Finding Brightness in the Heart of Darkness

This was my home away from home while in the Congo, as I spent more nights here than anywhere else (a grand total of 3 nights). Considered to be the second-best place to stay in Beni (according to the latest guidebook), the hotel can be classified as perfectly fine for budget travelers, but all others may find it sub-standard. It was perfectly suitable for my needs, despite the dirty walls and dilapidated look (honestly, though, what doesn't look dilapidated in the Congo?).

It's conveniently located a few hundred feet south of the main traffic circle in Beni, across the street from Restaurant Okapi and Wimpy Snack and Pizzeria, behind the main road of shops, and next to an internet cafe. Despite the heavy traffic out front, once you make your way to the hotel grounds you will find it to be peaceful and quiet (though in the morning I was woken up by the sound of people doing karate nearby). There are a few tables and chairs to sit at outside the reception area, and then there are several buildings containing the various rooms.

The hotel seems to be popular among locals and travelers alike. During my stay I noticed another muzungo who appeared to be a long-term resident, probably an aid worker of some sort. There was also a group of military officers one night.

There is a mixture of rooms with ensuite bathrooms, and others with shared bathrooms. Prices range from approximately $8 per night, up to $20 per night. I opted for the $20 per night room, which included an ensuite bathroom, and two beds separated by a wall and door (so, it was almost like having two bedrooms). If you rent one of the more expensive rooms (I believe $15 or more per night), a free "breakfast" is included. Don't expect anything grand, though. Tea and bread are all they have.

My room had a small television, amazingly. I do not know if this comes standard in all rooms.

The beds themselves range from somewhat short to approximately full-size. They should also have a mosquito net (ask for one if there is not). The bathroom had running water and a sit down toilet. However, our bathroom had no light.

Electricity is only turned on at night, from approximately 6pm until 10pm. A gas lamp is placed in the room for when the lights go out. There is no hot water, though the staff will gladly heat a bucket of water for you. Sheets and towels are changed daily. Bags can be stored at the hotel at no extra cost. There is also a supposed restaurant on the premises. However, during my stay I never saw it operating.

If you're on a budget, I can highly recommend staying here. The hotel staff is very friendly, and the atmosphere is relaxed.

P.S. In the recently published Bradt guide, the hotel is mistakenly called "Hotel Source Kasungulu"...instead of Kabungulu

A door or two down from Wimpy Snack and Pizzeria, south of the main traffic circle, and diagonally across from Hotel Source Kabungulu, is Restaurant Okapi. Despite the name, there is no okapi on the menu. Shucks!

The menu either exists or doesn't. On my first visit I had a menu to choose a number of items from...fish, rice, chicken, pasta, etc. But, on my second visit I was handed no menu and told all they had were fish and chicken. Both times I chose fish...the first time being excellent, the second time resulting in me getting sick. The fish (tilapia) is cooked crispy on the outside and served with a salad and chips. I imagine all meals are similar. An average meal will cost around $4 plus drinks.

Outside of eating, there is a full bar with a wide range of drinks to choose from.

You can choose to sit inside or outside, the outside being much more popular than the inside. Regardless of where you sit, loud music blares throughout the restaurant. The outside tables overlook the main road, while the inside tables are in view of a TV playing African music videos and Jet Li movies. The decor is nothing to write home about, just some simply painted walls and a few lights (it's quite dim inside). On my second visit the restaurant smelled of fresh paint. Just inside the front door is a fountain and soap to wash your hands.

The staff is a mixed bag of younger folks. On my first visit, two waitresses who spent their off-time dancing to the music were friendly and helpful. But, my second time there I found only one waitress who appeared to be mad at the world. When paying my bill, the second time I was given the incorrect amount of change (though they corrected it without any problem).

Like all of Beni, the electricity cuts in and out at night. Bring a torch in case the lights go out and you can't see your meal in front of you.

Though I did not eat at every restaurant in town, I would rate Restaurant Okapi as one of the better places to get a bite to eat.

On the main road through town, between Restaurant Okapi and the main traffic circle, sits the Wimpy Snack and Pizzeria restaurant. It is located on the upper floor, accessed via a staircase on the right side of the building.

Though "pizzeria" is in the name, don't expect to pop in anytime for a slice of pizza. Pizzas must be ordered before noon if you want it for dinner later that day. Remember, this is the Congo. On my visit, I tried fou fou with some vegetables, while my interpreter had a steak. Both were delicious. Two meals and sodas were less than $10. Also on the menu were typical options: fish, chicken, pastas, etc.

The atmosphere is much like a bar, complete with a full bar, pool table, loud music, and lots of people having a good time. There are tables inside and out, with outside ones overlooking the parking area and main road.

The wait staff is pretty bad. The simplest requests (i.e. asking a waitress for a menu) resulted in the waitress dragging her feet, rolling her eyes, and basically being stubborn. When we were ready to go, we asked for the bill. After waiting 20 minutes, we went to find the waitress, who told us she forgot about the bill. We probably could have walked out without paying. We paid, but gave no tip.

If you've already tried Restaurant Okapi, and want to go someplace else without venturing far, Wimpy Snack and Pizzeria will suit most needs.

South of the main traffic circle, near the U.N. base in the middle of Beni, you can find the local market. Yes, there are plenty of shops in town that sell plenty of other items...canned goods, cookies, water, etc. But, the market is especially ideal if you are preparing to spend a few days away from Beni or other major towns, and need to stock up on fresher food and supplies. Rice, beans, soap, vegetables, pasta, oil, meat, and fish can all be found. I only saw citrus fruits for sale, though one store in town did have (expensive) apples.

I've seen many markets in different parts of Africa, but this one had an unusual assortment of meat sellers. Some were only selling the legs of animals (freshly cut cow and goat legs with the hair and hoof still attached), or just heads. Unfortunately, no one would let me take a picture without me paying them a huge fee.

Komanda (between Beni and Bunia) is not a town most people plan to stop in. I had the unfortunate luck of being stuck here when by bus missed the window to cross the Ituri River a few kilometers up the road. There is not much to see or do in town, so the best option is to find a decent place to eat and sleep, and then spend the evening catching up on journal entries or playing cards.

Just before the main Beni-Bunia road splits (left to Mambasa, right to Bunia), there is a restaurant on the left (west) side of the road: Restaurant Taux du Jour. The restaurant, though extremely basic and without a menu or any options, serves some hearty plates of rice and large pieces of goat meat for a few dollars. A family runs the place, with the daughters acting as waitresses.

If the daughters do not ask you, inquire about the rooms they have available for rent, for a mere $4. Behind the restaurant, not very visible from the road and with no sign, are several (maybe 10) rooms for anyone passing through. After seeing another "hotel" in town (complete with no windows and dirt floors), I was a little fearful of what these rooms liked like. Surprisingly, the rooms were more than I could have asked for: clean sheets, decent mattress, a small table, a single candle, and a few hooks to hang clothes on. There was a window and locking door, both with a sheet covering them to give you some privacy and let air in. I slept like a baby, even though there was no pillow.

