To the left of the "B" marker in this picture you can see the lake, Lago Biao, at the top of Pico Biao. There is a 7 hour hike, 10 km up to this lake.
The nine of us, split into two trucks, drove a little under an hour and a half to reach the site. Although it was raining, it was a beautiful drive! Along the way, we went through three or four military stops and a toll booth without any issues. I was praying about this once we got into the car. We have to have our company badges, lamented passport copies and resident card, which we hope to have soon, any time we leave the compound. I think the rain helped us :)
We passed through dense, lush jungle . . .
. . . there were chickens everywhere . . .
. . . and numerous villages.
There were countless, makeshift tables alongside the road with at least bananas, plantains and other fruit. Some also had huge sea snails, crabs, mammals and one had a 3 1/2 ft shark!
We also stopped at a very small outdoor market. There were numerous pigs, dogs and chickens running around. They had habaneros, other peppers, papaya, plantains, other fruit, porcupine, the smallest deer I have ever seen (full grown, less than the size of Parker), squirrel, large rats, a huge fluorescent blue bird, sea snails and crab among other items. All of the animals had passed and were hanging upside-down except for 2 live deer which were on the ground with their legs tied together. Although challenging to see, this is a sought after food source for the local culture.
Once we made it to Moka we stopped at the MWC, the research headquarters for the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (BBPP). After reading more about this at http://bioko.org/ecotourism/mwc_visit/, it appears that there are several people living at the site including a few scientists, students, researchers, leadership and/or staff. There was a staff house and an education building full of books, articles and pictures to help educate visitors on their research and conservation efforts. They maintain three hiking trails of different levels including a 10 km, 6 km and 1 km distances. Although no one was there when we arrived, we took shelter from the rain in the education building for about an hour and a half visiting, reading and looking around the site. It was amazing to read about their mission to conserve Bioko's biodiversity, specifically the endangered 7 species of primates and sea turtles, and their desire to end bushmeat hunting. Due to the rain and mud, we had to abandon the hike but can not wait to return! I would highly recommend you taking a look at the link to the website above to learn more about Bioko Island and the BBPP :)
On the way back we stopped at 2 lookouts for a pictures . . .
. . . and passed an old cocoa drying site . . .
. . . and took a very narrow, dirt road trying to get to another beach we hear is beautiful.
After about 6 minutes through mud and copious amounts of fruit trees and jungle, we made it to what looked like someone's homestead. Two very kind, working, old men approached the truck speaking only Spanish. The dirt that we were on was densely saturated and the truck in front of us did not have automatic 4 wheel drive. One of the men took his machete and tried to switch the manual locking hub to 4 wheel drive so we could make it down to the coast, so sweet! We decided it was too dangerous risking getting stuck and turned around after giving them a sandwich and chips in return for a big missing tooth smile :) It is moments like those that I continue to be blessed by having the opportunity to explore the world and meet precious people along the way.
All in all, it was great to get away from the compound, rain or shine, with good company but hope to hike from Moka soon!
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