2nd May 08

Date: 2nd May 08
Location: Ebolowa, Cameroon
Weather: Hazy low cloud, and chilly, 26°c
Status: All good

Left the delights of the hotel and hit the road south as our target for the day was to get to border of Cameroon and Gabon and into the next country on the agenda.

Another good road and the 100kms passed very quickly with not much hassle, a few roadblocks but we’re used to these now and the simple ‘smile and greet with a handshake’ seemed to work as well as ever. It was only one official who wouldn’t accept and instead walked the length of the vehicles without saying a word and then finally let us pass.

The border was a little different from what I expected, all of our info had told us it was a little hut and then a free ferry across the river through no-mans-land and into Gabon but since those instructions were written 4 years ago it seems the collective governments have invested in a new office, and a bridge! So out of Cameroon and across to Gabon renowned for its slightly more expensive way of life and also its corrupt officials….again!

100m later we found out about the second part of the statement as the lovely Carl Cox lookalike told us we each had to pay CFA5000 (£6) for a copy of the official paperwork we needed just to be let into the country….let alone get our stamps in the carnets and passports! After much arguing in French and with Maggie adding her usual disgruntled approach to anything which costs over 2p, we were allowed to pass with no charge. Onto the next town to have the stamps we required and there we were, in Gabon!

We drove for another 2hrs before finding the town of Oyem and parking up at another Catholic Mission (seriously worries about all of these religious stop-offs tainting my mind, especially travelling with the Mormon family too!)

Battled through a thunder storm and cooked up a storm of my own with Alex my Aussie fellow-chef and made tuna patties for all! Bed

End of day location: Oyem, Gabon
Distance covered: 226kms