Cameroon, part 5

Day 20: drive back to Yaounde. Having done this trip a couple of times now, it is a recognised drive. We check into the very nice (suites & pool) Jully Guest house. We all relaxed the

The rest of the day, a walk around town and a swim. We tried to go to the special fish restaurant we had been to with Fr Patrick, however the process of getting a reasonable taxi proved too much, so we went to a very nice restaurant close by.

Intermittently, a lot of time was taken up with the task of getting the remaining bag from Kenya Airways. They showed very little inclination to assist and absolutely NO inclination to deliver the bag to the hotel. As at the end of the day we think the bag is somewhere in Yaounde. Looking at the piles of baggage etc, our suspicion is that they are running some sort of scam where the bump passenger luggage in favour of more profitable air cargo. Seems to be either a scam or the height of incompetence that they could not put the 3 bags left on the tarmac at Nairobi on the same flight to Douala. Either way, its bad.

Ray driving. 5hours. N 03⁰ 52’ 18.7’’  E 011⁰ 31’ 14.4’’

Day 21: we spent the morning looking about for Peter & Hayley’s bag. Turned out that despite all the assurances it was not in Yaounde. Ray went out to the bus depot where it was supposed to be, without success. Anyway we decided to proceed without the bag.

The bag was meant to be arriving on the 11:30 bus. By chance we were passing the bus depot near that time so waited until the bus arrived, but it was not on the bus. Then followed long negotiations with Kenya Airways. At one point they threatened to send the bag back to Nairobi, you can see they have a strong customer focus. Then Ray decided to chat to the local GM and let him know some of the facts of life. The result was that our tour driver would return to Yaounde and collect the bag and Kenya Airways would pay. One of the upsides of the stop at the bus depot was that we found some delicious snacks, Plantain chips! Plantains look like gigantic bananas, however they taste like sweet potato. They slice them into the size of a chip and then fry them, just like hot chips back home, sprinkle a bit of salt and voila!

We had a long drive to the Dja National Park and because of the hassle with Kenya Airways, we arrived in the dark. Then followed a farce with the local, very drunk, cops. Followed by a farce with the local tour manager – he wanted, no insisted, we stay at the local auberge. Mmm, no it was, lets, say not suitable for western tourists. So finally we camped at some houses for the environment department, we had a very tasty dinner (at 10pm) and went straight to bed, without cleaning teeth (sorry Mum!).   

Ray driving. N 03⁰ 22’ 27.0’’  E 012⁰ 43’ 59.2’’ The initial section of the road was fine. When the tar finished it deteriorated to a reasonable, single lane, gravel road, however with vegetation very close to the road which meant we needed to be very careful around corners.

Day 22: after a relatively early start, we set off to the Dja national Park. This involved a manual ferry crossing and ~ 6 km on a motor bike track. Ray was driving with 4 porters on the roof rack. Then followed a 12 km (~ 4 hr) walk through the rain forest to a camp. On the way in Hayley made the 1^st sighting – a bush squirrel. Our guide informed us that the dance the squirrel was doing was something along the lines of “there’s a stranger in the forest, there’s a stranger in the forest”. At the time we thought to ourselves, good start with the spotting, but we’re here for more interesting game viewing, for example monkeys, antelope, elephants etc, little did we know that this would be one of the two sightings of the trip.

The camp was very basic. There was one open hut with a roof, but otherwise there were no facilities (that means no toilet, not even a drop toilet). A bit unhygenic. Our tent sites were uneven, most of the tents unfortunately didn’t zip up, so there was a bit of a kerfuffle about swapping tents around to make sure that we, the clients, had the tents that zipped up, otherwise we would have been eaten alive by insects. By this stage in our travels we are used to being stared at by the locals and porters, this continued for the next few days, it can’t be that we are interesting, they can’t understand what we’re saying, probably our good looks!

In the evening Avril, Gabrielle & Ray went for a game viewing walk in the forest. They were fortunate to catch sight of a Colobus monkey. We arrived back to camp to a very tasty dinner of beef stew that had a slight hint of bush fire, very good. The chef that we hired from the local village had never been on one of these tours before so our tour guide took over the organisation of the meals, otherwise we are not sure what we would have been eating and God knows what time we would eat, 10pm is not acceptable each night!

Very busy looking for animals!!

~ 6km on a very poor standard motorbike track (pots of scratches to the car). Parked the car at a clearing Ray driving. N 03⁰ 20’ 37.9’’  E 012⁰ 45’ 41.4’’

Day 23:

We awoke to noisy porters chatting, a few birds squawking and the humidity of the rainforest, this was the big day of game viewing we had anticipated. We set off early, around 7am, to make sure that we would see the animals in the morning as they are moving around the rainforest. On the way to the monkey viewing rock we passed some elephant droppings, we were informed that it was at least one week old, not very promising. We perched on the rock thinking that we were being very quiet, all of a sudden there was action in the trees, Gabrielle, Avril and Hayley had a very brief glimpse of a monkey. We obviously weren’t that quiet, seven people in bright coloured clothing traipsing through to bush, putting our bags down and getting comfortable, we obviously scared all the animals away. We waited in this spot for about an hour, it was clearly very comfortable because Ray fell asleep, along with our Eco-Guard, and snored very loudly, and yes, we have it on camera! The guide and the guard have incredible hearing, that or they were pretending they could hear animals, so we moved to another viewing rock, about a half hour walk through the rainforest. We perched on another rock thinking we were waiting for Chimps, for the life of us we can’t work out where all the animals are, it couldn’t possibly be the noise we make crashing through the forest, the bright clothing, or the loud noise that our plastic bags make at each stop when we need a snack…we think the main reason is due to Ray’s snoring, yes, he had another sleep at the second viewing rock, this is only 10.30am by the way! After an hour at this viewing rock we moved to the third location, we spotted some antelope droppings, so crouched on the rainforest floor for a good hour. The guide was imitating an antelope noise, the one they make when there is danger around, therefore all the animals come to see what is happening. We perched, we crouched, we waited with baited breath and nothing, but Ray had another sleep and continued to snore on the rainforest floor (no joke!). We moved to another location, the animal danger warning was made again but no luck, no animals sighting, and Ray didn’t sleep on this occasion only because we weren’t there long enough for him to get comfortable enough. We walked for another half hour, made another stop, the animal danger noise was made and nothing came except the incessant Horn Bill bird that we had seen so many other times, it seems to be as common as an Australian Magpie. I know you want to know, the answer is yes, Ray and the Eco-Guard had another sleep, this was the loudest snore of them all. We headed back to camp, Hayley was attacked by ants in her pants, read for the afternoon, washed in the very small stream and relaxed. We had a delicious meal and then toasted marshmellows on the fire. The porters thought the marshmellows were the funniest thing they had ever seen, so we shared them around and they tried it for themselves. 

