A Brief Pictorial, What a Difference 15 Minutes Makes

I wanted to show you how the country changes during a 15 minute drive from the middle of Libreville up north along L101.  The change is dramatic recognizing that while Gabon is the #2 or #3 richest country on the continent, very little gets spent beyond the capital.  Some visiting military officers from Senegal and Cameroon pointed this out to me a few weeks ago.  They were enlisted in a military exchange program here and were remarking that while their countries are poor, at least they have roads.

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…

A Lazy Sunday on the Beach in Gabon

Went to the beach on Sunday with the Lieutenant Colonel - I put that in for effect, so you don’t forget the community that I live with - did it work?

We just went close by in Sabliere, the neighborhood where we live.  It’s been hot here, it’s always hot here, but it’s been hotter than usual.  The heat index has 104 Fahrenheit everyday, but it’s cooler on the beach because of the constant breeze off the ocean.

Walls surround the compound where we live, like all properties in Sabliere, so you don’t get the effect of the wind to cool you down when you’re outside.

Quick Weekend Safari

Went into the jungle again this weekend for a short elephant safari.  Despite its many challenges, Gabon is primed for eco/adventure-tourism.  The country is just so green and wild.  It is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world.

You drive into Libreville to one of the “ports”…more like a dirty, muddy lot surrounding a single cement slope into the water.  There is no dock, all of the boats sit on rollers and they are dragged into and out of the water with a rope tied to a truck and a lot of guys yelling in French “non celui-ci, celui la, on fonction…sortez de la voie! (not this one, that one, get out of the way”).

Driving Up North to Cap Esterias

We recently took a drive up to Cap Esterias about 30K (1 hour) north of the city. Drive 15 minutes outside of the city and you are literally in the middle of nowhere. The paved roads that you saw in previous blogs turn into an old logging road that that takes you north through the jungle. On the map, it is demarcated like a highway...in reality, it is an old dirt road that probably used to be paved 10 years ago. We are traveling with someone who has been here before, so we are not worried that none of the routes have signs or markings.

Navigating Gabon works like this, “did we pass an old radio tower back there, I think we make a left soon; no, not that left, I did that the last time and it’s the wrong way, take the next left.” None of the streets, even in the city, have markings. Directions are given by landmark, as long as the jungle doesn't grow over it.

An Elephant Safari in Nyonie

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We went on our 1^st real trip into the jungle in Gabon.  Nyonie is a base camp about 2 hours south of Libreville, about ½ hour south of the equator.

The trip starts with a one-hour boat ride across the estuary and into one of the smaller waterways.  It’s an hour in a small outboard boat, a little rough and wet, but it’s all part of the adventure.  The next hour is in the back of a 4x4 through the tropical rain forest and down past the equator to the Nyonie base camp on the shore of the Atlantic.

Taking the Ferry Across the Bay to Point Denis

Libreville is located in an estuary, at one side of the mouth to a river that spills into the ocean. Across the bay, the other side of the mouth, is Point Denis. A thin strip of land that sticks out from the continent and essentially protects Libreville from the ocean. The bay (and Libreville) is on the inside of the peninsula and the Atlantic is on the outside.

About Gabon, Africa

Gabon is roughly the size of Colorado, with a population less than 1.5 million people. It is one of the least populated countries on the continent. Gabon is located on the west coast of Africa, on the equator. It is thick and lush with tropical jungle. So thick that the two major cities, Libreville, the capital, and Port Gentil, the major oil port city, are not connected by roads. Gabon has an 885 kilometer coastline along the Atlantic with some magnificent beaches; although the more pristine south coast is not easily accessible, except by water (no roads, remember).