Blogs from Cameroon, Africa - page 4

Leaving Douala The day started early, at 06:00, since the bus to Yaoundé, the capital, was leaving at 07:00. My brother went to Zépol, a sort of bakery where they have all sorts of croissants, pizzas and other edibles. There are several express services between Douala and Yaounde, and they do a non stop trip. This offers extra security for your luggage, since they do not open the lower compartments before arrival in Yaoundé. The busses are quite comfy, with airconditioning. We had chosen "LeCar" for this particular voyage. The ticket was 6000FCFA. After arguing with the loaders as to how much extra we should pay for the luggage, we boarded and off we went. The trip takes around 3 hours, at break-neck speed. You will no doubt see some spectacular overtakes and driving. They are ... read more

For a few weeks, climbing Mount Cameroon was the only thing I really wanted to do before leaving Africa. True there were other little trips and activities in Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin and Togo, but none excited me like the prospect of climbing West Africa’s highest mountain. Another reason it was important is because the trek was a present from my granddad. Sadly I never got the chance to meet my granddad but my mum received compensation from British Coal for the sickness that he endured after a lifetime working as a driller down the pit. Mum decided to split the money between my sister and me, so not being a materialistic person I couldn’t think of a better way of spending my share than on an experience like this. Now I would just have to ... read more

Today, There is an annual pilgrimage being held at Doumelong. We are going there Christelle and I. Doumelong is a small borough not far from Bafoussam off the main road that links Bafoussam and Bamenda. More exactly, it is near the "Chefferie Bamougoum"(Bamougoum traditional Kingdom). The road that gets there is tarred up to a certain point after which you encounter a tough and rough dusty track. The pilgrimage is the initiative of Bafoussam diocese (Catholic church). It happens only once per year and attracts large crowds of people. I don't know the exact distance from Bafoussam to Doumelong. From "marche B" where we hopped onto the bike(see below) it is perhaps 10 or 12 kms up to Doumelong or even more. 7h30 We left home early morning and stopped a taxi that dropped us ... read more

Heya everyone, This is just to have you view some pictures of Bandjoun taken on this day. I went there with the parents. Bandjoun is heading the administrative division of Koung-Khi in the west province of Cameroon. We went there to visit the market. By Cameroon standards, Bandjoun is a fairly well constructed city at the divisional level. There is a small "Institute of Technology" (IUT Fotso Victor de Bandjoun) there. The bulk of the population here live off land farming and agricultural products here are comparatively cheaper than in Bafoussam which is slighlty industrialized. The town of Bandjoun is very close to Bafoussam (just some 10 kms away or so) Most people (especially the elderly) here would talk to you in the local dialect (the Bandjoun dialect). Nonetheless it is a nice spot to ... read more

I arrived in Bafoussam around 12h30pm after a comfortable trip (contrary to the going trip that was very bad). I had rested slightly in the afternoon and went to visit an old friend of mine, christian who lives near "carrefour de la caisse" at Tamdja. It is sunday so I managed to leave his place early to attend the evening mass that begins at 6pm. The service ended late that night. 19 march Today morning, I am going to "quartier Nylon" in order to get some vaccination against yellow fever. Some countries (among which Cameroon) require you to have the international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever to enter their territory. I did not have it when I came, so the people at the airport created some trouble to me at Douala 2 weeks ago. ... read more