There is a shared squat toilet of sorts near the rooms, though it is more a hole in a cement floor than anything else. On request, the owner will give you a bucket of water and towel to clean with, and let you sit in his restaurant at night to play cards or whatever.

Though the name is Restaurant Taux du Jour, the owners can provide you with some clean, simple accommodation if you happen to be stuck in Komanda.

If you find yourself in Epulu, and you're not just passing through, one of the main reasons you're here is probably to visit the Okapi Reserve. Just as the name says, it is a vast area of land designed to help maintain and protect the okapi population. It is not quite a national park, but is probably as close to a national park as you can get.

What puts Epulu on the map is a capture station where they keep several okapis in pens for research. Each pen looks to be about a half acre or larger in size, with one okapi in each pen. There are approximately 8 okapis at the capture station. Some local pygmies are hired to help run the capture station, some going into the forests to fetch specific food for the okapis, and others maintaining the grounds. The tours are very one-on-one, so ask as many questions as you want. The guides are more than happy to help you, as they love having visitors.

When you visit the capture station, you will first be given a brief overview of how the operation works, such as how the okapis are fed, what is studied, etc. Afterwards, you will then be allowed to enter a pen with an okapi, and pet it. Be very careful, though, as I had a near-tragic experience in the pen. Story-time...

The night before my visit, there was a tremendous lightning storm that knocked down several trees in the capture station area. So, as a result, the morning of my visit the groundskeepers were busy cutting up fallen trees with chain-saws. This loud sound made all the okapis very skittish and nervous...more nervous than normal.

When I first entered the pen, I noticed the keeper was having a somewhat difficult time calming down the okapi so I could approach. But, he did get it calm and stable, and then I approached. But, as soon as I stood next to the okapi it walked away. Not thinking, I walked in it's direction, approaching it from it's back. I must have gotten too close to it's hind legs, because before I knew it the okapi had done a defensive kick towards me with it's hind legs. Luckily, it only grazed my upper legs. Had it been one or two inches closer, it would have kicked me directly on my femur...most likely breaking it as the okapi is about the size of a small horse.

Because of this incident, I was escorted out of the cage, and was told to return later in the day when the okapis were more settled. I did this, returned later in the day, and was able to pet the okapi with no problem. However, my body language and facial expression in that picture look as if I am scared for my life. You will not see that picture on IgoUgo.

The cost to enter the capture station is a mere $5 USD. This will include a guide who will stay with you for your entire trip (including if you are staying at the lodge), and give you a tour of both the capture station and village of Epulu. If you visit pygmies in the area, he will take you there, too.

There are possible 4x4 trips deep into the reserve, though you must go to Nia Nia to arrange such a trip.

On the grounds of the Okapi Reserve, just off the main Trans-African Highway road, you can find a lodge specifically built for tourists. Situated just inside the main gate to the reserve, overlooking the Epulu River, the lodge has a certain charm to it...something you can picture tourists in the past using on their great African adventures. Today, though, few tourists pass through, and the lodge sits vacant more often than not.

The pens for the okapis sit a few hundred feet behind the lodge, and you may spot one or two from the lodge if you're lucky. Overheard, monkeys can be seen and heard, jumping from tree to tree as they try to see who is staying at the lodge below. Right in front is the fast-moving Epulu River. It may be tempting to swim in, but guides will warn you of other tourists who have died trying to swim in it, and other said alligators are in the water.

Inside the lodge are several bedrooms, a shared kitchen, shared dining area, and shared living room. But, considering how few people come here, you'll probably have the whole place to yourself. For $30 a night, you can get a large bedroom that overlooks the Epulu River, with two twin beds. Another room in the lodge has one large bed for the same price. The place is very clean.

There is a bathroom in the lodge, but on my visit it was closed because it needed maintenance. So, I was forced to use the bathroom in an adjacent building. Even though this was the better bathroom, it had no working running water, and showers and toilet flushing required you to use buckets of water. At night, we warned of the thousands of insects that swarm this bathroom's lights. And don't be scared of the spider the size of your hand that clings to the wall while you try to bathe.

A cook can be hired for $10/day (plus the cost of food) to cook you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The cook can also do some food shopping for you, if need be. It is wise to bring food from wherever you are coming from, though, than to rely on food to buy in Epulu, as the village does not have a lot to choose from. There is at least one restaurant in Epulu to eat at, though I did not try it.

See my other posts about transport to Epulu. After passing through the village of Epulu, you will cross a bridge over the Epulu River and be stopped at a gate marking the Okapi Reserve. Here, inquire about the lodge if you have a reservation or wish to stay here. To reserve a space, contact Rosmarie Ruf at:

Aside from the capture station for the Okapi Reserve, there are large numbers of pygmies who live in Epulu and the surrounding area. It is very possible to go to Epulu and then spend time with these pygmies.

My original plan was to spend two days with the pygmies. This would have allowed me enough time to go hunting with them in the Ituri forest. This is a two day activity, the first day spent hiking deep into the forest, hunting, sleeping in the forest, and then returning to Epulu the next day. I had really hoped to do this, but because of transportation issues I was only able to spend one day in Epulu.

However, you can still visit the pygmies. The visitor's center at the capture station in the Okapi Reserve like to handle the visits to the pygmies. You must pay $6 to the Okapi Reserve for them to take you to the nearby pygmy village, a short 20-30 minute walk. You may also meet the local pygmy chief when you first arrive in Epulu, though he will try to quote you a price of $50 to visit the pygmy village.

The $6 fee will merely just get you to the village. As the villagers may be out and about doing their daily business, paying $6 and going there may result in not seeing much. However, if you make a donation to the village, the chief will arrange singing, dancing, and a feast for the villagers. I was a single traveler, and I donated $40 to the village. The result was a couple hours of singing, dancing, body painting, and a small feast for all the villagers. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Making the donation, though, can be tricky. The guides at the capture station will simply tell you to give them the donation, along with your $6, and then they will give it to the pygmy chief. However, my interpreter and I noticed that the guide only seemed to have brought a small percentage of my donation to the village, and probably pocketed the rest. Therefore, the chief was under the impression I only donated a small amount. We were both uncomfortable with this, so my interpreter took the chief aside and said, "I don't know how much money the guide gave you, but we donated $40 to your village." It was obvious this angered the chief, but as a result I got a great performance by the villages, and a good time was had afterwards.

The pygmy people of the Ituri forest have endured a lot of hardship the past few decades. But, they are an amazing group of people, extremely friendly, and very proud of their culture. A visit with them is an experience one should not pass up if in Epulu.

You can see short video clips of my visit with the pygmies here:

Mutsora is a very small village located 1-2 miles south of the village of Mutwanga. Mutwanga, itself rather small, is located approximately 5 miles east of the main road between Beni and the Kasindi border. Though the road from this main Beni-Kasindi road to Mutwanga can handle 4x4 vehicles, it is narrow and rocky, which makes travel time relatively long and more suitable for Yamaha dirt bikes or the usual "Senko" motorbikes in the area.

