Football

As a teacher in Cameroon traveling on a whim is often not an option. Aside from Christmas break, Easter break, and summer holidays, there are few opportunities to take extended vacations. So when these breaks do occur it is important to take advantage of them. Limbe is an ideal choice for these occasions and was the destination for the past Christmas and Easter breaks. There are many sites and landmarks all over this town. One in particular that always seems to catch the eye is the new football stadium being built in preparation for the African Cup of Nations. On my most recent visit, to my surprise, I learned that this stadium had just been completed (well, more or less). I also saw banners announcing a match between South Africa and Cameroon, to be played during the weekend I was there. If not for this lucky coincidence I was convinced I would not be able to see a match here in Cameroon as most matches are played in Yaoundé, and traveling there isn't very convenient. Fortunately the timing of this match in Limbe could not have been better. The morning of the match was spent swimming in the ocean and relaxing on the beach. By the afternoon friends and I made our way to the stadium. However, our taxi was stopped a mile from the entrance. There was a massive road block and ordinary cars were not allowed through. We began walking, but by another stroke of luck we were picked up by someone who was important enough to be let through the road block. After he was waved through checkpoint after checkpoint we knew he must be someone with serious influence. We were taken all the way to the front gates, where we thanked our driver and got out. From there we made our way inside. As soon as we reached our seats we heard a large moan come from the crowd, South Africa had just scored. However, the atmosphere quickly picked up again as Cameroon increased their attacks. In the final minutes of the first half a Cameroonian striker played a long pass off his chest and buried it into the back of the net. The crowd went wild. During halftime we crossed to the other side of the stadium and found even closer seats that were unoccupied. We also took this time to look around and appreciate the amazing views. With the stadium being situated on the lower slopes of mount Cameroon, it provided outstanding views of the entire coastline, from Ambas bay with it's many small islands, all the way to the end of the famous six mile beach. And with the day being uncharacteristically clear, all of Malabo (the capital of equatorial Guinea, a 3000m island/mountain) was in clear view, from base to peak. Turning around provided no relief from the stunning scenery, with mount Cameroon looming high above eerily shrouded in a hazy mist. In front of mount Cameroon stands mount Mokinde (2000m “baby mount Cameroon”) as close as can be, with its base just the next village over. As focus is directed back onto the pitch the lions are able to quickly score a go ahead goal. But unfortunately, South Africa caught the Cameroonian goalie off guard and somehow were able to score from mid field. In extra time Cameroon seemed to score the final goal, but it was bicycle kicked out by a defender at the last minute, ending the match in a draw. With the match over we climbed down onto the field, and from the grass, watched the sun set over the Atlantic ocean. Slowly taking in the events of the day we all came to the conclusion that there could be no better place to have a stadium, and fortunately the representatives of FIFA Cameroon thought so as well.