TWO LAKES, A HIPPO AND A NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

We decided that it was time to take a deep breath somewhere outside Libreville and remember how much we loved Gabonese nature. We packed a few things, called up a few people and set off to Lambaréné, famous for its lakes, fried carp and the mysterious doctor Schweitzer.

The road trip: two monkeys, a turtle and a crocodile
All these animals were sold by the Lambaréné road and I missed each and every one of them on our way there, because I was too busy talking or reading the guidebook. Luckily, I made up for that completely when we were heading for Libreville again, and took pictures of all the local specialties on offer, with great help from Emily, who stopped the car or even turned back at appropiate moments to please me.

The best way to get to Lambaréné, our destination for the past weekend, is by car. It is a little less than 300 kilometres from Libreville, which amounts to a four-hour drive. It is very difficult to get out of Libreville because of the grumieres - trucks transporting huge logs I told you about when I described our visit to Lopé. Afterwards the road is mediocre for about 100 kilometres, just to get much much better for the rest of the trip. We left Libreville on Friday at about 2:15 pm, went through N'Toum, Kango and Bifoun, across the Equator and got safely to Lambaréné at 6:15.

The best place to stay is the Hospital
Believe it or not, it's true. The best hotel in town is the Hospital of dr Albert Schweitzer, the greatest tourist attraction in the area, beautifully set on the Ogooué river bank. The Hospital was started in 1924 by the brave doctor, who created it from scratch and helped the local people until his death in 1965. He got the peace Nobel prize in 1952 and his work is continued by the Schweitzer Foundation. The hospital is still there, along with a sort of a hospital village, its buildings scattered among beautiful old trees. There are also a few hotel rooms with ensuite bathrooms and a Museum set in the old hospital, where you can see what dr Schweitzer's workplace originally looked like. The hotel serves cheap meals in the same Refectory where the doctor used to eat.

The boat trip: two lakes, a hippo and a mission
It is vital to get in touch with a piroguier, a boat owner, who will take you on a trip in his pirogue. It is best to be a group of 6 - 8 people, as the boat costs 70 000 CFA (105 euros) for a day, regardless of the number of people (we had to split the price between the three of us). But it's definitely worth it: the lakes are amazing. We followed the majestic Ogooué river until we got to Lac Evaro, where for some reason we visited an abandoned hotel (which according to our guidebook was still happily open). We then continued the ride until we reached Lac Onangué, Gabon's biggest lake, covering the area of 160 square kilometres. On our way there we caught a glimpse of two hippos, very difficult to spot during the rainy season. We also visited the Ngomo mission: a school and a few houses, with a rather European church towering over the village, inhabited by as few as twenty people. The last attraction of the day was going under one of Lambaréné's bridges, which turned to be the home to thousands of bats.

The city (night) life

Lambaréné is small but pleasant. Of course, there are not many town activities to fill your day but we did our best to try them all. We visited the church (again, European architecture, not common in Gabon) and found it rather pretty. We strolled by the river. We had what our guidebook described as a real espresso at Patisserie de l'Ogooué (the espresso was fine but I asked for a coffee with milk and got... a mug, hot milk and a can of instant Nescafé). We visited both markets and the one in quartier Isaac, right by the river, proved to be rather exciting: hunters and fishermen sell monkeys, crocodiles, turtles and the famous carp - things not easily seen in Libreville. At night we had some drinks at the local maquis (shabby shabby bars) and a dinner consisting of grilled fish, prepared by an African mama, who, when the fish was ready, asked us how many pieces of banana and how many spoonfuls of rice we wanted (each piece and spoonful is paid separately). There are few white people in the area and thus we were as much of an attraction to the town as the town was to us.

All in all, the trip was interesting and diverse. It feels as if we were away for much longer than just two days. But now, alas, the need has announced itself to come back to reality. And upload some pictures on my picasa.