From both Beni and the Kasindi border, travel time is approximately 2 hours on a motorbike...give or take some time for possible flat tires. In Beni, all it takes is a little bit of asking around for a motorbike driver to take you to Mutsora, ideally the day before you wish to travel. They will ask for $10, which is slightly negotiable, and will meet you at your hotel.

If you're coming from Kasindi, it may be a little harder to find a driver willing to go to Mutsora. But, it is possible. Again, the price will be about $10. If you cannot find a driver direct to Mutsora, you may be able to find a shared taxi to take you to the village where the road to Mutwanga/Mutsora intersects. Here, you can then probably find a motorbike to Mutsora much more easily.

If heading in the opposite direction (that is, Mutsora/Mutwanga back to Beni or Kasindi), it might be easier to arrange a driver to come to Mutwanga on the day you wish to depart instead of trying to arrange a driver from Mutwanga to bring you to where you need to go. Not all Mutwanga drivers are willing to go as far as Beni or Kasindi.

Obviously, if you have your own vehicle, you don't need to worry about arranging motorbikes and settling on prices.

There is very little, if any, accurate information about hiking in the Rwenzori Mountains to Margherita Peak from the Congo side. I did as much research as I could before my visit in December 2008, though almost everything seemed to be outdated. Here is how I arranged it:

I first contacted Go Congo, who was the tour operator I was hiring an interpeter from. They contacted the ICCN station in Mutsora to inform them of my plans to hike. I asked for an English speaking guide who could take me to the top, Margherita Peak. All I knew was that it would cost me $100 for an entrance fee and guide, or so I thought. Porters and their food was supposedly only $100 more.

The day before the hike, I bought my food for the trip in Beni, and arranged a motorbike to take me to Mutsora the following morning. The ride is 1.5-2 hours if you do not get a flat tire, and costs anywhere between $7-$10.

Upon arrival at the ICCN station in Mutsora, I learned a few things: 1) that there is no English speaking guide who can go to the top (he could only go as far as Moraine Hut, because of an apparent knee problem), 2) there was only one guide who had experience on the top (or, as I would learn, would get his first experience on the top with my visit), and he spoke French, and 3) no one had been to the peak in over two years. I ended up hiring both the English and French speaking guides, reluctantly, as I do not speak French.

The French speaking guide was barely useful except for the day we summitted, as he helped me get up/across the glacier and such. The English speaking guide was mostly useless, only interpreting for me when it was time to eat. If you know basic French, and basic glacier climbing/mountaineering skills, you'll be fine with the single French speaking guide. However, I would caution you to study maps and any other information about the peaks before attempting Margherita Peak. Part of my success reaching the top was due to what I knew about the peaks (routes, crevasses, etc.), not from what the French speaking guide knew. Also, it helps to know basic glacier and mountaineering skills, as the guides do not tell you much.

After the hike, and returning to Mutwanga, it is helpful to try arranging a ride from Beni or Kasindi come meet you. However, if that is not possible, it is possible find a motorbike driver take you to Beni or Kasindi.

In short, it is much cheaper to climb the Rwenzori Mountains from the Congo side, rather than the Uganda side. Here's a breakdown of all the costs:

There is a $100 fee you must pay to enter Virunga. Some guide books may say this includes a ranger/guide, but it does not. This fee covers your entire stay in the mountains, whether it is the standard five day hike to Kiondo, or seven day hike to Margherita Peak. This fee is paid at the ICCN station in Mutsora before the hike starts.

Both the porters and guides cost $7 per day each, plus $3 per day each for their food. My hike consisted of three porters, and two guides (one English speaking, the other French speaking), and so my total cost for all five of them for seven days was $350. If you speak French, you will only need the French speaking guide, which means your cost will be $300 for a guide and porters. You pay for the food at the ICCN station in Mutsora before the hike, though you pay the guides and porters their $7/day on the last day of the hike.

Lodging on the trail are in small huts, each (except Moraine) with fireplaces, bunk beds with padded mattresses, tables, chairs, and ample space. Each hut can hold at least 12 people, maybe 16. The guides and porters will sleep in the hut if there is room, or outside or at another nearby hut if there is no room. The cost to sleep in the huts is $6 per night ($36 for a 6 night hike). The porters will cook food both inside and outside the huts, and if the doors and windows are closed it can get quite smokey/smelly inside. Lodging is paid for at the ICCN station in Mutsora before the hike starts.

To reach the final hut, Moraine, the trail scales a relatively steep/tricky section that can be quite dangerous for porters loaded with equipment. Because of this danger, a $5 "danger fee" is imposed on you for each porter and guide who goes to Moraine, each way. Though they all cross this pass four times each (they drop you off at Moraine, then return the next day to pick you up), the park will only make you pay $10 per person for this crossing (instead of $20). On my hike, I had three guides and two porters make this crossing, and so I paid a total of $50. This is paid directly to each guide and porter when you pay them at the end of the hike.

If you are a strong hiker who speaks French, are going to Margherita, and can carry a heavy pack, your minimal cost will be $316 ($100 park fee + $50 guide with food + $100 two porters with food + $36 lodging + $30 danger fee). This does not include transportation costs to Mustora (~$20 round trip from Beni or Kasindi), nor tips, nor the cost of your own food (~$20+).

If you don't want to carry a heavy pack, add an additional $60 for a third porter (salary + food + danger fee).

If you don't speak French, you may wish to hire an additonal guide who speaks English (another $60).

In addition to these costs, the ICCN requires that you bring a specific amount of equipment with you to the summit. This includes: a helmet, crampons, ice axe, 3 carabiners (1 locking), 30m glacier rope, a belay device, glacier glasses, harness, as well as standard trekking equipment (proper clothing, gaiters, trekking poles, etc.). The ICCN can rent some of this equipment to you at a small fee (roughly $3 for each piece for the hike), but don't count on it being there if you need it.

Overall, the price is about one-third of what it costs to do the hike in Uganda ($1100 in the fall 2008). It's not quite as organized as Uganda, and not nearly as popular, but the ICCN is ready and willing to take hikers into the Rwenzoris at any time.

The first two days of hiking take you from the village of Mutsora (at 1700m), down to Mutwanga (1500m), then up to Kiono Hut (at 4200m). So, it is a fast 8500+ foot ascent in two days, which means you must properly prepare and properly ascend to be successful.

Because of transportation problems coming from Beni, I did not arrive in Mutsora until the early afternoon, nearly 3 hours after I expected to arrive. After settling payments for the hike, and gathering porters and guides, it was decided that the late start meant we could not reach the first normally scheduled hut: Kalonge. Instead, we would only hike halfway, to the Virunga rangers' camp at Kyondolire.

In Mutwanga, the porters and guides stopped to buy their food in the market. Nearly everyone in town was surprised to see a white man there, so I got plenty of stares. I normally look freaky, but this proved it. Once we had our food, the route passed through town to the official start of the trail, marked by a blue sign (photo attached). From here, we walked uphill the entire time, past several small farms and homes before reaching Kyondolire at dusk, located right on the edge of the Virunga forest.

