Elizabeth recently had the opportunity to visit a new country and continent - Africa. She went to Cameroon for about a week at the end of the summer. The flights totaled 26 hours (each way), which was exhausting. While safety precautions required her to stay on the hotel grounds for most of the trip, they were able to get to visit the National Museum of Yaounde and the Reunification Monument. She had to have a battery of vaccines before she left and take malaria pills while she was there. She also could not drink the water or eat most of the local offerings, which made this trip a bit more difficult. We were all a little nervous while she was gone and happy that she is back on US soil, but it was quite the experience.
View of the iconic "I Love My Country" roundabout in downtown Yaounde, featuring the patriotic arch.
The National Museum of Yaounde is housed in the former presidential palace from the 1930s. The museum had a collection of traditional masks, royal artifacts and historical tribal clothing. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to take pictures inside.
She couldn't drink the water or even use it to brush her teeth, so had to cover the faucet in order to avoid making a mistake.
She received two bottles of water each day, and had to make them last.
Reunification Monument. This spiral monument was constructed in the 1970s to commemorate the post-colonial merging of British and French Cameroon.
Proof of life she sent to me one day - I requested a daily check in.
The view from her hotel window at night.
