Cameroon

Oh i have just had the most amazing amazing time in Cameroon!! I cannot rave about it enough but I will try to so that you may all some day visit!

Getting into Cameroon from Nigeria via road is a challenge. Fortunately for us it did not rain and it only took 3 days to drive 115km or some rediculous distance! IT often takes well over a week, i tell you if our 20tonne truck went into a pothole during rainy season it would have been covered by water. As it was the truck was tilting at quite an angle most of the time. Dad you would have loved to drive this i am sure!!!

We arrived into Limbe where we were given the option of climbing Mt Cameroon, the highest mountain in West Africa at 4095m above sea level. Doesnt sound anything fantastic but you actually start almost at sea level and not half way up. Due to sitting on my fat arse for 3 straight months and having the fitness of a smoker and the width of an elephant i was reluctant to take up this challenge. Fortunately (i can now say after the experience) I was challenged by my good buddy Chrissy saying "come on fatty dont sit here on your fat arse". Bless her for the challenge and the encouragement, this was probably the best thing i have done in my entire life!

I will not lie, the first day i thought i might actually die!!And i was only carrying my water, lunch and jumper. The porters were carrying my everything else and their everything else!! There were 6 of us, 2 guides, and 6 porters. Bless them those strong men, we could not have done anything and i really mean anything without them!!! We walked the first day with 150 school kids, i tell you what, 150 sweaty teenage boys smells like being trapped in a footy change room with dirty socks up to your knees. The smell alone bought tears to my eyes...or was that my sweat....either way they were much faster than i was and when Dave and I (he was my walking buddy - if you read about Todra Gorge you can see why!!!) reached the hut that evening they were all rested and laughing at the red faced white woman and took turns taking photos of me and them!! I am sure they will tell their parents that this is the tomato woman they met on Mt Cameroon!! We all reached the hut however we did have two of our team who were feeling the pain, one due to anti-malarial meds the other due to coming down with Malaria and Typhoid!

The next day they both soldiered on, we began for summit at 7am - the schoolkids left for it at 4am but we are old now and need rest!! We made it up before lunch and i had a celebratory vegemite and crackers!! This day was 20km and was my favourite day by far! walked across lava flows, savannah, mountain summit, and then slept in a straw hut!

Day 3 was just painful! HOT HOT HOT as we decended into the tropical forest, and farmland. Today was made bearable by Francis (the porter who was walking with DAve, Chrissy and I) who picked us different fruits to try and berries, and taught us about the different plants and their uses in traditional medicine. We got to the bottom and i seated myself at a little bar in the village of Bokwango from where i could not move (slight exageration i could get to the bar and back). Everyone else went back to Limbe however i stayed in Bokwango with the porters and guides for the evening. It was amazing, i was taken out to dinner and then a bar where i was taught to dance Cameroon style....SEXY!!! Anyone who has seen me dance will not be suprised to know that I did not have the coordination for this sexy body movement!!! The next day everyone was around to see the white woman who stayed in the village. I am a travelling freakshow! Just by being white -and no other reason before anyone gets a word in! - i can make small children cry!!!! Ha ha so funny!!!

Ok so we moved on to Yaonde, from where i am writing this now. The wait to get visas for DRC, Congo and Gabon has been over a week. So i returned to Bokwango where i had suchan amazing time and learnt to cook Cameroon food Cameroon style, met terrific people, experienced Youth Day and all the marching that entails, was given monkey and antelope to eat, climbed trees, stole fruit, watched the final of the African Nations (unreal!!!) and had another african bus experience, and about which i cannot write enough. There is no doubt in my mind that i will be returning to Bokwango to stay again.

ok better run but will write again soon. will also update on the countries i missed!!
love to you all xo

ps. got malaria but Luma took care of me in Bokwango! All good, no worries!