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GABON AND CONGO EXPLORATION 2000 PART9 PETIT LUANGO

December 25, 2000. Rested in Libreville, we arrived at the international airport to fly by a Beechcraft 3000 twin engine aircraft to Port Gentil, an oil city on the coast, then on the Ombua north of Iguela. Once in the air and near the Port, I was amazed at all the offshore oil drilling rigs. Dropped off passengers at Port Gentil, then continued to fly south bouncing at times violently through thunderheads over mangrove swamps and jungle, then endless beaches on our way to Ombua. Once we landed, we were picked up by a driver of an old, beat up landrover and we took a short jaunt along a dirt road through town and the small fishing village where we met Jonah, our fishing guide. Jonah drove the truck slowly through town, chatting mostly with women he flirted with, tried to start another land rover that was not running, picked up bread, then picked up another driver at his house, and then stopped at a small market at the edge of the mangrove beach where we drank warm colas and ate some bread. This place reminded me of Belize City: very laid back. Finally Jonah motioned us to go, and we left the small town of Ombua along a sand track, and for 1.5 hours riding on top of the truck bed, wove through an incredibly beautiful landscape of savannah and patches of forest. The track broke through the grass thatch, exposing a beautiful white quartz sand that squeaked when you walked over it. Cumulus clouds highlighted the African skies on the horizon, hovering over this incredibly peaceful, pastoral place that appeared like a New England or an English landscape. Places within the forest were also pleasant, and above the engine noise could hear the pulse and rhythmic whine of cicadas. The trees of this coastal forest were not quite as tall, or large in diameter, nonetheless inspiring. Wetlands that exposed their coal-black soils were interspersed in the white sands of the grass-covered savannah. Here I found lavender-colored monkey flowers, and another plant in the rose family with 5-petalled, pink flowers. Finally reached Iguela lodge situated in a small bay of a huge mangrove lagoon. It was a quaint setting of palms and palm thatch covered bungalows on the edge of the lagoon. Met Pierre Sage, his wife? And son, and the group of clients that

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were fishing: Dominique, a dentist from La Manz, a village 200 kilometers outside of Paris, and a French Doctor and his family visiting from Libreville. Had lunch, complete with red wine, and enjoyed the breeze of the afternoon before fishing at 5:30 PM? Jonah secured some lures, ‘poppers’ as they called them in French, and boarded a 24 foot open cockpit fiberglass boat with a 40 HP outboard. Got dark by 6:15 and no bites, but what a beautiful evening sky with thunderheads with pink caps, the bright planet Venus, then Jupiter. The night sky revealed such miraculous beauty, a canvas of light that points to the design of our awesome creator. Pleiadies, Cassiopeia, Auriga, Canis major and so many star constellations that I couldn’t remember. Came back to a great scene reminiscent of when the shepherds must have seen when Jesus was born at his birthplace in Bethlehem. Then had a fantastic dinner of Crepe’s, pomme de terre (potatoes) and wine. But everything is served late in French standards where dinner is a 9:00PM. Great conversation and everyone laughed into the night. Thankyou Lord for Christmas day. December 26, Tuesday 2000. Left to fish the estuary after breakfast at 9:30AM. Wonderfully peaceful area, tranquil waters, and had great conversation with the French man and wife fishing here. Saw a couple of hippos, a mother and her calf at the edge of the mangrove. They were pretty wary. Also sea eagles with white heads and tail, egrets, and vultures. We picked up a beautiful 6 foot long 35 pound Barracuda. Once landed Jonah showed me the damage done to the lure, the latter half was bitten off by incredibly sharp teeth. Tonight we will

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My first grouper, small compared to dominques fish caught the day before dined on fresh, filleted barracuda. Trolling close to the mangrove edge, the whine of cicadas could be heard above the rumble of the outboard. Then passed three more hippopotamus before we headed out to the outlet of the lagoon, and where it meets the sea. Here on an outgoing tide, terns wheeled beaches at the edge of

Carpe rouge, a 120 kg grouper caught by the French fisherman Domique, My first Barracuda

