Nan's 21 Days of Vacation, with apologies to "The 12 Days of Christmas"
On the first day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
A security search at the Saint Louis airport
On the second day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
A big wait at the Paris airport
AND
Chaos at the Douala airport
On the third day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
A croissant from Zepol Bakery in Douala
Shopping at Marche des Fleurs for crafts
AND
An Indian lunch at Seema & Saurav’s apartment
On the fourth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
Multiple stops by gendarmes on the way to Limbe
1 hotel room reservation that “disappeared”
1 wildlife center
AND
1 ant infestation
On the fifth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
Papayas & croissants for breakfast on the beach
White-breasted crows at the Limbe Botanical Gardens
Trying a native dish – ndole at The Hot Spot for lunch
Red-headed “push-up” lizards
AND
Lounging on the porch by the ocean
On the sixth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
1 herd of cows in the street, stopping traffic
1 lost taxi
1 confiscated taxi
1 replacement taxi
AND
2 small children carrying water on their heads for us in Yabassi
On the seventh day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
3 beignets for breakfast
3 fish for lunch
AND
1 walk in the jungle
On the eighth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
John’s omelets for Christmas breakfast
3 Cameroonian foods for Christmas lunch
A visit to the school and Leah’s classrooms
A visit with the Bambolo’s
Ironing ALL the clothes to kill the fly larvae
AND
A night of digestive misery
On the ninth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
9 students and friends of Leah drinking sodas with us at the bar
On the tenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
A 5-hour bush taxi ride back to Douala
AND
5 minutes for photos with our new best friend gendarme
On the eleventh day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
6 spoons – Yippee!
AND
5 hours of recovery for John
On the twelfth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
5 seats on the Bamenda bus for our 4 big American butts
6 hours of traveling
AND
the Best Hotel in Bamenda
On the thirteenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
8 hours of sightseeing
1 flat tire
2 hours with the Bamenda Boys Chorus & Palm Wine Appreciation Society
AND
2 guitar songs played for us by the artist SPEE
On the fourteenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
2 Peace Corps friends for breakfast at Dreamland, home of “The Whooper” (yes, “Whooper”)
2 videotapes
2 hours of haggling in the market
2 hours of delightful lunch
2 disappointing showers
2 bites of Laughing Cow cheese for dinner
AND
2 hours of souvenir packing engineering
On the fifteenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
6 hours of miserable bus time with a maniac driver
1 flat tire in a taxi
3 Cameroonian drivers arguing,
2 spaghetti dinners
2 dishes of ice cream
AND
A shower with the best towel in Cameroon
On the sixteenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
2 pastries from Zepol Bakery
2 trips to tailors
1 trip to the “BIG” market
5 hours of resting
2 pizzas at the Mediterranean restaurant
AND
4 gendarmes at a roadblock on the way to the airport
On the seventeenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
2 hours waiting for baggage at the Paris airport
1 hour walking with luggage from the Metro to our hotel
3 great sandwiches at a café
2 big cathedrals
1 big flower market
1-hour boat trip on the Seine
3 dinners at a Paris McDonald’s
3 desserts at a café
AND
A wonderful shower at the hotel
On the eighteenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
3 great breakfasts at Pain Quotidian
1 hour walking on the Champs Elysees
2 hours at the Rodin Museum
1 hour at Napolean’s Tomb
2 hours at the Army Museum
3 great sandwiches at a café for lunch
1 hour at the Catacombs
1 fruitless trip to the Eiffel Tower (it was closed!)
3 great sandwiches at a café for dinner
AND
Snow in Paris
On the nineteenth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
6 hours waiting to board the plane in Paris
4 hours waiting on the runway in Paris
1 re-routing to New York instead of Dallas
4 hours waiting on the runway in New York
1 flight cancellation
AND
3 tickets for Standby the next day for a flight to Saint Louis
On the twentieth day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
3 successful Standbys for the Saint Louis flight!
2 hours waiting with Erin before her flight to Atlanta
2 MetroLink rides home to our place
2 wonderful showers
2 wonderful flushing toilets, no waiting
1 wonderful bed
4 hours of napping
2 dinners from our own “round the corner” Chinese restaurant
AND
2 hours uploading pictures from the digital camera
On the twenty-first day of vacation, my big trip gave to me:
2 early wake-ups (we’re still stuck in the wrong time zone)
2 coffees at our favorite coffee shop
3 hours of napping
1 trip to the suburbs to retrieve our car
1 trip to the grocery store
2 meatloaf dinners from the grocery store deli
6 hours of working on the website for John
AND
4 loads of laundry