Life in the... slow lane :)

"Stuck" in the village, 2 weeks without internet, at least 2 of those days without phone, so totally shut off from the outside world in a sense... and yet it isn't the end of the world.  Life goes on, we have food to eat, the weather is very rainy but otherwise warm (not hot), people are friendly, and we are (slowly) readjusting.  Here are some of the "realities" of living here right now....




No clothes dryer; instead, a clothesline in the fresh outside air.  But because of all the rain, it makes much more sense to use a drying rack that can be moved onto the porch when you hear the rain sweeping nearer.







Things that break down, or just simply break over time, even sitting in a box for 5 years (yup, that is/was Corel).

Different items as part of our kitchen, including a meat grinder.  Cows are brought to the market town 3km away, and sold by the chunk. 


The stove is not electric, but rather runs off bottled gaz.  With the roads virtually impassable, we hope the gaz bottles last until the roads get better!  This stove is the same one we brought over in a container many years ago (we will probably purchase our next one here, though the ones here tend to be much smaller and only one small cookie sheet would fit in the oven).  We have ordered a new stove top, as this one is almost rusted through.











 When it is cloudy so much (rainy season), sometimes the solar panels can't keep up with our power usage (computers and washing machine), so this handy little generator keeps us going.  There are many gadgets associated with the solar system; I know only enough to turn on what I need to keep the household running :).

The Muddy 7-Mile Trek

The main road from Kumba westward wasn't too bad, no 4-wheel drive needed.  We were dropped off at this intersection, where a cocoa-truck came to haul all our luggage & groceries.  After a quick stop to down some rice & sauce at a local eatery (the porch of a house), we ladies and children set off on foot, each of us moms carrying backpacks with 2 computers each, plus water/juice and umbrella.

Mud boots protected our feet & legs, but also ended up giving many of us sore feet (maybe more pairs of socks are needed next time). 





Enjoy the pictures, though it was impossible to get good enough pictures to show you the real state of the road...


4 hours of walking....

And finally, home and "safe" under mosquito nets....

Overnight in Kumba

A night in Kumba... I was SO weary, but thankful for the hotel that we stayed in.  It was cheaper than the rest house, the bathroom was definitely better, and we didn't have to share a room with the kids :).

The next morning we headed to the center where our team has a storage container. 



We also greeted seminary leaders and other friends
   



 




And, of course, Kenneth found a furry friend, though its mom wasn't too happy with this new friendship :).





Mike headed off to do last-minute shopping, and we were ready for the adventure of getting into the village....

A long drive from Bamenda to Kumba...

 
The drive to Kumba used to take 5 hours to Loum on a paved road, and them 1 hour from Loum to Kumba on a dirt road.  This year, the dirt road is not passable, so we had to go the long way, almost to Douala and through Mutengene, before reaching Kumba.  Here are a variety of pictures from that long, 8 hour, journey!

Heading down the escarpment



Rain clouds...

 

The "fast food" stop for lunch netted us bits of cooked meat, cooked (unripe) plantains, and cooked African plums (see picture below).  YUM!

I couldn't get a clear picture of this, but wanted you to get a glimpse of the goats (yes, 3 of them - one brown one standing up, and two black/white ones lying down) tied to the roof-rack of this bus.

A rubber plantation (the dark trees off the road a bit)



A banana plantation, owned by Dole, I believe.  The light blue bags you might be able to see
 on some of the stalks are to protect the developing stalks.



A road-side plant nursery.  Stop and select your choice :).



And FINALLY, Kumba!!!