What's Woody Doing Now

Finally On the Plane to Kinshasa

It's 4:30pm (10:30 Eastern US). As I got ready to board, I noticed the note tobe at the airport at 8:00am.

Misinformation!

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Thank God for A Dirt and Gravel Road

A man could have been killed just in front of us. But he may live because the road made with dirt and loose gravel. It all happened in the busy market-lined street.

We had just stopped to buy a pineapple for a desert after dinner tonight. We were moving slow through the traffic of thousands of people and a few parked vehicles.

We had just passed a pickup truck loaded with plastic 55-gallon drums. I was looking back at the truck because it have an empty coffin on the hood.

Just as I turned around and was ready to ask Doctor Bernard if they used the barrels for fuel. Doctor Bernard and everything started shouting, Oh My God! I looked up to see a car taxi hit someone. The man fell to the street and car proceeded to run over him. They were headed directly toward us.

Because it was dirt and loose gravel road. The man's body slid along the road instead of being ran over by the wheel. The car finally stopped about 15 feet in front of us.

The driver of the car jumped out the car and started running away. A crowd chased after him. Another group picked up the car and pushed it back off the man. They helped him stand up.

The doctor shouted for them to take him to the hospital. He was bleeding from the mouth or lips.

We continued on our way as a crowds of people ran to see what happened. Everything happened so fast and was over so fast.

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Where's the Snow?

A car with a ski rack in Mbuji Mayi (central Congo) is a very strange sight.

There are mountains in eastern Congo that accumulates snow. But snow in central Congo during the dry season is not likely. Also, the temperature hovers in the 90's every day, too. So, snow would be a miracle!

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The Market Street

The market in Mbuji Mayi is like a VERY long strip mall. It runs on both sides of the street for about two miles.

The shops or vendors are very close together. Sometimes they extend out to the edge of the street. This forces the shoppers out in the road. Therefore, there is little room to drive a car.

Like vendors and commodities are side by side. So if you are looking for plastic tubs, there may be five vendors with the same plastic tubs next to one another.

After some thought, I guess it is ok from the customer's perspective. You do not have to walk too far to find your item. Also, competitive pricing could be engaged.

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Visiting the Dibindi Health Zone

I took a tour of the Central Office of the Dibindi Health Zone. The office supports and supervises 13 health clinics located in an urban setting of Mbuji Mayi. They support a population of about 226,000 people.

Also, I visit the Dibindi Health Zone's reference hospital, Presbyterian Hospital of Mbuji Mayi. The hospital has about 100 beds. It was built in 1987. Therefore, it is relatively new compared to other health facilities.

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Surf's Up in Mbuji Mayi

I spent the today surfing. It was the first time since late April that I was able to get on the internet and surf!

Actually most of the day, I sat and baby-sitted my desktop and my PocketPC. I had to download all my messages to my desktop from the last seven weeks or so.

I had been using my PocketPC exclusively because I can manage my email messages better. Essentially, I had downloaded a 4 kb excerpt of all messages on daily basis over the period. Then I scanned the header and excerpts and determined which messages I wanted to read in their entirety and or act upon.

My PocketPC saved me a lot of money. So today, I had to spend some time to catch up the messages on the desktop and deleting them from PocketPC.

Thanks to a quick internet connection provided by the Project AXxes Office here in Mbuji Mayi.

Visit www.EndingExtremePoverty.org For information about my Congo work.

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A Remarkable Dining Out Experience in Mbuji Mayi

I arrived in Mbuji Mayi today after a 20 minute flight (east) from Kananga. It would have taken about 8-10 hours by truck. Therefore, you pay dearly for the convenient and the time saved.

The flight costs $120 one-way. However, a flight (west) from Kananga or Mbuji Mayi to Kinshasa cost only $140-$160 one-way. Kinshasa is about 400 miles to the west of Kananga and Mbuji Mayi.

Mbuji Mayi claims to be Congo's second largest city now ahead of Lubumbashi. Mbuji Mayi is the provincial capital of Kasai Oriental or East Kasai. This is my first visit to Mbuji Mayi.

We went out to dining a very pleasant and eye appealing restaurant. Most restaurants in Congo are open air or covered outside venues. However, this place was unique. It is operated by a mama (a woman). And I forgot her name.

She has given it a woman's touch by decorating it will plenty of tropical plants and flowers. They are beautiful and artificial. Even so, it made the atmosphere remarkable!

I am in Mbuji Mayi to visit the Project AXxes Office and my dear friend Dr. Bernard.

Visit www.EndingExtremePoverty.org For more information about Congo.

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Another Visit to the Airport

We went out to the MONUC airport to visit friends. They are friends of Jim at the MONUC compound adjacent to the Kananga airport.

The Filipinos were celebrating the departure of a couple of comrades. So they have a feast prepared.

There was rice, curry chicken, ginger chicken, and mackerel fish. The most exciting dish was the ginger chicken with cooked green papaya. It was delicious.

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Gassing Up Was An Hour Long Ordeal

Actually, we were buying diesel but gassing up sounds better.

I hitched a ride back to Kananga. Both of the Bulape Hospital's cars are severely sick.

We left Bulape and headed to Mweka to catch the main road down to Kananga. The road from Bulape to Mweka is in very bad shape due to erosion. We finally made it to Mweka. I was ready to make up some time. But we stopped in Mweka to buy 100 liters or just over 25 gallons of diesel.

I will let you know up front, diesel is more readily available than gas especially in rural areas.

We stopped at a stand selling gas and diesel. The driver negotiated the price per liter. So we all got out of the truck while the woman sent someone to get the diesel. After 15 minutes, there was no diesel while woman just sat with us. The driver told the woman it was her responsibility to get the diesel. So, she went to see what was taking some long.

Another 15 minutes passed, the woman returned with a gallon jug of diesel. Then a man on a bicycle arrived with two larger jug of diesel. Finally, let's gas up and go.

Next the driver demanded that measure out the diesel before putting it into the truck. I guess he had been ripped off before by street vendors.

They poured out half of the diesel in a large tub. Then they measured by a 5-liter jug back into the larger jugs. After the larger jugs contained 100 liters, they started the process to pour the diesel into the truck.

Once the fueling was complete. They paid the woman and asked for a receipt. She went and wrote out a receipt. However, the receipt was not stamped. The woman did not have a stamp.

Finally, after a short business course and no stamped receipt, we loaded back into the truck and left. It was slightly more than a hour since we stopped to get diesel.

Don't forget to visit, www.EndingExtremePoverty.org For look at Congo from a poverty perspective.

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Tomorrow is Another Travel Day

Tomorrow, I am going back to Kananga, the provincial capital. It will officially signal my trip is ending and I am making my way back home.

Today, I got some little visitors early in the morning. They stopped by to visit before they went to school.

Kongo brought a beautiful Kuba cloth a thank you gift. Menette, who visited Congo in 2007, decided to personally give Kongo a scholarship for his school fees. A $15 annual scholarship pays the majority of his school fees.

Also, Kongo brought his younger sister. She was a little shy but I am sure Kongo will help her with English and a big smile.

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