19-09-2011 CAMEROON Bamenda -Father Arnold -Limbe - Kribi

19-09-2011 bamenda father Arnold – limbe –kribi –

Father Arnold with the Green shirt. Everybody at his table

Father Arnold was treating us as if we were at our own home. He called for meals and then says the prayers before the meal.

Mill Hill our Safe haven.

He was serving us and offered everybody something to drink. The table wine was a good wine of French origin. The cheese was from Holland. Father Arnold himself is of Dutch origin.

Land Rovers Brake Drum

The boys were busy on the cars. Hans did the Land Rovers brakes. The brake pads on the left side, where the Landy was laying in the ditch were worn down to the metal. The sand went in to the brake pads and sand blasted it all away. You could not believe that the sand can take away half inch of iron. They replaced the new shoes on both the rear wheels. The brake drum has got some damage but they think it will make it to South Africa.

How does this look for a Garage

Coen’s Land Cruiser had the same problem as the Land Rover. The sand got in to his brake drums, when he was stuck a couple of times in the mud.

With bridges like this; Do you still wonder why Stephanus struggle with flat tyres.

Stephanus had some bad luck on his tyre. A stump  pushed in between the tyre and the rim. They forced it out with a tool. Then Stephanus went to check it at a garage. Flat tyres are pestering Stephanus on this trip. This is his fourth one now.

Monday the Girls offered to make Supper. The Father was so grateful, getting something different to what the Chefs prepare. They are doing excellent food, but you get tired of {hotel} food. We made Jaffles and Cinnamon dumplings for pudding. Everybody was tantalized with it. We showed the Chefs how to prepare the mince and how to fry the Jaffles. Father Arnold said he will ask them on Sunday to make him some. Just to make sure they do not forget how to make it.

Tuesday we left after breakfast. Father Arnold waved us goodbye and promised to come and visit us in South Africa.

Limbe was our next destination. The road was a tarred one in a good condition. We went at a 100km an hour. That was a terrifying speed for us after our average of 20km an hour. There were road blocks as we go. Some was very nice and just greeted us and then waved us on.

Then there was the one who was sitting under the tree and instructing the juniors to stop us. We were prepared for this. They ask for our papers (that was our Carnet de passage) then the highest rank officer comes with this. “ by Cameroon law, you’re not allowed to drive a right hand steering car in Cameroon” on our document where we have entered, it is written we have a right hand steering car. Hans explain we are in transit. They actually want a bribe. Hans refuseed and then they let us go. This happened a few times.

The Cameroon people are not smiling people. They are very reserved. When buying something at their stalls, they help their people first and ignore you. They ask on the beach if they can show you their goods. They are not cross if you don’t want to buy anything.

Pawpaw trees

Motor bikes are still the main transport in the towns. They are fearless; they just drive where they want.

What a view

This is a very good agricultural area. We see Pawpaw, bananas and Pineapple lands. The banana bunches are covered like in South Africa with blue plastic bags. The fruit is very tasty and sweet.

Banana's in their blue plastic bags

We saw Rubber tree plantations for kilometres. There are little bowls hanging on the tree to drain the rubber.

Camping on the grounds of Miramare hotel

Limbe is a big town. This time the GPS coordinates took us straight to the miramare hotel. This was a stunning view from the hotels grounds. We were once again right on the sea. They allow you to camp on their grounds, you must just pay camping and a room to shower and use the toilet.

What a view from our Landy's bedroom

Look our Sunset

We camped right next to the swimming pool and had the Lapa for ourselves to make food and relax. Mariana made us a chicken and pasta dish and Elisme did pineapple slices for pudding. Soon it was raining. We get used to the rain, it is soft and seldom goes with lighting and thunder.

A town close to Limbe has the second highest rainfall in the world. So what can you except, rain and more rain.

with the rain the Taxi Bicycles made their own Canopies

River in botanical Gardens

Hans and Stephanus went with Thomas to Mount Cameroon. This is the most active volcano in Africa. The locals have a lot of believers of this mountain. The last time it erupted was in 1990. The lava stopped just a couple of meters from the sea. That prevented a major nature disaster. The botanical gardens has a river flowing through it, with rapids every ten meter. The sound of the water is like little bells in the church. The natural growth of the plants makes you think this must be the paradise.  I wonder if the people of Cameroon realise how privileged they are to live in this country.

Thursday we left for kribi. This is a little beach village. The only place in west africa  where a  river ends in a waterfall in the sea.  

Doouala  is a Port and the Economical Capital city. Yaounde is the Capital of Cameroon.

Hilarius met us just before Douala and took us through Douala on the road to Kribi. Just before Kribi Dennis met us and took us to our augerge paga. This was another little Paradise. A quaint little bar with hammocks to lie and relax. We camped right on the beach under the palm trees. Coen and Shanhaz took a cabin. We had one of the cabins for shower and toilettes. They had a veranda where Shanhaz prepared our Supper. She served us Meatballs with a spicy tomato sauce and couscous with palm oil. Pears were our pudding.  The rain was coming down in buckets. Mariana is very relieved; the leak stopped in their canopy. She was really having a hard time, with all the rain. They just couldn’t get the place where the water was coming from.

Its not only the Cars that need "FIXING" even Elisme must do some sewing on the sheets. the kids wont believe this.

Dennis met us Friday morning and took us to the waterfall and to town to get the necessities. Stephanus needs a Garage to fix his tyre once again.

Beach Restuarant Shanhaz, Coen and Hans watching the chef preparing the Fish 

Coconut milk served chilled on the beach.

Coen, Shanhaz, Hans and Elisme went for lunch. Right on the beach between the trees was this little restaurant. One of the locals, a real enterpreneur, did his layout. Tables, flower baskets hanging, a place for a bonfire. His kitchen concistes out of 2 fires. One for the wok to fry bread fruit chips. It was the first time Hans and Elisme ate that, it was delicious. They fried small barracuda and crushed fresh habanero chillies with their secret oil. We were watching how they were preparing everything. No cutlery, you eat with your fingers and just a plate for the bones. Then they bring a bucket with water to wash your hands. We all agree what Shanhaz was saying, we can eat like this every day.

Stephanus, Mariana, Hans and Elisme went for a long walk on the beach. They were looking for a loaf of bread. The Boys have a rib eye steak in the fridge to barbeque. We want to make “braai broodjies”.

Along the beach there are hotels, houses and boat clubs but not one operating anymore. Hans was remarking just how beautiful this place must have been decades ago. From the beach we could see all the oil drills and boats floating in the sea.

We could not find any loaf of bread. Back at the bar Mariana suggest we ask the Chef. He was a pigmy. He could speak English, he said we could have a loaf for 200CFA. We got another French bread. So we had no choice tonight the ‘braai broodjies” will be made from  French loaf. we all agreed it was very nice, we’ll do it again. So you’re never too old to try something different on an old recipe. Pawpaw was our pudding.

Difficult to show how beautiful Cameroon is

We went off to bed to do a little reading. Soon the humidity was so high again, the fans were going. Then came the rain pouring again. We don’t mind the rain as then it is cool.

This time the car is used to transport Banana's

Saturday morning we left with our friend Dennis leading the way through the road blocks. He gave us to another friend who took us further. This time the road blocks was no problem. This was Pigmy country. They flee from Dogon country and start living here in the forests. We saw their houses in the rocks when we were in Mali’s Dogon country
Next time Gabon