7 November - Cameroon Wild Camp to Banyo

We slept well and got up to a clear sunny morning. We slept in a little bit and took our time with breakfast, then packed up. The route for the day was 20 miles to Banyo Cameroon with more challenging road. It was a good decision that we had stopped the day before, because the last 20 miles brought more challenging climbs and water crossings. Mark did struggle with the bike over a couple obstacles, but we eventually made it out and into the town of Banyo around lunch time.

We checked into our hotel which was quite comfortable. I unloaded my gear and set off to run a few errands. I needed to change our Nigerian Naira to Central Africa CFA (Francs). I asked the guy at the hotel for advice and he led me into town to a phone shop where a guy could make change for us. It was a black market exchange over the counter of a dimly lit store in a shack. The black market exchange rate was very bad, and we lost about 40% of the money on the exchange. Later I learned that this was to be expected, and we should have purchased Nigerian currency by the black market (versus through an ATM) to get a more favorable rate. This is because Naira to USD or EURO is very bad, but Naira to CFA on the black market is nearly an even trade. The loss stung a bit, but there wasn't anything I could do to improve at this point in time. 

After the money change, I stopped at the market to get some water and snacks and also the MTN phone store to get a SIM card for my phone. It all worked out well and I was back to the room by late afternoon.

We had dinner and drinks at the hotel restaurant that evening. The electricity at the hotel was not reliable and it was off and on throughout the evening. There was not AC in the room but there was a fan, which cut off around midnight when the power went out for the rest of the night. This has been our experience at many places previously in west Africa.

8 November - Banyo to Foumban

The next morning we made a plan to get insurance for the bikes. We had been carrying “Brown Card” insurance which covered us until Nigeria. As we were now in Cameroon, we must purchase “Pink Card” insurance, which will cover us for Cameroon, Gabon, and Republic of Congo. It’s not a requirement, but it is inexpensive and could be requested by authorities, so we prefer to carry it.

We drove into town near the market area to a location that I found on iOverlander which should have been an insurance office. It appears that it had closed and there was nobody selling insurance there. I got off the bike and asked a couple helpful locals. One guy knew where to go to get insurance. We must follow him just a couple minutes away. I decided in my head that I’ll be cautious and follow this guy and see what he comes up with.

We drove around the block and parked on the curb of the road near the gutter. He waved me to follow him down an alley. We took a short walk in between the buildings to a back alley where there was a gate. He knocked on the gate and a young woman answered. She made a phone call to a third person about my request, and then told me that we can get insurance at another place about 5 minutes away. I was about 60% sure this was legitimate so I decided to follow them!

Our “guide” led us to the other side of town (not far) then up a dirt street that meandered to the top of a hill overlooking the city. There were many houses up there, and we pulled up to a gated residence. The gate opened for us and we entered and met a lady who was obviously our insurance sales person. I told her what we needed and she showed me the blank paperwork that we should receive. It all looked legitimate. She took our vehicle and personal information, and 10 minutes later we received our insurance neatly folded in a NSIA (a national insurance company) plastic sleeve. It had seemed a bit sketchy at first but it worked out. Insurance papers in hand, we set off around 9:45. We had a long day planned so it was important that we left as soon as possible.

Shortly after we escaped the paved roads of the town, the road devolved into dirt with potholes and intermittent pavement. Each time we reached pavement, we hoped it would last more than a quarter mile but it never did. The density of potholes in the dirt became greater as we passed through many small villages for over 50 miles. We were very exhausted, with sore necks and rear ends from driving on the bumpy roads. It wasn’t possible to go fast, so we plodded along around 5 to 10 miles per hour, praying for it to end. Eventually at mile 100, the new paved highway began and we couldn’t be happier. This first 100 miles had taken about 6 hours and I realized we would not meet our planned destination for the day.

