Has anyone been to the Congos?
May 11, 2018 | 1:12 pm
#1
Original Poster
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Has anyone been to the Congos?
I know they're hardly up there in the tourist hotspots of the world, but it would be interesting to hear if anyone has ventured into this part of the world. Yes, I know there are many political issues going on which affect safety, but still.
May 12, 2018 | 8:40 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
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I guess the short and direct answer is "yes", several times to the DRC. I have spent much of the past 32 years in Africa, 48 countries, these two among them. No, they don't attract many tourists. Typical tourist things don't interest me, people and living culture do, but that's just me.
May 15, 2018 | 2:26 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2013
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For what it's worth, a journalist who hitchhiked from Cape Town to Morocco described the DRC as hell on earth, incomparable to any other country he visited in Africa or elsewhere, including places like Chechnya. Granted, he didn't go to the Central African Republic or Somalia. Supposedly the Republic of Congo was much better, and so-so by African standards.
May 15, 2018 | 3:35 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Two British tourists who were held hostage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been released, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Sunday:
Kidnapping in Congo gorilla sanctuary | News | DW | 11.05.2018
May 16, 2018 | 6:58 am
#5
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For what it's worth, a journalist who hitchhiked from Cape Town to Morocco described the DRC as hell on earth, incomparable to any other country he visited in Africa or elsewhere, including places like Chechnya. Granted, he didn't go to the Central African Republic or Somalia. Supposedly the Republic of Congo was much better, and so-so by African standards.
May 18, 2018 | 9:27 am
#7
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May 18, 2018 | 8:39 pm
#8
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Ebola
Have you seen this?
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/healt...ntl/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...lained-n875521
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...o-says-n875561
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/healt...ntl/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...lained-n875521
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...o-says-n875561
Last edited by Jeannietx; May 18, 2018 at 8:42 pm Reason: Adding link.
May 21, 2018 | 4:09 am
#9
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
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a different view
If you want to read more about experiences in the DRC, this is a very interesting blog/thread about driving from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. [warning - contains some disturbing comments about the civil war/mass killings]
May 21, 2018 | 9:33 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2004
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If you want to read more about experiences in the DRC, this is a very interesting blog/thread about driving from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. [warning - contains some disturbing comments about the civil war/mass killings]
May 22, 2018 | 2:06 am
#11
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Not sure if people care, but on the political and financial front there is a big push now to have free trade amongst all east African countries and include the DRC. So the border and commerce is expected to be liberalised between Uganda and eastern DRC soon. Not coincidentally Uganda has discovered a huge amount of oil right near the Congo border and will begin pumping it out soon. Money has a way of changing things.
May 30, 2018 | 2:49 pm
#12
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Ive only been to DRC on business, and only to Kinshasa. I cant recommend the place. The hotel was nice enough (I stayed at the Fleuve Congo, with a nice view over to Brazzaville) and in a part of the city that was kept safe. However, I could never escape the suspicion that may safety depended on the right people being quietly paid off, in the background. I was there for almost two months and noted that it was not unusual to see minders posted outside of some of the guest rooms on any given evening. Put simply, theres not much in the way of the rule of law there.
That doesnt mean DRC is out of bounds. If you for tourism, go with a reputable tour company who should keep you safe (I dont think you need to know the details). Also, keep up with the news before travelling. Things can get bad there, pretty quickly. One afternoon, I was put in a car and sent quickly back to the hotel - unidentified gunmen had opened fire on a nearby barracks.
May 30, 2018 | 9:20 pm
#13
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If you want to read more about experiences in the DRC, this is a very interesting blog/thread about driving from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. [warning - contains some disturbing comments about the civil war/mass killings]
May 31, 2018 | 8:12 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Here's a link to the Congo article:
https://reportermagazin.cz/a/iMdn5/p...ruza-za-druhou
https://reportermagazin.cz/a/iMdn5/p...ruza-za-druhou
Sep 21, 2018 | 11:17 am
#15
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If you want to read more about experiences in the DRC, this is a very interesting blog/thread about driving from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. [warning - contains some disturbing comments about the civil war/mass killings]