I just landed in a postcard

Two weekends have passed already, both without proper documentation. I spent them discovering new regions of Cameroon and enjoying them in different ways. Since both deserve their own entry I will post each weekend separately. (Look for pictures in the slideshow I put up on the left side of my blog).

My skin finally gave in. I’m peeling like a lizard despite my best efforts to moisturize.

October 23-25^th, two weekends ago, I took my first day off and left for Kribi Friday morning. Traveling with my fellow AIESECer and ex-patriot, Doris (she’s German), we took a bus mid-morning arriving four hours later on the southern coast of Cameroon. Kribi is lauded for its gorgeous beaches and tropical landscape. Catching my first glimpse of the ocean from my tightly wedged position in the bus and taking a big gulp of that fresh sea air, the stress and exhaustion from working so much started to ease.

This weekend was all about R&R for me. Yes, it was an opportunity to see another region of diverse Cameroon, but more importantly, I needed to take some time for myself, stretch my independent wings, and be selfish for a moment. While the sense of encroachment on my independence is less prominent than when I was in Senegal, it has still been an adjustment to be held accountable every day to a family again.

Bee-lining it to the hotel when we pulled into the bus stop, Doris and I profited from the last few hours of sunshine on the beach of our ocean-side hotel. Getting hungry and wanting to use our legs a little, we wandered down a road following the ocean hoping to fall upon a restaurant. By chance a man stopped to ask us where we were going and promptly gave us a recommendation for “excellent fish and not too expensive.” This is the downfall of Kribi, no longer a “best-kept secret,” the tourist trade has shot prices through the roof of Cameroonian standards (and can even be pricey after converting CFAà$$). 3 miles and a bumpy moto ride later, we entered into Tara Plage Hotel and Restaurant. Tucked into its own private bay with no other buildings in sight, we walked into a postcard. Amid exlamations of joy over how amazing of a location we were in, we each ordered a grilled fish. While on the pricey side of $13 a plate, we were not disappointed. Sizable fish with my favorite grilled plantains, and baked tomatoes on the side. We stuffed ourselves to the tune of FRESH fish and spectacular sunset. Ah, the life. Before heading back to the hotel we took a taxi into the central part of town to check it out and get a few provisions: boxed wine and ice cream! Finishing off the night Doris and I took our goodies down to the beach and parked ourselves in the sea-side hammocks, letting ourselves relax to the ocean surf music.

Saturday morning my internal alarm clock of now 6:30 AM woke me. Although wishing I could just enjoy my one commitment-free weekend morning, I took advantage of the cool morning to read my [very] slowly progressing Barak Obama book. Side note: this book with the photo of Barak on the cover has gotten me some serious attention with unanimous support and pleasure over our new President. Later in the morning after Doris got up we took another walk to find food, this time in the downtown direction. On our way we came across a great beach/ocean scene with a nice house/hotel included. We each got a photo in when a local stopped his moto to inform us that what we were doing was very illegal and if the guards saw us we would probably be thrown in jail unless we supplied a large bribe! Apparently the nice house was none other than the second Presidential palace…Of course we choose the one that could get us in trouble. Thanking God for our luck I reflected on this [rather] unimportant imposition on Cameroonian freedoms in contrast to the US. Just another reminder of the type of government people live under here.

The downtown is much better kept than Yaoundé and the other towns we passed through on the way to get to Kribi. Whether because it is so touristy or because the President decided to invest in it, who knows, but the streets were more clean and some parts even had landscaping. Containing all of the same elements as you would find in Yaoundé suburbs, Doris and I meandered through the market to see if we saw anything interesting. Assorted vegetables, endless fruits, new and used clothing, shoes, random cooking utensils, raw meat, and a few tailor shops, nothing changed (except prices) from what we see in Yaoundé.

After buying food for a picnic lunch, Doris and I moved out of our hotel to a better priced and new favorite location…Tara Plage. Our arrival was welcomed by rain. Bummed but not too upset, we took more time to read and lounge around. As we waited for a break in the clouds we were surprised by the arrival of our friend Arthur, another Cameroonian member of AIESEC we are both friends with. We had invited him to join us for the weekend, but he wasn’t sure if he would make it, so when he showed up we were pretty excited. Riding on our new energy Doris and I decided to make the best of the rain and still balmy temperatures and put on our swimsuits to play in the ocean. I’m pretty sure everyone working at the hotel thought we were crazy for being out in the rain, but we had a ball. We went for a long walk along the beach exploring the coastline, finally giving in and returning home when we were fully drenched and shivering from the rain.

 Dinner that night was at a random restaurant, nothing special. Since we are old people we decided not to discover the nightlife and instead did a repeat of Friday night at our new hotel. It was the perfect way to close another day of relaxation.

Sunday morning was another early start. By 9AM all three of us had mobilized and were ready to go to the waterfalls famous in the Kribi area. We had the chance that the falls were within [long] walking distance from our hotel. Sand between our toes and sun shining brightly (as was later attested to by my raging sunburn...oops!), I reveled in my fortune of being in tropical paradise while everyone back in the States was freezing their buns off with the October snow.

Les chutes de lobe (waterfalls) were breathtaking. Not tall and long, but short and wide. The three of us, now nicknamed somehow the “kribi crew,” rented a pirogue (carved out long wooden canoe; the same as the Senegalese fishing boats) to get up close to the falls. We got to climb into the falls where they were less powerful, take pictures and take in the glory of such a work of nature. Following this adventure we went for a quick swim while waiting for our shrimp. Kribi’s specialty is shrimp with a special sauce. Again paying a pretty penny ($13), we dined on 100 fresh shrimp with the necessary fried plantains as the accompaniment. I cannot rave enough over how delicious it was. Crevettes à la Kribienne, slightly greasy and garlicy with a bite at the end. I have to learn how to make it. To top off my vision of a perfect weekend, we passed around a coconut, drinking the milk and scraping out the meat.

To my great sadness I had to leave straight away to get back to Yaoundé before it got too late.

With all of the free time I had over the weekend I spent a lot of time reflecting on my past two months in Cameroon and evaluating how I was doing. I realized that I haven’t been appreciating life as much as I should; the details of this country that remind me of why I will always be passionate about Africa; the people who continue to mark me. I am convinced that I will go back to Kribi at least one more weekend because it was so fantastic. Nothing like taking time to take care of yourself.