Kyondolire is not a normal stop on the Rwenzori trail. It is currently being rehabilitated as a rangers' camp, though in recent years it had a murky history as being a place both rebels and those fleeing rebels would hide. On the walls are creepy messages of people looking for loved ones, though by the time you read this they may have been painted over. If you happen to stay at Kyondolire, note that there are no beds. Instead, a cement floor is what you'll find. So, bring a sleeping pad in case you end up here.

By 8am the next morning we had left Kyondolire. Since we got a late start the day before, we agreed to hike from Kyondolire past Kalonge Hut to Mahangu Hut. The stretch between Kalonge and Mahangu is considered to be the toughest stretch of trail (it is a non-stop climb), so this would definitely be a hard day as we were adding on to it.

Two hours after Kyondolire we reached the usual first hut, Kalonge. We stopped briefly for a rest, then descended down to a river crossing. After filling up on fresh water, the hike from here was all uphill. There are four ridges that have to be ascended before reaching Mahangu Hut. As this was a difficult day, I took my time with the ascent, stopping many times to rest. The vegetation changed from forest cover to less and less vegetation. Nothing looked out of the ordinary like in Uganda, though. We arrived at Mahangu around 3:00pm in the afternoon.

During this section of the trail, you will stop at a place with a small shrine, and xylophone made from sticks. It is here that you make a sacrifice (in my case, rotten bananas) to the mountain Gods, and dance while the porters play the xylophone. Without doing this, according to superstition, you will not reach the peaks. I danced.

The following day we were to hike from Mahangu to Kiondo, another 4+ hour hike that is entirely uphill, though not as steep as the previous day. On this day we would finally start seeing the crazy vegetation that makes the Ugandan side so unique. What I noticed more about this side, though, was an amazing section of trail that passed over very tough tree routes between large mounds of orange and gold moss. Even the porters and guides knew this was a special place.

One thing you will read in guides to this trail is a place called the Camp of Bottles, a historic camp used by the first explorers to ascend the mountains. The legend is that a bottle was left at the camp, and then hikers who passed through would also leave a bottle. Supposedly there were many bottles here at one point, which I was hoping to see, but when we passed through there was not a single one. Someone from Michigan must have hiked through and taken them all for the 10 cent return on each bottle.

After an extended rest at the Camp of Bottles, we made the final push up to Kiondo Hut. Just before arriving, I noticed some white animal feces on the ground. My guide noticed that I saw it, and he simply said, "Leopard dung." Great, leopards. I asked if they were around, and he said, "Only at night." That night, I woke up to use the bathroom. But, it being outside, I dared not to venture outside knowing leopards were around. I held it in.

After arriving at Kiondo, we all sat in the sun to relax, then admired the amazing views from the hut. The clouds move in and out throughout the mountains. so, sometimes you feel like you are in a cloud and everything is eerily quiet, while at other times there are absolutely no clouds and you get amazing views. It's really hit or miss in the Rwenzoris. Don't come expecting amazing views 24/7. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, cooking dinner, and an early bedtime.

This is, by far, the shortest day of hiking. Moraine Hut lies only about two hours from Kiondo Hut. Since Moraine is a small hut (only big enough for a handful of people), only those climbing to the peak sleep at Moraine. The porters (and in my case, an extra guide), will make the hike with you to Moraine to drop off your food an equipment for the final ascent the next day. They then turn around and hike back to Kiondo for the night, only to return the next afternoon when you come down from the peaks.

In short, the hike skirts around Wasuwamesu Peak, then descends to Green Lake before climbing up to Moraine Hut. Between Kiondo Hut and Green Lake is the "danger" pass, a traverse you must pay each member of the group $5 (each way) to pass. It is a series of three steep, bare, exposed rock sections that can lead to certain injury or death if you slip. To help with each traverse, some frayed ropes and cables are attached to help you through. They probably should be replaced, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

After the "danger" pass, the hike is straightforward all the way to Moraine. For the porters, this is the highest point they will ever reach, and so some often show signs of a major accomplishment for them. After the porters drop off the equipment and fetch water, they then leave to head back to Kiondo for the night. At this point, it is just you, your party, and your guide for the peak ascent the next day.

Inside Moraine Hut, there is a table, bench, and space for about four sleeping bags on the floor. Luckily, there are some foam mattress pads to sleep on, kept dry by being wrapped in plastic. As with all huts, there is a kerosene stove to cook with, though outside you can build a fire (as long as the wind doesn't blow it out).

Since the departure time to ascend to the peaks was relatively early, and there was not much to do at Moraine (especially when I didn't speak the same language as my guide), I was in bed by 6:00pm. This proved to be a wise choice as I was woken up by fierce winds throughout the night. I was surprised that Moraine did not collapse under the extreme wind conditions.

At the scheduled wake-up time of 5:00am, I was convinced the guide would say it was too windy to hike. Of course, I was wrong. So, I ate an apple and PowerBar, then went outside to relieve myself. I have never seen my pee fly so far in the wind.

See my next entry for the continuation of this hike.

Starting somewhat early (around 5:30am), we left Moraine and walked across the rocky path to reach the base of main peaks. Moraine is situated right at the foot of the main peaks, so this walk was only a short 5-10 minutes. At the base, it is clear the only way to go was up, which meant we were to scramble up a relatively steep slope of rock...some of them loose. From here on forward, a helmet would be necessary.

My guide took the lead, telling me to stay well behind him as he went up in case he tiggered any rockslides or what-not. I did as he said. The rock climb is mostly straightforward, with a few tricky sections, but none requiring the use of ropes. After 30-45 minutes, we reached the start of the glacier.

Early in the morning, the glacier was nearly solid ice. After getting our crampons on and roping ourselves together for safety reasons, my guide took the lead up the glacier. It was very slow going, because of the ice, wind, altitude, and the fact there was absolutely no path for us to follow since no other trekkers had been here in years. I would come to find out, once we reached the top of the glacier, it was my guide's first time up here, too.

Maybe's it's because of the remoteness, or the fact that if you slip off this glacier you could probably fall to your death, but climbing the glacier was one of the most amazing things I experienced on the mountain...even if it was also one of the hardest things I've ever done. Unfortunately, I have very few pictures of the ascent and descent because my camera's batteries were failing.

After what felt like a couple hours, we reached the plateau at the top of the glacier and found a path coming from the Uganda side. My guide and I assumed it would take us to Margherita. But, after following it for just a few hundred meters, it came to an abrupt end at a rocky traverse. Looking at my maps, I realized we were on an alternate route that goes up Alexandra Peak. My guide would hear none of that, though. He assumed we were on the right path.

Despite being on the wrong path, there was actually a way to reach the right path. But, it involved making a tricky traverse over this rocky section, ending with a precariously placed ladder leading down to the right path. My guide figured this was the best way, and so we made our way down to the correct path via this ladder.

