Heavy mist covered the mountain on which the Cattle Ranch resort is situated and the temperature was a cool 22 degrees when Lipstick started this morning on the journey to Cameroun
As the bottom of the mountain was reached the weather cleared up and the temperature rose to 30degrees pretty fast. The team travelled the same route back to Ikon and filled up the almost empty petrol tank before hitting the road to the Cameroun border.
Again there were several police and army stops in faster intervals as the border became closer. To team Lipsticks surprise they met a cyclist from Sweden on one of the stops who attempts to complete a Sweden to South Africa trip on bicycle.
The interrogating police officer asked team Lipstick.
“Gentlemen please tell me whether this man is mad or what pleasure he can get from doing this….”
Team Lipstick was unable to give him a conclusive answer.
The border procedures went extremely well on the Nigerian as well as on the Cameroun side of the border posts. Passports and carnet were stamped by very friendly officials all very enthusiastic about how well Germany has played in the world cup so far.
Like at any border so far money exchangers were able to change Lipsticks resource from the Nigerian Naira currency to the CAF currency used in the French speaking countries of the African West Coats.
The border town of Cameroun is called Ekok and Andre immediately felt at home here…
The French wording d’ekok actually mean from Ekokbut Andre is now not sure whether his ancestors actually came from this part of the world …
Whilst the road leading to the border was well built with very few potholes the road into Cameroun started as a gravel road deteriorating badly into a real 4 x4 track. This carried on for a goof 10 km when a new road currently under construction started to appear.
The Chinese are doing a great job here obviously offering Cameroun some roads in return for timber and other natural resources. The nice sandpits soon became a perfectly wide open tar road leading through tall forests with nice little villages appearing from time to time.
Cameroun is regarded as the miniature version of West Africa with English and French speaking population – over the years Cameroun was ruled by the Germans, the British as well as the French before becoming independent and unified in 1972.
Whilst the English language is present in this north western parts of Cameroun almost all speak French in the more southern regions
Gone were the shack like buildings seen in Nigeria with proper small brick houses making up these villages with even little gardens in front of them.
Some 50km before Lipstick reached Bamenda Lipstick had to climb some mountains as Bamenda sits on an elevation of 1700m above sea level
There was hardly any traffic but some interesting vehicles were passed along the road…
This truck obviously belonged to a bottle store previously in the German black forest region…
The advertisement reads: Everything against thirst….
Regards to Voegele in Balingen from team Lipstick – Cameroun – your truck is still going well….and now transporting Bananas and potatoes…
Shortly before sunset a place of rest was found as well as an ATM machine to draw some cash