Crossing the bridge that is now a waterfall

Where to begin?  We left this morning at 5:30 am.  We tried to follow the roads on the map, which didn’t actually work out but a nice guy on a motor bike led us to the right road.  We got to Mora quickly and uneventfully.  Driving down this road seemed to carry on and on; we realized that we had already driven enough kilometers to be at the border already and there was nothing in sight.  We then saw a sign for Waza National Park, nearly at the border with Chad, and we then knew we were officially on the wrong road.  After turning back we finally found the proper road; no wonder we missed it since it was nothing more than a sand trail.  Everyone in sight confirmed that the mucky, muddy, pocked sand trail is indeed Banki, the main border crossing with Nigeria and Cameroon.

Pulling out on the of unlucky cars that got stuck

One of the bridges had turned literally into a massive waterfall and the actual concrete part was impossible to see.  We luckily got across that fairly easily.  I had my emergency plan in mind; our windows were open so we could have jumped out and swum for safety.

Crossing the flooded road to reach customs

After crossing the water bridge we came across a section of mud where there were a few cars stuck.  We pulled one out and then followed another 4WD, who clearly knew their way around, through back roads to avoid the worst parts and stuck cars.  It was quick getting through immigration but it turned out that the road to the customs office was completely flooded and you can only get there on boat.  So Bobby went off with a guy on a motorbike to get to the boat and then the office to get the car’s carnet de passage stamped so we can officially exit Cameroon.  It felt like an eternity for Bobby to get there just for a stamp.  But, once it was done, it was a short hop away to Nigeria.

Everyone was excited and relieved to finally reach the notorious Nigerian side.  Bobby was so excited that he, of course, whips out the camera to immediately take pictures of the “Welcome to Nigeria” sign.  As soon as the clicks of the camera began; an immigration officer comes barreling out shouting “You cannot take pictures here, why did you take pictures? I SAW you take the pictures”.  I’m sure we were all thinking “oh shit, not now”, I know at least I was.

The picture that caused such a ruckus

When we entered the actual building, the guy who yelled at us was unfortunately the officer in charge of processing our entry and kept on repeating to Bobby “you cannot take pictures here, I can deny you entry into Nigeria because of that”.  I did my best to schmooze with the other officers and Bobby was preoccupied with groveling and apologizing to our dear officer.  The female officers were all very friendly and I did my best to chat them up to at least try to win some people over in the office that may be able to help us.

While our documents were being passed through the ranks, David was called in and there was a great deal of laughing coming from the room.  Even our angry officer and Bobby began chatting like old friends. Based on the advice I got from Wendy in Congo that women have less power in Nigeria I kept out of the conversations that we being held with the men.  This proved to be the right thing, as they called David in to the office, the officer told me “you stay behind”.  At least these new cheery male conversations seemed to indicate that we would be allowed to enter.  We were all stamped in for the one month that our visa permits us (we heard the rally people only got a transit visa despite having the month long tourist visa).

Line of trucks waiting for the water to subside

The road to Bama from Banki was impressively terrible, deep potholes of pavement, and we had numerous checkpoints along the way.  At one checkpoint, we kept super cheery while the armed men who were obviously on some type of drug approached the car.  They were very excited approaching the car and wanted to shake everyone’s hand.  They then asked us if we had any bibles.  This was a trick question, this state in Nigeria is a Sharia state and it would be illegal to proselytize.  Fortunately we have no bibles, only some smuggled beers; but we didn’t tell him about those.  We suspected the drug use was also to help them get through their shifts without feeling the hunger of the fast for Ramadan.

After that checkpoint we finally reached the proper paved sroad and the trip to Maiduguri was much quicker despite there still being the occasional checkpoint.  Maiduguri is a small city that isn’t even mentioned in the Lonely Planet but much to our shock it was the most populous city we have come across.   Nigeria has 140 million people, the largest population of any African nation.  This little backwater town has more people in it probably than the entire population of Gabon!

One of the many abandoned gas stations

We worked our way through this sprawling, crumbling city the best we could considering we had no map or information.  All the more luxurious hotels were built in the 1980s and are all falling into disrepair but continue to charge luxurious rates.  We managed to talk them into discounts but the whole place is depressing.  This big mega city doesn’t even have electricity or running water.  Some places have generators and fewer still have enough business to justify the cost of running the generator.

