Weird !!!

[Future Canadian]

...I was just about to send that off to all my freinds, but glad I took a deep breath and waited.
I'm mad that the (terrorists/government insiders) stole my wife and I's meeting anniversary and besmirched it.  September 11th is still a magic day for us, and I try to ignore the national sob-fest going on.
I know numerology is a bunch of bunkum, but that is a fun list of 11-themed coincidences. And Q33NY thing made me go whoa.
 

[Future Canadian]

...yup, first post in a month and it's a top.  

[weird al]

Future, good on ya, mate! Wondered where you was...

[Lise]

Russ, you worked in the Congo? Wow. I'm fascinated! What's life like in the Congo??

  FC, welcome back. We miss your sorry arse.

[Russ]

Sorry Lise dont know how I missed this?

  Congo's ok. I thought it was one of the better countries in Africa that Ive been, still think South Africa's the best. I found Congo to be really safe compared to the rest, although I was only in point noire. But for a nice country to visit with places to go I found to be Ivory Coast.

  It was interesting in there was lots of super poor areas, and right next to them theres a super modern building nicely cared for. I found there was lots of older buildings still there from when it was still part of British/French colonies. Language in the Pointe Noire part was predominantly French (kinda) language. As with most of the countries on teh west coast, the biggest thieves were the police, especially near the end of the month when they needed money, you could get out of any 'supposed violation' for 5 bucks. Theres also that humid hot rotting smell thats everywhere. I find most of them to be really beautiful except for where there are people, lots of garbage and various refuse everywhere, when a pile of garbage gets big enough they light it on fire and leave it smoldering away. Ivory everywhere, if you want it, its there. The international sanctions and policing against it is a joke. Local beers pretty good, most of the stuff you buy there that isnt made local is from France.

  Ask away if you got any more questions.

[Lise]

How very interesting, Russ. Gee, I wish I was brave enough to visit places like the Congo and the Ivory Coast. I wouldn't because of the bad rep there. Heck, I have to think twice about visiting places like Cuba too.

  Where else have you been, Russ? What's the best country/place you've worked in?

[Russ]

Ok, I really had to think about this. Been awhile since I had to think about my past lol.

  I started out in Douala - Cameroun. West Africa. Kribi which is never mentioned is about an hours drive from Douala, and is basically a beautiful resort like place, caters to the french mostly. Another really good place is Limbea, and the beaches and seafood there is awesome. You order some fish and prawns, and a little brown boy runs down and jumps in the ocean which you are sitting by drinking. He swims out to the nets and gets your order, comes back and another guy cooks it.

  [img height=495 src="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapimages/africa/cameroon/cameroon.gif" width=355 useMap=#map border=0]

[A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douala"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douala[/A]

  Next was Malabo - Equatorial Guinee. On the island of Bioko. Always an interesting place to be, usually pretty safe and friendly. The only place I know of in africa where theres two 'streets' of real bush bars, with the next 'street' being of 9 chinese owned and run bars/restaurants. You think a white person stands out in Africa?

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ek.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ek.html[/A]

  Pointe Noire - Congo. Nice little place, lots of restaurants and LOTS of casinos run by south africans.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cf.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cf.html[/A]

  Port Gentil and Libreville - Gabon. Ex French colony, still heavily influenced.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gb.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gb.html[/A]

  accra - Ghana. REAL friendly and well organized country for africa. Muslim.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gh.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gh.html[/A]

  Port Harcourt and Onne Port and Wourri - Nigeria. Incredible country, runs on corruption, and brutality, and tribal. I cannot stress how corrupt this country is. When we are taken anywhere, we go with armed guards. The staff houses when you are onshore are fortified and have guards everywhere. They consider themselves the rulers of africa. Ex British colony, they blame them for the state they are in now.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html[/A]

  Cabinda, Soyo, Malongo, Luanda, Lobito - Angola. Where I was these last few times before being in college now. Recently finished a long and bloody civil war, still some issues but not that bad. Some hotels we stay in when travelling are 1970's era hotels, the amazing part is that they are mint, as they were closed and boarded up during the civil war and left untouched. Think vinyl and flower patterns everywhere. Beer is cheap here, speaks portugese here as they are an ex colony. Most of the places here we work out of are self contained bases made by the oil companies.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ao.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ao.html[/A]

  Abidjan - Ivory Coast. Most beautiful place in africa along with south africa. More natural beauty than south africa though. LOTS of french nationals living there. I was there 5-6 years ago when they had the first major uprising in decades when they sent in the french foreign legion and their paratroopers. Luckily we were in a french run shipyard with lots of french nationals so a few Amoured Personnel Carriers came and made their presence known, we heard gunfire all weekend. Then monday it went away and the work in the shipyard carried on as if normal...

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iv.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iv.html[/A]

  Capetown, Mussel Bay - South Africa. The only place in africa I actually consider living in. Same standards as here, well for those that work for it. I have many south african friends from there, incredible country. The veiw from table mountain is second to none. Stand up there and you can see two oceans and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sf.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sf.html[/A]

  Mauritania. Lots of bug infestations here, completely muslim. I hated this country.

[A href="https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mr.html"]https://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mr.html[/A]

  China.

  Singapore.

  Hong Kong

  Australia.

  Ivory Coast.

  Brasil

  UK

  Norway

  France

  Portugal

  Rome

  Few others but I cant think of them right now. Ill add them as I remember.