These pictures (there should be more, but I just cannot deal with being on the internet longer than 3 hours to write one posting) are from our trip to Limbe, which is located in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. Besides my dear friend Ashley being horribly sick, it was a fantastic voyage!
Just imagine sleeping in a tent next to the beach with two hammocks to lay on and somewhat indoor plumbing. The sand in Limbe is black, which is something I had never seen before. The beach we were on was not crowded whatsoever and the water was warm. For a Floridian like myself, it was a taste of home but still enjoying Cameroon subsequently.
The town of Limbe is refreshing after spending a couple of weeks in Bamenda. There are a couple of decent boulangeries and a great cafe, called Arne, which served iced coffee! If you continue on to Down Beach, there are tons of fishermen to buy fresh fish from and then have it cooked right in front of you while you grab a beer. What could be better?
I didn’t really do this, but the town also has a famous wildlife center and botanical gardens. I will stop sounding like a tourist book, but it was definitely one of the only touristy areas I have visited during my fellowship and again, coming from a beachy area of FL, it was a piece of home and Cameroon!
I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Limbe, but if coming from Bamenda or somewhere similar, you definitely have to earn your trip-it takes 9 hours to get there and if you are economical, you take the night bus to get there. I will be the first to admit that I really, really despise night buses. Imagine a mini-bus where it should fit 4 close together but instead fits 5, and there are speed bumps all along the way and numerous stops. It is by no means a direct drive. Oh, and there are goats sometimes standin gon teh roof of the bus or pigs and chickens under your feet in the bus.
The other part of the bus ride is one of the most irritating to me. It’s what I call the Cameroon version of street advertisements–someone gets on the bus at the beginning of the ride and stands there for a bit saying a couple of prays. That is all fine and well, but then it continues. The person then advertises black poison which will help with ANY problem you have–a “running” stomach, constipation, headache, cramps, fatigue, inability to conceive, impotence, you name it. He or she passes some of this black powder around and the first time I witnessed this, I thought for sure that no one would be interested. I was proven incorrect; in fact, when someone took a call during the presentation, the whole bus showed their disapproval of the rogue’s disregard. When the person advertising the Lord’s medicine finishes, he or she then pays the driver for the time. Interesting. Pepsi should consider doing something similar here since I have only seen Coke. I digress. My advice to anyone taking a night bus in Cameroon is do what many do here–take sleeping pills or drink a beer. Something to help ease the disruptions and tight squeeze! And if going to Limbe, enjoy it!
