Cameroon - Precautions

Douala is a hot city , nice to relax , have fun, great restaurants to eat nice spicy, cameroonian and exotic foods but u have to be careful about outgoing because of streets unsafety on nights...

Really out there in the bush. If you are into the real TseTse fly experience, this is the place. Off the beaten track, in fact so off, it is practially impossible to go during the rainy season, which is pratically all year. Once there, no one speaks a language you know, unless you studied Korup, or there is a random Nigerian Fula you can ask for help from. But then look what happened to Mungo Park. Beautiful water falls near by. All sorts of facinating birds, Mandrills, Drills, bush elephants, and then there is Unilever palm plantation. They liked it so much they cut down a large part of the forest to plant rubber trees. They eat fofo all the time. And take malaria meds, really!

best dangerous place is a abandoned skyscraper in the middle of Yaoundé On the brink of collapse, with a such a history of violence, devil-worshipping activities and a hidout for mobsters, even the Yaoundeze were really afraid of going in there. (had to bribe the guard). It history betrays it must have been once a regular killzone and even nowadays it has a rather bad reputation and a lot of bats.

Dolo (not Doulo). Little town between Padua and Venice, famouse for its Venetian houses and art. It's a boring town. But it's famous for its swimming pool (where I worked), for its Olympic athlets (Cercato, Galenda, Nalesso, Levorato), the "nutrie" (a big, very big mouse) and the High School Galilei, where lots of students are ready to participate to Mathematic Olympics. Our football team played in Serie B, when there still was fascism. This town was founded along Brenta river; Dolo's square is pretty beautiful, with its Duomo and its church-steeple. All around it, only supermarkets and boutiques. What else???? After Venetian carnival, in Dolo takes place the "Sfilata dei carri" (our carnival); in August inhabitants celebrate San Rocco with a "Sagra" (patronal party). When the sagra finishes, the little and laughing town dies. Guys like to go to other near towns (Mirano above all). So, if you want to enjoy yourself, please don't come to Dolo...choose Mirano, Padua, or somewhere in the world, but not Dolo!!!! Locals: only bar-gelateria Fragile. On 11th september there will be Ivana Spagna's concert, but our local administration didn't advertise this event (applauses). It's not a healthy town: we have one of the biggest and techologic hospitals in Italy, but Dolo is one of the most polluted cities in the Veneto.

We stayed in the Le Meridien Douala hotel. The hotel is in the center of the city surrounded by a lovely garden that shields the hotel from the noise of the city. The Wouri River flows by the hotel and provides wonderful vistas. The food at the Wouri Restaurant in the hotel was good. I'm not one to actually ask what's in a native dish, but everything tasted good and I did not get sick. (In Africa, that's saying something). Now don't think that we were roughing it in the least. The hotel is very modern and the staff went out of their way to provide very good service. It is just so very hot in Douala, I'm not sure I'd want to go back. It's so very near the Equator that it's hot and muggy all of the time. Always were sunblock. Take a higher SPF than you would normally. Be very careful when you go out to make sure that you watch your step. I'm not referring to animal waste but rather scorpions and other creatures. Always watch before you step. Also, the traffic is crazy. Naples, Italy and Paris, France are organized by comparison. Overall, I'm glad we went, but I don't think I'll go back.