Traveled: 32 km
Cumulative: 2930 km
Raining today. We started our tour at 10am once the rain let up with Élasi, the director of the Research Center, as our guide. We visited the Center’s library. There were no computers or scanners here. Probably because the entire town is without electricity. And there are archaic books on all kinds of topics: agriculture, microbiology, botany, flora, physics, chemistry and medicine. These date back from the period when DRC was colonized by the Belgians. They had set up this entire teaching structure to train students in the sciences. It was outrageously lavish for its time. Even now, if it had been well maintained, this teaching facility could have been a well-respected university. The main problem, however, is electricity. The research center used to have hydro-electric power from the river, but these structures fell apart. The villagers, as well as the researchers working in the center resorted to using oil lamps and battery-operated flashlights. Now, with the advent of solar power, Élasi mentions that many households make an effort to save up money for a small solar panel that will feed at least one light bulb. He himself has saved up money to purchase a few solar panels which he safeguards carefully from thieves in the village. He found the perfect method for doing so: 1) put the panels high up on a roof, out of their reach 2) house a woman and her family in the house adjacent to the office as people will not likely steal at night if the area is habituated. A very smart man indeed.
Afterwards, we visited the forest reserve where we saw l’Arbre de l’Authenticité. This is a tree that King Leopold was very much taken by. Back then, during the colonial era, they had called it l’Arbre du Roi. However, when Mobutu came into power after the Belgian colonization, he preferred names that reflected the culture of the Congolese. Hence, why he renamed the country “Zaire” and the King’s Tree became the Tree of Authenticity. It is a mahogany tree of about 200 years old.
The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting the Research Center’s old industries. The village had been completely self-sufficient, fabricating its own rubber, palm oil and coffee. They have a factory for each of these products, which Tom really loved visiting. All of these old machines and engines just turned his engineering world upside down!
Nomad Mari 
this place sounds incredibly interesting!