My first glimpse of Equatorial Guinea, the tiny African nation I had been looking forward to visiting since I learned of its existence 3 years ago, was a much welcomed relief. I woke up from the uneasy sleep of the plane and looked out of the window next to me just in time to see the peak of Pico Basile, the tiny Bioko Island's 10,000 foot mountain, poking out of the clouds that were still concealing the rest of the island. It was breathtaking. All of my doubts about spending 3 months on the island below me, many of which had only just been acquired since encounters with several drunk, cynical, and sometimes nasty expatriates while boarding our Iberia flight from Madrid, disappeared instantly. As we descended below the clouds, and nearly the entire island came into view, I was captivated. All of the lush dark green peaks, and many of the ports, cities and villages were already familiar from all of the maps I had looked at in preparation for the trip, only far more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.....