October 22, 1980

NIAMEY, NIGER
This being the first business day since hitting Niamey, we were all at the bank by 8am. Afterwards, I took a cab to the American Embassy, to seek help in sending home for money. A representative told me to go to the Citibank office, then chatted a while, showed me pictures of him mountain-climbing. I asked him about my chances of getting a visa to Nigeria, since Sewell told me he'd had trouble. The consul told me it might depend on how much I look like a hippie. (Much more so than Sewell, who finally got the visa only because he'd had an earlier, expired one.) I was further bummed out to hear that Cameroon has no consulate here, so the nearest place I can get a Cameroonian visa is in the Ivory Coast-- far in the wrong direction!

At Citibank, I was told I needed my savings account number, which I don't know. I'd planned on calling home after a month or so, so this looked like a good time to do it. When the Post Office re-opened at 4pm. I asked about calling the USA: a collect call would take an indeterminate amount of time; direct would cost almost $20 for three minutes.

I decided to dial direct and the call came through in about 45 minutes. I heard a tiny, very distant squeaking, which I realized was my mom, yelling, "Steve? Steve? Is that you?" I gave instructions about the money, with great difficulty, involving yelling, repeating and asking for confirmation. Afterwards, there was little time for chatting and less atmosphere for it. Later, I felt a little sad to have heard my folks' voices, but not to have been able to communicate much. Because of the first two minutes, in which we couldn't understand each other at all, the call took five minutes and cost me $32.

To top it off, Elizabeth's boss says we have to leave her yard. Now it's complete: Benin won't let us in because we have backpacks, Nigeria is only giving out 48-hour visas, Cameroon has no visa office here, our resting place is taken from us, and my parents are barely able to talk to me.

If Cameroon is represented at Nigeria, I'm thinking of flying there (on a 48-hour visa), getting the Cameroon visa, and scooting to Cameroon. I hear that plane tickets are much cheaper if bought in Nigeria-- if so, I'll try to fly to Kenya from there, stopping at Cameroon. Originally, I wanted to travel only by land, but I'm getting tired of it and would be glad to be more of a "typical tourist" if I can afford it.

Jens and I spent an hour looking for a cheap hotel, but there is none; apparently this town hasn't degenerated long enough to have a slum section yet. The two guys with the car, Bernard and his friend, have found a little woods, so we drove there to spend the night-- under the stars, as usual.