Journey to the Capital

Yes, Africa is not a country, it is a continent. And while I am an African, I am a Cameroonian first. And so when I was told at work yesterday evening that I had to go to the Capital City for work, I prepared myself for the 4 hours ride to Yaounde.

I had intended to take the train. The first time I traveled by train to Yaounde was interesting and that was almost 2 years ago. But it was also sluggish and you didn't get the opportunity to buy things on your way. So I decided to go with the train just to see what had changed since Camrail decided to focus on passengers rather than only on cargo. 

When I got up this morning at 04:30 am, my tendons were even more painful. I couldn't step on the ground and I spent about five minutes massaging them. I had packed half of my things yesterday so I continued when I step off the bed. 4 days in the Capital City is no big deal but girls will always be girls. 

Let's just say that by the time I got ready to leave the house, I knew deep down I wasn't going to make it. The train left once a day at six am and unless I could apparate and disparate like a witch then there was no way I was going to be on the train.

Nevertheless, I hailed a cab and told the driver to take me to the train station. On the way, I changed my mind and asked him to take me to one of the bus stations in town. There are so many bus services carrying people to and fro Yaounde (from Douala - where I live). But I love the ones that keep to time and are clean, well maintained and have spacious seating arrangements. The snacks which are offered are an added advantage.

By the time I got to the bus station it was 06:05 am and must have been the first person to pay for my ticket to leave at 07:00 am. So after paying I sat down in the waiting room and started watching an episode of Tyler Perry’s ‘The Haves and the Have nots’. By the time the episode I was watching ended, we were being called to board and so I boarded.

I continued with another episode from the bus station through the town until we reached the highway. My attention was taken of my computer screen when I noticed that the bus had been motionless for a while. When I looked up I noticed the scene of an accident in front of us. The police were taking measurements and making observations for their report and had asked the vehicles on both sides of the road to stop. The accident involved a green SUV and a little white hatchback car. Both cars were quite damaged but I noted mentally that it couldn't have been fatal and I was certain that the passengers in the two cars only sustained minor injuries (I hoped).

I was amazed at the number of motor vehicle accidents I saw on the way after that. And then I remembered that this was December. We generally regard December as the evil month. The month where the agents of darkness and forces of evil gather to commit their greatest atrocities. The month where they cause car accidents in order to quench their thirst for blood and replenish their blood stores. I don’t know if this believe had always been there since time immemorial or if it was fueled by Nigerian movies. But even so, I said a silent prayer. 

But then wait! So many pot holes on the road! I recalled a segment I watched on Canal+ on the program 'Reussite' where the Douala-Yaounde Highway was mentioned and I shook my head. The Minister of Transport stated in an interview on the program that road accidents had reduced and bla bla bla. What was I seeing on the road? What was the state of the road? How many lanes are we talking about on Cameroon's Premier highway - the road linking the two main cities - the economic and political capitals of the country? 

This is a 2-lane road with uncountable dangerous bends, very little traffic signs, large number of trucks and there is little or no maintenance!

Why are we refusing to take responsibilities for our actions just so that we can blame the devil? I'm appalled at the state of things.

Thankfully, I got to Yaounde by 10:30 am but by the time we got to the bus station it was 11:00 am courtesy of the traffic jam which by the way is better than what I experience on a daily basis in Douala.

The bad news is that I went to work immediately after and the good news is that I'm working only for half a day.