onwards to Ndu

Onwards to Ndu

We were meant to leave Bamenda at 12 mid-day to travel the 3-4 hours to Ndu. But, Patrick wanted to visit his 10 year old daughter who is at boarding school in Bamenda. So Jeremiah and I will wait with Lumumba until he is ready. Lumumba, Jeremiah and the mayor of Kumbo sat in a bar drinking beer until 3pm. Patrick joined us for a last beer and finally, when I thought we were on or way, we stopped for plastic bags to wrap our cases in. They will be travelling on the back on the jeep and as we will be driving on a dirt track for two hours our clothes need protecting from the red dust that seeps into everything here.

This is an old jeep that has seen better days – no upholstery and covered in red dust in and out. In the front two seats were the driver, Patrick and the major of Kumbo. In the back, me, Jeremiah and Patrick’s wife, Jane Frances. The tape recorder blasted out African rhythms with a religious message. Jane Frances sang along with the chorus – ‘Jesus you are powerful, kind and handsome’.

I have never experienced such rough roads. Then we turned off onto the B ‘road’. Two hours later, after stopping for plantain and paw paw we arrived at Kumbo where Jeremiah and his mayor got out. We all drank a gin Alco pop and wished Jeremiah farewell.

Forty minutes later we pulled up to the mayor of Ndu’s house where we had supper, Yams, ‘beef’ stew and rice all washed down with a gin Alco pop, in a small three roomed single storey house furnished and feeling a lot like a post war prefab.

Off to bed in the Council’s guest house on the edge of the village, hot water boiled over a wood fire on request for a morning bucket wash.