Rain Rain Rain

Well today is pretty miserable. it has been raining non stop, I am suppose to start my exercise routine today with Faso (our driver) but with this rain, I doubt it. I was told that the rain season ends end of September.


At the apartment this morning


On the way to work this morning


Lunch time at the office

Uncle Ashley

And once again, nothing to do with Cameroon, but I am very proud to say that I am an uncle, my mom and dad are grandparents, my baby brother is a father. It is sad that I was not able to be in Johannesburg to see her, but I have photo's of my niece, Kaylee van der Sandt, with the flowers and tigger from Myself and Nicky



I have not had the opportunity to hold her yet, but I did hear her, I gave my brother a phone call and he held the phone near her and I heard her wanting to cry, but gave a bit of a mummur :) I am so proud and I can't wait to see her. So I will sit here for another month, counting down the days till I get to hold her. She is a virgo, My father is a Virgo, beautiful Nicky is a Virgo and one of my best mates Serg is a Virgo. I am surrounded :)

But enough chit chat, here are some more pics


Kaylee van der Sandt


Mom and Daughter


Kaylee

Now all I need is photo's of Kaylee and her father ...

doves

Now this post has nothing to do with Cameroon, but while I was staying in Cape Town, I saw a dove building a "nest" in a birdhouse for his new family. The lady dove has laid two eggs and I have asked to be kept up to date on the progress.


The lady dove does look young and it is suspected that the eggs might not hatch, but it will be nice to see how the progress goes. So here you are, maybe you can share in the progress of these little birds ... as long as I am kept up to date that is :)

Back "Home" from Home

Well, here I am, back in Cameroon. How do I feel? Well believe it or not, I am happy to be back. Not happy to have left SA but glad to be back and get cracking again on this project.

My time home was good and yes, being back here does fill me with some lonliness as the important people in my life are still in South Africa.

The trip back wasn't the greatest. I left Cape Town at 19:40 which seemed like a pretty decent time, however, getting to Johannesburg was a different situation. I never thought that Johannesburg International actually shuts down ... yes, I was there just before 10am and after sorting my ticket out and being forced to send my carry on suitcase down to the plane (I was allowed my laptop thankfully) I was fortunate enough to be on a flight to Kenya that was FULLY booked. Anyway, after going through passport control just after 10pm you are walking in a ghost town, well the feeling anyway.

You see, all the shops close, coffee shops, food shops, the only one that was open was the electronic shop, which was good because I needed a plug convertor for Kenya or else my laptop wouldn't last. Nothing happens, I think there were two flights out of Johannesburg International after 11pm or so ...

So needless to say nothing to do till the flight left. I tried to sleep on the plane but this time I didn't have much luck so the next 4 hours was crazy, it just seemed to drag on forever. When we finally landed in Kenya, I just followed the rush of travellers in the direction of Nairobi Java Lounge. As you will see in the pics below, this is pretty much where everyone goes when they want to sit down for a while and have some coffee.





Now sadly, I have to admit that I haven't had any of the coffee there yet, but I think I will one of these days, yes I have gone off coffee and every time I decide to have a cup it leaves a very horrible taste in my mouth but the smell of them making the coffee ... out of this world. I will have to buy some of that coffee and bring it home for others to try.

After my coffee "smell" break I decided to see if any shops had opened yet, well all that I found were some people making the floor their bed, and everyone just sitting around patiently waiting for thier next flight. I am sure I have mentioned this before but apparently if you go anywhere in Africa, most of the flights stop at Nairobi, so you have a lot of travellers sleeping on the floor or just sitting around. As you can see in the pics below ....





By this time I had been ambling around for about 2 hours, the lay over was 6 hours. I couldn't walk, talk or think straight anymore, all I wanted was to get some sleep. So as much as I wanted to hold onto all my $'s I decided to go to the first class lounge and sleep on the couch. So with 4 hours left before I had to start boarding this sounded like a good idea but then the lounge wanted $40 as I was there for 4 hours and not 3 hours so after telling them I will only stay the 3 hours they let me stay and this is where I slept like a baby. 3 hours later I was ready to go even though there was still an hour or so before I could board.

Well needless to say I finally got to Cameroon. With anticipation I went to go and pick up my luggage and will wonders ever cease ... the very first suitcase to come out was the one I was forced to hand in at JHB international. I wasn't so lucky with my other one. My heart sank when the conveyor belt came to a stop but then the other conveyor belt started and after a few minutes my other suitcase came out of there. It was pretty funny watching people running between the two conveyor belts as their luggage came out here and there.

