Bus Rides

When we landed in Cameroon we landed in Yaounde, naturally, so after a couple days of prep in the big city we headed out to Bambalang.

We hired a bus, so we were able to sit comfortably in what would have usually been an 18 passenger van. It was an eight hour bus ride, but we stopped every couple of hours at bathrooms and food markets. This journey happened on maybe our third day in Cameroon, and most of the team was still pretty nervous, so when we stopped to get lunch at a market, only a couple of us ventured out and bought food for the whole group. We weren't sure what to expect and we acted very cautiously.

Now, on the way back we hired the same bus and driver, Sidu (who was absolutely wonderful and marvelous), and headed back to Yaounde. We were much more confident in our knowledge of Cameroonian culture this time, and we even decided to buy unknown foods through the window (you can read that story below). We all ventured out into the food market, and we knew how to haggle for food. We were used to the stares and people calling out to us. It was a completely different experience.

Then our tire popped. Two hours later, after some interesting encounters on the side of the road, and Adriana chasing lots of bugs with her camera, we were back on the road. And everything was still fine. On our way up, I am positive we would have handled the experience very differently, but as it was, we were okay and that experience didn't color the rest of our time in Cameroon. Instead, the rest of our time in Cameroon had taught us how to deal with the experience, how to be patient and okay with sudden changes in the schedule. How to deal with unwanted attention and remain safe.

Flying into Yaounde, we didn't think much of it being a big city. The city itself is large, but it is nothing like Toronto. There are stores, with buildings and everything, and lots of traffic and people. But it isn't a North American big city. Driving back in from Bambalang, we thought a lot of it being a big city. Having stayed in an even more rural part of the country, we know thought that Yaounde was a huge city. Our eyes were opened to differences we hadn't been able to perceive before.

All this to say, even though we took the same route and even rode in the same bus, that month of living in Cameroon really changed us. And we didn't notice until we realized how different each bus ride was.