Hello from Douala! Sorry for the delay, but TIA (this is Africa) and this is what happens when internet is slow and experiencing a new place is more fun than sitting in front of a computer and blogging.

Anyhow, today I come to you with a story of the awesomeness of Mom. I’m sorry to say it seems that half of the “excitement” we’ve found time to blog about is the poor behavior of others and I hope to rectify that soon by blogging some more interesting and happy tales from the road. For now though, a quick story of Mom’s un-fun market moment will have to do.

So, Douala is known for petty crime and and is certainly not the prettiest or most lively African city I have visited. It isn’t really known for site seeing either, but Mom, Kiran and I decided to make the best of it and go for a wander around Douala’s main market. The market is really bustly and we enjoyed watching people haggle over the price of meat, fish, produce and household items. The smells and colors at the market, like most open air markets I’ve visited in Africa, will linger in my brain forever.

So, we were walking along the main road by the market and a truck was blocking the road. We were standing there with a bunch of people, waiting to cross, when a man in a red baseball cap ran up to mom and tried to grab her purse. Luckily, she had a firm grip on it and because it was over and across her shoulder he didn’t manage to steal it. Instead, he tumbled into a muddy puddle, splashing us all and knocking over a motorcycle, then ran off. Mom was really proud he didn’t get it, as were the ladies in the market. Unfortunatly, the purse string was pulled so hard when the man fell that it bruised up her arm. Aside from the little bruises, Mom is doing great and with a modified purse set-up even ventured out again to another market today!

Apparently locals get their purses and glasses snatched here often, as do the white folk, and our experience was sadly not unique. The only reason I really wanted to tell this story was to say “GO MOM, way to show that guy how strong an old white lady can be!”

It is important to say that although Douala is a rough city, the people we have actually spent time with here are very nice and we have really enjoyed their company. Special thanks to all the staff at the Foyer du Marin where our cars are being auctioned, they have been really awesome!

Best wishes from the final stop on our adventure! More pictures and blogs to come shortly …