Le sable noir

We took a weekend trip to Limbe, another coastal city in Cameroon. We got into the car on Friday afternoon after our classes at UCAC, spent a good 7 hours in the van (for a 4 and ½ expected drive) due to all the traffic. Traffic here not just meaning car jams, but also hold ups for large herds of cattle crossing the roads. Mr. Teku bought us bananas along the way, as people are constantly selling items like that on the sides of the roads for the drivers. When we arrived at the hotel (Holiday Inn! Not exactly the chain in the states) they served us this amazing dinner. We ate these delicious sandwiches with bread and mayonnaise, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs. There was rice and chicken and really delicious vegetables with garlic and of course pineapple and papaya. Eliza Doob and I got to share the “guest apartment” out back behind the outdoor kitchen. The following day was really full and fun. We first drove to Buea about 15 minutes away-which was a great drive. We were able to see the huge palm oil plantations and rubber tree plantations. The rubber trees were the most interesting. They are these really tall skinny trees that are all bent over as if the wind has pushed each one in the exact same manner. Each one is tapped just like a maple syrup tree. Along the way we watched Mount Cameroon grow bigger and bigger. That particular day was the Race For Hope day in Buea. Each year they have a huge race up the mountain. About 600 men and women summit the mountain—in, get this, about 5-6 hours. WHAT! It was crazy. We came mid-day, so some of the first runners were coming down the hill, and we got to stand on the side of the road and cheer them on. Next we drove to an artist’s house named Max. A few years back, Mr. Teku found this man and was really impressed with his work. Max paints absolutely beautiful African tableaus. Mr. Teku tracked him down, and brought him to Dickinson to teach a course there and also get some awards. He got his name out, and now is known world-wide. He sells his paintings for thousands, millions of dollars now, but instead of getting himself a nice house and living exceptionally well, he has kept his little studio to work in and donates his money to different organizations which help children in Africa with things such as AIDS. Getting to talk to him was amazing, he is so genuine and happy. He told us how he was not supported for wanting to be an artist at all. His family did not want him to do this and his friends thought that he would never go anywhere and he should be a doctor instead. Now that he is slightly famous he reports with a huge smile on his face that he has brought him family and town pride and they are very very happy that he is an artist. He also has not let go of any of his African ideas and instincts with his entreprenurialship. He will only sell a painting if he feels that the buyer’s soul goes well with the painting and rubs him the right way. If a painting falls down on the floor he sees that as a sign that the painting needs to stay in his studio and never be sold. He has one painting that he has refused to sell for 20 years because of this, and obviously is now worth millions of dollars. The UN even tried to buy it…no go. His work and his words were really moving, and even made Eliza a little teary eyed. Next we went to go see the tea plantations! They look just like bean fields, but with beautiful blue flowers on top. How do they harvest it I asked? Women pick off the bijillion leaves by hand. How many women and how many hours this must take blew my mind. Really amazing, but the tea in Buea is a big economy for Cameroon. We then drove to the zoo. We were all really impressed with it because it was not like a zoo in America at all. This zoo was made with the goal of saving animals from human captivation or extinction. It isn’t uncommon for people to have baby monkeys or tigers and keep them as pets, not really being aware of the danger and difficulties of this once the animals grow older. It is also a big problem that people hunt and kill chimps or monkeys or..whatever really, and sell it as bush meat. So, this zoo was opened and has since really expanded and become much better for the animals over the years. They now have lots of chimps, monkeys, gorillas, a huge boa constrictor, crocodiles, and more. It was really fun to watch the animals, and the incredible human characteristics they have. From the zoo we headed to the beach! The beach was much more touristic than Kribi was. We were certainly not the only people there, and definitely not the only white people there. The sand in Limbe is black! Very bizarre, but really fun to play with on our faces and skin to pretend we had mustaches or black skin. We also got to take some horses for a ride on the beach! While not as amusing as we thought it was going to be originally, it was really fun for the people who had never been horseback riding. Colleens horse was being very stubborn and was intent on not coming back from down the beach for about 10 minutes. Mr. Adolf, who is a friend of Mr. Teku’s that helps us with whatever we need, got in the water this time in his boxers and a “north Carolina” t-shirt. Highly amusing. That night we got to eat the delicious fresh fish straight from the ocean, and other yummy goodies back at the hotel. Eliza had broken the faucet in our room that morning, and so because our water was still turned off, we had quite the issue with bathroom needs until our morning departure. On the way home, Mr. Teku bought us the biggest pineapples we have ever seen, and we came home straight away to, as Mr. Teku likes to say…DESTROY them.