Nigeria is one of the world’s top producers of oil but there doesn’t seem to be a drop here.  Coning into town there was a ridiculous amount of gas stations, nearly every other building, and all were abandoned.  There is NO diesel in the country, only available on the black market.  I have no idea where they get it from.  I can’t imagine what Kano will be like; Nigeria’s third largest city.  We will leave our hotel early to make sure we get there early enough.  Nothing is going as quickly as the other over-landers have told us.  The rains have really made everything grind to a halt.

Missed out on the sunrise due to fog.

This morning, the massive rock pillars were hidden away behind fog.  Our goal today was to leisurely make our way over to the towns by the Nigerian border and cross into Nigeria first thing in the morning.  Shortly after we left Rhumsiki, we got caught in a heavy rain storm.  We maneuvered our way across the bridge that had holes through it that were difficult to spot now that the deluge has begun.  We stopped in the village of Djingliya to look at the artisinat and all ended up most of our CFA that we had left on crafts.  Bobby and I bought a brass snuff bottle covered with leather pieces, a glass beaded apron, and a small basket.  Peta bought some beautiful decorated gourds.

We tried to continue on the road to Moza but the road was impassible with very soft mud from all of the rain.  We had no choice but to turn back towards Maroua and just stick to the main roads.  Since we had to back track, it will be an especially early morning tomorrow to try to make up the time, we’ll be leaving at 5 for Nigeria.  I hope all goes well at the border and that they don’t give us any trouble.

Meat from the local butcher

Today we tried our luck again with the internet.  I’m still not sure if we can be considered lucky or not.  Technically, we did have spurts of a functioning connection but not long enough or strong enough to actually get anything done.  After finally giving up on internet, we went over to the hectic market.  Vendors would charge us a bit more (to be expected) and the surprisingly have a change in heart and return the difference.  I suppose Ramadan does have its advantages; everyone is on their best behavior.  We bought some goat meat that the flies were helping to tenderize and will make a nice stew out of it.

CADEAU!! GIVE ME A GIFT!!

Arriving in the main tourist area of Rhumsiki was a shock; it was the first time in our trip that people en masse were demanding gifts, money, etc.  As we were trying to escape the crowds in order to find a quiet spot, we got stuck in some soggy soil.  So of course, all sorts of people come out of the wood work to help and others just to check out what is going on.  Some kids were demanding 100 CFA for their “help” of standing and watching.  After successfully winching out of the ground a gendarmerie officer comes running over to yell at us and was demanding money in pidgin.

Stuck in the soggy ground

All of the aggressive demands for money with outstretched hands were getting old quickly.  Just as we were finally getting back to the road and man got in Peta’s face and yelled at her in French how we cannot pass through here and not give him something because he has kids to put through school.  How giving him a piece of candy will help put his kids through school is beyond me; this was one of the moments where it is better if you don’t understand the language and I just kept my mouth shut.

Stunning scenery in Rhumsiki

When we got to the main part of town, there was a campement with imposing cement walls all around it and a great big gate. We now understood why.  As we pulled in, the masses that had been following us demanding things were all stopped at the gate and we entered for our first moments of quiet since arriving in Rhumsiki.  The scenery is absolutely stunning.  Everyone is a bit frazzled from the tension with the locals so unfortunately I don’t think we will linger here.  It is a pity; it is a truly spectacular place.

Street food in Maroua

I woke up to an amazing lightening storm.  Expecting the rain to pour down any second, we quickly packed up camp.  A drizzle started just as we loaded up the Landie and we were able to hop in before the storm hit.  As we were leaving, I paid the guard a little less than we agreed on the night before to let us camp.  There are no official fees posted anywhere and he seemed very happy with what I gave him anyway.

We planned to stop in Garoua but since it was still raining we carried on to Maroua.  We reached the campement and decided to get rooms.  There was even a swanky hotel near by that had an internet café.  I spent the entire hour just trying to access my email and post a message on facebook, which I don’t even think went through.  For dinner we hit the food stalls and got some grilled chicken and fish.

Benoue National Park

N’Gaoundere at last!  We treated ourselves to lunch at the La Plazza restaurant and ran into a bunch of people doing the Africa Rally.  There were three different cars still working their way to the finish in Douala.  The cars all had to be one liter engines; I don’t know how they managed on some of these roads.  Well I guess they still have the worst to come, since we’ve arrived in N’Gaoundere, all the roads are paved and in good condition.  Once they arrive in Douala, they donate the cars to charity.

