24th April 08

Date: 24th April 08
Location: Ayukaba, Cameroon
Weather: Rain overnight then clear most of the day until a big thunderstorm hit late on. 38°c
Status: Relieved and resting up

Packed up and left the football pitch to set out on the road of hell again. Got almost 10kms down the muddy track, slipping and sliding all the way with the Colonel again performing impeccably.

Arrived in the town of Abuka to be greeted by the locals who told us we’d have to wait about 2hrs as the road ahead was blocked by 4 large trucks all stuck up to their axles, followed by 2 cars and 4 Land Rovers!

Walked up the hill to see the carnage and couldn’t believe it, I’ve never seen anything quite like it with a 15ft deep channel just about wide enough to see the trucks in which twisted for around 100m into the distance. They trucks had been there for 2 day with the crew and the locals all digging to free them for the same amount of time.

We really did arrive at the right time as after two hours of watching and helping out the first truck managed to wriggle free, followed quickly by the others and the afer the cars had been towed through the Landies passed with no problems.

Now our turn. All three of us sailed through without so much as a wheel spin, sometimes you just arrive at exactly the right point and the days of digging made our route far too easy! The road became better as we made our way towards the main highway at Nguti and we passed through some of the most stunning mountain, rainforests, with the roads stretching off into distance but the clouds were building all of the time.

We pulled into Nguti for a bite of lunch – rice, tomato sauce and bush meat (more than likely bush rat) and eventually arrived in Kumba and made our way to the Azi Motel where the very hospitable manager allowed us to stay in the car park for free as long as we had dinner in the restaurant….and that’s exactly where I am now writing this.

Tomorrow we head south to the coast again and the town of Limbe to restock the wallets and prepare for the assault on Mount Cameroon a few days later!

End of day location: Kumbe
Distance covered: 117kms