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the tea-stained lagoon, and walked out through the sand spit and began surf fishing with bobbers. This was paradise with cumulus clouds under cobalt blue sky, and the blue Indian ocean. Dark anvils loomed close to the west, blackening the ocean. Occasional flashes of light portrayed electrical storms not far away, and the distant rain was highlighted by the sun. Dominique was the fisherman, and caught the first Caranax hippus, a fish related to the tuna but with a more rounded forehead. It is a beautiful fish with yellow blue and silver markings, a scimitar tail, double dorsal fin. Our boat was the only one of the day that came back with fish, so once back at Iguela, Pierre Sage, a rough Corsican Frenchman, bought a round of beer for us, and then had a wonderful lunch of fresh fried snapper. Great conversation with the French doctor Bruno and Dominique (dentist from Paris). Every meal is celebrated with red wine, which Bruno consumes as though it was water. According to Pierre, this estuary is rich and diverse; the reserve is full of wildlife. Pierre talked in his heavy French accent that he saw an 18 foot Nile crocodile grab a buffalo by the nose, a 400 Kg prey, then drown it in the water. He had also seen a black leopard, and a leopard attack a buffalo that was in the water, stripped off part of the skin after the cat disposed of it with a bite to the back of the neck. And there were manatees in the rivers, and elephant that came down to eat the mango when in fruit. Pierre was going to take us by land rover 25 kilometers run south towards the southern portion of Petit Luango, where he would leave us to camp for several days on the beach. We left at 4:15PM and piled into the landrover like the Beverly hillbillies, crossed the lagoon in a makeshift ferry. The small ferry was equipped with an outboard, and Jonah motored us across the to the south shore. The pastoral beauty of the savannah is peaceful and divinely inspirational, rolling hills flanked by forest, manicured by God. This area is wonderful, reminding me of some parts of the Lolianda hills in Tanzania, full of wildlife, green and pastoral,

but this area had grander forests that made up for the lack of volcanic mountains. Passed one large elephant crossing the short grass edge into the forest, and a black and white colored crane or stork

Ferry that will carry us from Iguela across the lagoon to drive south on a track to Seta Cama

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Track along the coast, egrets, nesting carmine bee eaters

that gracefully flew from us and alighted with large wings several hundred feet from us. The light now accentuated colors of the grass and forest as the sun dipped lower above the edge of the sea, highlighting this beautiful place. Within 25 kilometers, be broke through the savannah and stunted coastal forest and scrub to the beach, where we parked. A beach fire was lit at the edge of a

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Elephant, hippo, Manatees in Iguela lagoon lagoon and mangrove lake. Saltwater crocodiles here, and you could see large tracks leading from freshwater to saltwater and back. A large furrow of a tail was drug behind, wedged between huge foot marks. Crocodile? The ocean surf was so tranquil, and I watched a magnificent sunset form to the west, while the guides prepared the Barracuda we caught today over an open fire. Delicious meal and quite an evening.

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Walked the beach at night, and observed lightening lighting up briefly the night sky, like distant flashbulbs going off in patches of sky to the east, north and west. The compression of my feet against the sand disturbed bioluminescent algae which then glowed, and in the dark, I felt like I was walking on stardust. Incredible. Pitched our tents, set up our tarps following dinner, and it rained heavily just after I go into my mosquito netting of a tent and got totally soaked. So I made a hasty retreat to the large tent that was set up for us. I appreciated the rain cooling us off.

December 27, 2000. Good sleep at the edge of the ocean, but cloudy this morning, yet partial sun to the east. After breakfast, we hiked 3 miles south along the beach, where we saw buffalo, one crocodile, and a huge monitor lizard. These lizards left tracks all over the beach at night, where they partially excavated the nests to eat turtle eggs. I walked the beach barefoot, disturbing numerous crabs the color of sand ghosts, and was humored as they almost effortlessly ambled sideways into their holes dug in the sand. There were porpoise surfacing several hundred feet offshore, and I watched the surf, and the

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Top carmine bee eaters, African green pigeon, double-collared sunbird, Violet-tailed Sunbird

Weaverbird, frogs

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Elephant commonly seen along the edge of the forest and grass savannas, lowland gorilla

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Pied Kingfishers on log

Male lowland gorilla, potomacher, red river hog or bearded pig

Herd of bearded pig (red river hog) in grasslands, favorite prey of leopards

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Red capped mangabeys, red river hogs

translucent green water break, a pleasantry to both see and hear. We stopped at a shipwrecked older seine boat partially buried in the sand. Rested for a half hour, then returned. My legs were sore a fter about 6 miles of beach walking, even wearing the knee brace. Once back at camp, had a wonderful swim in the

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Manatee (WWF photo), humback whale that breed offshore during the winter