Once on the correct path, I assumed everything would be straightforward to the peak, with my guide just following the trail straight up. But, as this was his first time on the peaks, and probably one of the very first times he's ever experienced snow and ice, he became nervously cautious. He questioned every single step in the snow, worried we might fall though a crevass. As I remained focused on the rope in front of me, and my pace, I didn't notice that he was leading us off course. I grabbed his attention, and tried to persuade him to step back down to where I was and walk to the southwest to get back on the correct trail...only a few dozen feet away. But, because he must have some sort of grudge against paths made by Ugandans, he decided to head in the complete opposite direction. According to my maps, he was heading straight for crevasses. So, I again got his attention, yelled "crevass," and he turned around and walked back towards my position. He then decided to follow the Ugandan path.

Just before the rock climb to the peak, he again panicked. There is a short rope/rock climb just before the final steps to the peak, and the path leading to this rope is covered by thick ice. With crampons and an axe, though, you should be able to get up this icy patch with no problems. My guide, though, panicked. He must have used every device and technique he knew to anchor himself at the top of the ice then pull me up. I would have been fine on my own.

After this exhausting climb (almost 7 hours by now), the rope climb near the peak almost finished me. But, with a jolt of adrenaline, I got up and over the rope climb, and took the last few steps to the peak. Of course, it was a complete whiteout up there, and you could only see a few dozen feet ahead.

As it was now almost 2pm, we had to descend fast before it got dark. It took seven hours to reach the top, but the guide thought we could descend in two. I was skeptical. We made our way back the same way we came, and (again) the guide freaked out at every piece of snow on the ground. It wasn't until we reached the decent down the glacier that I got worried.

Again, the guide failed to simply follow our tracks from the morning. Thus, we became lost on the glacier. He motioned to me to sit, while he took off his glasses and carefully scanned the peaks and cliffs to try determining where we were. As it was cloudy and lightly snowing, visibility was minimal. He pointed down the mountain a bit and said we should go there.

Upon arriving at the planned point, nothing looked familiar. There were no footprints from the morning, and I didn't recognize and of the rocks. He had even placed a stick in the snow to mark the correct spot, and this was missing. As time was running out, I got worried.

He told me to take off my crampons and prepare to climb down the rocks, but I refused until he checked the route first. After a short standoff, I decided to check for myself. Lo and behold, to my surprise he had gotten us to the correct spot, albeit a few feet away. From here, we just had to climb down and walk back to Moraine Hut.

On the rock climb down, we encountered a patch of snow. Again, he panicked. Being sick and tired of his overly cautious behavior, I opted to sit my butt in the snow and slide down, like a kid. He freaked when he saw me moved into position to slide. But, when I made it to the bottom in 5 seconds and didn't waste 15 minutes as he was doing, he did the same.

Fifteen minutes later we were back at Moraine, exhausted and ready to sleep. But, the porters and other guide were there to bring us back down to the next hut (Kiondo), as sleeping at Moraine another night was not planned for. I was seriously drained at this point, and dreading the two hour hike back.

Soon after leaving, the sun disappeared and it was pitch black, aside from the pen lights the porters had. I stopped the group so I could look for my headlamp in my bag...only to be so tired that I didn't realize it was in my pocket. As it got darker, the hiking got harder, complete with a few mis-steps and me falling, to almost walking through a giant spiderweb with a huge spider in the middle.

Eventually, we reached the dangerous traverse I had to pay everyone extra to do. It was kind of tricky to do this section in the daylight, and now we had to do it in the dark. One wrong step could be possible injury or even death. Everyone aimed their lights on the traverse and we went, one at a time. I was relieved to reach the other side, only to remember we had two more traverses to go. Luckily, those were done without any problems, either.

Another 45 minutes hiking brought us to Kiondo. I was nearly delirious from exhaustion, tried to eat a bit, and then tried to sleep. I was so happy to be done, while at the same time a bit sad it was over. For the second time in my life, I felt like the Rwenzoris kicked my butt.

The next two days are simply fast descent days. It could be trouble for anyone with bad knees. We followed the same path we took up the mountains, slept at Kalonge halfway down, paid the porters at the guides' camp where I slept the first night, and arrived back in Mutwanga in the early afternoon on day seven. When we were all done, I said goodbye to the porters, my friend Issac, and settled some financial matters with the guides back at the ICCN station in Mutsora. I could then clean myself, rest, and hopefully avoid any corrupt government officials looking for me.

There are two places to stay in the Mutwanga/Mutsora area: at the ICCN headquarters in Mutsora, or at the Catholic Mission in Mutwanga. Both are similar in price ($8-10 per night) and comfort, though the Catholic Mission is newer and closer to the main town (in case you need to buy anything or want to venture out for food).

Rooms are very small and basic. My room only had a single bed and chair, yet there was not enough room to open the door completely. Some rooms were only slightly bigger. Beds come with fresh sheets and a mosquito net, and are generally very clean. I had no worries about bed bugs or mosquitos. The rooms are a bit small for mountain gear, so I left some stuff outside. I had no worries of it being stolen, and the sisters even hid it away for me after I fell asleep.

The bathroom is shared, and just a few steps from each room. There is one room with a sit-down toilet, and another with a shower. The shower water is cold. Occasionally the water will not be working, and so the sisters will provide a bucket for both showering and using the toilet.

On request, the sisters can provide meals...breakfast and dinner. Dinners cost $3, and breakfast $1.50. For dinner, the sisters prepared the freshest fish I have ever had, with a large bowl of rice, and mashed concoction made from a local leaf (same consistency as cooked spinach). It was plenty for one person (even for someone who had just returned from 7 days in the mountains) and delicious. The sisters have water, soda, and alcholic drinks available. Dinner was served in their dining room, which had a small TV playing religious African music videos. Breakfast is simple: bread and tea, served outside.

There is only one sister who speaks English. The rest speak French. They are more than helpful, preparing delicious food, helping arrange motorbikes, and cleaning clothes (all for a fee, of course). If you do go, they would love a French/English bible.

To find the Catholic Mission, take the road into Mutwanga coming from the main Beni-Kasindi road. After passing through much of the town, you'll reach a blue cement sign pointing the way to Mutsora and the ICCN headquarters (if you turn right at this sign). Don't turn. Instead, go straight. Follow the road for a few hundred meters as it bends to the left (hospital on your left) and then leads to the Mission (on your left). Photos are attached here.

Finding a tour company to take you inside the Congo can be a tricky undertaking, especially if you're going to eastern Congo. Months in advance, I contacted a tour company based in Goma (that I will not name here). Upon Laurent Nkunda's threatened takeover of Goma in the summer of 2008, this tour company simply closed shop and disappeared (I would eventually learn that the owner fled to Kisangani). Looking at my only other option for a Congo-based company, I contacted Go Congo to help me out.

