Quick Stop in Lubumbashi

Three shots of Lubumbashi from the air.
Look at that coal factory* in the background of these next two pictures. [*UPDATE: See the comment by "Tony" below. My "coal factory" is probably a slag heap from a copper mine or refinery. That's what I get for asking someone "is that a coal factory?" rather than "what is that?" Thanks for the comment, Tony.]

I spent a day and a night in Lubumbashi. My companions at the guest house were a Congolese doctor and my old friend Keith (who I met during my first stay in Lubumbashi).

Born in the Congo, the doctor had lived in New Jersey practicing internal medicine for the past 35 years. He came across another Congolese-born doctor who was working to eradicate river blindness in remote parts of the Congo. My housemate took a 10-day trip into the bush to see what this other doctor was doing -- including a visit to the other doctor's mother, herself blinded by the disease. My housemate soon quit his job and set up his own NGO to combat river blindness in the eastern (war-torn) part of the DRC. He's been doing it for 3 years, and loves it.

My friend Keith is still trying to adopt a Congolese baby. He has been waiting over a month. He's paid a LOT of bribes and a ton of official fees. But he's not at all confident that he can complete the adoption process before his flight leaves next week. Despite his troubles, Keith was a great companion at the guesthouse, and we had a nice evening together swapping stories. Good luck, my friend.