Girls' trip to Maroua

Julie and Tom (friend of us, of whom you can read in previous posts) moved to Maroua last year, but we've never been able to pay them a visit. Recently they had a baby and my contract finished - so the perfect combination for a trip 'Up North'!
Jo and I set off for a short break to another world. And that's what Maroua is! It's like being in another country. And we were 'lucky'. We saw the Extreme North in its best: it was green, it rained a few times, millet was growing high, there was water in the river. Within a few months, it will be all sand and dust what you see.

Apart from seeing Julie, Tom, Mia and meeting Naëlie, I also caught up with other friends and we made a little trip to Rhumsiki.

Rhumsiki, in the Mandara mountains, is well known for it's beautiful rock formations and terrific landscape. We did a 2.5h walk in the morning and enjoyed every minute of it.
On the way back, we stopped at Tourou, where it was market day and learned that a market is not necessarily and primeraly about buying and selling. In Tourou, it's about meeting friends and drinking Bili-bili (millet beer). The women wear calabash hats and have a stick in their nose.

Maroua may not be as sofisticated as Yaounde, but I love the tranquility, the feel of the town and they've got fresh cheese, milk and tofu (in Yaounde you can only get imported milk and cheese - there is supposed to be tofu but haven't found it yet)!
Plus - I'm having a leather bag handmade and delivered to me in Yaounde in a couple of weeks time!! What a luxery ;-)