Attention, everyone!

You can all scratch the city of Garoua off your list of "must-visit" cities. I am here to tell you it is a craphole of crap. If your asthma doesn't act up from the thick exhaust fumes, surely the smoke from the burning garbage will induce it. Or, maybe it will be the dusty streets that get you coughing. Did I forget to mention the potholes in this boring, ugly transportation hub of a city?

If I sound like a snob, it's because I am now 4 hours north in sunny Maroua. The wide avenues are tree-lined and there is a pleasant laid-back atmosphere here.

But to be truthful, we have found Cameroonians to be friendly and helpful no matter what city we are visiting. In Garoua, customers eagerly assisted in the translations at the boulangerie, and in the market in Maroua, a man approached Keith to warn him about protecting his backpack against thieves.

Our plans have changed since we arrived here. We have had to dramatically cut back on the things we had hoped to do and see, because we have less time than we thought and everything takes longer than we anticipated.

We are now in the far north province, where everything is brown and dry, a stark contrast to the greenery of the south. The style of the huts have also changed along the route north. We've taken a lot of snapshots out the windows of the buses, but won't be able to show them until we get back. Nine days left!