News flash!

Djin and Tonic are now in the Northern Hemisphere

Safari in “Survivor” Territory

In need of a holiday from the stresses of city life, Djin and Tonic took themselves on Safari to Nyonié for one night – tight budget!

On Wednesday morning, we left our Precious at the Auberge in Libreville and caught a taxi to the Marina to get the boat to Nyonié. (It's only possible to get there by boat. Imagine!) Peggy was allowed to come too. Imagine that! And, the lodge at Nyonié played host to the Survivor Gabon team, which is the TV show that got Jen going on Gabon. More imagination! Luckily, we didn't have to eat any weird things – in fact, we ate more lettuce and butter than the rest of our 5 months away. Nor did we have to do any weird tricks, apart from donning our bikinis and frightening everyone else off the beach.

The boat ride there was pretty uneventful with good weather, so we could enjoy the scenery across the Gabon Estuary and through the mangrove swamps without worrying about falling out. It was a small boat with only one functioning engine and was stocked with supplies for the lodge: baguettes aplenty, a whole case of Famous Grouse (Jen was pleased), and loads of soda but no tonic water (we were worried). Peggy is turning out to be a real old sea dog.

 

The boat pitched us out at a village, where we were collected by the lodge's safari bakkie. Not quite the safari vehicles we have at home and a lot more bumpy, but still fun. At the lodge, we were met by the charming Bernard and owner, Betsy (a Frenchman) who invited us to make ourselves at home. We didn't need much encouragement and climbed right in. Jen assessed the bar stock and reported the dirth of tonic. O-la-la! She did find several varieties of pastis and tried a few out in her coke. Bel refused to adulterate her rare coke treat and drank one quickly so she had time for the next. (We're a bit cheap and scaly on the Djin and Tonic tour!) Peggy instantly made friends with the resident dogs and dashed off to hunt the licorice allsorts agamas (lizards).

Just as we'd devoured the bowl of olives (French imports), the lunch gong went. We were thrilled to find MANY bottles of chilled Bordeaux Rouge to accompany the delicious onion quiche and salad shared at the communal dinner table with a French family on a military posting to Gabon and a Spanish couple visiting Gabon for a cultural event. After lunch, the Europeans retired for a siesta while the scruffy overlanders explored the beach. On such a splurge, it seemed a waste to sleep.

At 4pm, everyone piled into the safari bakkie and we shot off on a “game rally”. I say “rally”, because the speed at which we travelled was rarely less than 40km/h with no stops, not even for sundowners. Bernard sped up to forest elephants and goaded them into charging.

The Europeans loved it. We were horrified. Back home in the dark, dinner was waiting. More lettuce, buttery vegetables and le Bordeaux Rouge froid to fuel discussions on “the state of Africa” until the wee hours, which put paid to Bel's hope of an early morning walk in the forest.

The following morning we did a bit of birding before breakfast. (What? No eggs?) Then we played on the beach before lunch. (Yes! More Bordeaux!) And then it was time to throw our stuff in our bags and get the boat back to Libreville. We found a huge fish thrashing around the deck of the boat when we climbed in – the driver had fished it out of a sandbank on his way to fetch us. Peggy was terrified. Then the driver couldn't get the second motor started, so Jen took the helm and added to her travel CV.

Crossing the estuary, we were bashed by huge waves and got completely soaked, so were in a need of a stiff gin on arrival back at the marina where we managed to change into dry clothes before heading back to the auberge to dry out after a fab Gabonese safari.

 

We've had a fantastic time in Gabon and would recommend this place to everyone. Next stop Cameroon, where we'll be running our programme in Belo in the North-West region for 6 weeks. Allons y!

Hi everyone!

Just letting you all know we are safe and well and in Lambarene. Sorry things have been a bit quiet but as you can see, we have been chilling in wild Africa. We know the "Gin and Tonic" page has dropped of the blog and we desperately need to do some updating. We will try our best when in Libreville in a week or two while awaiting the Cameroon visa .

More Nerdy Birders

Bel and I are strictly "armchair" birders. We may put down our tea/beer and stand up to get a better look, but Gabon truly doesn't disappoint when it comes to birding. We've been ticking off "lifers" on a daily basis and have sighted nearly 90 species in our 3 weeks.

