January 13, 2011
"Home, where my thought's escaping
Home, where my music's playing
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me"
Paul Simon
Today is the day to go home, but the plane doesn't leave until midnight, so we get the day to enjoy the scenery, buy some much requested souvenirs for loved ones, and in general, to bum around Doula.
After some minor delays, we said a final goodbye to our much loved Chariot hotel and headed for Doula. Mid afternoon, we found a great little market full of perfect souvenirs and loaded up on jewelry, soccer gear, paintings, etc. Elizabeth started as our negotiations coach, but, after quickly deciding that we were hopeless, she took over the haggling for us. We love Eli!
When we were all shopped out, we found a lovely restaurant on the coast and watched the sunset while eating perfectly prepared fire grilled fish, shrimp, and french fries. It was the best meal on the trip, and when we were happy, full, and peaceful, we headed for the airport.
Happily, there is not much more to tell. You want your +/- 30 hours of flights and travel, as well as your journey through customs, to be uneventful. Excepting a few security scares (we thought Wayne might have to stay in Cameroon), we arrived in Indianapolis where our wonderful spouses, children, grandchildren, etc. were waiting. Bless them—they were happy to see us in spite of our tired, filthy, and bedraggled state—and we were overjoyed to see them.
Stay tuned as we process our adventure and move forward to build African University!