abigailrose

Niger is often referenced as the poorest country in the world, with a large portion of its land consisting of or threatened by the encroaching Sahara. My time spent there was, however, refreshing and a welcome respite from the overwhelming 3 days in norther Nigeria. Other than the excessive cost of our visas, we had very little problems getting into Niger. The landscape maintained its level dryness and fewer trees dotted the lanscape than on the Nigerian side. Houses and rounded food storage containers were made of mud and thatch and surrounded by smooth mud walls. Herds of sheep and occasional donkeys pulling various necessities flanked the road. We traveled along the southern road, staying in Maradi, the third largest city and the groundnut capitol of Niger. The people here spoke Hausa, like in northern Nigeria ... read more

I spent the last two years serving as an agro-forestry volunteer for United States Peace Corps in rural Cameroon. Cameroon is a medium sized country in Central Africa. The southern part borders Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. It is dense equatorial rainforest along with the eastern part bordering The Congo and Central African Republic. To the north the vegetation turns to savanna the trees getting shorter and sparser, turning to desert scrub and finally a narrow ribbon of sahel. After I finished I wanted to explore some of the nearby countries. Your teacher, Ms. Hyduke and my little sister asked me to keep a record of my travels for you to read along the way. We took a train from the capitol city of Yaoundé Friday night and arrived in Ngoundéré Saturday morning. Ngoundéré is the capitol ... read more