Back on the silly road back into Libreville and a
quick detour into the supermarket for some cheap special offer mince and
a couple of even cheaper takeaway Croque Monsieurs. (French ham and
cheese toasties) Oh my word, they were so yum! Headed out on the superb
tarmac road towards the equator. Our GPS showed it to be right on a bend
in the very twisty road (in a completely different spot as to where
their sign was, obviously for safety reasons) We stopped in the hope of
a mammoth photo session and a celebratory drink. However, as we opened
the back door and turned around, there were about 50 school children
storming at full speed towards us. Bollocks! Trust us to cross the
middle of the earth at midday just as schools were closing. So, sorry
but very few photos and no celebratory bling! Arrived in the beautiful
riverside town of Lambarene and investigated the Catholic Mission. Alas,
being Easter weekend, they were full - not even space for us to camp.
The Spanish nun was so lovely and very apologetic and kept assuring us
that usually they were a perfect place to camp with hot showers. While
driving off to find a bushcamp, we spotted a sign for Motel Delices Du
Lac's. The Gabonese woman running the show was happy to let us camp on
the tiny patch of grass for 3 each and insisted that we went to
watch telly in the bar. She even picked some flowers for us and served
us the coldest beers ever. It was unbelievably hot and the mozzies were
out in full force so we ordered another beer and chilled out on her
veranda. Just then, the chef arrived, sporting a full chef's outfit. He
seemed well chuffed that they actually had guests. I suggested to Rob
that maybe we should eat something, purely to give him a reason for
being here. He was delighted and turned out, spoke a bit of English. He
scurried off and prepared a menu for us and gave a full tour of the
restaurant. Rob settled for some Gazelle with Fried Plantain and I opted
for Bush Pig with Boiled Cassava. He then brought us a mosquito coil and
a bowl of chips. (yup, crisps, oh my word, when last did we have those?)
I should have suspected he was up to something, when he never actually
went back into the kitchen once and our food was due to be ready in half
and hour. I did notice one of the staff load a basket into the back of
the car and drive off into town. Half an hour later, he was back and
suddenly our dinner was ready. Still, it was delicious and very much
enjoyed (except the cassava was pretty grim) until we got the bill! Note
to self: always check the prices first! Let's just say it was a little
more than a days budget for us but still cheaper than Europe. I just
hope that the sweet old pygmy woman in the village, who probably made
it, got her fair share. After discovering that our camping spot was now
overrun with very scary biting fire ants, we literally jumped into bed. |