The Most Magical Place in Cameroon

Whenever I travel to Yaounde - for training or meetings or whatever business they call me in on - I feel as though I've stepped into a whole new world. It's nothing like life at post, in my village. It's a real city complete 2 million souls living, breathing, commuting, going about their daily lives. But it's not like America either; the bustling outdoor markets, the inhabitants who shout "la blanche!",  the hills dotted with palm trees, and the motorcycle-taxis just don't jive with my sense of America. But wouldn't it be boring if it felt like home? Here, I never know what's around the river bend. And it's always an adventure!

And Yaounde is a big playground. Located in the Center region, it is often sunny and steamy, though rain does come and go. It has universities, including Yaounde I and II where most of the college students in the country attend. It has museums and churches, restaurants and shopping. It has sprawling views both from its seven hills and from its sky scrapers - like the Hilton. And the Hilton has Hilton Happy Hour - Mojitos, Manhattans, and Margaritas, oh my! 

View from the Hilton at night {via}

No magical playground is complete without several food courts - and for Peace Corps Volunteers (and many other ex-pats, for that matter), the preferred food court is the Bastos quartier. The most expensive neighborhood in town, we love Bastos primarily for the food. At Kazoo, we inhale cheese burgers, fries, and milkshakes. At JD, we consume chicken and more french fries. At Zad, we stuff ourselves with "Philadelphias" (vaguely reminiscent of a cheese-steak) and Fajita sandwiches. At Alfresco, we breathe in the smell of pizza at the outdoor brick oven while waiting impatiently. And then we all gain ten pounds in ten days! :)

If stuffing your face day in and day out is not quite your scene, let me tell you about three fun but very distinct entertainment options. 

1. Mount Febe.

The new Peace Corps house & office are located at the foot of Mount Febe (pronounce Fay-Bay), so it makes for a fun climb. What is more inviting than a hill rising up from your front door, populated every morning by Cameroonians and foreigners in their color-coordinated sweatsuits, road calling your name? I recently climbed it with fellow PCVs Shannon and Colleen, and we were rewarded with stunning views along the way. From the heights, Yaounde looks like any other city. Mount Febe also boasts a large park with  "parcours vita" (fancy words for an adult playground loop), a very fancy hotel, a cathedral, and a giant rock with a pretty shrine.

View from Mont Febe, including the golf course {via}

2. Marketing.

Markets are the heart and soul of any new village, city, country. You cannot understand a culture without visiting its markets any more than you can without celebrating its holidays or eating its traditional food. And Yaounde is chock-full of markets. Am I allowed to do a "top 3 markets" list inside my "top 3 entertainment options" list? Well I'm about to! 

The Central Market is a really strange place. It is essentially a labyrinth located in a building vaguely reminiscent of the Guggenheim, with levels that go round and round, up and up. (The Central Market isn't even the weirdest or most confusing building in this capital city.) If you can find your way to the top, you're rewarded with a delicious Senegalese restaurant with affordable food. If you can't, you're rewarded with infinite shopping opportunities - and you can find ANYTHING here. But watch your jewelry and bags! 

The Artisan's Market is more of a touristy place, which doesn't make it any less fun. This market is a semi-circle of moderately nice shacks, full of jewelry, art, drums, statuettes, clothes, hats, shoes, bags, and everything else intriguing to tourists and outsiders. They're so full that the souvenirs spill out - into the space in front of the shops, hanging from the roofs, stacked in mini-towers, piled onto makeshift carts, carried around by vendors. Beads, fabric, and paints in ever color surround you as soon as you step into one of the little shops, light from the front opening softly lighting everything inside. Don't forget to haggle, and don't get sucked into every shop - these proprietors can be very convincing. 

The Mokolo market is nothing like the other two - it's a food market. When you get sick of eating out every day, this is your one-stop shop for all your cooking needs. It smells like food markets - the mix of anise and spices, cows slaughtered too many hours earlier, squished mangos, sweaty bodies sitting under the sun all day long. You might need to walk the winding, skinny paths a few times to find what you're looking for, but if you chat and laugh with the vendors you could be rewarded with shockingly low prices and a new friend. 

Yaounde's Central Market {via}

3. Trying to go swimming in the Embassy pool. (No explanation necessary!)

There are just three things that would make this city (and/or country) better for Americans craving a taste of home (though also more expensive for PCVs like me): McDonalds, Starbucks, and a movie theater. Until then, we will keep adventuring in the streets of Yaounde!