Tag: Kinshasa
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A week-end and a half to Matadi
A week-end and a half to Matadi. We went on a week-end trip to Matadi from Kinshasa. We decided to leave very early Friday morning at around 4am but the trip still took us about 12 painful hours (We did stop along the way). We got stuck in Kasangulu behind a plethora of trucks.
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Congo (DRC) survival guide and other tips
Idiosyncrasies and tips for living in harmony in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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A Sunday on the Congo River
Photographs of the Congo river near Kinshasa and sandbanks
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Sunday evenings in Kinshasa
Everything is quiet The streets are empty The taxis are gone Sellers have gone home One or two cars zoom past A few beggars roam the streets
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Sitting in Kinshasa traffic is tiring
The rain has made it worse. We are waiting for hours to move 1 m. Everybody pushes for an inch. Everybody waits for an opening but there is none.
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Traveling out of the DRC
What it feels like to leave the DRC
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Meeting the Pope
My handshake with the Pope. I was somehow invited to meet the Pope during his visit to the DRC.
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A city stuck in traffic
Nowhere to go. Stay in your seat. Watch cars squeeze left and right. Watch motorcycles slide between you and your neighbours. You’ve got AC at least Yellow taxis on the left, military 4x4s and politicians jumping the queue. Everyone is hitting their horns. Your driver is also losing patience. “What on earth is stopping everyone?”you…
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Visiting Jaune Congo, a farm outside Kinshasa
Jaune Congo is not an ordinary farm near Kinshasa. They grow fruits and vegetables and soon, palm trees for oil production in a unique and sustainable way, hand in hand with local partners and employees. It is located here. Take the Cico cement factory road after Lukala to get there and ask for “Antoine’s farm”.…
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A Kinshasa shopping guide
A quick guide of shops to buy food, electronics, appliances, etc… in Kinshasa
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Rains and rains and rains
Rains and plastics are ruining the lives of millions in Kinshasa
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On the road from Matadi to Kinshasa
Photographs of a drive from Matadi to Kinshasa
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Kinshasa : Fuel shortages, traffic and wewa godfathers
You wake up and step outside and notice a massive queue of cars around the block at the fuel station next door. You’re not sure what the cause is. You hear it is about unpaid government fuel subsidies, the war in Ukraine or some other confusing issue with fuel companies.
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Sunsets from around the world
Sunset pictures from the DRC, South Africa, Nicaragua and Egypt
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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”.
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Watching Kinshasa from a car window
Thoughts on a drive through Kinshasa
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Things to do around Kinshasa
So you’re in Kinshasa. What can you do outside the city? Here are a few.
