Mongo, Chad: A Budget Student's Descent into Sahel Madness

i've been in mongo, chad for four days and i still can't decide if i'm coming down with a cold or if my allergies are finally giving up on me. this place is the definition of off the beaten path-my gps coordinates (12.16187, 18.60513) put me right in the middle of the sahel, and i couldn't be happier with the choice, albeit slightly regretful of the 12-hour bus ride that felt like being shaken inside a giant tin can.

the town itself is a cluster of mud-brick compounds, donkeys wandering like they own the place, and a market that smells like a mix of spices, sweat, and diesel. i'm staying in a tiny room above a family's compound for 2,000 XAF a night-that's like three bucks. not bad for a roof over my head. the family's kids think my camera is the coolest thing, and i've been teaching them how to take selfies (they call them 'face photos'). it's the little things.

the weather here is... confusing. i just checked my weather app and it's hovering around 11.13°c, but it feels like 9.58°c thanks to the dry harmattan wind. humidity's at 49%, pressure 1016 hpa, and the ground level pressure dips to 938 hpa which might explain why i'm a bit lightheaded. locals say this is the cool season; i can't imagine what the hot season must be like. i also noticed that the numbers on my gps logger were all weird-like 1216187 for latitude and 1860513278 for longitude. after some google fu, i realized they're just the raw integer representations (lat 100000, lon 100000000) that turn into nice decimals. data nerds would love that. anyway, the cool breeze is a blessing after the relentless heat i expected.

anyway, here's a map to give you a sense of the isolation:

the landscape is mostly flat with occasional rocky outcrops, and the sky is this insane, endless blue. i snapped a couple of shots that kinda capture it:

and that aerial view (though it's not exactly mongo) gives you an idea of the terrain:

i'm trying to eat on the cheap. the mercado central has these grilled meat skewers for 200 XAF-basically a dollar twenty. someone told me that the best deal on sim cards is at the stall by the blue umbrella-apparently the guy there gave a tourist a fake card that died in two days. i got mine from the official shop, no issues. also, i've been using tripadvisor to find the cheapest eats: check out Chez Mama, which is literally a lady cooking on a charcoal stove in her backyard. it's ranked #1 for a reason-i think. i also tried the local dish 'daraba' at a place called Le Palet-yes, yelp actually has a listing here-and it was basically a thick stew with millet balls. not fancy, but it fills the hole.

i've also been reading the chad travel forums for insider tips. the local board at ChadTravel.tc has a thread about the best guesthouses. turns out the place i'm at is mentioned as 'spartan but clean'. i'd say that's accurate. there's also a warning about the night market-apparently pickpockets love the crowds. i made sure to stash my cash in my sock. pro tip? maybe.

if you get bored, n'djamena is just a short drive away-by 'short' i mean like 12 hours on a road that's more pothole than pavement. but once you're there, you'll find a proper city with wifi cafes and a creperie that, according to a drunk expat, 'changes your life'. i might check it out on my way back. i also booked my bus ticket through Afrique Évasion, a local site that's actually useful.

one last piece of advice: if you come here, bring water, sunscreen, and a sense of humor. the internet is spotty, at best, and the electricity flickers more often than not. i'm writing this on a cracked phone screen with a battery that's at 15%. but that's part of the charm, right? also, the pressure being low (938 hpa at ground) makes my ears pop sometimes. weird, but okay.

anyway, i gotta run-apparently the bus to the next town leaves at 5am and it's already 4:30. i'll try to catch some sleep, if the rooster next door will shut up. until next time, keep your boots dusty and your wits sharper.

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