Ah Brazzaville! What a welcome, straight out of the airport we’re stopped by the police when trying to drive out onto the road. Stop! Road closed, President’s out and about, just sit tight, wait for the cortège to pass!

So we wait… and wait, 15 minutes later a couple of black 4x4s pass, then a pickup full of military, then nothing. Another 15 minutes later another pickup full of military, then police on motorbikes, then a long row of sleek black cars, and more police on motorbikes, then nothing, we still wait.

We wait for over 45 minutes until we and all the other cars waiting with us, private and taxis, can inch our way out onto the road to head home. But just 100 metres down the road a policeman is frantically signalling the cross sign meaning no driving, stop, road closed!

Hmm, what to do? Some cars stop, we accelerate, whizz past the policeman and keep going. Until we catch up with yet another pickup full of military guys. We slow down. Not a good idea to overtake these guys.

The roads are completely empty, apart from police and military strategically placed on every junction and street corner. They all look at us a bit quizzically. Eventually we’re home, an hour after we set off on what normally is a ten minute drive, max. We’re in Brazzaville. Feels good to be home.