Our 2 weeks' R&R in Setté Cama was a delight. Thick forests all around, a lazy lagoon on one side, a wild Atlantic beach on the other. Heaven for the 3 of us. 

 

Apart from a few passing fishermen, our company was:

• Black-capped bulbuls "suh-wheat pah-tay-toe" getting us out of our tents each morning
• Busy blue-breasted bee-eaters classicly posed a few meters from us. Master hunters in and out of their sandbank nests.
• All day, a cacophony of the emphatic "chip-chrrrrrr" of the woodland kingfishers, the raucous bark of ever-elusive turacos and casqued hornbills, the monotonous "plink-plink" of tinkerbirds and the high-pitched trilling of sunbirds.
• The perfectly camouflaged square-tailed nightjar only taking flight from the sand at the last second just before we stepped on it and its tiny pink speckled eggs.
• Great flocks of African grey parrots, living as they should – not caged in solitary confinement - broadcasting their pops, hoots and whistles on the short-wave radio.
• The evening sky filled with rosy bee-eaters and numerous, unnamed swifts and swallows swooping and diving, playing tag with Peggy.
• And of course, there's nothing better than sipping a cold beer, accompanied by the unmistakeable ringing call of the African fish eagle.  .

Aah, that's life!

Brazzaville, en route to Gabon

We've been in Brazzaville for nearly a week.  Terrifying getting the car on and off the ferry, but we're all safe and sound now.  We're leaving Brazza tomorrow, bound for Dolisie and then northwards up to the Gabonese border at Ndende.  Until the next internet stop...

A Typical Day for the Gin and Tonic Team

• Wake at dawn and visit our own inoffensive long drop.
• Get the solar panel out.
• Do our stretches and sun salutations.
• Have a quick wash in a bowl.
• Breakfast of sweet black tea, fruit of the day with raw peanuts and wild honey.
• Shut Peggy inside and head over the field to the church for the morning workshop.
• Wait anything up to an hour for the women to arrive.
• Begin with soul lifting drumming, singing and dancing.
• Discuss and unpack topics, such as freedom, wisdom, fear or courage for the first part.
• Manage the sewing supplies and assist the women with their creations for the second part.
• End the session with expressions of thanks and more drumming and singing.
• Home for lunch of orange maize flour "mani-cookies," palatable with Marmite.
• Do a chore or two and prepare for the next session.
• Say goodbye to Pegs again and back over the field to repeat the morning workshop with a new group, desperately trying to keep the energy up under a tin roof in the afternoon heat.
• 4.30 – pack up, dash home and gather our stuff together.
• Head to the river for washing of clothes and sweaty, dusty bodies – good for a 3-4km round trip sniff, walk and swim for Peggy.
• Dash home for a shared beer sun downer, sitting in our hard wood, hand carved chairs by 6.00 for our regular flying performance by the resident pair of Pennant-winged Nightjars.
• Stoke up the charcoal brazier to cook supper – much fanning.
• Fall onto our bamboo beds – generally asleep by 8.30pm.
• Whew! Was tough being us!

Sensory Experiences of Kibeti

Sounds

• The dawn song of the Black Crowned Tchagra.
• The crow, bleat, grunt and low of truly free range animals.
• The constant thump, thump of women pounding manioc.
• The singing, always someone singing – women around an evening fire, the chant of children's games, a man's lone voice in the dead of night, accompanied by a slow drum.

Smells

• Regular whiffs of sour manioc, freshly dug, drying or cooking.
• Familiar bushfire – the scour and clearing before planting a field.
• River water – reedy and slightly fishy.
• Farm animal dung.

Sights

• Huge rolling green hills, fading into a haze of a permanent smokey sky.
• Two identical flat red discs hanging on opposite horizons, one a setting sun, the other a rising full moon.
• The detail and pattern of colourful wax print cloth and braided or twisted hair.
• Food tinged orange by palm oil.

Tastes

• A diet of spinach, spinach and more – same but different – spinach accompanied by rice, alternating with sweet potatoes.
• The pleasurable malty golden liquid of our closely guarded ration of COLD Primus beer (rock on solar power!).

Sensations

• Perpetual greeting and shaking of rough dry hands.
• Constantly dirty feet – black from black dust.
• Sore bums from hard seats.
• The delightful feeling of sun crisp clean clothes and a just washed body (for an initial brief ten minutes.)