Cameroon, Day 6: The Road to Bali
We took a longer than expected stay in Douala, but Saturday morning, we rented out every seat of an 18 passenger van, and took off for the 6-hour drive to Bali.
Before you go and judge us for van-gluttony, it’s because we’re carrying about 10 big suitcases and 20 computers with equipment for the technology center we’re setting up. Our van’s name was Turbo.
Getting out of the city, I had no idea what to expect. What do we eat? Where do I go to the bathroom? Would there be robbers? Fortunately, our van driver was driving way too fast to worry about any of those things.
Passing these little villages along the way was like getting snap shots into the daily lives of the regular people here. Their world is totally different from my own in so many ways.
All along the way, there were checkpoints, where the police officers would ask if we were Belgian, French, or German, find out we’re from “Etats-Unis”, then smile and let us by (after a toll of course). At each of these checkpoints, a whole bunch of kids would come up to the car to sell nuts, fruit, meat, toilet paper, really anything. Show me an American 10-year-old with that kind of drive.
They also sold beer and wine. To people driving. Only in Africa.
At the half-way point between Douala and Bamenda, there was a roadside stop where Roland said everyone would usually break for food. Offered a sample of something at the first little grill, I immediately took it of course – a bit spongy and peppery, but tasty. “You know what that is?”, the guy said. “Nope”. “It’s cow stomach.” Yummy.
As we climbed higher into the hills, the views were magnificent.
