Days 8 – 10; Jan 27 – Jan 29
Another beautiful day, but now we’re facing some challenges. First, of course, is the (continuing) lack of luggage. The insoles in my Crocs are starting to break down, and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll have shoes! I’m also rationing deodorant and toothpaste as well as a few other things (some of more concern to others than to me!). Second issue is a concern with the flights back home. I’m scheduled to leave Garoua on Friday at about noon, on the Cam-Air flight to Douala. I then have a 20.30 flight that same evening to Brussels. Because there’s no alliance between the two carriers or connection between the two tickets, if the Cam-Air flight is delayed, or doesn’t take off, I’ll miss my international connections, and re-booking will be at my expense. Douala may be a lovely place (actually, it isn’t), but I don’t want to be stuck there! Thirdly, we have the issue of finding more animals to take. All I have left on license is bush duiker, baboon, python and oribi. I have already taken those elsewhere, except for the python.
We had a bit of a conversation at dinner last night about these various issues, and having slept on it, I’ve advised Guav this morning that I’d like to finish up a day early. We’ll try to get to Garoua a day early, and if we’re successful, I’ll have a day to kill in Douala, but at least I’ll know that I’ll make my flight home. If that earlier flight doesn’t leave, then we have a second chance to make the flights home.
So overall, we’re pretty relaxed as we head out today. If we don’t get anything else, the hunt will still have been a great success. Having said that, we send a couple of trackers to walk the river banks to see if they can spot a python track. We still have some time!
We saw lots of animals today, which is usually the case when you aren’t hunting them. A small group of young buffalo bulls near the road, lots of roan and hartebeest, and even a small herd of giant topi. I’m not really familiar with giant topi – I’ve never seen one before. They’re members of the damaliscus family, so closely related to tsessebe, which they resemble. Their horns look more like blesbuck horn though. Mayo Oldiri gets one or two a year on license, and they can be hunted with a special permit. I’m content to just look at them. Through someone else’s binos, since mine, of course, are in my luggage which, I might have mentioned already, has yet to show up.
Our trackers eventually do find what they think is an active python hole, so we set out to “hunt” python. This isn’t really hunting. You find a hole with a track going in, and then try to dig the snake out. A good python is apparently up to about 5 meters long, so a substantial beast. Fortunately for the python “hunter”, the digging is done by the trackers, as is the trying to crawl through holes.
"Hunting" python takes different gear than regular hunting. I feel like Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Guav insists on being Snow White. I'd have thought Grumpy, but who am I to argue?
We think this is a python hole.
Trying to see if anyone is home.
I mentioned that the trackers pick up all sorts of things as we walk through the bush. Here, they were making a small pile of a particular kind of twig. I asked what that was about, and there was some giggling. Eventually it came out that you use the twigs to make a tea, and the tea, as they say in French, “met de la mine dans le crayon”. They ask if I’d like to try some. I pass, just in case it works!
Viagra? Who needs that when you have magic twig tea?
Python skin found in the hole. Let's hope . . .
Better him than me. Have no idea what happens if there is a python down there!
They’re also talking among themselves about Lucky Hat’s musings about buying another wife. It seems he has two, one old and one young, but feels that he could use a third. I butted in a bit, and asked how much a wife cost. About 150,000 Central African Francs is the answer (about $1200 or so). But they point that this is for a “good” wife. Others come much cheaper. I ask what makes a “good wife”? Is it beauty and charm? That gets them laughing. The answer is pretty clear that a good wife is one who can work hard! So for those of you who are interested in a good woman in Cameroon, consider yourselves warned!
We spend a day and a half digging holes, and crawling through them. Well, they do. I watch, under a tree, in the shade, feeling pretty happy I was born in Canada. But unfortunately, we can’t find a python. It turns out that the python hole we’ve tapped into is a rabbit warren of tunnels, going off in all directions, and even if we had the time to tap every tunnel, the python might just have escaped. So we finally call it a day, to what is a great sigh of relief from the diggers!
When we get back to camp on the second last night of the hunt, I’m given the great and welcome news that my bag has finally arrived in Garoua! If I want it the next day, they will find some kid on a motorcycle to drive it to camp. I say no, at this point, I’d rather it not move. It should wait for me back in Garoua so I can take it back home with me!
So once the hunt is well and truly done, I can say that I was able to make do and hunt for almost two weeks with just the carry-on bag I took on the plane. I will admit that things would have been a lot more difficult if Dean hadn’t been there or willing to share his clothes with me. I'm grateful.
So we get up on our final day in camp, have a light breakfast, I take care of the tips, and we head out by 9 am. It's seven hours back to Garoua, and we don't want to miss the flight. As it turns out, we needn't have rushed . . . the flight did leave, but at 3 am the next day!
All that's left are a few observations and reflections on a great hunt. To come.
