a digital nomad's messy love letter to n'djamena
so i landed in n'djamena with a hangover from the flight and a hope that the wifi would be decent. first impression: dry air, 24.4 degrees celsius but feels like 23.5, humidity at 20% - i think my nose is already bleeding. just kidding, but seriously, it's arid as hell. my throat felt like sandpaper, and i downed a bottle of water like it was champagne.
i checked into a guesthouse that smelled like incense and desperation. the owner, ahmed, told me the internet is 'sometimes good, sometimes ghost' - which, for a nomad, is code for 'bring a book'. i set up my laptop on a wobbly table, trying to ignore the rooster that thinks it's midnight. that rooster became my nemesis, crowing at 3am like it's auditioning for a horror film.
the city sprawls with a kind of tired energy. streets are dust bowls during the day, and at night, generators hum like lullabies. i wandered to a café that nomadlist mentioned, but it was closed for 'family reasons' which here means 'someone important died'. classic. i ended up at a makeshift spot with plastic chairs and coffee that tasted like burnt hope, but the owner had a smile that lit up the room.
weather update: i just checked and it's...stuck at 24.4, hope you like that kind of thing. humidity 20% means no sweat, just paranoia about hydration. pressure 1015? sounds like a band name. i asked ahmed about the weather, and he shrugged: 'it's always this way, unless the harmattan comes, then it's like being sandblasted.' great.
neighbors? if you get itchy feet, kanem is a few hours east, and lake chad's shrinking but still a sight. heard it's a rough drive, so pack patience and water. i met a truck driver who said the road to lake chad is 'a test of your vehicle and your sanity' - he wasn't kidding. but the views? he showed me pics on his phone, and it was all dusty horizons and lone trees.
for eats, i followed a yelp review to a place called 'le phosphate' - don't ask why, but the meat was grilled over charcoal and tasted like guilt-free joy. also, someone whispered that the best street food is near the grand marché, but avoid the guy selling 'special' kebabs - i heard they're...interesting. i tried one, and it was just spicy lamb, but the rumor added an extra kick.
overheard at the coworking space: 'the wifi here is faster than in abidjan, but only before 6pm when everyone streams football'. take that for what it's worth. i'm writing this on a connection that's slower than a snail on sedatives, but hey, it's free. the space itself is a room above a phone shop, with fans that do little against the heat. but the people are cool - a french developer, a nigerian consultant, and a botswanan artist. we share tips and complaints.
if you're planning to come, check the tripadvisor forum for n'djamena - some old threads have gems about sim cards and safety. also, chad travel board has updates on road conditions, though it's mostly rumors. i read that the border with cameroon is 'easy if you have the right papers' but 'chaos if you don't' - helpful, right?
i've been here three days and i still don't know if i love it or hate it. the people are fiercely kind, the pace is slow, and my productivity is shot. but there's a rawness to it that's addictive. last night, i sat on a rooftop as the call to prayer echoed, and the temperature dipped to a perfect 24 - feels like 23.5, of course. the stars were out, and for a moment, i forgot about deadlines and emails.
oh, and if you get bored, libya is...well, not really, but mauritania is a border hop away if you're brave. heard the desert there is endless and beautiful, but also dangerous. standard travel advice, really. i chatted with a traveler who did the crossing and said it was 'uneventful until the checkpoint', which is nomad speak for 'could have been worse'.
anyway, i should stop writing before my battery dies. the sun's setting, and i need to find dinner before the power goes out. n'djamena, you're a messy, beautiful, frustrating dream. until next time, maybe - if i survive the internet outage.