A very successful rest day, all were looking forward to our first day coaching with the kids of Buea the next day.

By day 10 we were all in need of some R&R.  It has been a hectic previous 9 days, but now we found ourselves with some time to explore what Cameroon had to offer, enough beyond the cricket pitch (or more accurately muddy field).

Helen (pronounced as “Allan” in Cameroon) took control of the day’s itinerary and we set off in the van just after 10am unperturbed by the weather forecast of heavy rain, thunder and lightning.  First stop the Botanical Gardens at the coastal town of Limbe.

Founded in 1892 by German horticulturist Paul Preus, to be honest it did not appear much had happened to the Gardens since then.  There were some stunning trees and the eerie ‘jungle village’ were worth a look, but generally the main memory was being bitten extensively by an assortment of insects as we wondered around the Gardens.

Having filled up on some local culture (you can have too much you know) we headed off to the Seme New Beach Hotel on Mile 11 Beach.  It may have been a little bit past its sell by date, but it did provide some friendly hospitality and a chance to chill.  Although even on our day off cricket still featured with a great knock about on the beach (to rather bemused on lookers, trying to fathom out what the heck we were playing).  I think Rich D may have to put on some extra catching practice though as we seemed to fail to abstain from dropping the ball. 

We finished with a game of French Cricket, which may have improved our catching skills, its only real outcome was to get all of us soaking wet and covered in sand.

So we stopped play for lunch and after being well fed and watered we headed back to Buea for a chilled out afternoon.  We then spent the spent the evening discussing the big issues facing the world, had Michael Vaughan been voted off Strictly and playing a tactically challenging card game S*^thead. A thrilling game, only interrupted by Cameron’s constant screaming every time a green grasshopper came within 2 feet of him. 

A very successful rest day, all were looking forward to our first day coaching with the kids of Buea the next day.

 

Rich T