A Brief Pictorial, What a Difference 15 Minutes Makes

I wanted to show you how the country changes during a 15 minute drive from the middle of Libreville up north along L101.  The change is dramatic recognizing that while Gabon is the #2 or #3 richest country on the continent, very little gets spent beyond the capital.  Some visiting military officers from Senegal and Cameroon pointed this out to me a few weeks ago.  They were enlisted in a military exchange program here and were remarking that while their countries are poor, at least they have roads.

Approaching Louis on the Boulevard de Board du Mer… stores, signs, cars and concrete.

Swerving north along the blvd…a two lane highway with lanes and street lights.

We are still on the same “highway”.  The road is paved, but no markings and no lights.  Watch the storm cloud up ahead and see how quickly the weather changes here.

'The end of the road' not really, just an end to the pavement, which was probably laid down by loggers years ago.  Obviously, they finished what they were doing and moved elsewhere. 

Just a few minutes have past and clear blue skies; some ladies walking along road L101.

A local home 20 minutes out side of the city.  The electricity, water, sewage, etc. does not come out here.

A grouping of some local homes up ahead.

A “store” attempting to sell local produce to passers by.

This is here we pull off of the “road” and go over to the beach, which is beautiful...come back and see that later.