And no matter how much you tell the porters that you don't need assistance they turn a deaf ear, even after I picked up my own luggage, they will come and take it away from you and whether you want them to or not.

Oh well ... another day in Cameroon.

Back in Good ol SA

Well I will say this, it is good to be back in South Africa and this afternoon I think I finally feel like a globe trotter or frequent traveller whichever one you would like to associate me with.

Today I have done what I have seen many a traveller done in the past, I went to the bathrooms at the airport and proceeded to unpack my toiletries bag and wash my face, brush my teeth and spray deo, just a quick freshen up routine. I wasn't the only one, there were about two others and we all just gave a familiar node and smile and went about our business. You could see the tired eyes from travelling through the night.

It wasn't a bad trip, the airport in Douala (sorry no photo's this time) looked like chaos. You get to the check-in counter where they write your boarding pass details by hand, none of the computer printed lazy man method. My Seat designation is highlighted with a sticker on the boarding pass. From there you go through to the counter where they weigh your bags, next step you have to go and pay your airport tax (10 000 CFA) {divide that by 75 and you will have rands} at this point a friendly chap that works at the airport started giving me a lot of assistanc, and he goes by the name of Simon.

Well Simon filled out my landing card, took me through the first passport check point, where we got to the 2nd passport check point, here we wait for a short while, with no airconditioning, it is pretty stuffy here. The lady at passport scrutinizes (spelling) your passport in detail, once you go from there you head on through to the next passport check point, by this time Simon is waiting for me on the other side and proceeds to take me to my lounge and also eagerly helps me buy some Cameroon Coffee (I am told it is good - but not for me) he has to assist me in buying the coffee so that I don't get asked a lot of money. uh huh ... at this point I should have had warning bells go off.

As I am about to go to the lounge he stops me and says that I now owe him 5000 CFA's my last few notes that I have and I mustn't worry about not having any cash on me because I can use my card ... hmmm well I start debating with him and notice the security lady giving me the eye at my lounge so to keep the calm I conceed and give him his 5000 CFA's (try this move on me next time buddy) oh, he needs 5000 so that he can also pay his police friend for letting me go through so quickly ... uh huh ... whatever Simon.

Now the problem here is ... it was too late to make nice with security ... the lady saw me debating with Simon and while everyone was going into the lounge I had to open my laptop bag, my carry on bag and I had to be scanned by that hand scanner ... oh well ...

The flight from Douala to Kenya-Nairobi was pretty cool. I had 3 seats all to myself. I even managed to get some sleep. The flight however from Nairobi (which was a painless boarding process) was not such a fortunate one. There I could not sleep but eventually my destination in SA - JHB International has arrived and I am now waiting to head on to Cape Town. My last stop for the time being ... a week to be exact.

So I doubt you will hear from me for the next week, I will continue when I am back in Cameroon or heading there ... so have fun, and wake up now, I am done ... go climb into bed, I will put you to sleep another time.

Days past and my first session done

Ok, so it has been a few days since I blogged. What have I been up to? Where am I? Where am I off to?

Well nothing much has been going on here the last few days, I have pretty much been working, even my evening runs have taken a back seat, the days at work have been pretty hectic and any thoughts of running was all but a small thought. I take pride in the fact that at the office, I walk 6 flights of stairs instead of the lift, it is only 3 floors but 6 lot of stairs.

But even though I say I didn't go run, I managed a nice run on Saturday, ran past the harbour and it was my first run solo in this strange place. At first it was a little strange running past everyone walking about just giving me strange looks. So I changed my "attitude" on the run and everyone I ran past I gave a hearty Bon Jour (however you spell that) and it was returned just as hearty with a Bon Jour!!! Best be friendly after all this is their home, I am the stranger/visitor here.

Now I have also been asked to add photo's of the inside of my apartment (to follow) and some strange requests of photo's with me in them. Now that is a scary thought, I actually would like people to keep returning to my blog and see how things are going. So with that request in mind, I will take it into consideration.