The positive of the day was that Ray was well rested (after his four naps) and we had a very good cooked meal. The downer, it was no doubt obvious, was that we only had a brief sighting of a monkey and a few more Horn Bills.

No driving, just trekking, no coordinates, too busy napping.

Day 24:

After being kept up late and awoken early (3am) by the chatting porters, we ate a delicious breakfast of omelettes, fruit and crepes, campfire style. Ray, Peter, Gabrille and Hayley (Avril stayed at camp to sort things out) went for an early walk at 6.30am, fingers crossed we would see some animals in the early morning when they are moving around the forest. We walked for an hour and a half, saw the droppings of an antelope and drank fresh water from a tree vine, no animal sightings except the Horn Bill. On the way back to camp we heard a gunshot that was not very far away, we all paused, the guide and Eco-Guard very disappointed. We packed up camp then trekked back to the car for 12kms, Peter won the competition of guessing what time we got back to the car, 12.09pm. The Eco-Guard led the way back instead of the guide, in case we came across the hunters. Not long after we arrived back at the car, the porters arrived and so did two guys on a motorbike with at least one large antelope and three duiker on the back. The guide and the Eco-Guard have the authority to confiscate the kill and arrest the hunters…they took some money (who knows whether it was a bribe or just a fine) and they drove away with the kill. Ray and some of the porters went back to the ferry to send the other car back for the others, Peter, Avril, Gabrielle, Hayley, the guide, the Eco-Guard and some of the porters stayed behind. Whilst we were having our lunch another motorbike came along, this time it was locals with a few fish and nuts on the back. Another 15 minutes later another motorbike arrived with two guys and two huge bags of kill. We decided that it was best that we played dumb and kept to ourselves. In one of the bags was a dead Pangolin (a really big Armadillo) which is incredibly rare, so the guide asked if we’d like to see it, so we did. In the same bag was another antelope and in the other bag was dried/smoked meat, who knows what it was, could be monkey, antelope etc, we didn’t ask. The whole lot was confiscated, the two hunters left empty handed and the mood in the room (forest) was sombre. In the time that we sat waiting for the car, which was an hour, three motorbikes with kill (bush meat) went past, no wonder we didn’t see any animals!! We caught the ferry back, handed out tips to the porters (although most of them didn’t do much to earn it) and set up camp at 3pm. We spent the afternoon relaxing, Avril cleaned the whole inside of the accommodation module as it’s going mouldy with the humidity. We have repacked ready for the early start to get back to Yaounde for Christmas Day.

I know you’re desperate to know what has happened to Hayley and Peter’s bag, it arrived! They did a little dance, it was like Christmas (and yes, it’s Christmas Eve), Peter is splurging out and wearing a new pair of undies tonight after using the same two pairs for the past week (he has hand washed a few times, don’t worry!).

For dinner we had chicken, grated carrot salad and spaghetti, all very tasty. We met the village chief and told him about the hunters and the problems we had with the porters, he assured us that he’s trying to change the ways of the hunters, to teach them that killing the animals means that the tourists won’t come back. There were huge celebrations in the village for Christmas, it seems that they celebrate on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. There was music and lots of laughing, sounded like good times were had by all.

Ray driving, approx. 6kms, 1 hour!!

Day 25 – 25/12/11:

We left the campsite at 6.30am to ensure we arrived back in Yaounde by mid afternoon. Our experiences of driving through Yaounde have been that it takes so long to get to the centre of town because of all the taxis and motorbikes pulling over on the side of the road to collect passengers...however they are not totally off the road so you can’t pass them, you can see how this becomes frustrating. We passed through a number of villages along the way, everyone was dressed in their best clothing for Christmas Day. Some of the children looked so gorgeous, girls in their pretty dresses and boys in smart shirts, often in the same outfit as their siblings. We are not sure how they stay so clean and how the women get the white clothing so white. The dirt is so red and the roads create a lot of dust, all the plants at the side of the road are covered in red soil, sometimes you can’t tell whether the leaves are supposed to be green or red. There were a few places along the way, when the road was still dirt, where soldier ants were marching across the road. From a distance it looks like a few tree branches or a snake on the road there are that many in one place battling from one side of the road to the other in perfect formation. The climate from the rainforest was so humid that our tents and the accommodation module were wet in the morning, Yaounde was a welcomed relief to have drier air again.

Along the way we stopped for lunch in Akonolingo, Christmas lunch on the side of the road consisted of baguettes, camembert, pate, beef skewers, chocolate and soft drinks. We called family members for Christmas and reminisced about what we would normally be doing on Christmas Day including turkey and turkey spaghetti.