Our first stop was to go to an ATM in Foumban, because it was the first ATM availble since our entry into Cameroon. I had already identified a hotel in that town just in case we needed it. After 40 miles we arrived in Foumban, stopped at the bank, and then checked into the hotel. It was a nice place with secure parking, restaurant and air conditioning. The town of Foumban was very scenic, situated on top of a small mountain. The city sprawled across the terrain and it had an alpine feel to it with many pine trees. There was a local history museum in the center of town with very unique architecture. It was in the shape of a coiled-up snake with a giant spider on top. It looked like a theme park attraction, very funny.

9 November - Foumban to Yaounde

We set off for Yaounde after a very punctual breakfast at 7:30am. I only mention this because most breakfast appointments have been around 20 minutes late. This hotel brought us our hot eggs and coffee right on time, and I really appreciated it.

The route took us in the southwest direction before taking a due-south bypass around Bafoussam. It was a nice paved highway that came recommended to me by another traveler. We had a beautiful day of riding with minimal interruptions and good road conditions. The elevation gradually decreased and the humidity crept up a bit. As we headed down to the valley near Yaounde, we passed through many small towns and only a couple security checkpoints. We passed over the Sanaga river near Yaounde which was nearly a half mile across. It reminded me of the Mississippi River.

We made our way into the city among light traffic and found our hotel. Our first choice hotel was too expensive (>$150/night) so we identified a hotel across the street that fit the bill. It had all that we needed and the service was great. The neighborhood that we stayed in had many embassies within walking distance, and also many shops and restaurants. We unloaded our gear to the room and relaxed until dinner.
 

10 November - Gabon and Congo Visas

We made a plan to head to the Gabon embassy around 9:00am. I hailed a taxi with the Yango app and we departed shortly after. We were the first ones in line, and the application process was going well until a slight hiccup. As we sat in the office for processing, the lady requested physical copies of our hotel reservations. We didn’t have this, so we would have to go out to the waiting room and sort it out. She said I could email her our confirmations and she could print them, so that was a relief. We got it sorted out and returned to her office about 30 minutes later. She took some biometrics (fingerprints and photo), and then the visas were printed and issued there on the spot.

At the same time I was texting with Johan, a Swedish traveler that I met through the West Africa Travelers group on Facebook. He happened to be on the same path as us and currently in Yaounde. I reached out to him to meet and he was available nearby, so he came to the embassy to meet us. He was an interesting dude who has been traveling for nearly 10 years all over the world in very minimal fashion. He carries a small backpack and travels by public transit, moto-taxi, and shuttle buses. He carried a very low energy about him. I doubt much could upset him. Maybe that's what it takes to travel the way he does...

We rode back to our hotel for lunch and chatted with Johan for a while longer. We had to continue to our next embassy, Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC). Once again I hailed a car to take us, and checked in with the security guard when we arrived.

Shortly after we began the check-in process, he told us we must have the Congo visa first before applying here at DRC. I assume it’s because we must travel through the Congo before we enter DRC. We were a bit disappointed, but luckily the other embassy isn't far away.

We took a taxi to the Congo embassy and arrived around 2:45. Initially the guard was telling us we must come back tomorrow because it’s too late in the day, but he walked inside and returned and waved us in. We were greeted by the nicest lady at the counter who was at our service and worked diligently to get all three of us processed. We filled out the form, provided the the required documents, and paid the money. She told us we could pick up our visa the next day at 12:00, or “douze o-clock” she told us repeatedly (that’s twelve in French). We had a laugh about it and thanked her for the help.

That was the end of the day for us. We settled back at the hotel and got a bite to eat in the restaurant. I was also searching for a motorcycle service place for the next day over dinner.
 

11 November - Day 2 in Yaounde

We re-convened over a delicious buffet style breakfast at the hotel restaurant and discussed our plans for the day. The first commitmen we had was 12:00 pickup of our Congo visas. In the morning, Mark and I decided to drive over to a local bike mechanic so that Mark could change his oil. I discovered a guy with a shop about 1 mile away who came highly recommended. I had been chatting with him on WhatsApp and he said to come over whenever we wanted.