Now I am flying back to South Africa today, Cape Town in particular, I will only arrive there at 16:00 17 August, so the travel is about to start. There is a thought going through my mind about the issues at airlines ... no, I am not worried about hi-jackings and planes blowing up, I am more concerned that the airports here are going to jump on the band wagon and go through all our bags and waste all this time. I suppose better to waste some time than to have a plane blow up :)

So the schedule is to fly from Cameroon - Douala tonight at 23:55 and arrive in Kenya - Nairobi at about 06:20. I will leave from Kenya at 07:20 to arrive in Johannesburg at 10:40 where I will wait till 13:30 and fly to Cape Town where I will finally land at 15:40.

Now before I came to the apartment to complete my packing, our driver took us to a market, I must say they do have some nice little things there, bracelets, necklaces, t-shirts and I saw the most adorable pair of pink shoes for my soon to be born Niece. This is a task for my next trip here to go and buy those shoes. But here are some photo's of the market ... not a busy day for them but when you arrive you have to be hard, the marketers will stand in your way and try and force you into their "shop" not in an agressive way, they just want your money :)







Now the last photo I just had to put in, after my write up about the way people drive here and there is no accidents, I was surprised to drive past an accident, nothing major, just a bit of a bumper bashing, so yes, accidents do happen here in Cameroon.



Now, till next time, I will probably be in South Africa ... from what I am told a very cold Cape Town.

Cameroon-At-A-Glance

I realized today that I am in Cameroon and I have been telling my stories and yarns while I have been here but not once have I bothered to give anyone the facts about this country, so here is a bit of a lesson all about Cameroon. It is probably more interesting than my other posts that I have created :D




Now I didn't know which one I like more so I have put both maps on here. I live in the city Douala which is right near the Gulf Of Guinea. Now it shows I am pretty close to the ocean, I still have yet to see the ocean but I am told that if I am on the 5th floor (we only have 3 in our apartment) I can see the ocean. This just happens to be less than a kilometer away which is a harbor so I can't go and swim there but to go for a walk on the beach or swim in the ocean is about 30 minutes away ... I will have to do that eventually.



Cameroon Flag

Cameroon statistics

Location
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Geography
Area: 183,568 square miles
Capital: Yaounde (pop 1,119,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; over-grazing; desertification; poaching; over fishing; water-borne disease
Geographical features: diverse with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plain in center, mountains in west and plains in north
Climate: from tropical to semiarid
Comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 4,591 km
Coastline: 402 km
Climate: varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Terrain: diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Border countries
Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km

People
16,185,000 people; 31% Cameroonian Highlander; 19% Equatorial Bantu; 11% Kirdi; 10% Fulani
Annual growth rate: 2.36%
Major languages are English; French; Fulde; Ewondo; Duala; Bamelke; Bassa; Bali
Religions: indigenous beliefs (40%), Christian (40%), Muslim (20%)

Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 54 years; women, 55 years
Infant mortality: 68.8 deaths per 1000 live births
48 % of the population lives in poverty
1 physician per 11,848 people
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: 7.73%
63.4% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 6-12 years; free

Communication and transportation
95,000 main telephone lines
60,000 Internet users (2002)
20,580 miles of highway
489 miles of railroad
49 airfields
153,000 motor vehicles

Government
Cameroon is a unitary republic that became independent from UN trusteeship under the
French on January 1, 1960
President Paul Biya is head of state
5 major political parties
Universal suffrage at 20

Military
Military expenditures are 1.4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes: various border conflicts, especially with Nigeria

Economy
Currency: francs
Per capita GDP: $1,700
GDP: $ 26.4 billion
GDP growth rate: 4.9%
Inflation rate: 2%
Labor force: 70% agriculture; 13% industry and commerce

Resources and industry
Natural resources: petroleum; timber; bauxite; iron ore; hydropower
Agriculture: coffee; cocoa; cotton; rubber; bananas; oilseed; grain; roots; livestock; timber
Industry: petroleum production and refining; food processing; light consumer goods;
textiles; lumber
Exports: $2.1 billion
Imports: $1.5 billion

Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 78%
other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 210 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards
Recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases

Environment - current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

Geography - note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

Birds eye view

The following pictures are just a few pics of a birds eye view from the MTN offices in Cameroon.

This is pretty much the city Douala in Cameroon ... well one side of the building anyway :)

Some more pics

This is the cheap Taxi service, you have a choice of car taxi which will cost you CFA1000 or more or these motorbikes which will cost you CFA150. This also depends on the amount of luggage you have although to some of the travellers, that does't make a difference. And yes, I have used this form of transport already here in Cameroon.


