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My trips in Africa during 2008

From Dar As Salam to Nairobi airport in Kenya

 I took an early morning flight at 05.00 from Dar As Salam to Nairobi with Precision Air. There is nothing to do at the airport in Dar As Salam when you are waiting for boarding. No shops are open, and you have to seat one and a half hour in a small room. No coffee, no water, no newspapers, no internet and no television. Onboard the Precision Air plane a good breakfast with Tanzanian fruit yogurt and fresh bread was served.

 After we landed at the Nairobi Airport, we had to walk about 1 km from our airplane to the main airport. To enter the business lounge of Kenya Airways you have to register manually at the entrance desk, which means you must queue in 30 minutes, as there are many business class passengers. And once you are there, you will find no food, no newspapers, no internet and no television (CNN). And even no place, no chair to seat on. It was an interesting experience to find out what the business class lounge in Nairobi looks like.

N’djili International Airport in Congo Kinshasa (DRC)


I departed on Kenya Airways from Nairobi at 09.15. The flight was actually quite OK, and the food too. To land at N’djili airport in Kinshasa was another experience. Forget what I just wrote about Nairobi Airport! It was a very good airport compared to Kinshasa airport!! With one difference. At N’djili airport there are several first class, VIP, business class, High class, diplomat class, important businessman’s class, important passengers class, important people class etc. I have visited four of them during my two departures and two arrivals to Kinshasa.

If you have never been to Kinshasa and would like to get more practical information, please contact me and I will give you some important facts.

Best hotels in the DRC, Congo Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo)


Hotel Venus

 The best thing at the Venus hotel in Kinshasa is the high-speed internet.
The rooms are bad and so is the food. But, if you have to work and be online, you should choose this hotel.












Reception at Venus Hotel in Kinshasawww.venushotel.cd
reception@venushotel.cd
Tel: + 243 (0) 81 556 35 20 - 099 99 17 459 – 081 997 01 50
If you want to call reception from your room call 115 or 110 and room service 164


 Hotel Memling


Memling hotel is considered the best hotel in Kinshasa, but the only good thing there is the food! Internet access WiFi is available for USD 20 per day, but you will not get any access anyway! There is an IT expert available at the hotel, Mr. Salamon, he can be reached 081 598 15 78.













www.memling.net
info@memling.net
Tel: +243 (0) 81 700 11 11 or (0) 997 002 000
Fax: +243 (0) 81 301 33 33
Air France has an office in the Memling hotel. Tel: 099 800 10 14



More about the DRC (Congo Kinshasa)

 Another interesting thing is that there are several big supermarkets in Kinshasa, where you can buy everything, provided you are rich and earn at least USD 10 000 as a monthly salary! Local people here are poor and must live the whole month on less than 1 USD per day.
Interesting Links:

** Congo's silent harvest of death ** The decline of medical services in DR Congo has left millions dying from preventable diseases, the BBC's Mark Doyle reports.

Air France

From Kinshasa to Paris:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday departure at 21.15, arrival Paris CDG at 06.00

Brussels Air
Daily from Kinshasa at 00.17, arrival Brussels at 07.00

Air Morocco
Friday and Sunday, from Kinshasa at 03.00 arrival in Casablanca at 11.00

Etiopian Airlines are flying several days per week via Addis Ababa

 Kenya Airways daily via Nairobi