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Gabon, the last Eden on earth, so they say. At the heart of the world, with 80% of jungle, crossed by luxurious rivers and cascades, 500 Milles of sandy coast, wild flora and fauna, right onto the Equator line lies this relatively unknown country. Gabon is considered a rich nation in Western Africa, due to the oil exploration. But, besides that, it is a sparsely populated land of only 2,1 m people, which makes it an immense potential for exploring Nature at its most authentic expression. Surprisingly or not, despite its natural and preserved landscape, regular tourism activities are still far from what you could aspirate, considering worldwide usual touristic routes and infrastructures. Of course, in the usual travel books and guides, you can read about the 13 Natural Parks, the Cristal Mountains with their unique orchids, or the Baie des Tortues and Pongara Lodges. You may also read about the waterfalls of Ivindo, the Ougué river or the wild surf coast of Mayumba. You can even read about the transgabon railway and the Albert Schweitzer’s Hospital at Lambaréné. All of them are good reasons to go to Gabon but living there for 5 years teaches us so much more. Somehow in September 2013, I was landing in Libreville, the Komo’s riverside capital of Gabon, and (definitely not) ready to leap into the unknown. Surrounded by mangroves and water, with only one road to go out, Libreville is the modern heart of the country and holds some surprises for the newcomer. The mouth of the Komo, on the peninsula’s side, was once home for the ancient indigenous royal family: the Rapontchombo. The french name of their king was Denis and so Gabonese people still call that piece of sandy land “La Pointe Denis”. Although it doesn’t seam to, the influence of this royal family is still alive, hidden underneath the appearance of numerous “occidental” codes. In Gabon past and present cohabit naturally and you feel like continuously switching between eras. Modern and “western type” weddings happen side by side with “marriages côutumiers” where every invited of the bride’s side wears the same fabric and the groom’s side also but with a different pattern. These parties are worth to see because of that tremendous mix of colours and patterns. Another interesting aspect of Gabonese culture is that the President is considered a King, and everyone should pay him tribute and veneration. When he travels in Libreville, all the streets that he will pass through are to be blocked to all other cars. Soldiers and armed guards are positioned along the route and do not let you move while the caravan passes. So, if it happens that you are on the road, you can be stuck there for more than one hour. In Gabon, the rich houses are hidden from the outside. Surrounded by high walls, often looking bad and dirty, the landscape totally changes once you enter the gates and you find yourself in luxurious gardens and enormous beautiful mansions. The most common profession in Libreville is "gate or door keeper". Every house, shop or building has one or more. They spend the whole day seated and their job is mainly to open and to close the gates for the house owners. The second most common job is “mobilephone recharge sellers”. In every street corner, you find someone seated displaying the operator’s logo. The recharges consist of small detachable pieces of paper with hidden codes. You choose and buy the amount you need; you must scratch to obtain the code and then introduce it in your mobile phone to get the recharge done. Countless curious details are there to discover once you live there, as I did, for some years. Enough maybe to write a book, not just a small text. Apart from that, it is also said that Gabon is a mystical place for reencounters, rebirth and transformation. A place where things are as they are, not as they should be. Norht and South, forest and sea, pouring rain and sun, hot and wet, traditional and modern, disappointing and surprising….Yes, I can tell you, as they use to tell me and everyone: “...this is not Africa, this is Gabon!”