Go Congo was nothing but helpful. They presented me with all the options I had for what I wanted to do, and never said it would be impossible even with all the fighting in eastern Congo. The owner, a Belgian man living in Kinshasa for decades, has intimate knowledge of the country, and he hires great local people to run his business in Kinshasa and Goma.

Go Congo offers a variety of tours on their website, including multi-week long trips down the Congo River. However, I simply wanted to hire them for a guide/interpreter. In return, they provided me with Jacques Sherty (), a man local to Goma who runs the Goma office, and who was just as eager to see more of his country as I was (my trip involved areas he had not yet been to).

At one point during my trip, I was confronted by a supposed government official adamant on me paying a bribe to him. Jacques helped me as much as he could during the argument. But, when that didn't work, we called the owner of Go Congo to help us out. I felt good knowing I was with a company that was willing to do anything to make sure my trip went smoothly.

Rates for a Jacques were $30/day, plus food, lodging, and transportation costs. As Jacques only seemed to eat once a day, and was willing to sleep in my hotel rooms, he was a very inexpensive guide. Jacques met me upon my arrival in Kigali, Rwanda, then helped me make my way through Rwanda and Uganda to the Congo border at Kasindi. Once inside the Congo, he was by my side at all times to assist in anything and everything throughout my trip. I can easily recommend Jacques as a guide for anyone in eastern Congo.

For more information on Go Congo, and to see their tours, visit their website:

The thought of entering the Congo is enough to give most people the heebie jeebies. While it is anything but simple to do, it is possible to do with a little patience. I crossed into the Congo in mid-November 2008 at the Kasindi border with the help of an interpreter from Go Congo.

To enter at Kasindi, you must first make your way from the main Fort Portal-Mbarara road to the border. Kalita runs buses from Kampala to the border. Alternatively, you can hire a local car to take you to the border from the intersection where the road to the border meets the main Fort Portal-Mbarara road. This costs $5-$10, however you can pay the same price from Mbarara to the border on a Kalita bus.

Once at the border, you must fill out an exit form in the Uganda border office (left side of road). This is generally straightforward and painless. After this, your local car, or motorbike, can take you the next few hundred meters on the zig-zagging, rough road to the Congo side. Alternatively, you can walk this.

Immediately after crossing the border, agents will know you are a foreigner and will take you inside a very small office. Here, you will be asked to empty your bag(s), and they will do a thorough search of everything. Luckily, I was able to get through this without them confiscating my satellite phone nor camera. When they're done, they ask for a bribe (or drink)...just play dumb, ignore them, and leave.

Now, you enter the main border office to get your temporary visa/permit to be in the Congo. On the temporary permit, they will list your itinerary. To avoid future hassle, be honest and tell them your itinerary. I was with an interpreter from Go Congo, who knew a high ranking border official. Still, we waited over 45 minutes before we finally got the permit (an 8x10 sheet of paper). A 7 or 8 day permit costs $50, plus a supposed extra $10 for them to stamp your passport. Once this is done, you are free to leave their office, though they will ask for a bribe or drink (again, play dumb and leave ASAP).

If you plan on staying more than the permit allows, you MUST renew the permit and pay another $50-60. This can be done in Beni.

After getting your permit, you then must walk next door to where they check your yellow fever vaccination certificate. This supposedly costs $2, though I suspect the $2 I paid was another bribe. Once this is done, you're all set and free to go further in the Congo. Just keep the permit with you at all times, as it will be scutinized often from this point forward.

To avoid some of the hassle at the border, obtain an official visa prior to arriving at the border.

P.S. Do not take photos of anything in the border area.

After crossing into the Congo from Uganda without my own transportation, my interpreter and I needed to find a ride to get us to Beni, several hours up the road. On a map, Beni is close. But, the road between Kasindi and Beni is a rough, rocky, dirt road.

A couple hundred meters beyond the border post, following the main road into Kasindi, is a main intersection with numerous parked cars and motorcycles. It is here where you look for a ride to Beni. You should have a few options: shared minibus, shared car, or motorbike. Shared minibuses are about $5, shared cars $7, and motorbikes $10. Minibuses only leave when full, cars leave when they have 3 people (suppposedly), and motorbikes on this route are just plain uncomfortable.

After refusing to wait for a shared minibus to leave, my interpeter and I found a shared car that only needed one other person in order to leave. After sitting in the car for 15+ minutes, the driver drove us back towards the border post to supposedly pick up another person. As we waited for him to find the person, another woman got in the car. But, our driver was nowhere to be found, so we couldn't leave. Eventually the woman got irritated waiting for the driver, so she left. Five minutes later, my interpreter and I left, too...and we walked back to the main intersection to start the process over again.

We quickly found another car heading to Beni, but had to wait for it to fill up with other travelers. Minutes turned into hours, and we finally left around 5pm, nearly three hours after we crossed the border just a few hundred meters down the road.

After clearing a police checkpoint, we were on our way to Beni. No more than thirty minutes later, though, we blew a tire. As we sat on the side of the road while the driver fixed the tire, and the sun went down, I remembered something I had read before coming here: don't drive at night, and that the area we were in was known to have rebel groups in it. So, I admit I got a little nervous since Beni was still hours up the road and it was nearly dark. A few trucks passed us by, one carrying a group of Congolese teenagers all with guitars. Only in the Congo, I suppose.

After driving with no problems for the next hour or so, we came across a traffic jam. Several trucks were stuck on an uphill portion of the road, blocking it for all other traffic. After assessing the situation, the driver got impatient and took his tiny car off the road to bypass the other trucks. The sound of the entire undercarriage scraping the rocks and stones underneath us didn't deter him. Amazingly, we didn't get stuck or rip anything underneath the car, and we kept on moving.

Just outside Beni is a police checkpoint. At the gate, a few men surrounded the car and peeked inside to see who was in it. We had a group of about 8 to 10 people crammed into the car, and I was in the middle seat inthe back, so they didn't see me or suspect us of smuggling anything. Just as the police were about to lift the gate, though, I heard one yell out, "Muzungo!". For you newbies, that is "white man" in Swahili. I had been caught. The police then demanded we all get out of the car so they could search it and question me, as a white man in these parts is not an everyday occurrance.

I was brought into a small police shack next to the road, where my papers and passport were scutinized. After some stuff was written down, I was basically asked to bribe them to get out of there. As it was getting late, and I was tired, I quickly gave them $5 and left. Five minutes later we were in Beni and at our hotel.

There are several ways you can travel to Epulu from Beni. Flying, renting a car, hiring a motorbike, taking a bus, or riding on top of a truck are all possible options.

The fastest, and most expensive, is by flying. MAF Congo offers flights to Epulu at about $500 each way, which is for the entire plane. I believe the flight time is only an hour or so. There is not a set schedule, and there is a possibility their planes will be in use elsewhere the day you want to fly. Contact MAF Congo for the latest prices and availability.

