SURPRISE — WE HAVE INTERNET FOR AT LEAST TONIGHT. So I'll take advantage of it. It took 34 hours to fly from Tampa to Douala via DC and Brussels, and another two hours to pass through immigration and collect our luggage. The worst flight, as expected, was United’s Tampa-Dulles leg where we were packed like sardines and treated with contempt. Brussels Air was a bit better. We had a window/isle and almost enough legroom. The movie’s were terrible, more the fault of Hollywood than the airline. The flight attendant told me I looked like Superman’s Christopher Reeves, something I hadn’t heard in 30 years. Of course he’s dead now, but I’ll still take the complement.
While I was getting some ready from the ATM (600 Central African Francs per USD) the van from the Ibis Hotel pulled up. We walked out into a crowd of black faces jammering in French, strong smells, heat, humidity and confusion. Welcome back to Africa!
Ibis Hotel, quality is relevant
Our tiny room has the same design as Ibis we have stayed at in Europe but in Douala Ibis is considered up-market, not economy. And the cost reflects its new status. But the A/C and wifi work, there are a couple of English channels on the TV, there is hot water and the bed is comfortable. I slept for 12 hours straight, unusual for me after a 6-hour eastward time zone change.
Bats, not birds
Fellow Rock Jumpers and our guides won’t arrive until later today but Connie is already scanning the cloudy skies for birds. We should see hundreds of new species in the next three weeks but she’s raring to go. Unfortunately what’s mostly flying are straw-colored fruit bats, returning by the thousands from their overnight forays.
