My thoughts on Pointe Noire, Congo

Around a month ago Mikkel was sent off to work in Congo, Pointe Noire for a month, and the company paid for my air plane ticket to join him. At this point in time I was neck deep in the renovations of our new place, and I swear, that if I had the contractor screw up one more thing, I was going to lose it. I figured it was a good time to escape the stress here in Douala and head to Congo. Let me just point out here that I went to the Republic of Congo, and not to the Democratic (but not so) Republic of Congo.

The flight was interesting, to say the least. I flew with a little company called Trans Air Congo, and our flight was Douala, to Libreville, to Pointe Noire. So Technically I had visited 3 countries (Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo) in one day! There were no assigned seats, and because of this, chaos ensued. After a long, hot, stinky 4 hours of traveling I had finally made it to Congo!

I am getting pretty good at navigating African airports, and since Congo is a Francophone country, I was used to the language! I quickly navigated immigration and made it to the baggage claim to await my one tiny checked bag... While waiting an hour for my baggage I observed the most corrupt system of baggage delivery in all my life. They unloaded the plane and brought the luggage to a holding area (within view) and then they refused to put the luggage on the carousel. they just sat there and guarded the bags. At this time I began to notice people going up and speaking to the officials ( I believed them to be Customs Officials). So I snuck a little closer to see what these people where doing to get their bags... Being in Africa, this should not have came as a shock, but it turns out the passengers were paying the agents an "Express Fee" to get their baggage released. This enraged me, and I remained strong in my resolve to wait it out, I was not going to add to the lining of some fat cat's wallet!!!! Eventually all the luggage was loaded onto the carousel and I was able to collect my bag... This is an amazing example of corruption at its finest!

I have to say that on one hand Congo was nice because it has a huge nice western style super market, and a really nice beach front lined with nice (but extremely pricey) restaurants. 

The Beach in Pointe Noire

Locals Enjoying the Beach

The cleanest and nicest part of Pointe Noire is the Beaches. I hear that it is amazing to surf here, but I was there during the wrong season. The only source of entertainment was to go have a nice meal on the beach and enjoy the scenery.

We put our feet in the water when we were at the beach. 

Our Lunch View From a Chinese Restaurant on the Beach

We had a few meals at a restaurant called Twigga, which is Congolese slang for Giraffe. This restaurant is on the beach, and has a really nice beach resort feel to it.  Another of the restaurants claims to fame is that it is owned by the president's daughter.

Enjoying Lunch at Twigga

They also had some of the most amazing seafood here! It is crazy but fresh lobster is cheaper than a steak. This is because all of the beef is imported, mostly from South Africa.

Our Lobster Dinners

We also had the chance to try some local beer! It is always fun trying new and different beers!

Congolese Beer

The rest of my time in Congo I spent relaxing and working on a few art projects. I tried my hand at painting, thanks to the supplies left for me by my friend Patty!

A Blossoming Tree I Painted

Once my paintings were completed I turned my attentions on to Origami. It is suppose to be relaxing, but it is actually quite frustrating, but I happily created a little army of origami items :)

My Collection of Origami

Over all I was highly disappointed with Pointe Noire. It was beyond filthy. Most of the roads are unpaved dusty red sand traps infested with hungry sand flies. There is no concept of waste removal, the garbage is just dumped full bags at a time on the road sides, and there was no respect for the natural beauty that surrounds them.

All of Pointe Noire is a Garbage Dump

And Most (Not All) of the Roads are Like This

I think that what will stick with me the most is the manner in which the wild animals were treated here. While there has been so much pressure on the government to protect endangered species here, you get the sense that the only reason most of the population does not contribute to the poaching trade is because if caught the prison sentences are so harsh, they choose not to get in trouble. They do not choose to save these animals out of a common respect for them, but rather the respect to keep their own self out of trouble. A blatant disrespect for other animals was visible on a daily basis. To see it all you need to do is go for a drive around Pointe Noire. I saw a person out of the blue walk up to a wild dog a just kick it for the enjoyment they got out of it, and on the same day less than 5 minutes later I saw a fully grown man kick a miniature stork looking bird so hard that he nearly broke its leg off. I was so distraught after this one car ride that I was ready to head to the airport and leave right then. I just cannot fathom the mindset of a populace that derives pleasure from injuring and maiming innocent creatures. I know that I cannot expect everyone to have the same love for all animals as I have, but I do expect every person to have enough respect as to not go out of their way to intentionally cause another living creature unnecessary harm.

So as you can see I am still angered by what I saw, and I think that overall this is tinting my view of Pointe Noire. There was nothing touristy or very interesting to do or see. Everything that I found on line had been long since closed down. The biggest attraction was to eat at extremely expensive restaurant on the beach, which is not an interesting way to get a feel for a country. I also got eaten alive by all the mosquito and sand flies. This should not be viewed as a complete reflection on Congo, but rather just  my observations on Pointe Noire.

Now that I am exhausted from my ranting, I think I shall sign off and start my day! Wishing you all a great day full of happy wanderings and wondering!