Meet the Boys...and Stop With the Trash Already

These are the boys, my buddies Toby and Blackie; and this is the back entrance to the compound where we live.  As you can see, the compound backs onto a beach and the boys love it.  The area has been cleared of all brush and the back wall does not go all the way to the shoreline like on other properties.  This sandy area is outfitted with two concrete benches and since logs regularly wash up onshore, additional “seating” is arranged by visitors; makeshift “beach furniture”.

This clearing was probably a nice concept when the compound was built, however, the clearing is way too inviting to locals for my taste…

The African Diet

After trekking around for a while, you can't help but notice something remarkably different here versus back home.  I’m not talking about lack of infrastructure, no internet connection, or impenetrable jungle and forest elephants, but…Why are there no Fat Gabonese people?

What's it Really Like? Food/Friends/TV/etc.

I’ve been in-country for more than 6 months and this posting is just a bit of perspective for you.  I have never lived abroad and it’s a very unique experience.  It was easier to get used to the differences than I thought…

Food

You eat and drink what’s local and available; more beer and wine, less alcohol – a vodka martini doesn’t exist.  Olives are a luxury, martini glasses don’t exist and if you request martini you get a short pour in a rocks glass of the slightly sweet, Italian, martini and rossi (blanc ou rouge?).  By the way, rocks/ice is a luxury too…even if it weren’t so warm, the single cube you get will definitely melt before you finish your drink.

No processed foods exist here.  No fast food.  Bread doesn’t come in plastic, it’s fresh out of the oven and you have to go back to the boulangerie to pick up a new loaf.  I could buy out the entire “chip” section in the supermarket and carry it away in 2 bags.  It’s a few feet on one shelf, versus at home where it’s an entire friggin’ isle.  Soda is a luxury, people drink water.  Eggs obviously come from chickens here because they often have feathers or poop on them…and they’re delicious.