We arrived back in Yaounde at 2pm, there was no traffic on the roads, everyone was at home for Christmas celebrations. We spent the afternoon by the pool at the hotel and indulging in some of Grannie’s Christmas cake and Olga’s minced pies, which made it feel a bit more like Christmas! We finally showered after three days in the rainforest and got ready for our Christmas dinner, then had presents. Avril played Santa, Peter, Gabrielle and Hayley received beautiful hand carved sculptures of birds from Kribi as well as hand crafted handbags, Avril received a Kindle and Ray received a fishing jacket to put all his gadgets in at once (Avril thought he might stay up all night figuring out which pocket will contain which gadget, there’s even a secret money pocket). We walked through Yaounde town centre to the Hilton, little did we know that there was going to be a huge street party outside the Hilton with literally every member of Yaounde in attendance. The mood was great, everyone was very merry and anticipating the night’s events. It looks like they were going to have some form of concert, Snow White was playing on a big screen for the kids and there were street food stalls and games areas. Dinner at the Hilton was a buffet, fresh salads of any kind of combination you desired, hot meats and vegetables and many dessert options. We all went back for seconds and had our fair share of desserts as well, after all, Christmas isn’t Christmas unless you try all the food and go home feeling very full!

Peter (the hard dirt sections) & Ray driving (the easy tar sections, on the excuse this was to get through the road blocks). 7hours. N 03⁰ 52’ 18.7’’  E 011⁰ 31’ 14.4’’

Day 26 – 26/12/11:

We awoke to an update from Peter about the cricket score back home in Australia, we weren’t doing very well! This is going to be the last big driving day for a while, we set off for the 380kms at 8.30am, from Yaounde to Foumbot. The drive was relatively easy, tar road the whole way, thank goodness! It was Avril and Gabrielle’s turn to drive in the car, the rest of the party (Peter, Ray, Hayley and our guide) were in the tour company’s car. The climate and the terrain changed along the way, from being humid and rainforest to dryer weather and less vegetation. We passed road block after road block, this time it’s different because we are with Cameroonians so we don’t always have to stop and pay the fee, a pleasant break from the usual. At most of the larger road blocks there are hundreds of beautiful pineapples, we have never seen so many! We have taken to buying a few along the way and having them with our lunch and dinner, they are so sweet, Gabrielle and Avril’s favourite. Our typical lunch has consisted of baguettes, beef skewers, chicken and tomatoes and avocadoes when we can get them. We have found some great road side stops to have our lunch, today was in a school ground (it’s school holidays), we parked under some trees, popped up the camping table and made our lunch. It has become routine for the last few days that after lunch at least one person falls asleep in the car, today it was all of us except our driver (obviously!)…some of us snored and others delicately rested their head on their son’s shoulder (Ray). We pass the time by chatting about movies, our new favourite music, where we will be in a few years’ time and other topics such as the state of the economy and the history of African nations. Ray has educated all of us about wars in each country, who’s in with who etc, even our tour guide and our driver have learnt something. If the car ride is a bit too long (8 hours in the back seat with two other people) some of us start singing, not sure whether this is due to a sign that the individual is having fun or just pure exhaustion. We are constantly reminded that we don’t have it too bad when we see small cars pass by (the size that most teenagers have as their first car) with at least 8 people inside, often the boot doesn’t shut because it’s packed with suitcases and is held down by ropes and straps.

Along the way we stopped at Banjoun to see the Chefferie’s palace and museum. The museum contained artefacts such as hunting weapons, cooking utensils and formal dress robes and hats. We saw the houses where the many wives of the Chief live on-site and the town hall. The town hall was very impressive, with a huge thatched dome shaped roof with a main chamber inside with corridors along the outside, it was surprisingly cool inside.

We arrived at our hotel at approx. 4pm, thankfully this time our rooms were ready however we didn’t have towels or toilet paper. We relaxed for the afternoon, read and ate more Christmas cake then had a very tasty dinner. The standard procedure when we arrive at our hotel is that Ray tries to explain that he needs to open up the accommodation module to air it out (there was a little bit of mould from the humid conditions) even though it won’t be used to sleep in. The hotel manager doesn’t understand and glares at Ray with a look of utter confusion, then all of a sudden it pops open, everyone is surprised, stares for a bit, then gets back to what they were doing.

Avril driving. 5hours. N 05⁰ 39’ 15.8’’  E 010⁰ 45’ 37.8’’

Day 27 – 27/12/11:

We thought yesterday was going to be the last big driving day for a while, oh no! Half an hour from Foumbot where we stayed overnight we stopped in Foumban to visit the palace of the sultan and the markets. We walked through the market first, the best fruit and vegetables that we have seen since South Africa. The market had a very relaxed feel, people just going about their daily business. We picked up some beautiful ripe tomatoes, avocadoes and lemons for lunch. There were also many different clothes shops, shoe shops, live chickens, a few cows and even a popcorn van. The palace of the sultan was very interesting, although very basic compared to the likes of Versailles for example. We were shown all the artefacts and formal attire that the sultan still wears once each year for celebrations.

The majority of the drive was on dirt road that was pot hole ridden and because of the dry climate, very dusty. I think it’s fair to say that the best part of the day was the scenery and the lunch. We now have lunch down to a fine art, Avril unpacks the relevant items, Ray sets up the table, Peter washes the tomatoes, Hayley cuts the tomatoes, Avril cuts up avocado, Gabrielle hands out drinks, Peter cuts up baguettes, we all serve ourselves then all pack up. Before we start driving again everyone makes a dash to the toilet, which for the girls involves finding a secret location out of sight from the road and the other girls, it’s not like home where we have road side facilities in special picnic areas.

The scenery for the majority of the day was picturesque; rolling hills that turned into mountains, farmland with neat rows of crops, herds of grazing cattle and even a waterfall that appears to plunge from the middle of a cliff. This is part of the renowned ring road. This type of landscape reminded us of why we are doing this trip!

We arrived to Zwinkles’ Guest House at 4pm, they are the tour company that we are using for Cameroon. They have a lovely balcony area that looks over a kept garden, there weren’t any mosquitoes, so we had a few snacks of plantain chips (now one of our all-time favourite snacks) and peanuts. We asked our tour guide to warn the guest house that we had a week’s worth of washing to be done, we divided it into colour piles and left it with one of the managers. By 10pm most of the washing was done and he was putting it out on the line ready to dry when the sun comes up. Dinner was served with lots of fresh vegetables, chicken, rice and a delicious homemade tomato relish, and of course pineapple for dessert. After dinner we all read in the lounge area for a bit after declaring it was bedtime at 8.45pm.

