This and that

L got her hair braided... but it only lasted a few hours before she took it out.








Johanes brought a tortoise for us to see.

This flying insect was quite unique!  Don't worry - it was very small :).




Mike worked hard at replacing struts in our washing machine.







This frozen meat was part of a small deer.  It smelled quite interesting (probably because it was smoked first), but tasted ok.

We thought the rains would NEVER end this year, but they finally did, and now it has been weeks since the last rain.  The heavy dew almost every night still keeps things looking green and fresh though.







Cows are not usually seen in our village (too many diseases for them), but Christmas feasts were a draw for the herdsmen to come make a sale :).

Our cat has become a good hunter - lizards and mice (yay!).

Boys at work and at play

K. has enjoyed a lot of time with his friends recently.

They have helped him with his chores, helped us crack egusi (like pumpkin seeds),






and helped me make a bamboo fence for some of my tomato plants.

K loves playing with his friends,













but even more, he enjoys working on some kind of project with them, like carrying bananas back from his friend's farm.






  He has become quite good at using a machete - though he did manage to get a slight (thankfully no worse!) slice in his leg.

Beach time with Jenny!

At the end of November, we had the opportunity to meet Jenny at the beach.  We spent a week with her while the family she was tutoring was "holidaying" with friends there.

First, though, we had to get out of the village!  We packed very minimally so motorcycle taxis could take our luggage (plus empty gaz bottles we needed to refill for the stove & hot water heater).



And we started walking those 7 miles... again!

 Some of these pictures were taken on the walk out, others on the walk back in.

Mike had previously gone out for some meetings, so K, L, and I finished our trek and waited for him to pick us up and drive us to Kumba...





...where we stocked up on groceries.  This is our one choice of a supermarket - a nice one, though :).










We made the long drive to Kribi, staying the first few nights in a less expensive but cramped (for 5 of us) room.  But if you spend most of your time at the beach, that's ok!

Beautiful scenery...

Wonderful fresh sea food (this from someone who normally does NOT enjoy eating fish!)






























including a fantastic American Thanksgiving meal, thanks to friends - with the (imported) turkey cooked in a pot over a fire!









A side trip showed us a bit more of the fishing culture on the beach





(the large fish is a tuna, the smaller ones are sardines)







and gave the kids the opportunity to explore a wrecked sailboat!








The last few days were spent in larger accommodations, which meant we could have people over for a time of table games.