If you need to exchange currency, all you need to do is find the men in the street, they are usually the ones walking around with calculators. It would be best to take a local to debate for the best rate. When we tried on our own we were being offered CFA470 to CFA500 per Dollar, but with our driver we finally got CFA525 to the Dollar.
It doesn't matter what currency you are after, they will provide.
The currency as today is as follows:
$1 = CFA510
R1 = CFA75


Some of the traffic


In this pic, there is no lane to follow, the yellow and white car were actually trying to get ahead of each other, the yellow eventually won, the rule is if you don't want your car bumped stop, I am still yet to see an accident while I am here.

Life continues in Cameroon

I am starting to get settled into Cameroon, understanding of how things work around here.

Very different from anywhere else I have been I will add. For example, work only starts at 09:00, so any meetings that you schedule before then be prepared to be the only one in that meeting. But I have also concluded that in Cameroon time is not important ... unless you are not Cameroon and you have a dead line to get to, but for them, if they are 30 minutes late for a meeting then what is the problem?

Lunch on the other hand is also a 2 hour outing, the reason they have a two hour lunch is because their lunch does not start until such a point as the food is on the table, only then will the time start for lunch. And you have a two hour lunch.

Also had an interesting fact revealed to me about the up coming public holiday next week Tuesday, because the Public holiday is on a Tuesday, it automatically creates a "bridge" which means you automatically get the Monday off as well.

Life in Cameroon, it is nice I tell you. I haven't seen anyone stressed out here yet. Even with the traffic. But I still prefer my life in SA :)

I have even managed to go for a run a few times this week, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday we went a bit late so it was dark, it was interesting especially the fact that we didn't get hit by the traffic. Although my running partner wasn't totally lucky ... no he didn't get hit by the traffic but he did fall in a "pothole" of sorts, we didn't even see it, I managed to miss it ... I acredit this to my boot camp training, always alert hahaha (we will forget the last incident at boot camp with my wrist ... the battle field can be dangerous)

Last night we went for another run, this time my running partner decided that we run for 30 minutes in one direction, and then get a taxi back, the cheap taxi. I will post some pics after this blog with the cheap taxi's ... all that it is, is a motorbike which you hop on, no helmet for either of you.

That route however I think did us more damage than good. The area we ended up in wasn't the greatest, more run down than normal and I am sure you could get some good bargins there ... if there was anything I wanted. But the traffic and the pollution was pretty bad, but it was entertaining none the less. The amount of people we were running through, cars and bikes we were dodging along the way. The cheering from the crowds ... was wondering if I was in some race of sorts hahaha.

Tonight we are going to try and run down by the river ... should be entertaining as well ... hopefully less pollution.

Some Pics

Our Driver


The apartment from outside


View from the Balcony


One of the pics of the road to the office

The day so far ....

Well this has really been an interesting day in Cameroon. First I wanted to go for a run this morning but alas that was spoiled with the rain coming down with a vengance but I am told that this is the raining season ... seems like it is only in the morning though as by the afternoon there was no rain nor a cloud to be seen.

On the way to the office was an eye opener I will tell you that ... ok, Cameroon does have tar roads but they mainly look like they are under construction. The route we took to the office was not much of a road, and traffic or the people that do drive are a law unto their own. I thought traffic was bad in SA but I tell you what ... the rule of the road here ... well there is none, if you want to turn around you do so whenever you feel like it. Right of way ... whomever doesn't want to get their car bumped.

Now if you want to get from point A to point B you have three methods of doing so (taking out the fact that we have a driver) 1) you walk 2) you get a taxi, yellow one or any other one that pleases you and 3) hop on the back of a motorbike where they will give you a lift ... helmets are optional. If you are a couple .. don't worry, they will put one on the back and the other on the petrol tank.

I even went for a bit of a walk about while waiting for my other collegues to finish up. I am lucky to be alive I tell you ... I almost got taken out by four or five of the motor bikes ... now those of you who do share a bit of worry for my life relax, I would never have been hit by the hornets nest they call traffic here. I eventually realized that no matter what they will not hit you, whether it be with the car or the motor bike. I proved this theory when I couldn't cross the "street" yes I use the word street very lightly ... but the mess of all the cars making U-turns, and turning right or left or just stopping proved that I was never going to get across the "street" if I waited, so I walked and believe it or not, the cars or bikes stopped or drove around me ... amazing ... as much as the traffic was a mess and disorganized I managed to cross the street without so much as a bump. Now let me try this in good ol SA ... we are accustomed to some sort of order in the streets and roads so if you go against that order we loose it and will pop a vein in our heads because of it ... but you know ... I would rather have that than the traffic here anyday ... no wonder you can't rent a car here ... if you are not a local ... forget it, you will get eaten alive in traffic.

