!!!

     With Phillip's motorbike giving us fits, & not wanting to start,..we've decided to stay here at Station Katshungu until Monday,....hoping the rains stop & we can fix the piki piki.........

     Stay tuned,....
Rogers, Banwamazi

"The Hassle Continues,..Must be the Congo!"

                           This is how the 3 of us looked BEFORE our first motorbike (piki piki) ride thru the forest,....you don't want to see how we looked AFTER that ride!!,..........


August 24, 2012, Thursday, Cont'd.: OR, put another way, "all Hell breaks loose!"

     OMG'sh,.....There is a new & unique meaning to the word "road" in the Congo!    95% of the time 'road' means a narrow, windy, path through the jungle,-which is taking over from both sides!  Oh yes, there WAS a 'road' here,....like back in the 1960's,.....but no one keeps/kept it up, so the jungle just has taken over.  Couple that with a torrential rainy season,..and it becomes a treacherous path!

                            African woman & child carrying unbelievable loads on their heads!

 The path features slippery, stinky, red mudpits of brackish water,-big enough to swallow a VW bug!!  Since there is no way around many, many of these,..you just have to hang on as your piki piki driver goes right through the puddles,-splashing the above brackish water all over both of you! Our drivers wore knee high rubber boots.  (We had no such thing!).  The trick is to not fall off the bike into the mud or river.  Our bikes fell several times.  BTW,  my driver, bike & me slipped off a log and fell into the river, mudpit, whatever you want to call it.  At least the water was 'trying' to flow at this site!  (Gallows humor!).  Upon picking ourselves up, getting the bike & us upright, and, a deep breath,-we took off again!  No harm, no foul,...-or so we thought!  Another time I was attempting to help Kathy across a 'bridge' on foot, when I lost my footing & went into the mud again!   Later that night I discovered my domestic US cell phone had fallen off my belt holster,..and 'drowned' in the river!  Gone forever are my contacts, emails, & my 150+ tunes!  The Africans will retrace this path tomorrow, & said they would watch for it on the road.  By the way,..those odds are SLIM & NONE!!  It was gone forever.  OMG'sh, there was also sawgrass slapping us hapless motorbike riders; fallen trees to either duck under or haul your bike over; - rivers with questionable "bridges",- aka logs over the water; snakes, crocodiles???!!!!;...& huge rocks.  I failed to mention the drops along the side of the path when climbing mountain escarpments, or meeting other motorbikes or bicycles without any lights or warning, or the women walking the path carrying unbelievable loads on their head,...or the cows being 'herded' along the path!   BTW, all 3 bikes fell several times,....that's why you don't want to see what we looked like AFTER the trip to Katshungu!!  I swear there isn't even 1 stretch of smooth road in the whole jungle Interior!!  My 'insides', 'backside' & 'bones' have been re-arranged time after time!  I lost count how many times we had to dismount & push the bikes thru the muck...........remember,..all of this in the dark of the African night!

     As mentioned, my piki piki driver was a surly young man!  His favorite expression was a scowl,..you've seen the type!   He constantly complained that the "Muzungu" he was carrying didn't know how to ride on the back of his bike,..........Finally, he stopped the caravan & ceremoniously began to berate me in Swahili about my lack of skills.  The speech ended with him refusing to take me even another inch!!  So, as happens in the Congo,..negotiations ensued.  Tom told him to "haka makalele yako!", which means literally to stop your laughing(at the white man)!!  Put another way,....it can mean, 'shut up', or 'get over it!'  For good measure, as the driver lit a cigarette, Tom said, "& by the way, that cigarette will kill you!"  The drama was 'ON', in earnest,..and it was nearly dark, to boot!  I was transferred to the cargo motorbike, driven by Songa, a nicer young man from one of the mission schools, who works in the hospital at Katshungu.  Fine by me!! 

     We arrived @ Lugungu, a village along the path, at full dark,..with a LONG way to go, and Tom's headlight not working on his bike!   Had a meeting among ourselves along the road.  Our choices were to sleep by the bikes on the ground, or press on thru the night, -with the biggest mountains still ahead of us.  We tied an LED (Chinese) flashlight on Tom's piki piki and decided to press on to Katshungu, thru the night.  My new driver, Songa's, contribution to the decision was that the road ahead would be MUCH WORSE!  He wasn't kidding,.......ROUGH, SLOW, ROCKY, BUMPY going in the dark,....had we known, we'd have passed on the decision to go to Katshungu.......too late now to change.

     Then, it began to lightning in the East!  What else could happen????   Tom was reminding me, I told you it won't be EASY!"   Yeah, right, Tom,.....Finally, we reached the top of the escarpment, and took a break on top of the mountain,...so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face,..but, PTL, not raining.  I have named this mountain "Telephone Hill".  On the top of the mountain there is a path leading to the very summit in the forest.  If one stands just right under a specific tree,....thru the wonders of atmospheric changes one can receive a poor, slight cell signal!!!!,...in the forest, in the middle of NOWHERE!!  Say it ain't so, Mabel!   The signal is good enough in an off and on way to 'talk'...........Now we were only about 7 km from our destination, Station Katshungu,-down the 'short' side of the mountain. We passed the hydro-electric plant that several Missions/missionaries had built across a rushing mountain river.  Even in the dark we could hear the rushing/roaring water.  (The soldiers had come several times, and for no good reason have trashed the electric plant,.....just because they CAN!!)  Wow!

     After ALL that, we arrived Station Katshungu at 8pm. Over 3 hours to cover the route we had been told would take 1.5 hours!  The pastor & other locals had waited for us until 7:30,..then they had given up.  Despite some people having left,....we had a BIG welcome, singing, praying, from Pastor Masudi & his extended family.  WONDERFUL!  (Tom & Kathy had taken a wrong turn in the night, & finally showed up about 20 minutes later!).

    

    Pastor Masudi, his wife, & Rogers (as they call me in Africa: Sunday morning @ Station Katshungu

My very small room at Pastor Masudi's...

Water well at Station Katshungu

Makeshift 'toilet' over hole in the ground....

     We were fed supper of rice, Sombe(greens), bugali(manioc), & fresh pineapple.  This station still has deep groundwater wells installed by some of the missionaries,..so we could drink the water without having to boil it for 30 minutes to an hour.  We committed ourselves to God's care,.& .drank deeply & gratefully!   Masudi's wife gave us each a pan of warm water to do a 'spit bath' in our rooms to get rid of the muck, mud, & stench!  PTL!  WOW!  (She would hand wash our muddy clothes next day).  I had one room in Masudi's mud/stick house, the family  another room, & Tom/Kathy a third room.  The fourth room was occupied by Masudi's grown daughter & her kids.  The rooms were small, with dirt floors, and a low platform for lying on, & a mosquito net.  I did have a window!,..is that a good thing????   Never mind.  The 'toilet;,..a hole in the ground, was 'down the path',....but look at THAT!  Pastor Masudi had built a small wooden device to make things easier for the "Muzungu's".  God bless that man!!.........

     Went to bed about 10pm,..EXHAUSTED,..and dreamed of yesteryear in the Congo!  No matter that the bed was HARD,...and, a huge thunderstorm broke over us!   Love the sound of the rain on a tin roof,..but this will make the paths even more impassable,..for our scheduled trip to Station Katanti,-my home-, tomorrow,........STAY TUNED,....... OH!, with the low window in my room,..& the rainstorm,..'things' became easier to avoid walking to the toilet down the path,....you figure it out!,....

Rogers, Banwamazi

"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