Imagine driving across Africa in one of these...

We left town after lunch in search of camping.  We arrived at the Benoue National Park and had to convince the rangers to let us camp there.  They insisted that it was dangerous and we needed a guide to accompany us.  I finally persuaded them to just let us in to camp but then once we arrived a different guard found us and told us again that it wasn’t safe because of the dangerous animals.  It would have been a miracle to seen any animal, dangerous or not.  So far, the animals of West Africa are not ones that let themselves be seen and we have barely seen any animals at all.  We were trying to set up close to the main road; the noise of the cars would have been enough to scare away whatever lived in the park.

Setting up camp

A bottle of Coca Cola and a shot of brandy was enough to convince this guard that it was ok for us camp there.  There was certainly something that was alive in the park.  I woke up with huge welts on my legs in the morning.

The truck that held us up for the afternoon.

Muddy, bumpy, and twisty pretty much all sum up our day today.  Shortly after setting off for Tibati, we came across a truck stuck in the mud and there was no way to get around it.  The truck actually created a traffic jam in the middle of mud and jungle.  There were about 4 other vehicles (one of which was a bus) in addition to us waiting to pass this vehicle; it lasted about an hour.  I spent the time chatting with some of the people while waiting, everyone was eager to talk about Obama.  Finally another big truck came from the opposite direction and was able to pull out the stuck truck.

We got to Tibati in search of the staples; bread and beer.  Surprisingly we found beer no problem but couldn’t get any bread.  We thought maybe because it was Ramadan but after talking with some locals it turns out that the only bakery in town burned down yesterday.  Apparently, the baker had been so fatigued from fasting for Ramadan and fell asleep while baking and the whole place went up in flames.

The road was better after Tibati and we made relatively good timing.  We found what may be our first truly secluded campsite in Cameroon.  There were even three baboons lingering on the road when we arrived.  Hopefully we will be able to reach N’Gaoundere tomorrow.

Fetching water to refill our tank.

Foumban didn’t have much to offer us.  We bought some fresh foods in the morning and set out straight away.  The road to Banyo wasn’t that bad.  It did, however, mark our first encounter with officials looking for “gifts”.  We arrived in Banyo by 3 pm. We enjoyed the fantastic mountain scenery while feasting on some avocado and cheese sandwiches for lunch.  We are making better timing than expected; N’Gaoundere is our next big town.  We even found a clean stream where people were stopping to drink.  Considering we have some of the worst stretches of road to come and a long day of driving tomorrow until we reach town, we had to fill our water tanks.  Bobby set out with the bucket to the stream and David siphoned the water into the tank. We found a fantastic campsite for tonight.  It is on a footpath to villages but there aren’t too many people passing… ok, there was the one persistent, slightly crazy old guy but he was harmless enough.

Drying out after the storm.

Wet, wet, and wet.  It took a few hours this morning drying out all of our things, luckily the sun was out to help us out.  In fact, I even got a little sunburned.  Our children friends were so excited to come and see us again that most of them were trying to cut school.  I kept on telling them that they should go to school and eventually Amadou chased them all off to class.

We started on the road to Foumban, the road is notorious for being in poor condition.  It was very scenic and not nearly as bad as the mountain stretches in Gabon.  We found a very cheap hotel and we soon discovered why it was so cheap… there is no power or water in the town.  We tried to go to a restaurant that was listed in the Lonely Planet book.

View of Foumban

It looked abandoned and we figured we’d just sit for a drink.  When the waiter brought the drinks, we realized that he ran out to a stall on the streets to get us the warm cokes.  It didn’t appear promising for dinner.  There was an upscale looking hotel on the main road out of town and had an overpriced dinner by candle light since, of course, there is no power.  Foumban is definitely not the place to linger. We were hoping for this stop to be a chance to restock on some groceries and fill up our water tanks.  Unfortunately there is neither water nor produce that is not rotten in this town.

The royal compound of Bafut.

The day began with chatting up a storm with a queen and by nightfall we were soaked to the bone due to a storm like no other.  The first stop of the day was the tribal kingdom of Bafut and we were privileged enough to have Queen Constance herself show us around.  She explained many of the traditions and symbols that are integral parts of their society.  They still practice ancestor worship and the king, or Fon, is highly revered.  It is said that the Fon speaks a special language to communicate directly with the ancestors and requires an interpreter to speak to those of our world.

