It's midnight. I lie awake. Marlow haunts my mind. Beyond a thin wall of mosquito netting lies The Congo. Massive black trees linger at the periphery of my vision. Only here and there do any stars manage to penetrate the canopy. Their light feels like hope, but for millennia this jungle has been swallowing men.
It's silent, or so it seems at first. There's a knock like something hard hitting a trunk, the croak of a single frog, then a trill repeated. There it is again. Sleep takes me. When I awake the world is different.
I flew twenty hours from the US to Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo, then caught a twelve seat twin engine prop plane to a dirt air strip in Odzala National Park. I've come to see Western Lowland Gorillas and Forest Elephants, but also just to breath in the Congo, where untold numbers of unnamed species elude western scientists.
It's different here than I imagined, brighter, more peaceful, less oppressive. No armed guerillas stalk our camps; no swarms of mosquitos drink our blood; the sun shines. Innumerable fungi, insects, and birds lurk within the forest, but the megafauna dominate our minds. Driving into the park a Chimpanzees dashes across the road and disappears into the bush. When we try to sleep, the trumpeting and growling of elephants wakes us. In the forest, the elephant seems to be the most feared species, but we watch for black leopard, too. Unfortunately, looking and finding are not the same thing.
Above: The Congo through the airplane window. It's no small thing!
Above: Our transportation.
Above: This putty nose monkey is a resident around Ngaga lodge. Just before I snapped this picture, another monkey ran up and kicked him in a really unfortunate place.
Above: We got a chance to visit two groups of Western Lowland Gorillas around Ngaga Lodge.
Above: We only saw the silver back for this group very briefly, but he didn't chase us off or lead his family away, so we got to see the younger gorillas.
Above: This one sat and posed quite nicely for me.
Above: As I've said, this trip's not just about the big animals.
Above: My sister always appreciates it if I include some nice spider pictures. The bigger the spider, the more she likes the picture.
Above: You never know what you'll find on a night hike.
Above: Look at how green this thing is! Thing being its scientific name, of course.
Your transportation is unreal. So is the image of the Congo from your airplane window. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and images of our gorgeous planet.
Yeah I am in! What an adventure. I will share these photos with Mom. The putty nose monkey is hilarious. I like how they tried to camouflage the plane. Miss you!