Day 170: Abio Site – Dimonika

The brightness phase here near the equator is basically six to six. We are awake accordingly early. 

The slope back is no problem, the sandy bottom absorbs most of the water and the deeper puddles are not very deep yet.

Even though many people have told us that “Brazza” is a city worth visiting, we literally ignore it. So far we didn't really enjoy the big cities in West Africa and this probably won't change. Even if overlanders can probably stand in Brazzaville very comfortably at the tennis club :-)

What follows is a great day of driving on a new expressway (perhaps Chinese built?) through an incredibly magical landscape. And all of this with foresight that we probably haven't had since Guinea. 

We're doing 523 km today and wondering when was the last time we traveled so far – probably in Europe or Morocco. It's been a long time!

We skip the planned overnight stay and drive to our next destination, the Auberge Le Vigoureux west of Dolisie. 

In Dolisie we visit a small supermarket for a few basic foods – we have surprisingly run down our supplies.

And even if we hadn't read it before – there's something socialist about it. Even if it is a thing of the past. 

The auberge is located just outside a village on a hill and looks a bit colonial. We are allowed to stand on the premises, use a bathroom (bucket shower), have the essentials washed tomorrow and have a meal cooked for us this evening. We plan to stay here for two nights and sort things out tomorrow.