Canoe race and more

Sunday June 14, 2009

Today was the big canoe race at Barombi Lake near Kumba. Julius drove us part of the way. When we reached the road to the lake, we hopped out and hiked the rest of the distance. The hills were enormous leading up to the lake. Only the strongest of vehicles and ocada could make it to the lake. The road was also in pretty poor condition with plenty of potholes and muddy sections. A huge vertical cliff greeted me as I neared the lake.

Barombi Lake is a crater lake that reaches to an unknown depth. When nearby Mount Cameroon has a period of high volcanic activity, the lake gets so warm that fish die and float to the surface. The lake is also the source of Kumba’s water supply. Many Kumba residents also come here on weekends to relax and swim.

The race itself was a huge production. All the local dignitaries showed up. (Some of them quite late, causing a couple hour delay in the start time) The organizers even had a DJ who played the Cameroon national anthem before the races began. It felt like a regatta in the US. Guinness had a small beer tent set up and hundreds of people lined the banks of the lake. Everyone from Barombi Bo (located on the opposite shore of the lake) recognized Mark, Carine, and Julius. They can’t wait for us to visit the village.

The final race of the day was quite exciting. It pitted boats from Limbe, Duoala, Kumba/Barombi, and some other city. Barombi’s boat was far outmatched. While the other teams paddled modern fiberglass vessels, Barombi struggled to keep up in a dug out canoe. On the other hand, Barombi did have the largest cheering section by far. The teams raced two large circuits around the lake. It came down to a sprint to the finish line. Limbe edged Duoala by a half boat length for the win. Barombi finished about twenty minutes later. We were worn out after a long day and decided to head home before the big after party began.

Monday June 15, 2009

We headed back to Boa Bakundu for another two week stay. Somehow, we managed to leave at the time we planned. After reaching the village Carine and Sabine (one of the immersion coordinators) decided to follow us up to the catchment to see how the work was progressing. Some quarters were already done digging for the day by the time we reached the storage tanks. On our way back from the catchment, we helped one quarter move an enormous rock out of the path of the pipeline. The girls were exhausted after walking up and back.

I played a little Frisbee in the afternoon and had two cups of palm wine before heading off to play some soccer. Traveler’s Tip: Don’t drink two cups of palm wine just before playing soccer. I played ok at midfield, but my stomach was in knots. I left the game early and headed home to take some Pepto Bismol and rest. Lesson learned.

In the evening, we introduced Cameroon to the card game “Spoons.” Everyone seemed to enjoy the frantic nature of the game. Our only interruptions were some kids yelling at us from outside and some random drunk person coming in to complain about a fine. After we told him we could do nothing about his fine, he begged us for food. Hopefully, these types of visitors don’t become an everyday occurrence.