8th May. Libreville, Gabon

6^th May, AM. Old Quarry, Lope National Park. Gabon

This trip sometimes feel like we are doing the challenges Jeremy Clarkson and crew have to do in Top Gear. Yesterday's envelope read:

'You will travel 360 kms. The first half on good asphalt roads, the last 176kms will be on all weather but badly corrugated, potholed gravel. The scenery in this second half will be of magnificent dense tropical rainforest but you will not have time to view such scenery as taking your eyes off the road will result in damage to your vehicle. You will come upon a broken down truck in the middle of nowhere, the driver has a fog of flies around his body. You will stop and offer food and water and soon you will have a fog of flies around your body. You have been silly and park in such a way that a semi trailer, empty thankfully, that suddenly appears around a bend has to brake hard to stop ploughing into van. He stops 2 metres away, the driver laughs. You travel on through deserted villages apart from the occasional inhabitant until, as the sun sets, you almost reach your destination. The last 200 metres will be in low range 4WD up a steep incline to an old quarry where you will be rewarded by a 180 degree view of the national park, a full moon rising in the east as the sun sets in the west.'

Yes, it was another hard day but this place is out of this world. The flies have eased off a little as well. They are smaller than the bush flies in AU but just as annoying.

Hope to visit the park today.

6^th May PM.

We hung around for most of the day in sweltering heat, it is the 4^th day since we had rain usually it rains after a couple of days. At 4pm we hit the national park with Jean Pierre as our guide. The scenery was impressive with more rolling hills and valleys covered in dense rainforest. Unfortunately animals were a bit skint with us seeing a bush pig, something we hadn't seen before, and 4 elephants including a baby. Eddy the guy at the employees camp told us to camp next to his home. It was dark by the time we had returned from the park, and although we did know of a bush camp some 40kms on, we took the easy choice. Quite nice hearing the murmurs and the odd laugh of other people around us.

7^th May. Church of the Immaculate Conception School. Lamberene, Gabon.

Should be safe tonight with a statue of the virgin Mary in a rocky alcove a metre from the van. When we arrived here there were over 200 children letting out steam as children can be expected to do. Come 5.30 and the place is silent. The nuns and some staff live at the school, but it is safe and they do have a clean shower with hot water. If we're not careful we will become used to the treat.

Our detour to Lamberene was to visit the hospital and museum of Albert Schweitzer. An amazing person who spent his life helping to fight leprosy and other tropical illnesses for most of his life. He won the Nobel Prize in the '50s. I read his autobiography at high school and was always interested in him and his work. He was also a gifted organist giving concerts in many countries. He died in 1965 but his work continues in the more modern hospital than the one that is now a museum. There is a school and church here as well as the medical centre, the place is alive with kids and visitors.

The 270km drive today continued much of the way through rain forest. Gabon's president decided against the usual destruction of the rain forest that is happening in so many African countries and decreed many years ago that most of it must not be touched. The result is a naturalist's paradise. It is a beautiful country with plateaus of rolling hills and rain forest.

It was a pleasant surprise to run into a group of 6 Spanish Overlanders yesterday. They were heading south, their 3 vehicles hardly had a panel that wasn't covered in sponsor's names. We felt a little 'Plain Jane' with our AU flag on the back. We also came upon another Spanish couple in this massive van, also heading south. We were able to get further info from them as well. Hope they get across the Congo River without too many problems.

8^th May. Tropicana Hotel, Libreville.

N 00 26'57.8” E 009 24'43.5”

Note! We are in the Northern Hemisphere. Crossed the equator today.

Separate Overlanders had warned us not to go to Libreville if at all possible. It wasn't on our plans but we were one visa short for this part of the trip. It was possible to perhaps get it in Douala, Cameroon, but if we were knocked back there it would affect our planning for the next part of the trip. Best to have Douala as a fall back position. At the embassy the lady was at first hostile, we didn't have contacts in the country and we didn't have a confirmed hotel reservation. Then she relaxed and was all amenable for us getting the visa.

A good road from Labarene up until 100kms from the capital, then it fell to pieces. Potholes, road blocks, we arrived at the embassy 30 minutes after they were meant to close, as what happened once before, they let us in. We pick up the visas tomorrow.

It is hot and sticky. Saps all energy especially when the food being eaten is not what we are used to. The Hotel Tropicana allows overlanders to camp but we have taken a room with a sea view, A/C and hot water with a nice restaurant.