There’r not many days like this

Well, we’ve enjoyed the weekend at our “country home,” and now it’s time to head back to Foumban. Akilah’s gotta go to work tomorrow, and I’ve gotta find something to do. By the time I finally get out of bed, Akilah and Becky are in the front room reading. That’s one thing some PCVs don’t get a lot of time to do, relax and read.

There are some who probably do a little more than others, but for the most part, you’re so busy integrating and providing reciprocal experiences, you don’t get any time to yourself. I’d have to say that’s definitely true in Becky’s situation. If she didn’t keep her door shut, the neighborhood children would always be there occupying her time, or trying to find something they could clean up or move around for a little pay.

Akilah and I leave finally out about one or so, to catch a taxi to Bafoussam. Ahh, a nice walk to the roadside, where else can you have such a relaxing time? Nothing eventful about this walk, it’s just a normal day, with a normal situation. Can’t be too many days like this, can there?

We find an empty taxi, or it finds us, jump in the front seat (yes, both of us) and head to Bafoussam. Good thing Akilah chose the front seat for us, by the time the taxi filled there were four people in the back. Yeah that’s normal, but two of them were very well endowed in the hip area. Oooo, somebody’s gotta be feeling that.

I’m amazed that we made it there without any stops by gendarme; are they on vacation? Aside from the occassional bush taxi screeching to get in front of us, then passing on their unsightly fumes to us.

Once in Bafoussam, we have the taxi stop on the road near the our preferred cyber cafe. As we walk in the door, we notice a sign indicating that tomorrow (the 15th) rates will be dropping once again. That’s twice within a month’s period that rates have been cut. There must be some fierce competition going on for customers. The cafe I used a few days ago was charging 900 CFAs per half hour; and this one is now going to be charging 500 CFAs per half hour.

I’m glad we came here, the service appears to be more reliable (even if it isn’t). I’m able to get my first task done, and am part of the way through the other. I’ve decided to cut my list of thing’s to do on the internet, don’t want to upset the Cameroonian computer deities with too much work. You never know here.

Good thing I get all of the important things done first, while finishing my last task, all of a sudden the power goes off on my side of the room; six computers are now rebooting. Argh! I was almost done. By the time they’re back on I’m racing to get back to the point of completion, and when just about done, it happens again! Okay, I said I wouldn’t upset the computer deities, so what’s going on here? This doesn’t even include when the computer crashed because too many of the system resources were being used.

For some reason, the computer I usually end up on is the one that the cafe uses to pump music into the room. So while they’re running audio files through winamp, I’m trying to use the computer; not fair at all, this thing is slow enough without them doing that. Guess it wouldn’t be so bad if they had more files than the same one’s we hear over and over each time we come. Sisqo, Eve, DMX and so on; don’t they get tired of these? For someone with limited english, the proctor here sure knows the words to these songs, and the one’s he doesn’t know, he just grunts ’em.

After being called from the back area, the proctor comes out to see what may be wrong. I indicate to him that the computers have now cut off twice. Of course I do this with very little english, just to make sure he can half understand me. At this moment I notice a computer on the side of the room that hasn’t been affected freeing up, so I motion to go over there.

Why didn’t I sit here in the beginning? This system is moving much faster than the other’s I’ve been on, and I’m essentially finished what I need to do. Though it crashes on me, I’m able to finish my final task in record time (for these systems anyway). By the time I pay my bill, he ends up giving me an hour discount, cool!

We find another taxi and slowly make our way to the Foumban gare. While walking a short distance, we’re trying to remain inconspicuous, because once someone who knows we’re going to Foumban sees us, we’ll be hounded until we make a decision on which bush taxi we want.

There are no reasonable looking cars in the official gare, so we decide to walk down to one of the agencies, Muongo (the same one we caught here on Friday). We get there in a knick of time, as there are only like four seats remaining. Crossing the lot to them, however, a chargeur who has assisted us with finding a Foumban car twice before is running our way. He’s doing his best to convince us that the car is going to Foumban, but there’s also a chargeur for the agency right there saying he’s trying to trick us, they’re not going all the way.

Just to be safe, we decide to take the agency. It’s almost dark and Akilah would rather be in one she definitely knows will stop in Foumban, I agree. We pay the 1600 CFAs for the pair of tickets and quickly claim two of the last seats on the taxi. Now is the waiting game, there’s two more seats to fill and they won’t leave until there are people in them.

While the chargeurs do their job’s of finding folks, it suddenly becomes obvious to one of the agency folks that there are too many people on the taxi. As he asks to see tickets, there are two ladies who don’t present one, and now everyone is furious with them. You have to understand that when you ride with an agency, everyone knows you pay for your ticket in advance; no excuses! This is extremely important because they prepare a list of passengers so when you pass a gendarme road block, they only have to review the list to see the passengers names. This prevents having to make everyone take out their documents to prove who they are. In short, an agency makes sure you’re who you say you are.

So why didn’t these ladies pay? Now there are two additional persons ready to take the seats and they have to get out; and as they’re doing so, they’re actually trying to save the seats they were in. Not! There are already enough paying customers for this trip, and the chargeurs adamently tell them they need to board the next taxi leaving.

Finally, a seat in a moving bush taxi. We’re heading home. There’s only one roadblock that stops us, and it was eventless. Unless of course you consider the fact that the driver forgot to put the hand brake on. While we’re sitting there waiting, fifteen people, the vehicle begins to shift. This happens at least three times, and people are yelling out of the window for the “chauffer,” who takes his time returning.

One of us in the back could’ve gotten out to get his attention, but for some reason, the door won’t open. Turns out, the driver has to open the door or it will fall off track and be difficult to move. Can we say fire trap?

Once we reach our destination, we hop in a taxi to take us to the downtown area and make it home for pasta. We’re both beat and just want to hit the sack. Out.