After 2008 here, there was a proliferation of Obama posters, Obama t-shirts, businesses named Obama, restaurants named Obama and apparently, Obama stationary. There is no such similar event this time.

A view from my guesthouse. The barbed wire is not that photogenic granted but is an important part of the story of this photo. These mountains in the background have seen many wars over the years, and you can see the tell-tale signs of that in the architecture here.

I had a chance this afternoon to talk to a local chief who has lived through the Belgian era, Mobutu, wars with neighbouring countries and a host of other experiences. He talked about the past with great fondness, when the forest came right down to Lake Tangyanika, wildlife was abundant, and there were so many fish in the lake that the people couldn't take them all out.

Someone like that has lived more lives than most of us could ever know.