217. Blood River, Tim Butcher

" I sat in the darkness, thinking of my journey so far and how remote this area had become. A yatchman on the southern seas or a climber in the Himalayas had more chance of rescue than I did. The Uruguayans were long gone and would not be back to this stretch of water untul their fuel supplies were replenished in another month of so; anyway, i had no way of communicating with them. High on the Congo there were no helicopters to summon, no rescue teams to call on. I felth very alone.

But instead of being overwhelmed by helplessness, i found it liberating. My journey through the Congo had its own unique category. It did not quite do it justice to call it adventure travel, and it certainly was not a pleasure travel. My Congo journey deserved its won category: ordeal travel. At every turn I faced challenges, difficulties and threats when in the Congo. The challenge was to assess and choose the option best suited to making progress. But there were moments when there were no alternatives, or shortcuts or clever ideas. At these times, ordeal travel became really no ordeal at all."