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nude in the warm Atlantic, body surfing with Paul in 5 foot high waves. I had much caution though knowing the sharks that frequent here, but kept trying to reassure myself that they concentrate at the estuary and lagoon outlets where all the bait fish are. The stories from David Bill, and jean Pierre kept me alert. Already on man had died from a shark attack swimming across the lagoon outlet at Petit Luango to the south. Jean Pierre Sage arrived with a small group from Libreville to view wildlife and they stopped at our camp about 6:45 PM. It was almost dark, but they brought us beer and prepared food. They left, and our campfire was put out as a huge storm hit about 9:00PM, and several times it rained so hard it actually misted through our tent, and water collected inside on the tent floor. Went out to look for turtles by myself after the rain let up, but didn’t walk far enough as the next morning I discovered fresh turtle tracks only a half mile further. Didn’t like stumbling into buffalo on the beach by myself in the dark. Have to keep the light off so as not to disorient nesting female loggerheads ascending the beach. Did see several species of large bats sweeping through the edge of the beach. December 28, 2000. Iguela Reserve. I was up early this morning, had a quick breakfast eaten through several rain showers before we left for a drive south into the savannah and forest. Dark clouds from the southeast kept threatening us with downpours. Lots of buffalo herds enroute. Our guide Victor Mpira and driver Rene Yoagaba are both from the Omiene tribe in Ombuoe’ to the north. We parked the truck at the edge of the forest and followed an elephant trail that crossed the savannah, and entered the forest. I scraped away the leaf litter and realized the soils are almost pure sand. An interesting French mother and daughter Marty and Saline from Libreville were with us, and showed us the huge shingle barked Okoume’ tree, a huge forest giant with roots flanked in a radius. Amateur naturalists, they picked up some of the exuding pitch from a large root, and smelled the wonderful citrus-lemon odor. Saline said you can burn the pitch as a torch. And there were large lianas and scatters small stream throughout the forest, and a variety of fruit shed on the forest floor. One was a small, wild mango, and it tasted just like a mango. Another fruit was red/orange in color, and when broken open, had a jelly-like olive sized cluster of seeds that were sweet to the tastes. And there was a large pear shaped fruit I had seen in Lope, with a cream-colored flesh. Victor led the way, weaving through the forest with expertise, only occasionally using his machete in the open understory, stopping, listening. We heard barely audible grunts, advanced a few feet, then caught the smell of the ‘potomacher’ or bearded pig. And they were only 75 feet away, easily viewable in the dappled light. The pigs were rooting for some unknown roots. Then heard more monkeys but couldn’t ID them, but they sounded and with a brief glimpse seemed like white-nosed guenons. Came across another herd of pigs on the way back, and this time I heard the characteristic warning ‘clacking’ of teeth. Within a couple minutes, Victor and I stalked and got within 50 feet of a

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female bearded pig with 5 shoats or young trying to suckle. They were so small and cute with chocolate brown fur and cream-colored dappled spots arranged in horizontal lines. We watched the family for a few minutes before they moved off, and I was so inspired to have seen them so close. The forest was dark and wet when we first entered, and

by now the sun broke through, and we emerged into the savannah to the warmth of sunlight. Drove another 8 kilometers south and entered another gallery forest, and noticed one particular vine with huge trumpet flowers hanging in a display of purple and green. They reminded me of the oriental lilies I had grown in my cottage garden at home, only draped in a vertical pendent. The gallery forest was even more impressive here, with giant trees like the Okoume’, a huge tree I couldn’t identify

with large buttresses, and fresh elephant sign all over the swath of trails. Such a variety of flowers and fruit on the forest floor, including more of wild mangos. Watched another group of monkeys leaping through the canopy right above us. They were cinnamon colored, with white markings on the chin and sides of their

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Red mangabey, Pit viper, chimpanzee

faces. After exploring this forest, it was now 4:30PM and we drove back through verdant green pastures and the violet green hues of the forest edge. We found a pair of elephants after passing several herds of buffalo. Parked the land rover and progressed on foot across a clearing

and stream towards them, downwind. We got amazingly close, but too close and it was uncomfortable to have no place to escape to if they charged. The large bull occasionally raised his trunk to test the air in our direction, checking any scent that my alert them to danger, but couldn’t see us. Then Victor finally clapped his hands, and the bull immediately turned on its hind legs, faced us with ears now

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Blue duiker flared out, trunk raised and quickly stepped forward a couple of steps, straining with all its senses to find out what made that noise. Adrenaline dumping, we held our ground and stood perfectly still, and I was wonderfully amazed still to see these beautiful animals. The younger bull came out of the forest edge, and began feeding again with its larger companion. Both elephants remained calm and we then returned to the 400 yards to our vehicle. I noted that during our walk back at the edge of the forest, we surprised a group of 3 hornbills. Two of them were males with huge casques. They brayed at us like avian zebras when they flew overhead, with heavy wingbeats that compressed a ‘swoosh swoosh’ as they flew back into the forest.

