Emilio in Congo (DRC)

Category: thoughts

  • Pyramids golf course in Cairo?

    Pyramids golf course in Cairo?

    A review of the Pyramids Hilton golf course by a 15 handicapper

  • Egypt – part 2

    Egypt – part 2

    Photos of my trip to Egypt in August 2022. Khan El-Khalili Market, Coptic orthodox churches, northern Egypt beaches (Almaza bay)

  • Egypt

    Egypt

    There is now a direct flight from Kinshasa to Cairo with Egyptair! The flight is around 600 USD. It leaves at midnight and takes 5 hours and 50 minutes. The plane is a Boeing 737. It’s a bit old and there is no inflight entertainment. You can watch the overhead movies 😀 The food is…

  • Emilio in Italy

    Emilio in Italy

    Sometimes it’s nice to get away. Living in Kinshasa is a bit intense. Getting out here and there, if you can, is a good thing to reset your mind. The madness of the city and country can get you down and narrow your mind.

  • Dry season in Kinshasa

    Dry season in Kinshasa

    A dry season in Kinshasa.

  • Domestic flights in the DRC

    Domestic flights in the DRC

    What flying in the Democratic republic of Congo can be like

  • Kinshasa botanical garden

    Kinshasa botanical garden

    I went to check out the botanical gardens of Kinshasa (Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa) (Google Maps link) today. It is one of the only remaining green spaces in Kinshasa. Some parts were well maintained but others seemed in need of care and a thorough clean-up. I’m guessing the place, run by the ICCN or government…

  • A short summary of my family’s history in Congo

    A short summary of my family’s history in Congo

    Everyone calls me Emilio but my full name is Khalid Emilio. It’s Khalid because I’m of Indian descent and also Nicaraguan on my mother’s side. My father and his father (my grandfather), Sultanali (Sultan), came to the Belgian Congo in the 1950s with his brothers Badhur and Sadru. They were among the first Indian Ismailis…

  • Childhood memories in Congo

    Childhood memories in Congo

    Here are some childhood memories from the 90s I still remember that I’m sure many others can relate to and that I hope I’ll never forget.

  • A real commute in Kinshasa

    A real commute in Kinshasa

    Maybe you wake up at 6am, have a shower, a coffee, a quick toast and a banana, then you get in your car for 10 to 20 minutes to get to the office. Your commute can arguably be considered as “pleasant” and “straightforward”.

  • A quiet Saturday

    A quiet Saturday

    There are a lot fewer cars today somehow. I don’t hear the mad traffic, the loud honking or the “wewas” zipping around. “Wewas” are motorcycle taxis. The word is in Tshiluba which is a language spoken in the Kasai ex-provinces of the DRC.

  • Watching Kinshasa from a car window

    Watching Kinshasa from a car window

    Thoughts on a drive through Kinshasa

  • Things to do around Kinshasa

    Things to do around Kinshasa

    So you’re in Kinshasa. What can you do outside the city? Here are a few.

  • Home affairs in Randburg

    Home affairs in Randburg

    Going to home affairs in Randburg in South Africa in 2022 for a lost ID

  • The Democratic Republic of Gombe

    The Democratic Republic of Gombe

    As you may well know, the upmarket borough of Gombe is not like the rest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Locals cheekily call it the Democratic Republic of Gombe It is only in this tiny part of a country the size of Europe that you can think it is a “normal” city or…

  • Monday

    Monday

    It’s Monday evening

  • A list of NGOs and other organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    A list of NGOs and other organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    There are thousands of non-profits, for-profits, non-governmental organizations, foreign and national programs to help the DRC out of poverty, to end wars, to stop malnutrition or to end corruption (among many other projects). Here is a non-exhaustive list of various NGOs and for-profit projects that are or have done significant work in the country (alphabetically).

  • Is it normal?

    Is it normal?

    Is it normal to… Sit in traffic for hours everyday? Get asked for bribes or “coffee” or “fuel” by cops? Be nervous and anxious every time you drive to work or around the city in case you get stopped by cops? Having to wave or greet every single person you cross on the street? Being…

  • Christmas in Congo

    Christmas in Congo

    How can you wish someone a merry Christmas when they are living on the street? How can you send someone a WhatsApp « best wishes » when their town got bombed on Christmas Day (Beni CNN article)? But we live in a bipolar world, where we can go eat a nice warm French croissant while…

  • A round of golf in Kinshasa video

    A round of golf in Kinshasa video

    Drone footage of the Kinshasa golf course in 2021