From a distance, Limbe, Cameroon looks like a scene right out of Jurassic Park ™. Mountains covered in jungle come right down to the sea. The higher elevations are often obscured by clouds, rocky islands in the bay, the occasional T-Rex stampeding thru town…(just seeing if you are still awake)
Mount Cameroon is the largest in the local chain (go figure), 4000+ meters. Dormant volcano, last erupted in 1999, or so the locals say. It dominates the region. The forest/jungle around the slopes leading down to Limbe is all shades of green. Palm trees making up palm oil plantations are in wide abundance. All kinds of tropical fruit are also available (mangos, bananas, plantains as big as my forearm, etc.). Wow.
The town proper is pretty small. We have to anchor out and send boats ashore because NASH is too big for their harbor. Speaking of boats, got my first ride on the LCU today. That’s Landing Craft Utility for you non-amphibious types. Think a semi-modern version of the landing craft you saw in “Saving Private Ryan”. We flood half of the ship (always a weird sensation, isn’t that a bad thing??) open the stern gate on the back of the vessel and out comes the LCU. Short trip to the fleet landing site. The LCU can run up to the beach, or rocks in this case. No we weren’t invading Cameroon, we were actually delivering a ton (literally I think) of donated goods to hospitals, schools, and an orphanage. Good stuff. Not quite the ‘swords into plowshares’ thing, but close. I added to that load with toys my boys sent (good job guys) and candy…always a hit with the kiddos.
Wish I could post pics, but with the internet issues we’ve been having I’m lucky to post anything. Goodnight from 4 degrees North.
-K
Mount Cameroon is the largest in the local chain (go figure), 4000+ meters. Dormant volcano, last erupted in 1999, or so the locals say. It dominates the region. The forest/jungle around the slopes leading down to Limbe is all shades of green. Palm trees making up palm oil plantations are in wide abundance. All kinds of tropical fruit are also available (mangos, bananas, plantains as big as my forearm, etc.). Wow.
The town proper is pretty small. We have to anchor out and send boats ashore because NASH is too big for their harbor. Speaking of boats, got my first ride on the LCU today. That’s Landing Craft Utility for you non-amphibious types. Think a semi-modern version of the landing craft you saw in “Saving Private Ryan”. We flood half of the ship (always a weird sensation, isn’t that a bad thing??) open the stern gate on the back of the vessel and out comes the LCU. Short trip to the fleet landing site. The LCU can run up to the beach, or rocks in this case. No we weren’t invading Cameroon, we were actually delivering a ton (literally I think) of donated goods to hospitals, schools, and an orphanage. Good stuff. Not quite the ‘swords into plowshares’ thing, but close. I added to that load with toys my boys sent (good job guys) and candy…always a hit with the kiddos.
Wish I could post pics, but with the internet issues we’ve been having I’m lucky to post anything. Goodnight from 4 degrees North.
-K
The Somali pirates are big news today (8 APR). Let us know if you catch any!
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