Peter & Ray driving. 6 hours. 330 km N 05⁰ 58’ 46.5’’  E 010⁰ 10’ 53.1’’

Cameroon, part 4

Day 12: today we started our quest for the next batch of visas. We went to the Chad embassy first. Fortunately they were prepared to issue the visa in a few hours. We found out when we got the passports back that the visa is valid from the date of issue, not the date of entry. Mmm, so instead of 1 month, we need 3 months. It is CFA 40,000/m per person. Ray explained that really this was a bit much, so we compromised, 3 months for CFA 80,000 per person. The counsel then changed the visa with tipex. We are not sure what happened to the additional CFA 80,000, but ask no questions.

Then to the Niger consul. After much discussion, it turns out we have 3 months to enter the country and then a 1 month visa. CFA 45,000/m per person. Ray did all the forms whilst Avril had her hair done.

So, talking of bad hair days... Avril decided on what Ray describes as Russian prostitute red. Apparently despite instructions of NO red, the stylist though some bright red would be just the thing. An interesting new look.

In the evening we joined Philip Olivier from GDFSuez (who happened to be in town) and the local office at a very nice restaurant for an evening of talking and catching up. Very pleasant, we only got back to the mission at midnight.

Day 13: we spent the day arranging to get work done on the car; a new tyre for the one slashed in the accident in DRC and a full service. Avril tried to work on the internet, but the connection was at best only available intermittently and was frustratingly slow. There are no suitable BFGoodrich in Cameroon and really no suitable 4x4 tyres. So we have made do with a Michelin tyre which is the same size as the others (CFA 200,000). After the pounding the tyres have had, we were fortunate that the balancing was straight forward.

Day 14: Ray got up early to be 1^st in line at Toyota. They gave the vehicle a full service. The dirt & water + bad & mountainous roads together with the vehicle weight meant a new set of rear brake pads were needed. Again a very expensive, but necessary exercise. Avril worked on the internet getting out a news letter.

Then we went to collect our passports from the Niger embassy. On the way a policeman tried to stop us, due to the steering wheel being on the wrong side of the car – sure. We told him we had been through many Cameroonian road blocks and there was no trouble, gave him a copy of the Victorian registration and drove off, much to his surprise (we hope it is not like Kinshasa where the cops started to recognised our car and that was a sign to try and stop us and extract funds!).

When we arrived at the Embassy, there was a very large crowd of excited people. So, Avril waited with engine running and Ray ran the gauntlet to get into the embassy. There was no animosity towards him and the (men) there were pleasant. Turns out they were there to vote for the President of the youth league or such. The good news is that we got the passports.

Then off to the CAR embassy. We made application for a visa. CFA 55,000 for 1 month + CFA 15,000 to have a 1 day turn around rather than 4 days (we will not be around in 4 days).

Visas & cars:  an expensive exercise! But fingers crossed, we are OK for the next bit of the trip

We went for a drink in the evening with Mark Van Boekel & Karin from WWF. On the way to the restaurant our friendly policeman saw us and we had a bit of a debate, with us insisting we could not speak French. Eventually he handed back the tattered copy of our Victorian registration. Ray made the mistake of saying merci! So then another debate, we actually could speak French. I wish.

Day 15: a slow day. Picked up the visas from the CAR embassy (after waiting for 1.5 hours) and then cleaned the car and did various chores.

Day 16: another slow day. Shopping & chores.

Day 17: today we drove to Douala and are staying at the Catholic Mission in town.

Driving in the Yaounde & Douala is an interesting challenge. Both cities have hundreds of thousands of small, yellow taxis. The taxis provide the main (only?) form of public transport. All the main roads are basically a long taxi rank with potential passengers trying to get to the start of the road to be in the best position to grab a cab. The taxis then slowly drive along and potential clients call out their destination. If the driver is interested he (always a he) will pull marginally off the main road to allow the passenger to get in. The driver will make sure that he has an exit back onto the road, hence more often than not he will block off the whole road, particularly for a bigish vehicle like ours.

So, this means that you are never sure whether or not a taxi is going to stop and if he does how far off the road he will go.

Another custom here, the opposite of Australia (and to be honest other western countries), is that in Cameroon you NEVER make eye contact with another driver. That way you do not have to consider what they may want to do. Now, that is OK, but most vehicles will head directly onto a main road from a side road without looking, trusting that those on the main road will some how see them and give way.

To add to the colour, in addition to the car taxis there are countless motorbike taxis filling in any space that may remain. There are more motorbike taxis in Douala. All manoeuvres are carried out at a pace and tolerance (we are talking mm here, not cm) between vehicles that would be considered suicidal in Australia.

The entrance (and exit) roads from all major cities in Africa are lined with local style markets. Invariably this causes massive traffic jams with the shoppers, stalls, taxis slowing down/stopping, huge numbers of pedestrians, kids running on the road etc.

To add to the delight, most vehicles seem to be in need of a cylinder rebore and new rings. The engine oil companies must love it here. The average punter must spend more on oil than fuel. This results in a thick black, acrid smoke that not only impairs vision but makes your eyes water.

For us white coloured folks in big 4WDs, the entry and exit to towns and cities holds a special pleasure, the road blocks. We get stopped at most road blocks and go through the inevitable question and answer session. The unwritten part here is that if a flaw in documentation is found, then this would be a “serious” violation and an equivalent fine (non receipt-able of course) would need to be paid. In the entrance to Douala today, we passed through 3 road blocks. This took ~ 40 min in total. One police officer (with very strange hazy eyes, wonder what that was) decided that we could not drive with a right hand drive. How to explain that we have been through lots of road blocks etc. No, we do not have anything for you. No, you cannot have my pen etc.

All in all makes driving in Egypt/Cairo look like a beginners program.

In the evening we had dinner with Eric Woodward and a friend of his. Eric is the son of a friend of my sister Susan and is the 1^st foreign student to be accepted into a Cameroon university.

