From the worlds edge

I suppose that everywhere is the edge of the world depending on where you are coming from. But from our vantage point in the north west mountains of Cameroon where the Ndop valley lay below, it felt like we were peering over the edge of the world.

 

The village-stay part of our orientation consisted of five days/four nights living in a village where there was no running water, no electricity, no stores, mud walled houses, dirt floors  etc.

Christianity and Islam are the two dominant faiths in this area. Our host does not profess either one, but he visits the Mosque more than the Baptist church we worshiped in on Sunday. 

On a hike back from the palace we ran across a cow herder moving his stock in the hills. On a very steep hill which eventually turned vertical, one cow slid and fell about 500 feet down, triggering my host to get on his phone and start chattering away. Turns out he saw it happen and before the cow was cold he had purchased it. The next morning we had very tender, great tasting range fed beef with fufu (VERY dense ground corn mush, like the very thickest mashed potatoes you have ever had) soaked in sauce with chopped cabbage and onion, very delicious.  

What beautiful country.  

 

We came across two men with a horse and I got a chance to ride it for a while, a nice reprieve from a killer hike. 

We visited a cave of which the opening was about 200' wide, 80' deep.  

This cave had been used by a witch doctor, now dead. Syncretism is common, notice the small coffin with a cross. African traditional religion (witchcraft) is common even among believers.  

Austin and Rodney got to milk a cow. 

We visited a family of Fulani Muslims. They are very beautiful people, gracious hosts and friendly. The husband shared many photos of his pilgrimage to Mecca. Ironically, the photos are kept in a shoebox they received from Samaritans Purse's Operation Christmas Child. 

The Fulani are herders of goats and cows. 

Men holding hands is a sign of friendship, even between Christians and Muslims!

Our village toilet...bring a friend! 

 We bathed from a bucket-shower that we brought, in an outside semi concealed enclosure. Joy and I always managed to take 'showers' after it was dark. We tried to get us all bathed while it was light, but it takes a lot of time to haul water from the spring, heat it and get it in our bucket, then get the us all bathed and PJ's on without getting dirty again. One night after the kids were in bed and it was our turn to bathe, we turned the head lamp off and wow, what a beautiful starry night laid out before us!

All of the folks from orientation before leaving from our time in the village.