Unwilling captives

Well, we are still in Ngaoundere, the town we wrote from last. Our insides (more mine than Keith's) are not cooperating enough for us to venture on a 9 hour bus ride.

The town is like a completely different country than the cities we saw in the south, sort of reminds us of the wild west. Lots of dust, not much greenery, laid back atmosphere and Keith even saw a horse today. You are just as likely to see a woman in jeans and a t-shirt selling goods as you are to see a woman in more traditional muslim dress. There are Muslim calls to prayer over the mosque's loudspeakers on a regular basis.

This morning we were awakened to the bells of the Catholic church. We attended a later mass in the huge cathedral and I wish you could have heard the harmonious choir echoing off the concrete walls. One thing we noticed was the amount of children taking care of their younger siblings. We watched as one generous sister gave her younger brother the gum out of her mouth. This church also had bouncers. The red-sashed ushers patrolled the aisles, tapping on the shoulder the unlucky ones who had fallen asleep.

The temperature here is quite moderate, even cool enough to wear a jacket in the evening. Nice for sleeping.