With our capable leaders, we were only moderately intimidated by obnoxious military, dishonest officials and black market petrol sellers. Of much greater concern was the possibility of a medical emergency when we were mired in the middle of nowhere. Photography, my Achilles' heel on this trip, offered the usual potential for trouble. Permits were required, sometimes different ones for different parts of the country. Even with a permit you must be extremely cautious in photographing anything in the cities as police are sure to question you and are likely to fabricate some rule you've violated.
Police have nabbed travelers for taking snapshots at markets, so be very careful.
Money Zaire is one of the few countries in the world where you can use their bank notes as toilet paper and not jeopardize your travel budget. Real prices, however, are fairly constant because the Zaire is constantly being devalued. The variation is incredible. Since there is nothing to buy in the jungle, we have hidden most of the cash away. If crooked officials ever saw currency declarations listing thousands of dollars and pounds, they would find a way to partake.