On landing in Kinshasa (the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo) airport and walking down to the airport terminal, one either thanks himself for traveling light or wishes he did travel light. Reason? Heat. The moment we moved out of the cool and comforting labyrinth of the aircraft, the first thing that struck us was the heat. The skin seems to scald within minutes of being exposed, and we found ourselves reflexively looking for shelter. Being on the Equatorial zone, Congo is characterized by direct sunlight and direct rains.
There's greenery, but the greens are not of the lush, eye-soothing nature; instead, they are mostly sun scorched and dusty. Congo is hotter than any of the hottest seasons of India, and it does bother to think that the weather remains the same throughout the year. Surprisingly, the temperature never rises above 32˚C, but it feels like 45˚C of peak Indian summer.
But like it is said, and we learned much later, you cannot count on anything in Congo – be it the people, the government, or the sun!
There's greenery, but the greens are not of the lush, eye-soothing nature; instead, they are mostly sun scorched and dusty. Congo is hotter than any of the hottest seasons of India, and it does bother to think that the weather remains the same throughout the year. Surprisingly, the temperature never rises above 32˚C, but it feels like 45˚C of peak Indian summer.
But like it is said, and we learned much later, you cannot count on anything in Congo – be it the people, the government, or the sun!
Posts
Hi Malobika, nice blog(s) that you have written... its good to know a new place and happy to realize we are in a better place for so many reasons and we still feel the world "there" is better... i think all developing nations have same issues! Keep writing and I like your writing style - casual yet enriching. take care - sunita
ReplyDelete