Days 114 to 120 - Week 18 (26th February 2007 to 4th March 2007)
No choice but to continue relaxing at our beach resort in Kribi - a great chance to explore the local coastline, swim or cool down endlessly in the cool clean waters, and try some fresh local seafood. Most people spent as much time in the ocean and sunbathing to dry off afterwards. Holly led a few of the group in building a series of sandcastles, each one trying to be grander than the last. Several groups took a stroll up to a small restaurant, set up in the rocks on a cliffside, where people could eat their fill of fresh 'poisson' and 'crevettes' for next to nothing. Amazing views of the high tide splashing up against the rocks metres away served as a wonderful backdrop to the meals. There was also the spectacle of one of the only waterfalls to flow/fall directly into the sea within walking distance of the campsite.
After several days at this resort, we had to drag ourselves away, time pressing on and thoughts of more visa applications in Gabon abounding. We had almost forgotten how bumpy some of the roads were, only to be quickly reminded! An eventful last bush camp in Cameroon meant an earlier-than-expected start the next day as the "apparent" owner of land took exception to a large yellow truck setting up camp. His 12am visit was not really welcomed - but we managed to appease him and his annoyance enough to get him to leave us in peace for the rest of the night - but he did promise to be back early in the a.m. But this didn't matter too much as we were well on our way early enough to deter any unnecessary confrontation.
Stopping for the formalities of a border crossing allowed people to use their now expert ability of finding different foods in the markets within minutes of arriving. Another eventful bush camp occurred before reaching Libreville, thanks to thousands of tiny flies (small enough for us not to see them or feel them munching away - maybe even small enough to fit through our mosquito netting !!!) that took delight at the delicious exposed skin the group served up for them. It looked like an outbreak of measles had spread through the camp! This was forgotten when we arrived in Libreville and had the opportunity to splurge in a huge supermarket - keeping some of those chocolate cravings at bay for a while. Another overlanding truck arrived at the same time, so a late party night was had by quite a few. Staying at another beach resort warranted the opportunity for an intra-truck game of beach cricket (fielding being more unpredictable as the ball is pushed around by the waves) and another chance to get some fresh seafood, this time ably supplied by the unstoppable Han and some Korean friends he had found within hours of arrival. With expected driving in the days ahead, everyone made the most of this relaxing time at the beach.
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