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It was great to be back in camp as the first thing I did was take a swim again in the surf as the sun hung low over the horizon. I enjoyed body surfing in the Atlantic, but still nervous about bull sharks. Beautiful sunset tonight, and my cold coca cola served with dinner was delivered again by Jean Pierre. Rain after sunset. Hope to find turtle tonight. December 29, Friday. Iguela Reserve. Still an unproductive search for turtles last night, might be leaving to late as we saw fresh turtle tracks with a round trip loop. We attempted to cover several miles of beach, but unfortunately didn’t leave until 1:15 AM, and it was quite overcast and difficult to distinguish tracks in the dark. Stumbled on fresh buffalo tracks and knew we had to be careful of surprising buffalo or elephant on the beach. Near the lagoon outlets we especially had to be careful of Hippo. Grey, overcast morning, but we packed up camp and left in the landrover, Beverly Hillbilly style. We drove north through more savannah for about 5 kilometers, getting stuck only once in the black greasy soils of a wetland. But we managed to push the landrover out, but not without being covered with black organic, sulfur laden mud. More buffalo, and in the open, a herd of ‘potomachere’, bearded pigs with a large boar overseeing the group. We reached the outlet of an unnamed lagoon we were to explore by canoe, and parked under a large tree where the pirogue was stored. The blackened dark clouds just off the ocean resembled the edge of a huge tornado, and then it rained hard from 9:30AM after packing up the canoe throughout the day until we reached our camp. We poled the heavy canoe by hand for 3 kilometers, and this became one of the most miserable days in our African stay. All of us were miserable, cold, and the steady drizzle and surroundings took me back to other likeminded miserable days in Glacier Bay Alaska, or Puget Sound in Washington. I was fighting such an incredibly sour mood, not wanting to be there, let down that we didn’t get south to Petit Luango where the forest actually meets the sea, we were sitting in the rain, frustrated I hadn’t photographed bearded pig or loggerhead turtles, or elephant on the beach, or monkeys. I kept asking the Lord to help my attitude, but I hated being in the pirogue, stuck in a 5 hour steady downpour, and miserable, missing my family, the and spent some of the time daydreaming about the comforts of home. Interesting how I forgot to bring the word of God with me, had lessened in prayer in the past day, and in intimacy with God, and then everything miserable in the rain around me simply surfaced my ugly mood. We beached the canoe at our camp, which chased off an elephant that was feeding on some unknown fruit. Fresh elephant dung and tracks all over our camp. I walked in a cramped gait to the beach, soaked and cold. So much for the REI rain poncho keeping me dry. We set up camp as a team, got a fire going with lots of diesel fuel poured over rain-soaked wood, and the rain finally let up by 3:15 in the afternoon. Thankyou Lord. Rene got the fire going after many attempts, but then had to move the entire fire since Victor started it under a tree full of biting red ants. It was a rotted tree and the ants were dropping into the

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frying pan of hot oil. None of us had eaten yet since 6:30AM, a breakfast of 2 pieces of bread and a cup of coffee. No wonder we’re all crabby. The mood was broken as dinner was finally cooking, fresh caught mullet with a hand net, and unseen chimpanzees nearby broke out with loud hoots and cries that pierced the forest. Probably subdominant males challenging each other, but the calls were those of upset chimp males. The sun hasn’t come out yet today, and I will be glad when this part of the trip is over. I’m sitting on the beach now, listening to the surf, watching a crab approach my shoe, then climb the clump of sand next to it, then shuffle to get a better look at me with its periscope eyes. Finally had our dinner at 5:30PM, Dorado mullet with tomato sauce, garlic and onion. Garlic and onion make anything taste good. So delicious and we were very hungry. Good bonfire tonight and we enjoyed the ‘freedom from rain.’ I journaled to the children, and asked the Lord to change my heart and selfish expectations for photographing wildlife while looking out across the ocean, and watching crabs. Cuttlefish shells all over the beach, beautiful pattern of iridescent colors produced by squid. Tonight we left camp earlier at around 12:00PM to find a nesting loggerhead turtle, and this time I asked the Lord to provide one. And he did only 100 meters to the north of our camp! The female was only 1.5 meters long, about 5 feet long shell, but big. Leatherbacks have such beautiful color, pattern and design on their shells and body. Sand covered her back as her front flippers had help propel her up the beach to detect the right warmth for her nest (Gods design of infrared detectors in her nose to detect temperature). She continued to dig and we waited in the dark listening to her sighs, and to the back drop of surf. She would pause a while from digging with her back flippers, then heave a deep moan, then dig again. We finally turned the lights on and could see tears streaming down her cheeks as she laid about 40-60 eggs, then spent the next 45 minutes covering