Ray driving. 246 km. 5 hours.  N 04⁰ 03’ 26.6’’  E 009⁰ 41’ 83.3’’

Day 18: the big day arrived. The Kenyan Airlines plane landed almost exactly on time. We had been at the airport a bit (OK, well a lot) early in case the plane was early. Unfortunately the kids were sans checked in luggage. The Nairobi end decided to leave the baggage on the tarmac.

Then we drove down to Kribi to the Hotel Ilomba, which the guides say is the best in the area. A swim and lots of talking. A few beers and food.

Given the torturous route, long breaks etc, Gabrielle, Peter & Hayley were pretty wrecked, so had an early night.

Ray driving. 246 km. 5 hours.  N 02⁰ 53’ 31.3’’  E 009⁰ 53’ 57.2’’

Day 19: after breakfast we walked to the Lobe Falls, where the river of the same name falls directly into the ocean. Then a pirogue trip up river for ~ 30 min to visit a pygmy village (very uninspriring, but the good news is that we were only in the village for 5 min). After the return trip Avril & the kids had prawns, chips & beer. Then spent the afternoon at the beach

Ray went with the tour driver back to Doula (6.5 hours in total) to collect 2 of the 3 missing bags! Mmm, 3^rd trip raspberry goes to Kenya Airlines, what a useless bunch. Totally not passenger or customer focussed.

A wonderful meal on the restaurant of the hotel.

Gabon, part 3 & Cameroon, part 3

Gabon, part 3

Day 13:  a slow day. We did some chores then went to an internet cafe for a bit. Then we went for a walk to the commercial centre of Libreville. After trying 3 banks, we finally found an ATM that would work, then we had a bite of lunch and walked back to the mission. Mad dogs & Englishmen etc.

We were impressed with Libreville; the government area is similar to Canberra (but with straightish roads), grand buildings etc. The Cornish is clean and there are even some public rubbish tins. We witnessed traffic actually stop for an ambulance. The commercial centre had nice cafes etc.

We read for the late afternoon and then had a bite of dinner and went to a local bar for a beer. The owner entertained us and insisted on providing a round as a gesture of welcome. Interestingly he did not drink himself.

It rained last night causing considerable stress to Avril re washing. But fortunately today, there was no rain so every thing dried; tent and washing.

Day 14:  there was a massive thunderstorm overnight, but the rain eased to drizzle and as we moved further inland and north sunshine appeared. We are promised no rain tonight. How long until we complain about heat & dust????

After refuelling we were on our way, basically over the same terrain we had travelled previously. In both RoC and Gabon there has been “bush meat” for sale along the roads. Todays selection included a tortoise, antelope, small porcupine (a favourite we are told) and monkey. Later in the day Ray bought some chicken from a road side stall and checked that it was in fact chicken.

A major hazard for drivers are the land slides from very steep cutting onto the road. In places these have been removed, however they cause a heart palpitation when a big forest truck is thundering straight at you and you are going to meet at the landslip.

Another hazard of driving in Gabon are the timber trucks. These are massive and carry anything from one log (you can imagine the diameter of such a huge tree) to 5 or 6 tree trunks. Over 100 trucks must have passed us today. There is a lot of forest here, but at the rate we have seen trees going out one wonders how long it will last. We were assured that in fact they have very sustainable models here.

We thought it educational to give an example of the issues we face with maps. In looking at todays route the Reise Know How may showed 210 km for the Bifour to Mitzic section. The official Gabon map showed 250 km and the Garmap GPS showed 231 km. Reise had no tar, Gabon official had ~ 80 km tar. In fact the whole section was tar (some places very badly deteriorated). The next section had 17 km difference in 118 km. Neither showed tar and in fact the whole section was tar. Hence we made good progress despite a massive traffic jam leaving Libreville.

We are camped at the Catholic Mission at Oyem overlooking the town. As in Australia, the Catholics seem to have somehow managed to get the better real estate.

Avril driving. 500 km. 9 hours. N 01⁰ 35’ 45.6’’  E 011⁰ 34’ 50.4’’

Day 15: after filling up and finding some cans of Diet Coke and Cameroon beer (Cans are hard to find) we were on our way. An easy days drive along the main road to the border. We stopped at the village we had stayed at on the way south to hand out some gifts. The border crossing was easy both out of Gabon and into Cameroon. We were asked for Insurance, which you may need to have, but the Victorian annual registration paper seemed to satisfy them. 

Gabon summary: we really liked Gabon. It is just a pity we were there in the rainy season. However, it seems they really only get 2 or 3 months dry a year anyway. The people were very friendly and welcoming, always ready with a smile and a wave. There were no security issues and at no time did we feel any sense of hostility. When we got into any trouble, people were always ready to assist. Of all the Francophone countries we have visited, in Gabon more people tried a little English and tried to communicate.

With one exception, the officials we met did not ask for money or bribes and were generally no hassle.

After we worked it out, there were ATMs where needed. The street food seemed to be a little better than elsewhere e.g. you could get salad or a variety of vegetables or meat in your baguette.

The roads were a mixture of good highway and dirt road, but with some horror stretches to keep you alert. It will be some time before this is OK, but they are working on it.

Clearly the turtle nesting was a great highlight. We would go back again just to see this.

Cameroon, part 3

Day 8: After crossing the border, we decided to go to the beach resort of Kribi rather than straight to Yaounde. No need to spend the weekend in a big city.

The road from Ebolawa to Kirbi is “good” i.e. we got through. It is dirt and ~ 170 km took 4 hours. We noticed along this route that the locals were not friendly, no waves or smiles. We wondered if this was due to the fact all the churches were Presbyterian?

We checked into the Tara Plage hotel, a regular stop on the overlander route and set up camp under some palm trees 10 m from the sea. When we arrived, Avril decided on clothes washing and Ray decided on a swim in the warm Atlantic Ocean. The shower is OK, no hot water (which we are used to by now) and no rose to spread the spray, but plenty of pressure for the stream that comes out. In common with almost every dunny north of RSA there is no seat, so you need to use paper to decorate the porcelain prior to taking up the throne.

