We visited the Wagenia fisheries at Stanley Falls this morning and although the conical fish traps were not in operation because the river was too low , we were able to see how the fishermen used the natural swallow holes in the rocks to anchor the wooden poles which hold the fish traps in place. It was v hot and humid and even though we were just strolling around our shirts were sodden - so the pool was very welcome on our return.

Papayas and bananas for breakfast and its hot already. The hotel is right next to the main crossing point to the south bank, and from dawn there has been the constant drone of hundreds of little motorbikes coming and going. They have anywhere between 1 and 4 people plus luggage/livestock aboard and negotiate the junctions with the aid of their horns, but its all done at a much more relaxed pace than in Kinshasa. The motorbikes are meeting a procession of huge du...

The Tshopo Falls bridge was the scene of an alleged massacre during the Second Congo War in 2002. In May of that year two officers in the RCD-Goma, Laurent Nkunda and General Amisi, are alleged to have been among those responsible for the brutal suppression of an attempted mutiny, during the course of which 160 people were executed. In one incident men under Nkunda's command were reported to have bound, gagged and executed 28 people and put their bodies in bags...

The Palm Beach Hotel has seen better days, but to our surprise it has wi-fi in the reception area and the rooms have air con (when there is power), hot water, showers and clean beds, so right now we are very happy, finally, to be in Kisangani.

We took off over the Congo (see photo) and the flight took about two and a half hours, during which we could see little through the clouds and then suddenly ....there was the Congo River and Kisangani. A quick circuit and then we were in, taxied up to the terminal and parked alongside a motley collection of UN cargo planes, a Russian helicopter and a couple of fast jets. Kisangani International doesn't look too bad from the outside but the interior takes the ...