Mitzic
20 APRIL 2023
Today was a wonderful day, packed full of new experiences and a real adventure into the unknown.
It started early when I left the hotel at dawn and set off to the minibus depot. for M'Villa Voyage on the edge of town. We waited until the minibus was full and set off for Ambam around 7:30, loaded with luggage. I'd asked about the expected border control protocols at the ticket office and the lovely guy there had located an English speaking passenger who validated when I'd read about.
The journey was a smooth, unfolding adventure through the wilds of southern Cameroon. I sat by a window watching the deep forest from our little mobile bubble within which traditional Cameroon music was playing. I embarked with the other passengers at Ambam, a small village nestled in the hills and was guided by the English speaking passenger to take her motorbike ride to a place closer to the border. Trusting her and the flow of the day, we set off. Our luggage was strapped on and she was squeezed between me and the driver. I wasn't sure whether he was a friend or a taxi rider. Nevertheless, we rode on along the road for a fair distance before pulling into the market at Abang-Minko. My passenger friend disappeared, the local policeman waved me on another place along the rode for a passport checkout, and the driver offered to take me there. Back on the bike, we rode on to the border area stopping at a checkpoint on the way. Here he ran out of petrol and had to run back to a house close by to get a cup full. We soon reached the border crossing; a disengaged female policewoman examined my passport and stamped me out of Cameroon. The motorbike driver offered to take me to the Gabon side, over the other side of the dividing river. Here we parted company and I paid him for the ride.
I was then asked to enter the Health Office; here my passport was examined again, the yellow fever certificate checked and my temperature taken. I was asked to pay 2000CFA which I refused. I walked off to the police check point with my bags. Here Ali, checked my documents, took photos and sent them to his boss in Bitam for the all clear. I was soon allowed to go armed with a piece of paper to show the officers on the way. Getting transport on to Bitam took a while. I eventually ended up in a shared taxi with an older guy they called Papa - he was given the responsibility of guiding me to the police immigration office in Bitam. At that this office, you need the right photocopy version of your passport and visa. All available in a little shop opposite. Once done, your passport is stamped and your free to go.
I decided to head on towards Libreville but now had more knowledge of the distances and times it would take. I guessed I'd need another night to break the journey before the long haul to the capital. That's how I ended up meeting Julian and his friend Olivia returning from the funeral of his sister. They joined me in a shared taxi to Oyem where we waited together for onwards transport to Mitzic. Sitting waiting at Oyem motor park was interesting. The views over the town and hills were beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine and the people were really friendly. I had my first experience here of a child being scared of the sight of me and asking her grandmother to take her away from me!
The journey to Mitzic was another wonderful energising journey full of fun, laughter and frivolity in the minibus. Everyone seemed happy, relaxed and at one with each other. I love this comradeship you get amongst fellow travellers.
We arrived in Mitzic in the dark. Julian took me to the transport depot where we got tickets for the morning bus to Libreville. He then took me to what turned out to be his family home and I met his mother, aunt and his niece. He then walked with me through the town to a hotel called Ada Eya. I was shown a stuffy room with a standing fan, no running water and a coach roach for 15,000CFA. The restaurant was closed and they could only provide tea... I was just glad of a bed at the end of a brilliant first day in Gabon.