There are a number of other overlanders here all going north to south. There is a South African doctor (motor) biking and a couple of Czech chaps travelling in what would pass for a 1950’s Hilman Minx, but a communist (1968) era Skoda, complete with crank handle. When we arrived they were working on the engine after taking it out completely earlier in the day. A much simpler set up than us!! The fact that they have gotten this far in an ancient, overloaded, 2 wheel drive is encouraging!

We ate fresh fish in the restaurant with other travellers, swapping stories. 

Ray driving (though the vertigo is not completely gone). 378 km.  8 hours. N 02⁰ 54’ 20.6’’  E 009⁰ 54’ 06.9’’

Day 9: as you can imagine, we were up very late and lazed around the beach, swimming & sun baking (it IS the dry season here!) until early afternoon. The hotel is in a small bay that would make a good scene for a post card; lined with white sand and greenery/palms. AND, there is no litter. The hotel rakes the beach in the morning.

Today we used the last of the meat from RSA. A milestone. We are unsure what we will do for meat from now on, though the expat supermarkets do have a frozen food section.

We went into Kribi for a look and to buy some fruit & veg. The local mode of transport/taxi is a motor bike. This was Avrils first trip on a bike. She was squashed between the rider and Ray. She attempted to maintain appropriate personal space, but this was countered by the need for the rider to have her up close and personal. A fair compromise was reached.

In town it was decided that Ray should have a hair cut. The omens were not good, the first chair he sat on collapsed! The cut was done with blunt kitchen scissors. The hairdresser attempted to use the 1960s/1970s technique of a layer cut and move the scissors up and down in a dragging motion. After a certain period Avril jumped up and instructed, that was enough. At this point vanity takes over. All the blasé non concern evaporates into a sudden bout of stress about how the coiffeur will look. It seems to have resulted in a stepped appearance with big ledges where Rays hair has been cut and alternating sections that have not been cut. Mind you get what you pay for, in this case ~ $1!

After dinner we had a few drinks, swapped more stories and way points etc. Got to bed at midnight.

Day 10: our Czech friends, Michael & Andre, decided to spend an extra day here so we could eat some fish together. After a late rising, Ray headed off to Kribi on a shopping expedition in the Skoda. This vehicle needs to be cranked in the morning, but it is simpler to push start it when in town, so we were always on the look out for a down hill slope. After a breakfast of baguette with eggs bought of one of the many wayside stalls, we purchased fresh baguettes, fruit & veg, ice cream etc it was off to the fresh fish market.

The market is under cover and has a very good variety of fresh fish, prawns, lobsters etc. the trading is done fairly quietly (for Africa) on a one – on – one basis. We decided on a barracouta. After a little haggling we bought a 2.5 kg fish for ~ $ 10. It then cost $ 2 for another person to scale and fillet the fish. Michael & Andre decided to also bring the tail home as bait for an unsuccessful fishing program.

The afternoon was on the beach. Ray studiously ignoring the young girls who came and sat near him, then waving furiously to Avril in the sea so they knew that madam was around.

We used the last of the RSA charcoal for the BBQ. Andre then prepared a delicious fish dinner, grilled over the coals and accompanied by salad, a mustard/onion relish (he picked up the recipe in Senegal) and garlic bread. All with beer and finished off with some ice cream purchased earlier in the day.

A wonderful evening and fellowship.

As we are stationary, we have used the solar panels to keep the accommodation battery charge up for the last couple of days. The sun is quite intense, and the only drain on the batteries is the fridge. The panels seem to be able to keep up with the fridge load, which is pleasing.

Day 11: after getting up late, we waved good bye to Henry (RSA motorbiker) and our Czech friends. Then an easy drive to Yaounde and the Catholic mission. This area of Yaounde had no power or water when we arrived.

Avril driving. 278 km.  4 hours. N 03⁰ 50’ 24.9’’ E 011⁰ 30’ 28.8’’

Gabon 2

Day 5:  a very bad nights sleep. Our best guess is that there was a funeral earlier in the day and there was an all night wailing session/wake. This was not a quiet affair, but consisted of very loud singing, complete with drums and other instruments. The morning dawned with very thick fog. The fog/mist seems to be a feature of the climate here.  There has been fog/mist most mornings.

We drove to Lekoni; ~ 100 km from Franceville for a day trip. The drive along the Bateke Plateau is Green on the Michelin map. Initially you pass through some forest, the quite suddenly the forest stops and grassland starts. Magnificent green rolling hills with great long vistas to a far horizon. We drove to Leconi gorge. It was a great sight, hard to explain. From a geographers perspective it seems to be more of a basin than a gorge. The basin seems to have been created by erosion the side of a hill. At the bottom of the basin are a series of long narrow features. But we know that does not really explain. Suffice to say it was worth the drive.

We then came back to Franceville; got a Gabon SIM card (the easiest time in Africa, 3 minutes!) and did some fruit & veg shopping at the local market.

We did some chores in the late afternoon. Unfortunately the pool was being painted, so swimming was not possible.

Later we caught up with Dave Payne from BHPB. They kindly had us around for a meal and a few drinks. We had made contact to get information on the roads etc further on in Gabon. Dave was very helpful. It was great to sit around and yarn for a bit.

Avril driving. 236 km. Except for the last few km into the gorge, the road was all good tar.

Day 6:  Many thanks to the owner and staff at Hotel Masuku (hotel.masuku@yahoo.fr). The location is great, the pool refreshing and the beer cold.

a long day in the car. We got up early with the hope of getting away to an early start. We finally got on the road at 07:40 after withdrawing some CFA from an ATM, buying some baguettes and filling the car with fuel. Interestingly they put in 160 l into our 150 l tank, which was not empty. Not sure when they last calibrated the gauge.

We returned on good roads to Lastrouville and onto Koulamoutou. In the latter town we asked a gentleman the way to the next town. Without hesitation he jumped into the vehicle and rode with us until he was sure we would not get lost. Such a great gesture.

