Growing up in a rural area, I thought I had been exposed to some rough roads.  My grandparents have lived on gravel roads, the shortcut between my two sets of grandparents was a dirt path that could be very rough, and so I thought I was well prepared for rough roads.  In preparation for going to visit friends in Banso area of Cameroon (about 460 kilometers from Yaoundé) we were told that we would be traveling on rough, dirt roads and that it’s necessary to have 4-wheel drive.  We are borrowing a vehicle from a family on furlough and its 4-wheel drive.  After traveling 8+ hours on paved roads (note:  the paved roads are like chip & seal in the States) we came to the area where the pavement disappears and the road is dirt.  These roads are very rough, like a washboard with 4 foot pits that you must drive through.  These roads wind you around the mountains displaying the wonderful creation of the mountains.