Libreville is hot city with little sunlight

The first impression Libreville has on its visitors is the confusing weather. Because of its equatorial climate, one can safely assume it has lots of rain.

But when you leave the cool pressurised aeroplane, you realise just how hot the city can get despite rain. You instantly walk into a thick atmosphere of unrivaled humidity and heat.

"That’s weird," you may tell yourself. "It is raining but the temperature is nearly 33?C outside."

There is no sun beating down on this beautiful green city. The sky is overrun by thick clouds, the kind that give marshmallow flashbacks.

Nearly everything about the Libreville weather is not as I had expected. But that will not stop this traveler — with a bad hunkering for a getaway — from having the good time such a city has to offer.

Yes, having a good time is the intention — once the official duty of meeting the president and other dignitaries is complete.

Libreville lies along the Atlantic Ocean whose waves relentlessly knock on the shoreline. The highway, a dual carriage parallel to the shoreline, offers an eyeful at the water-land inter-phase.

Pride Inn Hotel by Radisson Blu, astride the busy road, and overlooking the Atlantic, is my new home for the next one week.

“Bienvenue Monsieur,” the receptionist says. She looks a little disappointed when I tell her that I only speak English. To which she responds, flinging a finger towards herself: “No English.”

Gabon’s official language is French and Libreville, as you may expect, is the capital of French razzle-dazzle.

It swings on the lips of the young and old, black and white, rich and poor like a musical.

The next day, on my way to the president’s official residence, I get to experience alleyways and boulevards.

There are no beggars: at least not in true sense and meaning of the word. There are no bowls held out for small-time philanthropists to drop coins.

I did see a man with rags for clothing and a head covered by a tuft of rumpled hair. He was not begging: he was just taking a stroll along the beach — which, I should say, is open to all.

The presidential palace, for its worth, oozes opulence. That is expected. And for that reason I will sum up the levels of security and my journey through the landscaped lawns in two words: mind-blowing.

The Atlantic Ocean seems to hold the bearing that dictates the architecture of Libreville. Nearly every important building — including the palace — overlooks the shore.

Just like Mombasa, Libreville has its fair share of coconut fair.

Coconut water is the signature beach drink and coconut palm serves well for aesthetics.

But not as much as the green vegetation that becomes apparent with every kilometre into the countryside.

Nkok is a small township that buds off 21 kilometres East of Libreville. The small town offers a taste of the Equatorial forest.

In the blithe of humidity and heat, trees and vegetation have a perfect partner to thrive.

I get to know from Pauline Mengue of Gabon Special Economic zone that more than 80 per cent of the country is forest cover.

“Species of trees and vegetation that are so diverse,” she offered.

Every direction you stare into the green cannot escape the eyes. By Day 4, I am still finding it difficult to acclimatise.

At the hotel, I have made friends with an English chap who invites me to a night bar “that every guest in Gabon has to visit before leaving,” he said.

The sky bar in downtown Gabon rests on top of a seven-storey building.

It offers a view that stretches into mainland Libreville as well as far into the sea where fishing vessels scour the water for seafood.

Speaking of seafood, Libreville is home to authentic cuisines that combine every possible animal in the ocean and critters on land.

The dish that entertained my taste buds most, crab made with some bitter herbs, best describes my week in Libreville: good and tolerable.

Rain is pretty much a normal phenomenon in Libreville. It was raining even when I was departing.

The cool interior of the aeroplane is the strongest indication that one is leaving Libreville.