Mark and I drove over to the shop on the motorcycles. It was an unassuming location in the depths of an industrial area. We had to zigzag around a couple factories and busy warehouses. The shop was situated on the top of a hill with a nice open lot with 4x4’s, trucks, and motorcycles neatly parked. We had to wait a few minutes for the manager, Didier, to arrive.

We introduced ourselves and he took us on a tour of his shop. I thought it was thoughtful of him to show us around. He had an array of shop tools, grinders, drill press, cutting tools, welder, and other odds and ends. Additionally there were a few shelves of automotive consumables and spare parts, neatly organized. I liked the way that he had organized the place.

Mark showed him his bike and explained what he needed, and Didier assigned one of his trusted mechanics to change the oil. In the mean time, I cleaned my air pre-filter using the sink to wash it. To my surprise they had some Motorex filter oil spray, so I used it to treat the clean filter. 

We had our appointment to pick up our Congo visas at 12:00, so Mark and I departed the shop together on my bike. It was a bit comical for Mark to climb on to the back seat of my bike. We rode back to the hotel and changed clothes for going out. We always make a point to look nice with a collared shirt when visiting embassies.

We hailed a cab to take us to the Congo embassy. As expected, they were waiting for us when we arrived and the nice lady that worked with us the day before greeted us and handed us our passports with the visas. She even brought a gift for Ranee—a sun dress—because Ranee had commented on the lady’s dress the day before. She would not accept payment. It was heartwarming, and Ranee got a photo with her.

Now the clock is ticking: it’s Friday afternoon at 1:00pm and we hope we can get our DRC visas in the same day, or else we will have to wait until Monday! This time we had left the taxi waiting for us outside the Congo embassy so we could jump back in and go to the DRC embassy.

We arrived 10 minutes later and met with the same security guard from the previous day. He was happy to see us and took our passports and money. He promptly said “come back at 3 o’clock”. I was surprised that it was that easy: no forms to fill out or additional information needed. I wasn’t going to raise any questions because I was happy it went smoothly. We took off back to the hotel for a couple hours, then we returned at 3 o'clock and received our visas. Done! 3 visas in 2 days! It went as well as possible, and this had concluded the last of the embassy stops for the trip! From here on out the countries either do not require visa or the visa may be completed online. We celebrated over dinner at a French restaurant down the street.

12 November - Yaounde to Ambam

It was an easy day with overcast skies and good roads. We completed long ride in good time and arrived in Ambam, a small town situated just before the Gabon border. We actually found a nice hotel there run by a [very old] French guy. The bar and restaurant was situated at the road and the hotel was behind it. The interior of the buildings featured many hardwood accents and structural components. I believe it’s because timber is a big industry around this part of the country. The windows, ceilings and flooring were all a beautiful dark hardwood. The restaurant was built with enormous trusses overhead designed in a shape that simulates the branches of a tree. We were told this by the old man who runs the place.
 

13 November - Ambam to Oyem (Gabon Border Crossing)

We planned a shorter day to allow for the border crossing. It was another day of nice roads and the border crossing was quiet in a rural area. The process was easy, but we quickly realized the the Gabonese are very thorough (i.e. slow). Additionally, there were an excessive amount of security checkpoints after entry into Gabon. None were much trouble, there was just an excessive amount of them. We finally made it to our hotel in Oyem, Hotel Marguerite, which was okay. I took a walk across the street to get some supplies in the afternoon.
 

14 November - Oyem to Ndjole

We got up and had breakfast, then I took off down the street to the Moov Africa office so I could buy a SIM card. I had to wait 15 minutes for the doors to open, but after that I was quickly processed. I returned to the hotel and Mark and Ranee were ready to go.

