A Trip to Dolisie

This weekend I had the opportunity to take a train ride up to Dolisie with a few friends. It was a wonderful day. The four hour ride was delightful, and I took photo after photo out the window. I even had an omelette in the dining car.
Once in Dolisie we spent a short time walking about the market and stopped at the local bakery for some delicious pastries.
Then came the best part of the trip (for me at least).
We rode back to Pointe-Noire in one of the local buses, packed to the brim with people. I learned a lot about long-distance travel in Congo.
For instance, when in Congo and those riding a bus need to use the toilet, the driver pulls to the side of the road and all passengers who need to relieve themselves (men and women alike) go in the long grass on the side of the road.
When water bottles are empty and need refilling, the driver once again pulls to the side of the road, and those who have need of water refill their bottles from any small spring that comes down the mountain.
And when the people are hungry and need a snack for the road, or fixings to make dinner later, the driver will pull to the side at the nearest roadside market.
By the time we made it to our first "scheduled" stop, we had made at least four other stops for the above mentioned reasons. Though a bit cramped, it was a wonderful educational experience to see how the local people live and travel on a day to day basis. My only regret is that I did not have a window seat on the bus, and thus did not get many pictures on our return journey. Oh well, there is always next time.......