This episode continues the story of my African adventure. I leave Kisangani in central Zaire and travel with a friend down to Kabare on the edge of Lake Kivu in eastern Zaire. We hitchhike and end up on a flatbed truck with sides crowded with people and their belongings. We are stopped by soldiers, who target us as we are the only Europeans on the truck. Bubonic plague has erupted in the area we are traversing and I internally question a family that hops on and are covered with black spots. During a heavy storm, the drivers pull a tarpaulin over the truck to keep us dry. However, when they lash it down, only a small square of fresh air is left. I have discovered a new word as I do not have claustrophobia but have cleithrophobia, which is the fear of being trapped. I tried to fight but my body had other ideas and I had to dive to that little square of air at the back of the truck to stop being nauseous and fighting rising panic.  The life lessons I learnt is "not to read a book by its cover". The soldiers' irritating constant demands for money and items of worth were brought on because they had no been paid for two years as a result of the government corruption. Assessing information on bubonic plague in the middle of central Africa was challenging when there is no Google and the only reliable source of information was BBC radio. I was immediately sceptical of the family that joined us with possible symptoms. It correlates well with our current covid situation except for scale. Lastly, after trying to conquer my phobia and failing, I have increased understanding and tolerance for people with phobias. They are difficult to overcome and we need to give the people time and the space to achieve it. It does not happen in one sitting.  In my next episode, I have my first interview with a friend and avid traveller as well as a writer, blogger, business owner and sole parent. I look forward to catching up with you there. Cover photo: Flatbed truck similar to what we travelled in. (Sam Mann on Unsplash) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/justine-murray0/message