Jonathan Blakley/NPR
Expert dugout canoeists — villagers on the Congo River use the dugout as their main means of transport on the water.
The easiest way to move up and down the Congo River for short distances is on long, hand-crafted wooden dugout canoes. They are ubiquitous on the water — with women, men and children expertly poling and paddling.
From faraway, the dugouts look languid and slow moving, but those poling often move at quite a speed to catch up with the barge.
My dugout experiences on the Congo were all a little precarious; trying to hold a microphone and speak into it, while squatting so I didn't get tipped over into the river... She concludes that it's all part of the discovery and adventure on the Congo River!
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