Radioaficionados Sin Fronteras

desolate, the traces of the war a few months offer a pathetic sight, collapsed buildings, strafed houses, huge craters left by artillery, bombed churches and schools, desolation everywhere apparent .... Traces of the terrible massacres Cobras organized soldiers, not a single trade mission house or city got rid of spoliation. After doing work that had brought me there, I enjoyed the hospitality of the Salesian Francesc Balauder and the Carmelite Gabriel Serrano. To get an idea of the precarious conditions that depart on radio, tell you that Gabriel had completely lost the front of his old team. He had placed a piece of cotton to cushion the impact that produced the frontal striking the table as printed circuit malfunction, often had need to press it and naturally the front panel hit the table. For its part Francesc to change bands in the absence button corresponding button is managed by entering through the hole carved a match stick. Maybe some importer decides to donate a pair of new equipment. Certainly the new models of Icom IC Alinco DX 707 and 77 are ideal for them, small easy to handle, robust in order ....... by ordering that it is.

Back in Kinshasa.

Return two days later to Kinshasa, the same day the Embassy of Spain held a meeting with the Spanish colony to celebrate the award of the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord Dr. Joaquín Sanz-Gadea; I had the opportunity to receive the thanks of all religious and secular communities that met during our first project. I fail to describe the emotion of the moment, the thanks for the timely installation of VHF network. we launched the previous year; just days before the fall of the regime "kleptocratic" dictator Mubutu. "Radio was a key element for security and they certainly delivered them to suffer looting and who knows what else outrages" in the words of Ambassador Bordallo "our actions helped to save lives." In those moments I felt attacked by the "evil Africa", that strange "disease" that makes you return to Africa again and again, despite all difficulties. On behalf of Amateur Radio Without Borders, I could not but accept his thanks and convey our deepest sympathy.

Flight to Mbandaka.

Mbandaka is placed 600 km. northwest of Kinshasa, right in the same line of Ecuador, only accessible by plane or by boat. From Kinshasa leave old tugboats pushing barges forming an impressive huge floating city, where they travel hundreds of people crowded with good luck, take three months to reach Kisangani. Fortunately the Daughters of Charity had gotten me a seat on the plane the next day on an old cargo-passenger apparatus.

Navigating the Congo River.

Once in Mbandaka, I expected more than 1,000 km. navigating the Congo River. We leave at dawn, at this time of year in Ecuador the sun begins to dawn toward five o'clock preceded the uproar that organize the thousands birds from the nearby jungle. The canoe of 15 m. in length and 1.5 m. sleeve constructed of one piece by the traditional method of emptying the trunk of a large tree, moved two motors outboard 40HP, we had a third motor parts were behaving three cans of gasoline and food, drinking water and all necessary materials, in total we were fourteen people on board the canoe. It's quite a sight watching the sunrise from the river, which in this part has a width of 12 km. and is not the widest, this is much further north, at the confluence with the Ubangi River where it reaches 32 km away.The the