It was also amazing to see how many people approached me to try and exchange my $'s for African Francs ... even got asked if I want to buy some Russian money. But the fear of getting false money I decided it was a no go and would rather trust my faithful driver to get me the right currency. I got in the car and off we went ... back to the people I just turned down ... well the positive side of it was that when I was walking in the street I was being offered 500 AF per $ but thanks to my driver I got 525AF per $ ... so far I have not noticed it to be counterfeit ...

This evening we went to dinner ... a place called Le Berlin. I will tell you this ... best damn steak I have ever had!!! The owner of the place is also very friendly and he even will help you with the waitress to make sure she understands and takes the correct order ... if there is a language barrier. Then he will sit down and have a quick chat with you as well. Yes, I think I will be going to this restaurant again.

We got to the restaurant by the way by taking a NON yellow taxi (the kind I was warned to avoid) for the Four of us it cost 2000AF and well worth it ... when we thought we were going the long way round and in the wrong direction (which doesn't make sense as we were already given an amount) we found out that he was taking us that way as he saw the police/army and he wasn't avoiding them becuase he was in trouble but it was so we don't get stopped as tourists ... the police will not let us go until such a point we give them some sort of bribe. Thanks Mr Taxi man.

Ok, this blog is done, I am going to post another one with some pics I have taken ... another note to be noted ... Camerooneans do not like the fact that you take photo's of Cameroon or them ...

The Flight

The flight ... what can one say about the flight. It was a pretty empty flight. At first glance I thought I was lucky as there was no one sitting next to me and then to my delight I saw they were busy closing up and there were a few of the middle rows in the plane that was empty!!! This meant 3 seats all to myself!!

The flight started off well but as luck would have it, I had a mom and her three kids behind me, the one who happened to be 2 years old. This kid would not stop crying and kept on kicking the back of my seat.

When I asked the mother to please stop her kid from kicking my seat, she started to argue with me about what can she do and maybe I should move to another seat where no one will kick my chair ... a few words later and some sterns looks things calmed down a little. Only to be woken up again by shouting from this kid and him kicking my chair again. Luckily for them and my sanity it was 10 minutes to landing.

The flight was actually pretty short and I thought it would take much longer to get to Kenya. Kenya Airport isn't that bad ... much bigger than I thought it would be and when last did you see one of these signs ...



Our lay over at Kenya was about 3 hours, although the time difference was and did confuse me as to how long I was anywhere ... will explain later.

Now because we were there for that long instead of sitting at the coffee shop we decided to go sit in the diners club lounge which you pay $20 and you can park off and watch DSTV etc and there is free internet for you to use (one computer I might add) After walking up and down the airport, watching TV we finally were called to start boarding. Even had to take off our shoes before walking through boarding.

As I was waiting to board I realized I had left my folder with all my notes for my work on the plane from JHB to Kenya, I had a lot of notes and to recover them would not be easy. I took a chance and asked the air hostess if they would be able to find out and let me know in a few days time if they are able to find it. She came back with a security guard who asked me about it and he went off only to return with my folder in hand ... I was shocked I seriously thought it was gone but luckily for me the air hostesses on the other flight handed it in at the security desk. Thanks Kenya Airlines ... you saved me a lot of work!!!

This flight however took much longer and as luck would have it I was unable to sleep, even reading was not doing me so well. It was one move and the flight was supposedly 3 hours 35 minutes. It felt much longer. We landed at some airport that starts with a Y and we had to wait in the plane for 45 minutes to fly another 30 minutes to our final destination Douala.

It was hot, just standing in the queue was killing me ... although having a jersy on and carrying my leather jacket wasn't helping me much to cool down. The luggage was actually very quick, and yes all my luggage was there, I was bombarded by a lot of porters all wanting to carry my bags and the fact that I didn't have change I had to be firm in telling them I will sort my own luggage out. Remember ... no one here has change ...

I am also very glad that we have a driver who picked us up, you walk out the airport and you get bombarded by taxi drivers ... I didn't actually notice any yellow cabs ... what I did notice though was there was total chaos outside with the traffic.

