Overnight the rain poured. I woke three or four times from the sound of the pounding rain hitting the roof. Thank goodness we weren’t a day later since the road we traveled through the mountains yesterday must have been impossible today.

We left Kumba and drove to Douala with many stops for photographs. We saw Mount Cameroon, a still active volcano that erupted just last year. Today the 4000 meter-high mountain sat in a haze created by the cooler temperature from the rain and from the constant high humidity.

I loved the drive through the rain forest. We saw mango and plum trees and stopped at a rubber tree plantation. We watched a farmer peel latex from a cup attached to every tree and then make a new incision stimulating liquid latex pouring from the tree, which would be collected tomorrow. Down the road 10 kilometers farther, we stopped again to photograph another plantation filled with huge palm trees and dangling green banana fruit wrapped in a protective blue sack. The government owns the rubber and banana plantations but we were told they will be privatized ‘soon’. Across the road from one banana plantation was another one with a ‘Delmonte’ sign. They are obviously getting ready for the privatization.

I look forward to much more luscious rain forest in Africa.