I'm planning a trip to the Katanga region in the DRC for work and I need to travel between Lubumbashi and Kolwezi by road. Most travel guides just say "fly everywhere in Congo" but that's not really practical for my situation since I'll need to make the trip several times over a few months. I've read mixed things about road conditions in the area. Some people say the Lubumbashi-Kolwezi road is one of the better ones in the country, others make it sound like a nightmare. I'd really like to hear from someone who's actually done it recently. A few specific questions. How long does the trip actually take right now? Is it safer to go with a bus company or hire a private driver? What should I bring with me for the journey? Is there anything I should know about checkpoints along the way? I've seen that a company called Mulykap seems to be the main bus operator on that route, apparently they run multiple departures daily with relatively new buses. Has anyone used them? You can apparently even book online which surprised me for the DRC. Any other tips for getting around the Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces by road would be really appreciated. Most online resources about DRC travel focus on Kinshasa or the east and there's almost nothing practical about the southern mining belt.

I took a few days to visit the art islands of Naoshima and Teshima. As it was told to me, these islands knew that they were declining some decades ago and sought to revitalize themselves by bringing in artists to create exhibits and art houses. It seems to have worked.

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I've been getting into self hosting, the fediverse, and federated blogging. I contacted freaking nomads and they suggested that I write about my experiences, so here it is! I hope you enjoy.

Comments aren't fully federated from the blog site, so I'm using mastodon as well.