Africa, Part 2

A waterfall at the tributary of the Loutete River

Local fisherman, Boko-Songho village

The dugout boats made of mahogany, Niari River. Excellent craftsmanship!

At the Niari River

Lunch at the Loudima River

A hole in the mountain – a grotto near the summit

Grotto near the Boko-Songho village

Nkenke River after a strong rain

Loudima River

Siesta at the river bank

This is a nasty, spiny palm

Blossoming tree in the city of Point-Noire

Orchid

The first flowers after the dry season (Ipomea sp.)

Blossoming plant Costus spectabilis

Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes

This is a little baobab – there are no really big trees in this area

Banana grove

Green bananas

It could be very hard to climb this seiba tree..

This is the least pleasant local plant – the bloom at these dry beans will burn your skin much worse than stinging nettle. Don’t touch it – it itches a lot.

peanut plants

Manioc bush has starch-rich roods

Papaya tree

Ripe papaya

Now I know that the avocados grow on the trees

Chirimoya

* Chirimoya is very tasty!*

Mangoes – green and ripe

Ripe mangos collected in the forest, November

In the mango groves along a creek

Jack-fruit could weigh 5-8 kg

At the beginning of the wet season the locals pick edible mushrooms

They look a little like honey mushrooms

Sugar cane

The Loutete area is not densely populated, but the nature here is seriously depleted. The populations of big animals such as elephants or buffaloes do not exist here for long time. One could sometimes see small antelopes which are rather careful. Quite often it is possible to see the local inhabitants hunting with shotguns, but their kill is small animals and birds.

* Tadpole*

Bat

”Red bird” Euplectes sp.

Millepede

I had not seen any big termitaries – only little ones looking like mud mushrooms a foot tall

Broken termitary