New Pics & A Trip to Town

While in Yaounde prior to IST my fellows PCV's and I had some rather interesting conversations on how the everyday things that we now find normal, just really aren't normal. A few days after the Fete in Bafut I was hanging out at fellow PCV's house. That particular morning started off with my friend trying to get in touch with Camtel to reconnect his internet. He stopped by their office two days prior but due to an error on their end the net wasn't working. During the course of several phone calls he was told: "these things happen try again another month", "press 0 to talk to an operator" only to press 0 to be told "your input is incorrect" and then be hung up on. I could carry on with examples of how customer service just doesn't really exist here, but long story short we had to make the trip into town to talk to Camtel.
We wait on the corner of the road for about twenty minutes trying to hail the next bush-taxi or moto that passed. Finally a bush taxi arrived so we pile into the equivalent of a rusty 84'Civic with six other people. I manage to wedge myself between the three other people in front and try my hardest to avoid the stick shift. Oddly enough, I find this to be the best spot. Only a few kilometers down the road we pullover. I'm confused for a bit as we already have our 8 passengers but then..voila! The driver reaches over and pulls from his glove-box the largest King Rat I have ever seen, which he then hands out the window to a friend who's running over to get it! Even the driver kind of chuckled at my face!
Yet a few more km's down the road we see stopped, congested traffic. We had come upon a moto accident that had just happened. The driver on the right has a large gash on the right side of his head, looks delusional, and was still sitting in a pile of glass next to empty beer crates. The other guy doesn’t look much better. While Ive passed dozens of accidents in the States and (as much as I hate to admit it) am one of those people who slows down to get a better look, what was so startling this time was the clear visual I actually did got. There were no police cars or ambulances, yellow tape, or big SUVs blocking the scene. Instead, you had only the two moto drivers on the ground right in front of you and the crowd of pedestrians who were trying to help. Next time I'm hoping curiosity doesn’t get the best of me.
Just before we arrived into town we slow down over two road blocks. The driver slips a 500cfa piece to the gendarmerie which we are assured will go "to the community". Funny how just before Xmas & New Years every gendarmerie made you stop. I overheard one taxi driver say his friend paid 10,000cfa in one day. While our government is certainly not without its fair share of problems, we're lucky to have the one we do. Really puts into perspective just how much a productive and ethical government has to do with the well being of its people. From a microfinance standpoint it's upsetting to think how many businesses might actually work here if they didn't have to go thru the top.
Luckily, once we made it the trip was a total success. My friend got his internet fixed and I found the very last can of mushrooms at the market. Green bean casserole a must have for Xmas! & this time I did not use sweetened and condensed milk :) So while twenty minute car rides like that are nothing to me, something tells me once I return aux Etats-Unis a trip to Meijer just won't quite measure up.