But all in all, we arrived at our apartment late, unpacked and went to sleep. It was a long long flight.

Oh, the time difference thing ... well Kenya is an hour earlier than SA so your flight is actually an hour shorter than you thought, but when you fly from Kenya to Cameroon, you are now two hours behind from Kenya and one from SA which increases your expectant arrival time ... or flight time whichever way you want to look at it .. either way ... it was a long flight!!!

Leaving on a jet plane .. la la lalala

Well here I am ... sitting at News Cafe at Johannesburg International Airport. I got here pretty early, dragging mom, dad and brother with me. I didn't force them, they wanted to come see me off.

I have been at the airport since 06:30 and got to enjoy a nice breakfast with the family.

My biggest worry was realized though, the worry was that my luggage was going to weigh too much. I wouldn't have so much luggage if I was packing up my life but that I am. Packing my life up and moving on to a better one *wink*

As for the luggage problem.... after adjusting my luggage my check in luggage was 7kg over the limit (they let that through with no penalty or extra payment. My hand luggage however they wouldn't let me get away with that. It was 2kg over the limit. So I took out a book and my toiletries and I was down to 9kg ... went through checkin and repacked the toiletries and book back into the bag ... go figure ...

Now the other question is where are my other companions ... the question after that ... will my luggage make it to Douala??

Interesting

Well I have had an interesting chat with some of the guys here at work whom have been to Cameroon and stories and advice flowed freely.

The flight plan is pretty simple:

1) Leave Johannesburg International on Monday at 11:30
2) Arrive in Nairobi at 16:40
3) Wait around for 3 hours before catching the next flight at 19:45
4) Arrive in Douala at 23:10

The airport in Nairobi is pretty decent or so I am told, I was contemplating getting an American Express card so that I can go and sit in the VIP lounges. Nairobi however only has Diners, so pay R800 a year for a Diners Card (out of my pocket) or $20 (company pays for i.e. part of my allowance) when I am there to be let in so that I can sit and relax in "comfort"

The American Express card is still a very good option for when I am in JHB International.

Now one of the first things I am told to do is go to the foreign exchange at the airport because their rate are better, I get 570 (????) where as at the hotels I get 430 (again???) or I can buy currency off the street. The thing here is I just might get counterfeit money included in my real money ... but not to worry apparently if I get counterfeit, then I just keep going to shops till eventually someone takes it as if it was real money.

So yes, me thinks the airport will be the best place to get my Africa Francs. Oh and I am told that while I am exchanging my currency on the street I can put in an order for some drugs "headache" tablets if you will.

And a very important bit of advice, I am told to pack two days worth of clothes in my carry on bag, mainly because I have to go back to the airport two days later or so to fetch my suitcase (two days if they remember to put it on the plane)for some reason the suitcases don't fly with us to Douala. Wondering if I can take all my luggage on as carry on?

Then there is a debate as to what to pay the taxi's ... rule number one though, I have been told not to ask the taxi driver how much it will cost ... speak to our hired driver and get a rate from him (my question however is this: if we have a driver at our beck and call ... why do we need a taxi?)

Ok, so rule numero uno, don't ask how much, when the driver stops give him 150 (says one collegue) "The taxi driver will kill you" says another collegue. The going rate is 1000 African Francs (roughly $2 or R12-R14) oh, rule number two don't give him a 2000 Arican Franc bill ... they never have change, even if the guy that just stepped out gave him 1000, there just is never ever change from the Taxi cabs. Oh, another rule ... only get into the yellow cabs, the non yellow cabs are illegal cabs ... yea, ok ... got it.

We can braai while we are there ... the apartment we are staying in has braai facilities and a TV with SABC1 and CNN whoo hooo. I am so glad I have to study.

So yes, I have probably forgotten rule 4 through to rule 1 million but I am sure I will figure it out as I get there.

I am not concerned, it is going to be fun, I have had my Hepititas A, B, C and whatever other alphabet injections, I have been taking my malaria tablets ... but been thinking about that ... need to loose some weight and they say Malaria is a good weight loss method ... I suppose surviving is a side affect to that as well ... I have taken my Rabies shot 1 and last night gave myself shot number 2 (Rabies??) they probably have free roaming mad dogs running around, must be those "headache" tablets they took becausee their luggage still hasn't arrived!!!

So all in all ... is it going to be such a bad country ... heck I don't know. Let's see what happens next. I will just have to experience this all for myself!! So till next week ... bye bye now