Last days in Cameroon

The way to Nigeria was paved with tiredness and sadness. As we were in a hurry to leave Cameroon before my VISA expires we didn`t really have time to rest, and this made the trip quite upsetting as I would never recommend this road to tired travellers. We arrived to Yaounde almost on time, because with only 2 hrs delay, and we hoped, that after the night spent with no sleeping and even less space in the quite comfortable and just as much crowded 2nd class train so that you cannot find a comfortable position to sleep, that we clould spend the day in Sheri`s appartement. When we arrived there we found there her exhusband, George who said that we should leave right away to Buea to his house, cause later it will be too late and dangeorus. So we spent hardly 30 min in the appartment, but the whole day travelling on buses, first from Yaounde to Douala, then from Douala to Buea. We thought it was unconfortable till our move-on from Buea.

We spent 2 nights in George`s house, he was so nice he just sent us up there and said we can stay as long as we want to, that was a luxury really, to have a bathroom with hot water and tv and all that kind of stuff that you have in european houses. And Buea is just amazing. I always heard that the northern part of Cameroon is different, from the french part, and without doubt you can feel the difference. We went to Limbe too, and even passing the small villages gave me the same opinion. You have a nicer climate, cause you are near to the ocean, and Buea is at the foot of Mt Cameroon, that is just so impressive. The first day I woke up, and came out on the veranda and I lifted my eyes, and what I saw was a huge mountain staring at me from up above, it was so impressive and so frightening at the same time. You can never see the top because it is covered by clouds, and you have the impression that the gods are living there. I am sure there are tons of tales and legends about this mountain. I didn`t found out yet any. Anyways Buea and Limbe give me the impression of being in the late 30`s in the south of the states, or maybe I don`t know how it was then, but still I keep thinking about that movie with Whoppi Goldberg and Danny Glover, I think the title is Purple colour. This part of Cameroon is much better organised and more clean and I think richer. Buea especially gives me the impression of being very rich, you see a lot of nice european villas. But even the porer houses are nicer, they are made from wood, and they are kind of cosy with little gardens and plants around. And pepole talking pidjin sounds also so nice, and gives me again the impression of the US. People are not as beautiful as those in the central provence, they are more calm, more chilled out, more reasonible. Limbe is beautiful because you have the ocean, but I didn`t get to spend a lot of time there just visited the wildlife center, which was for me so disappointing that is not really worth to write about. The only good thing about them is that they are eager to realease chimps, which is the minimum they can do after the conditions they keep them in.

We decided to leave Buea by road and that was the hardest for me, because I realised that once we got to Kumba, we cannot come back. No chance to do that road twice. Maybe that was my chance, to be sad and to tired to be upset by the road. I was all the time thinking of me leaving Cameroon. I felt I just love this country. I feel like these people are my brothers and sisters. I alamost talked to them like this. I felt so safe almost as at home. I just felt an internal peace. I feel it is a right place. I don`t know why, but I have to come back.

We took a bus from Buea to Kumbe and everybody was assuring us thet the way is not so bad. They were right, the way was not, but our bus definitely was. We realised it right at the acceleration, as the back of the bus was moving left-right-left-right exactely as guys from Sanaga-Yong do when they dance. It was clear: the tire will fell of, the quiestion was only when it was going to happen. Despite Pati`s horrified face she was trying to show to all the police officers who stopped us on the way, everybody just let us go, and the driver always exhibited a great lough right at Pati`s frightened eyes after each bribe. Finally the tire fell off in a huge muddy part, and I have to tell this was our big luck as we were not driving fast and nobody was harmed. But of caurse the driver refused to pay back the ticket price so the trip costed us double price, even if we managed to stop a nice pick up, who took all the passangers, we had to pay him almost the same price, because in cameroon no favor is for free.

Arriving to Kumba we found out, that there is a pick up to Mamfe, but is very expensive due to the very bad road. We had no time so we had to risk. Pati was saying that no road can be as bad, as Kenya`s roads, but she was wrong. We were already used to the cameroonian way of travelling, what means that there is always room for a new passanger. In normal buses and minibususes it is of caurse not comfortable but bearable. In a pick up it is a real masacre. They put always one more person, than the vehicle allows, but in those muddy and bumpy roads it should be punished. We were 14 passangers in a pickup that is made for 9 persons and the top was packed with heavy luggages, fruits, vegetables, chairs, tables, and whatever else you can think of. But I think we were the only loosers who payed for their luggage. When we took off we found out that there are three more persons hanging from the car, or sometimes running after it. First we thought they didn`t pay for their ticked, but soon we found out, that they are payed to travel with us. They were the push-push guys. Sounds funny, but they had the most terrible job I have seen here in Cameroon. They had to hang on the car from outside, nevermind what was the weather, and whenever we arrived to a muddy place they had to jump off and push the car, or just simply balance it standing barefoot in mudd reaching their knees. They gave me force not to think about the inconveniances of our situation: no air, no room for your butt, legs, shoulders and hands, no movement, no sleep. The road was supposed to last 6 hours but after six hours we had a dining stop and we were terrified to hear that we were only halfway. We were not looking forward for the next 6 hours struggle. But somehow we managed, and we were already so exhausted that nothing could suprise us. Even not being stucked only 3 km from our destination. The mudd was too big and all the cars blocked the road. It was 3 at night and the only way to reach Mamfe was to walk with our backpacks in the muddy jungle with our headtorch. To our relief the chief of the police was also walking with us, but we came to know it only when after a few minutes walking we found a pair of shoes stuck into the mudd and he unhidden hus gun to secure us. Pati`s first thought was that it`s now that he is going to kill us, but then we found some underpants and some clothes that were teared apart. Nothing else, we arrived safe to Mamfe, and officer Aruna put us up for the night, that means for 1 hour, because we had to leave early to reach the pirogue we wanted to leave with Cameroon.