For about $100 per day, plus fuel, you can rent a car with driver in Beni. The best way to find a car is to simply ask around town. Prices will vary, and a little negotiating will be needed to get a good price. There is an internet cafe next door to Hotel Source Kabungulu (outside the hotel grounds, not the one directly inside the front gate), and the owner there offered us a car for $300 + fuel for 4 days. With the road in good condition and no delays, driving straight should take approximately 6 hours via the Komanda-Mambasa road. The road from Beni to Mambasa (bypassing Komanda) is in bad condition and not a good idea to drive on.

Motorbikes can also be hired. Drivers will ask for about $100 each way, per bike, though this can be negotiated down to about $75 each way. A price of $300 round trip should include fuel and their expenses while waiting in Epulu (granted you are only staying for a couple days). Drivers who work the local Beni motorbike association will need special paperwork to enter the Orientale province. Make sure your driver has proper paperwork, otherwise you will run into problems at the provincial border. Driving time is approximately 8-9 hours, without many delays (again, on the Komanda-Mambasa road).

There is bus service from Butembo to Nia Nia, passing through Beni, Komanda, Mambasa, and Epulu. It is run by Les Enfants D'Abord. I believe the bus normally starts in Goma, but at the time of visit and writing the road was closed due to the ongoing conflict with rebels (hence the bus starting in Butembo). Unlike the other options, the bus takes 2 days to reach Epulu...spending a night in Mambasa if it crosses the Ituri River before 5pm, or Komanda if it does not cross the river before 5pm. Travel time from Beni to Komanda is approximately 4 hours, and Komanda to Epulu 9 hours (including the time to cross the river). The cost is $25 per person, each way (which is actually the same price to Nia Nia). Budget a few more dollars for the night spent in Komanda or Mambasa. The bus station in Beni is located on the side of the gas station on the southeast side of the main traffic circle where the main road meets the road to Kasindi.

Finally, it is possible to sit on top of a truck loaded with goods. I met one local man who claims he traveled from Nia Nia to Beni in one day using this method. Traveling this way can be dangerous, though. If the truck tips over, and you're on top, it will be a hard landing. Prices should get generally cheap though...less than the bus. Travel time, though, is very slow because of the trucks being overloaded, stopping often, and breaking down.

For any of the road options, keep in mind that the Ituri River crossing in Komanda closes at 5pm each day. A car or motorbike should only take 30 minutes or so to cross. A bus or truck, loaded with goods, takes over 4 hours. Also, if it rains, the roads can become quite a nightmare, and travel time will definitely be longer.

Taking the bus to Epulu seemed straightforward enough: Buy a ticket, board the bus (Les Enfants D'Abord), and get off in Epulu. But, as you may have guessed, not everything goes as planned in the Congo.

In Beni, the bus station posted fares to the various towns their buses traveled through...Butembo, Bunia, Komanda, Mambasa, Beni, etc. Epulu was not posted, but we knew the bus would be passing through. So, we got a price quote of $20 per person, and the bus would be arriving in Beni at 10:00am that day. It was 9:00am at this time. Doing the math, my guide and I figured we'd get to Epulu by late afternoon. So, we ran back to Hotel Source Kabungulu, grabbed our bags, checked out, and went back to the bus station. Just as we were about to buy the ticket, the attendant said the bus driver decided he wasn't coming that day, and so the bus was delayed until the next day. Splendid.

We spent the rest of that day trying to arrange other rides to Epulu, but eventually returned to the bus station to buy a ticket for the next day when we realized the bus was the cheapest way to go. Of course, when we returned the price was now $25, which is the full fare to Nia Nia...though Nia Nia is hours beyond Epulu. We were told to come back at 9:00am the next day for the 10:00am departure.

At 9:00am sharp the next day we arrived at the bus stop. 10:00am came and went, as did 11:00am, and 12:00pm. My interpreter and I decided that if the bus did not arrive by 1:00pm we would demand a refund and look for another ride. Sure enough, at 1:00pm the bus showed up...looking overcrowded, and extremely dangerous to step foot in. With no backup plan, we boarded. Only then did we realize that the bus was not going to go to Epulu that day. Instead, it was only going as far as Mambasa, then continue to Epulu the next day. Splendid.

I scored the seat right behind the driver, which had a good view, but was anything but comfortable. I sat between my interpreter and another man on a bench meant for two people, with my legs wedged between bags and the driver's seat. There were no working gauges on the bus. The speedometer was always on zero, as was the RPM dial, and the fuel gauge was always on empty. But, before we left Beni, the driver made sure to have his deluxe horn fixed...so as we passed through villages he could blare various horn sounds at the kids. If this bus was going to plunge off a cliff, at least I could hear Dixie (or maybe a lazer horn sound) as the bus and I desintegrated upon impact.

The four hour ride from Beni to Komanda was uneventful. By "uneventful," I mean that we only had to stop a minimum of five times for police checks in which my papers were scruntized and my name recorded in their records, and the barrel of an AK-47 hanging off the shoulder of a policeman got dangled in my face as he climbed over people in the bus to check their paperwork. Luckily, the trigger was not sensitive.

In Komanda, the bus pulled over unexpectedly at 4:45pm, and the driver said something to us in Swahili. I turned to my interpreter and found out that the bus was not going any further that day, so we had to spend the night in Komanda. Splendid. Apparently 7km up the road was the bridge across the Ituri River. However, earlier in the year an overloaded truck collapsed the bridge, which meant the only way across was on wooden rafts and ferries that are hand-pulled across the river. Those rafts stopped working at 5pm, and the bus would never make it in time.

We were welcome to sleep on the bus, though that was the last thing I wanted to do. Sitting in the darn thing was uncomfortable enough. Luckily, not far from where the bus stopped was a restaurant (see my review of Restaurant Taux du Jour), and the owner had rooms to sleep in. I'm not sure what the other passengers did (there was another hotel in town, though it was a dump even for Congo standards), but my interpreter and I had a good nights sleep and didn't see any other passengers where we slept.

The bus was supposed to depart at 6:00am the next morning. Amazingly, we left at 6:15am. Ten minutes later we were at the Ituri River, in a queue to cross the river. The process was simple: all the people get off the bus and cross the river on a raft, the goods are unloaded and floated across on another raft, the bus is then floated across on another raft, and then the goods are loaded back on the bus, followed by the people. I figured it would take an hour. Four hours later, as I sat in the bus writing in my journal, I realized we wouldn't be leaving anytime soon as the men outside seemed perplexed as to how they were going to fit everything back in the bus. Somehow, though, they got their act together and we were on our way at 11:30am...five hours after we arrived at the crossing.

The next four hours were relatively easy. The road is dirt, but flat and smoothe. We hardly had any police checkpoints, and only had one extended stop in Mambasa. The scenery changed to more forest and jungle surroundings, and we soon reached the entrance to the Okapi Reserve. Epulu, though, was another hour or two down the road, deep inside the reserve. It's called the Pan-African Highway, though by American standards it would be better called a bad, rough, terrible, dirt path.

At 3:30pm we reached Epulu. The bus dropped us off right at the gate where I was supposed to go, and then it continued on it's way after the driver checked-in with the park rangers.

