Killi expedition to Gabon - July 2016

Discovering
the true
primary forest

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D10 - A beautiful fright... *07/13/2016 - Journey : Mandji --> Peny --> Idemba --> Mouila*

It was not apparently our hour!
We leave Mandji after a long, very long, breakfast. The waitress was gradually going to buy what we needed. In brief, we leave at 9 am, direction the South towards Peny, then Mouila. After 2 boring fishing points, the following one has been more than interesting: Aphyo aff primigenium, a new and magnificent Plataplo and certainly a new one Epiplatys (group ansorgii, the same as to Guietsou ?).
But... in this euphoria, we forget the main fact of the day : it's a forest trucks road ! We cross a first vehicle (pick-up) indicating the trucks number which follow him, by a sign on the vehicle. We park and observe the big loads passing. After a few minutes, we leave, confident. The scene repeats a few minutes later.
Then we arrive at the top of a rise, and there ... it is not the pick-up which arrives in front of us, but directly the truck thrown to 40 kph (as we).
Wen, our driver, is a god of driving! By pounding, he managed to control and straighten the 4x4 which started crabbing on laterite, and sends the vehicle on the side. The truck can not slow down, or risk seeing the wood through the cabin. He can not suddenly turn ... because wood was neigher not fixed !!!
We see then a piece of wood (which exceeds the truck) arrive us straight ahead on the windscreen. Wen gives a last blow of steering wheel and ... the wood passes in 20cm of the vehicle.
A few seconds later, we understand what just happened ... all shocked. It still remain approximately 30Km on this road dedicated to wood trucks. We will even walk to some corners to see what could happen.
We finally arrive at Mouila without other worries. Relief! Finally, this is what we thought...
We are in the presidential campaign, and it's the day chosen by Ali Bongo, the current president, to come to Mouila. ALL the hotels are booked !!! After 2 hours of research, we find the last 3 rooms away from the city ... phew!
We must get over our emotions with a good night's sleep. See you tomorrow !