We had been told by 3 different people that the road to Mouila was good, after driving the road it confirms our suspicion that the African definition of good is that you can make it through, not that the road is good in an Australian sense of the word. After Koulamoutou the road deteriorated, comparisons with the farmers track came back to mind. In the middle there was 80km section of higher quality road, we suspect courtesy of the loggers. The last ~ 200 km was all in mountains/hills, lots of ups & downs with many zig – zag assents and descents.

It was forest all the way, but not the thick jungle type rain forest with vines etc. Whilst still very thick it was more scrubby than the rain forest we have seen previously. In parts it was so close it formed a  tunnel over the road. Unfortunately it was hard to get any good views.

At 16:00 we consulted the GPS on sunset (18:06 according to it), looked at the road and the time and decided that we could make it to Mouila before dark, which we did.

Following other blogs we looked for the Catholic Mission. The coordinates we had were not that accurate, so we asked directions from a young chap at the side of the road. Keen to practice his English, he rode with us to the mission. We would not have found it without him. Again, a great gesture from a young person to help us.

The mission is on a large river with cut lawn, quite picturesque. The nuns have moved out and there are a couple of young chaps staying there, again keen to practice their English.

Two bits of bad news; our windscreen has a crack (not from a stone chip) and the Mitchley/Waeco fridge (from Ray’s tent city on West Terrace ) has an error: “err2”. When we looked this up in the instruction manual it said to go to an Authorised dealer – very helpful.

Avril driving. 485 km. 10 hours. S 01⁰ 53’ 41.6’’  E 011⁰ 03’ 31.1’’

Day 7:  writing this sitting on a large drift wood log at Mayumba, watching the waves. It was a hard days drive. We started off a bit later than normal and did some shopping. Then south down the N1, the main north – south artery for Gabon. In fact it is a gravel & dirt track this time of year. Most of the time just a couple of worn tyre marks. Then we change to the N6, which is really no better. The last 60 km into Mayumba was awful. There is a (free!) ferry over the lagoon to get to Mayumba. However, we suppose we need to say that the road was good, as we made it through without any major hassles. We both noted how courteous the drivers are here. If you come from behind, the trucks will pull over to let you pass. Lots of big waves and smiles from the locals.

The vegetation changed through out the day from some patches of rain forest to grasslands and scrubby forest. We also passed through a couple of ranges of hills. We saw our 1^st wild life outside a park. A couple of black mongooses ran across the road in front of us. We have seen quite a few alive and dead snakes as well.

About 10 km from our destination we stopped to give a couple of young lads a lift, on the roof rack! They proved very helpful in giving directions etc.

We took a drive around town and stopped to give a chap a lift along the way. This was fortuitous. He is a guide for the Mayumba NP. So we have arranged for a 2 day trip into the park starting tomorrow.

We are camped 10m from the beach. It is white sand and the Atlantic is warm here. Ray has been for a swim.

Avril driving. 282 km. 7.0 hours. S 03⁰ 27’ 46.7’’  E 010⁰ 40’ 37.9’’

Day 8:  An amazing & incredible day. Day one of the dry season, so we got some drizzle for 30 minutes early in the morning. Things did not start out that well. After waking & packing, we did a little shopping and then went to the National Parks office to meet our guide and get permits. The NP Director checked we were OK to go into the park. She stressed the road wad not that great etc. We got the permits (double the price the guide had said) and were ready to go. It turns out the guide is employed by WCS and they are not willing to let him go – great. So, after some toing & froing with a WCS lady we managed to break into the NP Directors program (she had international visitors) and she allocated us an Eco Guard; Pascal.  We then drove to Pascals house so he could get his kit, bought some additional food and were on our way. The locals were amused at Ray sitting on the roof rack.

The track is sand the whole way (Mias would have loved it!). After an initial hiccup (we forgot to deflate the tyres, sorry Mias) we were OK all the way. Most of the way the track is along small ledge between the beach and sand dunes. At times the track goes inland and at a water crossing we got stuck and reversed out and decided that was far enough. So we drove back to the beach and picked a place to camp and set up.

The beach is stunning, km after km of white sand. The big downer is the enormous volume of, almost exclusively plastic (we also found a DCS monitor from a platform of rig on the beach), rubbish along the way. It has to be seen to be believed. This cannot all be local; most of it must be brought in by the currents from far away.

During the drive we saw a large monitor lizard, probably hunting for turtle eggs.

After setting up camp we go for a swim. It is great. After all the humidity and damp, to be in the sea is a welcome relief.

We did a ~ 4 hour safari walk. The beach is ~ 10 m wide, then there is a 10 m ledge of coastal ground cover, then 10 m forest, then 100 m of grass land and then the forest starts again an goes to a lagoon that runs along the coast. Our game walk is out along the grasslands and back along the beach. For our efforts we saw a sititunga. We got quite close (~ 15m) and it did not see us and continued grazing.

Then back to the camp where we have an open fire, the first since Angola.

In broken French/English we asked about turtles. Pascal says we must get up at 12 midnight to see the turtles. So after 3 hours sleep we got up.

On the beach in front of our tent ( 5 m) there is a turtle building her nest to lay eggs. We are amazed by her size, maybe 2 m long and 1 m wide. It is incredible. We watch as she digs her nest and lays her eggs. Over the next 2 hours we see 2 turtles do this and return to the sea. We have all seen this on a nature program, but to actually be here in person and see it live is amazing. We could go on and on about the experience, the hole must be 1.5m deep, starting out quite large and then narrowing to a cylinder. The digging technique is slow and definite. Using her rear flippers she scrapes a little sand out and brings it to the top of the hole. Then she lays ~ 80 eggs. She is again very definite in putting the sand back and patting it down later by layer. The exhaustion can almost be felt.

Avril driving. 64 km. 7.5 hours. S 03⁰ 43’ 38.8’’  E 010⁰ 58’ 27.4’’

Day 9:  we got up in time for a 06:00 safari walk. Day 2 of the dry season, it starts to drizzle very early on the walk. After ~ 3.5 hours we decide this is not fun and to return to base. Just as we get back, it pelts down. So much for the dry season so far.

