Village Adventures

Monday, July 27
Pastor Serge and Jacqui lead us on a trip to the village of Lekindeu which is about 2 hours from the Thelander home in Bongolo.

Along the way we stopped at a pygmy village and met the villagers there. Many of the people were in the jungle hunting or gathering food so we saw only about 15 people. Most were old men or women or small children. Pastor Serge and Jacqui had purchased soap, oil and salt in the Dakar store (which is just outside Bongolo) to bring to their friends in the village. The pygmies were delighted with the gifts and were so thrilled to have their friends visiting again. The pygmies are shunned in the larger villages and are not welcome in the cities. Pygmies are not allowed identification papers in Gabon.

The roads have been recently widen and graded so we made good time except for the stretches of large pot holes (2'X4'X1' on average) and washed out ridges.

We had to check in with the military police who had the road blocked; Pastor Serge vouched for us and we were allowed to pass without even showing our passport.

When we arrived at the home of friends of Pastor Serge and Jacqui, we were allowed to visit the enclosed kitchen with open fires where our lunch was being prepared. Jean Paul had been hunting in the early morning and brought in the gazelle which Suzanne (who was 8-1/2 months pregnant with their 8th child) skinned, cleaned and cut into small bone-in pieces. She then cooked the meat over the open fire in oil and onion. After the meat browned, Suzanne added water and cooked the meat till it was tender in the gravy.

While the gazelle was cooking, we drove to the village chief's home and checked in with his widow who was happy to see Pastor Serge and Jacqui. It is a custom to report to the village chief just in case we encounter any difficulties while in his village. If he knows we are there, he can protect us - otherwise maybe not.

Dave asked Pastor Serge to stop the vehicle so he could take a photo of a monkey for sale on top of a 55 gallon drum which was along the side of the road. The man refused to allow Dave to photograph his bush meat.

It is appropriate to ask the folks in Gabon for permission to take a photo of them or their belongings including their home and grounds. Most of our requests have been granted but not always as was the case today.

Dave was able to photograph a live monkey on a rope near the road in a neighboring village. The villagers had captured the mother and had her for dinner and have kept her infant monkey for over a year as a pet.

Lunch of gazelle, manioc which is a root vegetable and sweet potatoes was delicious. We were served on a white cotton table cloth in assorted bowls and given a spoon and fork. The table and chairs were on earthen floor on the porch of the home which had one exposed light bulb and a partially screened window. The gazelle was amazingly tasty; the manioc was rubbery and bland to our tastes and the sweet potatoes were sweet.

Our trip back included a stop by a Bongolo Hospital Dispensary in Dzende. The buildings were newly constructed masonary white stucco and were not occupied. We stopped by the nurses home and she was in the jungle tending her crops.

The ferry over the Louetsi River is slow moving and carries two vehicles at a time. A pick up truck was ahead of our two vehicle caravan. Thirty minutes after arriving we had been ferried across the river by a non-motorized 25 year old unit. Keir had taken a photo of the ferryman 2 years ago and promised to give him a copy. Keir made good on his promise today when he delivered two copies of the photo - one for each ferryman.

Arrived back at Hou]se 4 at 5:30 pm(we left at 10 am) in time for Joanna to prepare another wonderful meal for us.

We marveled during our adventure that our God who created the beauty of the jungles of Gabon is the same God who created Niagara Falls. Pastor Serge and Jacqui were amazed at Niagara Falls in November 2007. We were amazed today by the villages in the jungle of Gabon near Bongolo.

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