Day 11

It was great seeing and talking to Tina and Richard and it would have been wonderful to see the animals they speak so emotionally about. As they drove back to Lijombo, I could see Tina did miss contact with her former life as she waved goodbye. For a few seconds I was a bit sorry for her - it was such a brief visit and she still has eight more months out here. But she is the lucky one and she knows it. I am the one who has to return - she gets to stay and spend more time sharing her life with these fascinating animals in an incredible land.

We had to finish packing and catch the charter plane back to Bangui at 9:00. It was the end of our trip to Central Africa, but I knew I would return.

The plane didn't actually arrive until after 12:00, so we had a bit of waiting to do. Andrea showed up to say goodbye and give me some information on her research. We went back to the lodge and sat by the Sangha one last time. When we finally rolled down the runway for take off, I waved to the half dozen natives who stayed to see us off. All hands were raised in a final goodbye, but also ready to welcome the next group to their lovely, secret home.

Landing in Bangui returned us to danger and corruption. What a trip of contrasts this was. Mr. DJ, the taxi driver, and Benjamin, a business associate by our best guess, were there to meet us. We needed to go through customs and get our luggage to a safe place, then pay our bills with money transferred to a local bank. At customs, one of the officials tried to remove Jim's watch, right off his arm. Yep, we were back in the city. They searched every bag down to the underwear and let us go after finally placing the proper stamps in our passports.

Since we didn't have any money yet, the porters who helped with the equipment and luggage couldn't yet get paid. Since we didn't feel safe leaving anyone behind with the gear at the airport while Jim got the money we all piled into the old broken down taxi. We had all the equipment and baggage that didn't fit the first time, and now we had an extra person Benjamin. We tried to make them understand that we didn't feel safe with all the bags hanging out the trunk and stuffed in our laps. After much gesturing and slow deliberate speech, it was decided to store our gear at Mr. DJ's house, then head for the bank. Since the charter plane had been hours late, the bank was closed and no amount of pressure that Jim could exert would open it for us. We went to the hotel where our original war took place so many days ago, to see if we could exchange some traveler's checks. They would change $200 which would at least allow us to pay taxi, porters, and taxes on the way out. Jim still had to figure out how to pay the charter company and the Doli Lodge bill.

One thing at a time however, and now it was time for him to meet with Minn Air, the charter plane company. Jim was in there for what seemed to be a very long time. He was definitely figuring out how to play their game by this time. We heard periodic excited voices, discussion and conversation, sprinkled with a few loud exclamations, and a well placed expletive or two. We later found out that the taxi drivers had written up a bill for $650! More learning, more trials and tribulations. Before we left the charter office, Jim had gotten Minn Air to help implement a plan to take us all the way through to lift off.

The first part dealt with going to the private club area at the airport which would be held open for us.  The German lady who manages Doli Lodge showed up. She assisted with the taxi situation and said she'd take care of us from here on. She and her driver helped load all our stuff into their vehicle, and the three of us were transplanted from our city nightmare, to an upper class French-African house where we are offered cold drinks, peanuts, olives and lunch meat.

Contrasts in Africa -- Beauty, poverty, friendliness, corruption, adventure, wildlife disease, risks. And now I can't believe we were sitting in the living room of Mrs. Claudia Canade  before leaving for the airport. Jim eventually settled the bill before we departed this unexpected haven. Mrs. Canade seemed like an angel to us and lifted our spirits accordingly. She laughed heartily at our many mishaps, which was good medicine for us. She also instructed us on how to get through the airport with the least amount of hassle. We needed her from day one. Oh well-we got out safely and relatively cheaply, and had a great flight to Paris--non-stop. We were there before we knew it (did I actually fall asleep?).

In Paris we had enough time to take a taxi (with upholstery and door handles) to the center of the city and walk around a bit. We saw the incredible architecture of the Louve, the Arc de Triomphe, the sun hitting the top of the Egyptian sun dial monolith, and walked along the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower. It was a wonderful tour. We sat for a few minutes to eat croissants in a street-side cafe.

From the jungle to the renaissance, what a world. And how little I know of it. This trip has wet my appetite for more knowledge of other places and experiences. I've worked with animals all my life but I feel I don't know anything at all after seeing elephants and monkeys in Africa for the first time. There is so much I want to do. How can I best accomplish what I seek and still do as much as I possibly can to make a positive difference in this world? I'll have to think about that.

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