Location: Buea to Douala, Cameroon
Date: December 28th
My morning in Buea started with an early breakfast at 7:30 with Marek, who was ambitious enough to push on to Yaoundé today. I had more modest plans. We stayed at the incredible Ricochet’s Villa, an amazing place that’s rebranding as a hotel, complete with a swimming pool.
First Flat Tire of the Journey
After Marek left, I discovered my right rear tire had lost quite a bit of air—a nail had found its way in. This was the first flat of my entire journey, so I can’t complain too much. With help from one or two of the hotel staff, I changed it on level ground. Since it was Sunday, getting it repaired would have to wait, but this was the easiest solution anyway.
After the tire change, I even had time for a swim in the pool.
Reconnecting with Elvis
I’d arranged to meet Elvis, someone I’d met by chance in Morocco during my journey. We’d had coffee or beer together, exchanged numbers, and went our separate ways. When I learned he lived near Douala, I reached out, and he agreed to meet me about 20 minutes from where I was staying.
The main roads were fantastic, aside from a few potholes, but the small streets were incredibly rough—upside down and downside up, no place for rushing. I misunderstood his pin location at first and drove through another neighborhood, but eventually found the gas station where we’d agreed to meet.
Elvis is a truly entrepreneurial person. When I met him in Morocco, he was dealing with issues related to a small freighter he’d bought in Albania that he needed to get to Cameroon. Now it’s there, and he’ll be able to ship about 85 20-foot containers of tiles along the immediate coast to neighboring countries. He’s been in the tile business for 10 years and also has a smaller boat for the same purpose. It was wonderful reconnecting, and we both enjoyed our second encounter. Who knows if or when it will happen again, but it was great fun.
The Split-Second Decision
After our meeting at the gas station, I walked around the area where vendors sold food and other goods. As I headed back to my car, walking downhill, I passed what I thought was a small tree. I wasn’t paying much attention to it until suddenly it moved—brushing right in front of me.
A car had lost its brakes with four people inside. I was able to talk to them briefly. The driver had made a split-second choice: hit the tree or hit me. He chose the tree, then used the hillside to stop the car and avoid hurting anyone.
It was absolutely astounding. I never saw it coming—it was from behind. I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. Praise my lucky stars that’s how it ended up.
I was shaken, and a crowd gathered, saying prayers and thanking God. Then one person said, “Well, okay, you survived it, now you can give me some money.” I didn’t, of course.
Finding Rest in Douala
It was time to move on to Douala, just a short ride away. I didn’t have a hotel lined up, but it was pretty easy to get around. I explored the area before crossing the bridge into the real Douala, keeping in mind that I needed to find a place for car service the next day.
I visited quite a few hotels, but none of them made sense until I found one that was definitely higher priced—$90 per night, roughly double what I normally look for. But I needed a really good internet connection, and this place met that requirement. It even had parking for my car, though it barely fit through the building entrance.
After all of today’s happenings, having a comfortable place to stay made my Douala arrival complete. Time to rest up and process this extraordinary day.
