Another travel encounter

I love to hear stories about travel, and about why people choose to travel or what they gain from the experience. So I appreciated finding this little profile of Darrell Wade, chief executive of Intrepid Travel, and reading about some of his travel experiences.

I also travel to give serendipity a chance and to top up my collection of those small yet wonderful encounters that make life an amazing journey…

When it comes to incredible modes of transport, the prize surely goes to a boat I took to travel up the Congo River. I should explain that local boats are my hands-down favorite way to travel, and I have ridden down a score of rivers, including the Amazon, Ganges, Irrawaddy and Yangtze. But nothing like this.

The boat was five three-story barges tied together with steel cables. I was one of 5,000 passengers. Every inch of deck was covered with life. There were naked children and encamped families. Pigs, chickens and huge crocodiles, ready for market. Monkeys were slaughtered periodically, then cooked on makeshift grills and served as onboard haute cuisine. Bands played pulsating African rhythms, and canoes filled with people from nearby villages floated alongside the boat, selling unrecognizable merchandise.

I sailed on this ark for four days and hardly slept a wink. Would I do it again? Tomorrow.

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