Republic of Congo: Pointe Noire – Around the City
Pointe Noire seemed like a more interesting town to check out in Congo (versus the capital Brazzaville). Pointe Noire sits on a promontory of black rocks (hence the name) and sparkling white sand beaches. But this is where the beauty ends, the town is decrepit, roads are non-existent, and trash proliferates everywhere. Blue taxis are seemingly the only means of transportation and you get stuck in traffic jams all the time. Pointe Noire is where the Congolese oil industry is located (responsible for most of the country’s revenue), and grey office buildings of oil companies add little to otherwise dreadful grey skyline. And typically for Africa, the whole town is an endless market of people selling and buying all imaginable stuff from fish to household items to cement bags.
