After a slight delay we made our way to our dormitory style rooms there.
After two nights in this room, we moved to an apartment where we stayed 3
nights (until Christmas day). This facility was cheap, had hot water, and a
kitchen! Plus it was very safe. And they had internet, even wifi! [It was
during my time on the computer here that I learned of many, many engagements
amongst people I know; I was determined not to let it depress me haha. There
was no reason for me to be unhappy! I'm traveling the world, serving others
in the name of Christ! I'm doing exactly what I should be.] It was on the
other side of town, though, so we spent an unexpected amount on taxi fare.
The grand finale of our stay in Yaounde occurred on Christmas day, when we
moved in to the Hilton for the night. We were there at the hotel as soon as
we could check in, and didn't leave the place until the exact check-out
time. Yaounde was fun to explore, but it was also quite expensive-especially
everything with the word "Hilton" on it. Christmas night was also the night
I really started feelings malarial. Is that a word? Anyway, Saturday night I
felt really awful. Plus I was more homesick than I had been in a good while,
it being Christmas day spent without any family and all (though I did spent
quite a bit of time on the phone with family that day). Oh yeah! On
Christmas Eve we visited Yaounde's zoo. THAT was pretty awesome. They had
peacocks and monkeys roaming free around the facility, seven large, active
lions, some crocs, tortoises, and parrot-type birds. The monkeys and the
lions were my favorite. The zoo itself seemed pretty run down, but I was
able to see more and be closer to the animals than I would at any zoo I've
been to in America. Honestly, after Yaounde, I just felt like either going
back to Lassin or back to America. Our next stop was Kribi, one of Cameroon'
s "beach resort" towns. I guess I felt pretty miserable in Kribi, too. Yeah,
the beach was there, but we were kind of bored. Now that I think about it, I
wasn't bored. I was exhausted. Funny how I can get those mixed up. We only
stayed there 2 nights. By the time we left for Limbe, the last time I had
showered was Sunday, the morning we left the Hilton (best shower
ever-bathroom was complete with a hair dryer!). So I was pretty gross.
GROSS. Haha! On our way to Limbe, we had to go through Doula (my very first
glimpse of Cameroon). Anytime we go through Doula, we get to see our very
dear friend Charles Ichu. What a guy. He picked us up from the taxi park,
drove us to Moneygram/the bank/the bakery, and then we all started together
toward Limbe. I mentioned to Charles that I wasn't really feeling well, and
he insisted on taking me to the Adventist Hospital in Buea, a town right
next to Limbe. Unfortunately, we got there after their lab had already
closed for the day (the was Tuesday, Dec. 28 btw). Dr. Trixie, a Loma Linda
graduate, informed me of the possibilities and asked me to call her the next
day after I got tested for malaria. I either had malaria, a viral infection
(in my lungs? which was causing pleuritis), or a pulled back muscle from
doing a handstand. I didn't want to take malaria meds without knowing if I
actually had malaria or not. I did have a temperature of 102. So we headed
to Limbe, so grateful for Charles' company. After checking out a few hotels,
we finally chose one located inside a botanical garden and very close to a
bakery and ice cream shop. Finally, a shower! I hit the sack pretty quickly
after washing up. I was beat. You know, I think the time we spent in Limbe
evenly tied with our time in Yaounde, or maybe even beat it. Wednesday
morning, we had brunch at Chela's, a restaurant located inside Limbe
Wildlife Center. We could see the gorillas from our table! The lab techs
there also performed my rapid response malaria test without charge! Turns
out, yes, I had a moderate infection of malaria. Now I can say I really have
experienced Africa. or at least Cameroon. I was talking with the tech and
the "doctor" about my mission here in Cameroon. They said that they love to
hear about someone working for the Lord. They invited me to take some of
their brochures back to America and talk to some friends or family about
donating to their cause. I promised them I would. We headed to the pharmacy
where I bought some Courtem (great stuff!), then to the room, and then to
Hotel Seme Beach! For 3 bucks, we hung out at the chocolate beaches of Limbe
and never found out about the drink that the fare included. I had a good
time but not as good a time as Kim and Kat had. I just wanted to sleep on
the beach and work on my tan. I stuck out like an elephant. Haha :) That
night, Kim and I left the room to go for a walk (I was secretly looking for
ice cream. I thought it would help my fever go down, ya know), and we ran
into some very interesting people. First we saw this big safari-like jeep in
the driveway. It was painted white with "Drive Against Malaria" in big red
and black letters on its side. Then, all of a sudden, its driver, Dr. Sara
from the Netherland introduced herself and immediately noticed my fever. I
thought she was so cool. Right away, Kim let her know that I had malaria. I
just smiled haha. Her cohort, David, showed up, and I noticed that he had no
right arm or leg. Yikes. He had whitish-grey, long, curly hair and piercing
blue eyes. He's from the UK. They proceeded to visit with us and educate us
about malaria. They checked Kat's temperature (no malaria) and gave us all
free Courtem. They were pretty G. The next day, after a quick stop by Mt.
Cameroon (we tried walking to the first geographical "level", the forest,
but we didn't really make it too far), we headed back to Douala hoping to
catch the night bus to Bamenda and make it to Lassin by Friday evening. I'm
sorry to say that I did not take a enough pictures during our Cameroonian
adventure. I did have a pretty swell time, though. Now I can say that I
really have seen Cameroon. Another thing we failed to do was to go up north
towards Lake Chad to see Waza National Park. We decided that the journey
would be too long and dangerous. I don't think I'd mind doing Christmas in
Africa again, just as long as I have some family to keep me company.
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