The final destination 3122 African kilometers later – Libreville. Wilfred, a local moto shop owner has kindly agreed to let us store the bikes at his premises. We just have to build yet another box to protect the bikes from the torrential rain and humidity for the next months and maybe years to come.
We have seen African motomen carry incredible loads and the weirdest things like 8m long rods on their 125cc scooters. Surely bringing the shed materials is the right job for Kotilda and Suusi.
Libreville shed building
New photo added to shared album
A few hours later we have a little house of our own in the city of Libreville. I’ve seen people live in way worse sheds here and it cost us €60 of materials.
In the meantime I’ve reported home that we’ve arrived at the final destination and the flights have been booked to return home after 5 weeks. This is what my wife had to say about this. To translate – she is insisting that I shower at least 3 times per day before I return.
Inbetween diligent showering and shed building we get to check out the local nightlife. There are restaurants for the French, who make up 7% of the population, but the locals conregate on sidestreets, where there are a few shacks next to each other playing african hiphop and rnb. Everyone seems to know all the songs by heart, so in addition to the cacophony of the loudspeakers from 3 or 4 sheds, you also get people singing along to each of those. You could say it’s live music. The audience is definitely alive, as most people are dancing along, in the beginning quite casually, but after a few beers – pretty overwhelmingly.
Joey B – Tonga (Feat. Sarkodie) Tonga Dance [Official Video]
Joey B – Tonga (Feat. Sarkodie) Tonga Dance [Official Video] Ig: Tonga, Joey B, Joe, Sark, Sarkodie, Alkayida, Azonto, dance, official, music, video, real, 2013, 2014, ghana, new, hit, song, free, download, #TongaDance ,
They download 2h video remixes and project these on the wall along with some strobos. You should check out DJ Bigdance and this one is a good example of the dance moves everyone has built into their system.
In the morning we take Kotilda and Suusi to their final ride – to their shed. Kotilda doesn’t wanna go, she runs for a bit and then dies without a sign of resurrection. She takes her final ride on the back of the truck, before we drain the carburettor of the water that had entered the tank during last night’s torrential rain and gotten into her systems.
Girls locked away, we get to check out the town a bit. It is definitely the most relaxed of the African capitals I’ve visited. Perhaps the vibes of Rabat have been most similar.
The city is pickled with sculptures, for “work” and “unity” and former Gabonese presidents. Most sculptures depict women instead of men though. Always with their chest particularly pronounced.
We find that these jolly restaurants are the best choice. The menu is always the same: spaghetti or fries with strips of beef, chicken or fish. More expensive than in the country, €3-5 with a soft drink.
I couldn’t find out if Lalala means anything in the tribal language. We can only imagine there to be a great origin story.
Some of the architecture is stunning, but mostly government buildings. Here’s an example of the Ministry of Hydrocarbons. Looks after 70% of the country’s income.
Living on the seafront isn’t bad though in the selection of villas and palaces.
Adieu Libreville, we leave to return … one day.