For our efforts we see a buffalo; it is suspicious and runs across in front of us the stops, turns to face us and stare at us. It does this 4 or 5 times then decides, this is probably not good so runs into the forest.

We spent the next 5 hours inside the accommodation module, trying to wait out the rain. Eventually the rain eases and we pack up quickly and get underway. We see a buffalo on the beach – so now we can claim to have seen at least 1 animal on a beach!

Avril does a great job driving back through the sand. Under Pascal’s direction we take an alternative route, this is water overlaying sand. At times the water is only a few inches deep and at other times up to 2 feet deep. The Landcruiser under expert control has no issues.

We get back to Mayumba at 17:15 and drop Pascal off. We were fortunate to have him as a guide. He was fantastic and could not do enough to help us.

We then set up camp where we were on day 7. We discover the huge building we are in front of belongs to cabinet minister (who would have thought!). There is a hotel and restaurant to one side of the mansion. The previous day we had asked the owner if the restaurant was open and she assured us it was. After making camp we walked to the restaurant full of expectations. But, it was not open!

However, waiting outside was a French chap (waiting for his room key). He quickly assesses the situation and insists we go to dinner with him. This involves taking a motor boat across the lagoon to a hotel on the other side. There we met some great people who are setting up a saw mill in the area. They were a mix of South African & French folks. We had a nice meal and great fellowship. A wonderful surprise.

A side note: One of the things we need to contend with is the constant humidity and the associated damp. It is almost impossible to dry clothes and a most of the time there is a damp feeling on the sheets when we go to bed. Not all that pleasant.

Day 10: when we get up we see what we hope is a thick costal mist. However, after breakfast the mist turns into drizzle and rain. Day 3 of the dry season.

We pack up quickly again and start out to Gamba (where apparently you can see elephant on the beach). Due to the rain the road had deteriorated and it is hard work. After ~ 30 km we reach the turn off to Gamba. It is hard to find and not marked, so we needed to quiz villagers to make sure we were on the right track. We had been warned by everyone from Dave Payne in Franceville, to the folks the previous evening, to every local we spoke to that the track was not good. If the locals say it is not good, it must be bad. And this was correct. It took ~ 1 hour to do 14 km, with a lot of serious 4WD involved. Then we came to a self operated manual ferry across a reasonably wide river. Mmmm, no, enough is enough. We decided to turn back rather than hammer the car. We were also a bit worried about our ability to get out if the rain persisted. Maybe if it was a sunny day and we did not have a camper with lots of wet and damp clothes etc we may have kept going. But not today.

We then drove back to the mission at Mouila, where we had stayed on day 6.

It rained or drizzled most of the day and we had to set up camp in the drizzle.

Avril driving. 300 km. 9 hours.

Day 11:  it drizzled and rained all night. After packing Ray bought some breakfast on the street. 2 boiled eggs in a baguette. Avril still prefers home made food. There are no plastic gloves here, so everything is done with hands on the food.

It drizzles and rains all the way the Lamberene. A big plus is that it is tar road all the way. An unexpected bonus. We still struggle to understand the Chinese construction program. The major river crossings are yet to be done and all the finishing touches e.g. kerbs are outstanding. Still we had an easy drive. The vegetation is mainly forest, but the scrubby sort not the thick jungle type.

After we arrived at Lamberene a vehicle pulled up in front of us. It was Didier the French chap from Mayumba. So we have lunch with him. Apparently the rain has not stopped down south and the road out of Mayumba and further on has deteriorated yet more. We feel vindicated in our decision not to go to Gamba.

We then proceeded to the Catholic Mission to find a place to stay. They offer to let us camp, but we decide on a bit of luxury (and to let the tent air) and go for a room.

After a bit of cleaning we went to the Albert Schweitzer hospital/museum. This is a bit of a disappointment. It is quite dilapidated and unkempt. It seems that at least part of the site is now a squatters camp or such.

After the visit Ray went off for a beer with a Swedish back packer also staying at the mission and Avril read and listened to the radio.

We have discussed it and the with the term “dry season” we think there must be a translation error from French to English

Avril driving. 193 km. 3 hours. S 00⁰ 41’ 29.6’’  E 010⁰ 13’ 41.1’’

Day 12:  A day without rain. We had an easy start to the morning. The mission is also a kindergarten, so we watched all the kids line up and get ready for class.

We gave a lift on our roof rack to Bjorn, the Swedish backpacker. The looks on the faces of the locals as we drove along was great fun; astonishment, amazement, amusement etc. The road blocks were another matter. We got through the 1^st block easily. The 2^nd was a little more difficult. There was a skinny nasty cop and a chubby happy cop. The skinny nasty cop wanted us to pay some money (this all in French) but the chubby happy cop said no. So the nasty cop made Bjorn hop off the roof rack and squash into the front. As we left, the chubby cop made it clear we should change back around the corner. And so it went for every road block, Bjorn had to hop down and squash into the front and when we were out of sight of the cops, he would climb back onto the roof rack. This was a good system until ~ 40 km before Libreville when we struck some aggressive cops (very unusual for Gabon). They demanded money etc. We resisted this, but it was clear that the game was up. So Bjorn had to make his own way the rest of the trip. Coincidently he is again staying at the same place we are camping.

The road was fine until ~ Kango then there was a horror stretch for ~ 30 km. Now our memory may be fading with time, but, putting it out there, this stretch was as bad as some of the Angola stuff! Again the vegetation was forest – where there were not villages. Around the villages there is a small amount of cultivation, mainly bananas.

We crossed the equator again, hopefully the last time until we go south through Kenya.

We are camped at the Blue Sisters Mission in Libreville. Not an ideal set up. But being an oil town, Libreville has mainly expensive hotels. Most overlanders report no camping possibilities.

We did some shopping at one of the supermarkets.

Avril driving. 235 km. 6 hours. N 00⁰ 24’ 21.4’’  E 009⁰ 26’ 56.9’’