Cameroon
Country 100, hiking Mt. Cameroon, and the humidity of the tropics strikes many times
Going into Cameroon I did not know what to expect. I have heard about the humidity and of course Mt. Cameroon which is the tallest peak in Western Africa. Being this was my 100th Country, I decided to shake it up by upgrading and also doing Mt. Cameroon!!!
Coming into Cameroon from Nigeria we were automatically struck with a wave of humidity and heat. Sometimes reaching 95 degrees with 100 percent humidity. Sleeping in tents, this was not an ideal condition for anyone, but we survived. Getting into the coast, the humidity and heat got worse with very little breeze, so I decided to upgrade to a hotel room for the duration of my stay in Limbe.
Hiking Mt. Cameroon was something I have always wanted to do and nothing was going to stop me. Little did I know, most of the mountain had no paths and jagged rock is what you walked on (straight up, and strait down, as level areas do not exist). It was a hard journey of 6 hours the first day, then staying at a camp halfway up the mountain where it got very windy and a little cold at night. Then the next day hiked all the way to the peak then back down, which a few days later, people were still walking slow.
The Pygmy Village we went to visit was fascinating as we saw this group of people dancing and talked to the chief. We basically learned that they are still hunters and gatherers and deny any government help whatsoever. Fascinating to see how their village works!!!!
The people of Cameroon are very friendly in the English speaking parts, but as we moved into the French speaking parts, we found them very cranky (could be again because of the heat or we did not speak French). But overall the people are friendly, welcoming and always ready to help with whatever you need!!!!
