Computers&Cameroon
on Notes from Quite Far (Cameroon), 05/Aug/2009 20:15, 34 days ago
Lizzy has blogged about lizards but I thought I would stick this picture of a couple of lively little ones in. They are everywhere in her yard, climbing the walls, hiding in the kitchen, in the outside toilet and the bravest entering the house and sitting on the doorstep. I just missed getting a photo of one sat on my premier piece of Cameroonian footwear. Flip Flops!!! Everyone has them!At the time this was taken Ihadn'tmastered riding amotowhile wearing flip flops, walking on them in the sands ofYagouais hard enough (you can feel the heat of the sand burning on your soles). They where bought forapproximately2 pounds in a little corner shop inLimbeand were worn almost everyday until I packed my bags for the last time in Yaounde and got a taxi to the airport. I suspect they will have been recycled and are probably on the feet of anothergratefulwearer as we speakGoats (and animals in general) are everywhere in Cameroon. They seem to have freedom to wander and do as they please. This can be a little off putting when on the back of a moto taxi and they are just wandering in the road. These little ones are up to no good in the yard ofYagoua'scentral bar climbing walls to eat trees. Good work!!However the truth is these animals end up on a plate and the evidence of this is never far away. Only a day or so after this picture was taken Graham, Sam, Lizzy, and I were sat in the same yard with a beer watching Barcelona in the Champions LeagueQuarterFinal while eating goat, fish and bread. May be the same goat??Perhaps a moreaccuratesynopsis of the evening was that Graham and I were watching the footy along with all theYagslocals (due to the presence of Cameroonian footballer SamuelEto).Sam and Lizzy not so bothered!!Cameroon can be a hard place to take photographs in crowds. This is mainly due to mistrust of Westerners like myself and how we use the photographs we take. However here I managed to pull my camera out and get a quick pic of theorganisedchaos that is travelling by bus Cameroon Style!! Our bus stands moderately loaded with gear (there always seems to be space for another bag and another person) awaiting the announcement of tickets and boarding. Over the next ten hours the bus took us fromNgoundaretoYagouaviaGarouaandKaele.AtGarouayou can see Hippo's from the bridge as you enter town (they look like big rocks in the river) and you can get off for half an hour or so to get some food, if youhaventbought any already as when ever the bus slowsthroughvillages or towns the windows pop open and people try to sell you water, hot meat, fruit, medicine, and local crafts. It seems that the people of Cameroon feel the need to snack and shop at almost every opportunity when travelling by bus, train, taxi or on foot. No journey is complete without a little retail therapy, bartering, a drop of water and some little kebabs. No such fun is available on the Trans Pennine Express!Kaeleis mentioned as it is the last main stop beforeYagoua, which when you are on the bus comes as a great relief. There is still however another hour and a half (ish, possibly more) to go after that. Mentally the bus from thestationinNgoundaretoYagouais a bit draining.Imagine the thought of getting a bus from where you live to somewhere you know is far away. You then travel for what seems like forever. You get off now and again for a stretch, you take in the scenery, you laugh at the children who are sat in front of you causing their father trouble because the funny faces you are pulling makes them keep turning round, you fall asleep, someone falls asleep on you, people in the back argue about the windows and you have a read of a book. You really feel that the next bend will bring the end of the journey.No. It doesnt. It bringsKaele.A further hour and a half on the bus in the dark, something the UKForeignOffice advises against when travelling in Northern Cameroon is still to come. Its like travelling to the edge of the world and being told there is another couple of hours to go. Perhaps for you reading its a bit like my description in that it feels like it will never end. It does though.Computers arriving !!! I took two bags and some hand luggage to Cameroon. In my bags I took a couple of shirts, some shorts, sandals,toothbrush,hammockand myGrimsbyTown football shirt. On my travels with work I have always found my football shirts to be handy when striking up conversation with local people and this was the case here in Cameroon. When we climbedBoboyojust outsideKaelewe spentat least45 minutes sat at the top talking African footballers with our guide. Though my frenchisn'tgood enough to talk to in depth we managed to go through just about every African player in the Premier league andGrimsby'sJohn LouisAkpaAkprowhois from the Ivory Coast.I digress from my main point.Most of my luggage consisted of computers to take North for Lizzy and theVSO. Like Kathryn Im glad I wasnt stopped though I did have a letter from VSO Cameroon explaining the presence of computers in my bag where they where going and what I was doing. On arrival I managed to be the very last person off the plane. Thequeuingtechnique and information signs of YaoundeNismalenairport leave a little to be desired and I did end up in the wronglinefor passport control but being last itdidn'treally matter. I had arrived and after spending eight and a half hours on a plane instead of six due to a cock up at Paris Charles de Gaul airport courtease of Air France. Thank you Air France. Your food is excellent you customer service is appalling to non existant. I cannot think of an other airline who would keep you sat on a plane with no information of what is going on for 2 hours and then be surprised when irritated people started to ask questions.