We set off for what was planned to be a long day with unknown road conditions. It turned out to be great roads and overcast skies which makes for great riding! The main attraction for the day was crossing the equator. I had set my navigation to the point of interest on the map so I wouldn’t miss it. When we arrived, the southbound sign was missing and the northbound sign was a ittle difficult to find because a tree had fallen on it, taking it down! We parked our bikes right on the equator and dragged the sign out of the bushes so we could pose for the requisite pictures. We blocked one lane of the road for a few minutes but it was worth the photo!

Our journey ended in Ndjole where we stayed at a modest hotel on the river (Auberge Saint Jean). The river was very high and near to the road. I think it must have been in the road recently because the road immediately in front of the hotel was a mud hole. It was a bit tricky to get the bikes around to the front gate of the hotel. Once inside the yard, we parked the bikes around back. We both got deluxe rooms on the second floor with a balcony that overlooks the river. There was no restaurant at the hotel, only a bar, so we had a couple beers and cooked camp food on the back porch that evening during a thunderstorm. We ate our food while the thunder rumbled and the lightning show entertained us. It was a memorable experience!

15 November - Ndjole to Lambarene

We made our own breakfast of coffee and cereal on the back porch. We pulled out around 9:00am and made our way out of town. It was a short ride, around 90 miles to Lambarine, which was mostly nice with some muddy gravel sections. Overall it was nice day. We located a nice hotel (Ogooue Palace) that was like a resort with sprawling buildings connected by covered walkways. It was convenient for the downpour that ensued in the evening. The food and service was excellent despite being a little slow..
 

16 November - Lambarene to Ndende

We got up and walked to the restaurant around 7:30am. The staff had not arrived yet and we were concerned it might take a while. Mark and Ranee began to boil water for coffee with their camp stove on the back patio when the staff arrived. I was sitting in the lobby on my computer working on my Angola visa and ordered coffee and breakfast food for the three of us. In about 10 minutes we sat down in the dining room and had excellent coffee, omelets, bread and fruit. We had a long ride planned, almost 200 miles, and I had estimated that it would be smooth. It was a great ride with paved roads all day. We passed by a few roadside markets selling dead monkeys. Not sure what that was about…

We arrived in Ndjole, and I had selected the best hotel I could find on iOverlander as the options were very limited. We passed by just to check it on our way into town because we needed to go to the grocery store first. We pulled up to the hotel and it was totally deserted. The swimming pool was empty with trees growing in it, and there were weeds growing from the gardens. There was a faded piece of paper on the window with two phone numbers to call for service. I took them down and we headed into town.  We found a couple small grocery stores to peruse and restock our food supply.

Standing out on the sidewalk, I texted both of the hotel numbers via WhatsApp. One of them responded indicating we could come and stay. We suited up and headed that way. The guy came and opened up the place for us and showed us two rooms. Mark and Ranee requested a bigger room. I got a standard room, and surprisingly everything worked. I had A/C, and a proper hot shower. It was a strange place that felt like “The Shining”. Long hallways with open doors to empty hotel rooms. A nice dining area totally deserted. It was a strange place but it was comfortable. The power went out, but only for a couple hours. There were some winged bugs flying around despite all the windows being closed. We decided to cook a camp meal on the back patio and it was nice. It was pouring rain for most of the evening and into the night.

Later in the evening I walked up to the front parlor in my underwear (because we're the only ones here--why not) and was talking on the phone for a while because the cellular signal was better up there.  On my return back down the dimly lit hallway to my room, I saw something in my peripheral on the floor like a stick or electrical cord. I turned and looked, and the object disappeared around the door to my right. It was a snake! I peeked my head into the vacant room and turned on the light to see a black snake about 3.5 feet long slithering around inside the room. Heart pounding, I was totally creeped out and returned to my room, concerned that the snake may come to visit me. I stuffed my clothes under the door, paranoid now as I’m trying to relax and go to bed!