Beni, & Rwanda Border, DR Congo

I didn’t realise that it would take me quite so long to find a queue in Congo. But find one I did.

Unfortunately it was not with my own eyes, but through the help of Kizungu who, luckily for all of us, is not only our doorman but he also moonlights as a photographer.

The queue was found at a wedding in Beni, where Kizungu was the photographer and his wife sang in the choir.

Unfortunately I do not know much about the queue, except that it was for food.

I do have another queuing experience to share with you however. Yesterday afternoon I just got back from driving WildlifeDirect’s new vehicle from Goma to Beni. Unfortunately it’s not a journey to be done inside Congo as the route goes through the South of Virunga park where many rebel groups hang out, waiting to steal cars and slit throats, and so instead the journey is done via Rwanda and Uganda.

The border between Congo and Rwanda is on the edge of the town of Goma and looks like this:

Although I do recommend that if you should ever come across this border or any other border into or out of Congo, that you do not take a photograph.

Congo side of the border there is a motley crew of people all trying to shove their way to the front of the Immigration Office’s window to have their passports stamped. I, as you can imagine, am not terribly good at this and so it took me far longer than it ought to have my passport stamp, and after finding myself always at the back of the group it took me a good forty minutes until I was able to cross into Rwanda.

Rwanda side and it was the same group of people but this time they were all orderly queued one behind the other. And I, being last through the border, obviously had to join the back of the queue and thus took another forty minutes or more before I could head off on my journey through Rwanda.