Arriving at Inkomu, one of the BonDiv sites, by Francesca Grillo
On the 13th of October, Corisande (another BonDiv researcher stationed at another site), I, and three of our nineteen luggages items arrived at Kinshasa. We had enough test tubes to supply a lab but just three pairs of underwear and one change of clothes!
In the two days that followed, my Congolese colleague Martin and I went to the office of our local partner organisation, WWF-DRC, with whom Bondiv is collaborating. From there, we began purchasing the materials needed for our research – tents, waterproof gear, ethanol for storing samples, and other essentials. While we were busy running these errands, Corisande and her colleague Dieu Merci successfully retrieved the missing luggage from the airport.
Kinshasa was a cacophony of horns, motorcycles weaving through traffic and making U turns where would think it impossible, and cars passing uncomfortably close. I was glad to have experienced it, but was looking forward to be somewhere calmer.
On the 16th of October, Martin and I took a charter plane to a village near our field site. Everything was weighed meticulously, including ourselves, and seats were assigned according to the calculations. On the way, we made a brief stop, where the crew refuelled the plane and added air to the tires, while we took the opportunity to buy some mangoes and avocados.
As we inched closer to the field site, the lush rainforest stretched out beneath us. To me it seemed like a big bowl of broccoli, while the ecoguard sitting in front of me joked he liked to call it ‘glorified grass’. It was patchwork of different shades of green, yellows, and the occasional orange, our eyes finding rest only when they followed the meandering river winding between the trees. It was clear that we could expect the rainforest to be dense.
When we landed, it felt as though the entire village had gathered to welcome us, cheering the plane on as if encouraging it to land safely. It was a charming scene, and the villagers’ brightly coloured fabrics stood out beautifully against the deep green and brown background.
We took the 4×4 down towards the river and parked at the nearest stop, then carried our belongings by hand to the boat that would take us to an ecoguard post where we would spend the night. Martin and I were shown to our bungalows before joining everyone for dinner.
The next morning, we boarded the boat once again and made our way to our new home for the coming year! We were welcomed by a steep hill leading up to the camp and a warm greeting from the pisteurs and the manager already working on site.
October 2025, By Francesca Grillo