Venturing Through Different 'Hoods

Yaounde and all of its neighborhoods.
Can you find Essos? That's where I live :)

The advantage of having a flexible work schedule is that there's time to be a tourist. This past week there wasn't that much work in the lab because the medical students are at the end of their research projects and getting ready to defend their theses. This meant that on Thursday and Friday we had time to travel around the city. We went to Briqueterie (the Muslim neighborhood) for some soya (grilled meat) and dackere (yogurt from Northern Cameroon). Walking and driving through Briqueterie reminded me of what Northern Cameroon is like (we visited Garoua and Maroua, two cities in the north when I was here last Christmas): lots of mosques, Muslims and beautiful fabric. The only difference was that the yogurt did not have the rich quality in Yaounde as it did in Garoua.

Here's a Google image of the Briqueterie neighborhood...Too bad you can't see the pretty mosque I saw (but didn't have a good angle for a picture).

Akaila and me at 50/50 about to enjoy some grilled beef kebabs (soya). There was also liver, but that wasn't as good.

Google image of the Bastos neighborhood. Stuntin at its finest.

After Briqueterie, we went to Bastos for some chicken and fried plantains and then ice cream for dessert (tasted more like gelato/sorbet). Bastos is one of the neighborhoods that is known for the embassies and the expats who call it home. You can tell when you're in Bastos by the change in houses, people and restaurants. For example, driving through the neighborhood we saw a bright green Bentley. Stuntin'. Last week, we went to Pizza Roma, which is like an American-style restaurant with (really good) cheese burgers, pizza, salads, chicken nuggets, HEINZ KETCHUP (this was a big deal lol)...you know, typical fast food. The burger and fries were delicious, depsite the 5500 FCFA price (about $10...kind of steep for a burger, fries and a drink but it's a once in a while type of luxury) and it was nice to have to have some American comfort food. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the food here, but it's nice to mix it up from time to time.

 

Yummy, greasy deliciousness!!