Truck Stuck

Traveling the "bush" for six months, stopping in remote villages to conduct research on monkeypox, meant that one needed to carry all needed supplies and equipment, including a portable short-wave radio to keep in touch with the World Health Office in the capital. Negotiating impassible roads in the center of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) meant that the equipment included metal skids, shovels, an electric wench, and a chainsaw for situations.

The top photograph shows the Toyota high-centering in a sandy road in Bandundu. Digging, putting grass, skids, or other traction under the wheels or using the "come-along" were all options. Often, when the ruts were very deep, the best tactic was to strike out across the virgin savanna on a parallel track. The unbroken grass provided good traction for a new road, but, over time, the ruts would get deeper and more eroded, until that, too, was abandoned for another path. In some places, there would be a dozen side-by-side roads, wandering and twisting through the savanna, in various stages of wear. It was a challenge to chose the best road.

The middle picture shows where we fell through a small bridge over a stream. Here, it was impossible to extricate ourselves, so after a few hours, we managed to signal our distress to a village, a few miles distant. The villagers were all to happy to enjoy the excitement of a passing vehicle, busted through a rotten spot on their bridge. Joking and laughing at their fortune, they picked up the truck's rear end and placed it back on better timbers.

Where was I? I was knee deep in the water, cooling off, taking pictures, and laughing at the absurdity of it all. I suspected that the villagers may had actually set up the bridge as a truck trap. There were so few vehicles passing in this area -- only a couple a month -- that perhaps this was the local taxation. Being Zaire, it was not out of bounds for Zairians to go to extraordinary lengths for a few dollars.

The last image is of the "one that didn't make it." Mungbau, the driver had to stop and get his picture taken by the upside down cab and trailer of what must have been a horrific accident. Usually, the metal from abandoned trucks was pulled off and recycled, but this area was too remote for such piracy.

Photos by: D. Messinger