Queen Constance showing us around.

The Bafut still place great importance in their rituals and connection with the spirit world.  There are some large statues that are used as judges; when a suspected person touches the statue, blood will pour from the statues chest if the person is guilty.  Another statue is used to verify if a person is a witch and another can be used to transfigure a human into an animal to aid in hunting.  It is said that the animals will be hypnotized by the transfigured human and that when hunting, the first animal is never to be killed as this is actually the human in animal form.  The Cameroonian government respects the tribal kingdoms and lets them retain some power.  Matters are to be settled first within the kingdom.

Achu being packaged in banana leaves.

As we were passing through the women’s section of the royal compound, Bobby noticed women in the process of pounding something.  This was different from the pounded grains common in Africa.  This was a mixture of yams and plantains, called achu, used to serve as an edible bowl for stew.  We later went to a restaurant to try this dish.  The paste like mixture is stored in banana leaves.  You first un-wrap the leaf and flatten it.  Then you mold the paste with your fingers and form a recession in the middle which you then fill with stew. You then scoop the paste and stew with your fingers and enjoy!

Eating achu

After our snack of achu, it was time to hit the road again.  The sun was shining apparently for the first time in two weeks so we set off for the “Ring Road” to take in the beautiful scenery since the weather was permitting.  As evening was approaching, we decided to look for someplace to camp around Jakiri; there was a road leading up to a cell tower that seemed to be secluded enough.  Amadou came out to meet us, he was the guard for the MTN tower and he gave us permission to camp.  It was lucky for us that we got permission, it was a stunning campsite with amazing panoramic views.  Amadou’s children came to watch as we set up but they were very sweet and were actually helping us.  About 5 of them helped me set up the tent.  When everyone finally left, we put our Toulouse sausages on the grill and were marveling at the pinkish glow of the clouds.

Kids helping me set up the tent

The night shift of watchmen arrived and came to greet us.  I noticed they were in a great rush to leave us, which was very unusual.  People are usually thrilled to chat.  That was when I noticed the weather change.  The wind changed direction 180 degrees and within seconds torrential rain started.  The awning was violently flapping and even under that we were getting drenched.  We were trying unsuccessfully to move things to keep them dry and trying to secure the awning but the storm was worsening by the second.  David shouted “Everyone in the car NOW” and with that cue we all ran to take cover, it felt like a scene out of the movie Twister.

Amadou's children

The rooftop tent was flapping so much that the wind actually knocked it back into its folded position and blew the tarp off.  We waited for the storm to pass in the car drenched to the bone.  Realizing that the rain wouldn’t pass anytime soon, we decided to dine on our rain soaked baked potatoes, half cooked and wet sausages, raw veggies, and stale bread.  Peta thought this moment to be the perfect time to open the bottle of port that was intended to mark the crossing of the equator.  We weren’t very far from the equator anyhow so it was appropriate.

By the time we finished our raw and soggy dinner topped off with port, we saw the lightening and storm clouds off in the distance a few kilometers away so we knew it had finally passed.  Luckily we had pegged down our tent and we only had a small puddle inside.

Enjoying our rain-soaked meal.

David and Peta had less luck with their tent being dry.  It turned out to be a very tranquil night in the end.  It was very cold since we were nearly up at 2,000 meters but luckily the tarp helped keep our body heat in.  We all kept good spirits despite the situation, I’m sure there will be many more storms to come… well, at least until we reach the Sahara.

Creepy Shower in Bamenda

Camping at the Baptist Mission, Bamenda.

Everyone was eager to get an early start to packing this morning.  I was particularly eager to get up early just so I had a chance to use the bush for my morning toilet before the crowd gathered.  Sure enough we had some visitors but we were nearly finished packing by the time they arrived.  We stopped in Bafoussam for some pastries and breads and got to Bamenda quickly.

Throughout the trip the missions have been such great places to stay that we wanted to do the same here.  There were two different missions in Bamenda, the Baptist mission was nice but very expensive and they wouldn’t let us camp.

Five star camping meals: Rabbit Stew

The Presbyterian mission charged only 1,000 CFA a person and we could camp; can’t beat that.  The only downfall is the bathroom.  It looks a bit like a former crime scene or something from a horror movie but at least we will have a place to pee and some water to get clean with.  Tonight we will have a feast of rabbit and mushroom stew marinated in brandy.