30 Days in Africa - #17

Camping on the beach this weekend! Returned to my favorite place this weekend - the gorge beach, but this time for camping overnight. The camping trip started with pouring rain and we actually left the camping area to return to the ship. After eating our packed lunches at a local restaurant, the rain started to let up and we decided to go camping after all. Everything was soaking wet and the dark clouds were threatening for the rest of the day, but camping on the beach was so worth braving the wet sand and mud. The beach was completely deserted and we could chose to set up camp anywhere. The tent was completely built from market materials and our fire-starters had amazing skills to convince wet wood to actually burn as a great campfire. The sunset was beautiful, crashing waves on the beach were soothing all night long, and when the stars came out I think we even found the Southern Cross constellation. And of course, the campfire food was epic... chocolate bananas directly from Switzerland, crabs caught from the hundreds carpeting the beach at night, and freshly caught fish cooked in foil for breakfast. Also the standard Mercy Ship fare of peanut butter sandwiches, hardboiled eggs, and apples... not quite so epic. All 6 of the campers survived the African night creepy crawlers and morning brought the sun back again. Definitely one of my favorite camping trips and a highlight of my time in Congo. Unfortunately, pictures don't show all the natural beauty of the area, but maybe they will give you a good idea :)

Pity party about the rain...that did stop eventually

Choosing the perfect camp site

 

                                                     Campfire cooking with Mitch...

The 6 African camping survivors!