While we waited at the river crossing near Komanda, we asked the driver when he would be returning to Beni through Epulu. He said "Sunday", which was two days too late for us. It didn't matter what he said, though. I feel like I will never want to take that bus again, if I ever had to. But, I must say it was a really awesome experience, and I have a bunch more stories to tell from my trip because of it. Plus, it was only $25.

Though not as easy to arrange as a motorbike from Beni to Epulu, it is possible to hire motorbikes for the journey between Epulu and Beni. On my trip, my interpreter and I found motorbike drivers at the Ituri River crossing in Komanda who were based in Mambasa. They agreed to drive to Epulu the day before we wished to leave Epulu, then depart for Beni the next morning.

The road between Epulu and Beni (via Mambasa and Komanda) has been improved within the past year or so. It is still dirt, but major potholes and problems with the road have been fixed, making it a mostly smooth ride, even on a motorbike.

Only one of our two drivers showed up the night before our departure, when expected. The driver who arrived said the other would be there in the morning for the planned 6am departure. I was happy at least one of them came, so I fed him some pasta (which he had never eaten before) and tea before he left us at the Okapi Reserve to head to a relative's house for the night.

The morning of the departure, the second driver never arrived. We waited around until 7am before deciding that we had to start asking around in the town to find another driver. Our guide at the Okapi Reserve (Katsongo) volunteered to do this. However, just as he left a second driver arrived...not the one we hired, but a new guy who his friend sent due to having bike problems. After a very short goodbye to Katsongo and our cook at the Okapi Reserve, we hopped on the back seats of the bikes and left.

The first 30 minutes we fine. The weather was cool, and the road was smooth. We blew past village after village with kids screaming at the muzungo on the bike. However, my driver then noticed my interpreter and his bike were gone from behind us. We doubled-back to find them in the last village we passed with a popped tire. So, we waited while they fixed it.

I was probably the first white man to pass through the town in a while, as the children became quite fascinated with me. I soon noticed they were mimmicking everything I did. So, naturally, I started to do really odd things with my hands and make weird facial expressions. They copied all of it. After an hour and a half of waiting, the tire was fixed and we left.

The rest of the ride to Mambasa was relatively uneventful. We only stopped a couple times to say hi to the drivers' parents or wait for the interpreter's bike to catch up. The worst thing that happened was that I got bit, through my pants, by a huge wasp of some sort as we rode. That was painful.

In Mambasa, the drivers refueled and spoke with their bosses about the rest of the ride to Beni. They needed some paperwork, though their bosses figured they'd be fine without it...and that they could get paperwork for the return trip once in Beni. The drivers, as sly as they were, told the bosses we were paying them $40 each for the ride...obviously so they could pocket the difference and make a nice profit.

From Mambasa to Komanda it is 2 hours. We reached the Ituri River crossing again. Luckily, it only took 30 minutes, and not the 5 hours it took with the bus a few days before. We briefly stopped in Komanda for lunch, though my interpreter protested and the drivers decided to keep moving instead. All was fine, aside from nearly running over a snake slithering across the road, until we reached the border crossing between the Orientale and North Kivu provinces.

Each region has their own motorbike association that employs local motorbike drivers to transport people in the area. If you're doing a long-distance trip like I was doing, the drivers are supposed to only drive you in their region. If they decide not to oblige to this rule, they are at least not supposed to cross into neighboring provinces. My drivers, however, were planning to do the whole Epulu to Beni run themselves, which is why they needed paperwork in Mambasa. Their reason for this was two-fold: 1) I convinced them to, and 2) they probably wanted the extra money.

So, at the Orientale-North Kivu border post, the police recognized the drivers as not being local. We were forced off the bikes and sat down in a makeshift shack on the side of the road. For the next 30 minutes, a series of policemen and their boss took turns yelling at us in French and Swahili. It was very obvious they were not pleased, especially when they discovered that one of our drivers had no official form of identification.

Word spread fast about our situation, and then the local motorbike association manager approached our drivers. He was mad that the drivers were taking business away from the other local drivers. So, a bribe was demanded for our drivers to leave the border and return back to Mambasa.

Away from the police, my interpreter and I struck a deal with the drivers and paid them accordingly. Of the money we gave them, they then had to give up at least one-third to the police and local motorbike manager to get out of there. My interpreter and I, though, now had no ride to Beni. Since the local motorbike drivers knew of our situation, all we got were inflated prices for rides to Beni. After getting a decent price, we left.

From the provincial border to just north of Beni (about 2 hours) was uneventful. However, literally one mile from Beni I noticed my interpreter's bike was missing again. We waited for almost 30 minutes before he showed up on another bike, because he had popped another tire. We then rode the last 5 minutes into Beni and arrived at 4:05pm...5 minutes too late to renew my temporary travel permit.

When traveling in the Congo, you will (undoubtedly) come across people who wish to make your traveling a little harder than it already is. Despite all of the "fees" and "tips" you will be told you need to pay in order to pass a certain checkpoint or town, you are not required to pay any bribes or what-not (aside from obtaining a permit/visa).

The recent Bradt guide to the Congo mentions that you should carry a lot of small bills and be prepared to hand them to those who seek a bribe. This is nonsense. Though I was often asked to pay a fee or buy someone a beer, I almost always played dumb with a smile, said I had nothing on me to give (a total lie), and was able to avoid paying most bribes. In my two weeks there, I knowingly paid $10 in bribes, only to speed up my travels and avoid an argument with an armed man.

The biggest obstacle I came across was when stuck in the town of Komanda. As my interpreter and I sat down in a restaurant to eat, a man approached us. He claimed to work for the government and demanded to see my passport and permit. Speaking in French and Swahili (none of which I understand), he claimed I was illegally in the country (because I lacked a real visa), wrote my name and information down in a small notepad (his "official records"), then claimed I had to pay a $20 fee. I knew this was bogus, and so (being cheap and stubborn) I began arguing though my interpreter. Telling him I'd give him $5 or nothing did not make him too happy.

Next to us was man eavesdropping on the conversation. He turned out to be a reporter from the town of Bunia, and as he left he tried to shame the official for harrassing a tourist. Of course, the official said the reporter was wrong and that I had to pay this fee. As my interpreter was not willing to argue too much for me, he called his boss in Kinshasa. The interpeter's boss then argued with the official. But, that went nowhere as he still demanded I pay $20.

Realizing arguing with me was not going anywhere, the official decided to call his boss to see what he said...his plan being that his boss would agree with him and I'd have to pay $20. My intepreter listened-in on the conversation (in Swahili). Then, when it was over, the official stood up, gave me my passport and permit, shook my hand, said good night, and walked out. His boss had told him to leave me alone. After 30 minutes, I won the battle and paid no fee.

The next morning I came across the same man down the road at the Ituri River crossing, though this time he was all smiles, greeted me by name, shook my hand, and wish me well on my travels. The moral of this story is you don't have to pay a $20 fee in Komanda.