them up. As she did, she rotated with her huge front flippers for some time. Then she got disoriented by our lights as she attempted to leave and head back towards the sea, then headed in the direction of our lights. Finally by 1:30 AM she entered the surf,

Leatherback turtle laying eggs on the beach at night

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and I had witnessed one of the incredible miracles of God’s creation, an animal that migrates, navigates by stars? Moon? Magnetic fields and ocean current temperatures to this beach to lay her eggs in the same location she was hatched. I had seen green turtles nest in both Costa Rica and Borneo, but not the loggerhead. December 30, Saturday, Iguela Reserve. Good rest last night after we returned to our camp, and no rain. Had our first eggs for breakfast in a week, what a treat. Just before we finished breakfast, Victor spotted an elephant on the beach almost 7/10ths of a mile south. So I grabbed my cameras and sped off along the beach with Victor, keep out of sight of the elephants view, and on the landward side. After 15 minutes we arrived to where they were feeding, eating crab apple-like fruit from the Uapaca sp. tree in the Euphorbiaceae family with salal-like but round leaves. The fruit is also relished by the blue turaco and the mustached guenon monkey. We approached unnoticed and found her to be a cow with a small, one year old calf. She was totally unaware of us as we stood still 100 feet or 30 meters away, downwind. Apparently she couldn’t see us , and eventually worked her way into the scrub thicket. Then we saw another elephant emerge with a 2 year old calf, and watched them for some time, this time a little too close for comfort. Victor finally clapped his hand and she wheeled around at us, but couldn’t smell us with her raised trunk, or hear us with her flared ears. It was an incredibly exciting moment. Sunshine, surf pounding next to us, white egrets on the beach, and elephant. Once back in camp, Paul and I body surfed for over an hour in the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, the left to pack up camp. We crossed the lagoon ¼ mile upstream by pirogue and explored, beached the pirogue, then tracked animals for a while, primarily ‘potomachere’ through the mangrove edge. Interesting stunted trees in this section besides the Uapaca, white sandy soil and leaf litter. Followed the fresh tracks of bearded pigs at the edge of the savannah. This lagoon received numerous small streams that drained and coursed through bedrock, and white quartzite sediments. Beautiful tannin-stained water, tea colored waterfalls and glides full of colorful cichlid fish. This was an enchanting place within a dwarf forest. We had lunch back at camp of sauerkraut, frankfurters, and beans and took another swim in the Atlantic, what a blessing. The trip back down the lagoon, which paralleled the beach for almost three miles, was a hot trip this time in the late afternoon light. The low light illuminated the mangrove forest, and our spirits were much higher. Saw 3 Nile crocodile, egrets, and more monitor lizards. Good to get back. On the final morning before departure on New Years day, started the morning reading Matthew, then had an incredible time fishing with Jonas, and the older couple Jean-Claude and Monika from Paris, France. I did catch a nice ‘carpe rouge’ or red grouper, and a small barracuda. We had such a great time on the boat, with my attempt to learn French. Jean told me of the large grouper he caught earlier in the week right at the mouth of the lagoon, and just as Jonah

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was about to gaff this 150 pound beast, a huge shark came at it and tore a hole in the side of the fish, the action broke the steel leader, and this beautiful grouper was gone. Glad I wasn’t swimming there. Beautiful, clear day, clouded up by the late afternoon. I am sure looking forward to home. I spent the afternoon with Pierre looking for wildlife to the south of Laguna Iguela, and we approached in the land rover, the same two female elephants with young and two adult cows we had approached on foot earlier in the week. That night New Years eve I worshipped the Lord under a clear night sky of stars standing in the back of the land rover driving back to the lodge. The savanna is so beautiful here and I was thankful to have explored such a wild part of Africa.