Wednesday in Freetown: beach no. 2

I stayed in bed as long as I could – till about 10am. I had manioc leaves and rice in Jeska Mac for breakfast, 12000le and a Guinness for 10000le. The breakfast was more like brunch, just before noon. I gave my clothes out to be washed. Towel – the so-called tourist towels are waste […]

Nzérékoré: le café

Ah, to not to have to move anywhere today. What a bliss. And I did sleep until almost 9am. I did a bit of work on my mosquito net, I turned it kind of upside down so that it is wrapped around the poles on the bed corners, not between them. I don’t like mosquito […]

Bamako to Kankan: beer at the Christians’

I got up at 5am, needed to pack, and after 3 nights in the same place it is not easy. My room was a mess. And I can’t pack a night before because no matter what I will have to check if everything is packed just before I leave. I already lost a charger and […]

Dimanche à Bamako

Sunday was a very lazy Sunday. I woke up at 9am, had my breakfast, went back to bed, woke up after 12pm. Stayed indoors until around 2pm. Coming out so late there wasn’t much I could do. I went to see the National Museum. I found taxi for 1000cfa and we got in. As two […]

Samedi à Bamako

I woke up very early after the musical night: 9am and it was the heat that woke me up. On the car from Mamou to Kankan when someone asked me how I find Guinea and I said it’s hot they told me that the real hotness I will experience in Bamako. It’s not really hotter […]

Kankan to Bamako: it’s in the music

At 7am, the water lake across the hotel gate was back, I walked out to find transport to Bamako. The gare voiture, more of a damp space between more shacks, was busy. Walking distance from the hotel but I nevertheless took a moto for 3000gnf in order not to waste time finding the place. Also, […]

Koundara to Dalaba: coffeeland

I didn’t sleep very well in Hotel Armand in Koundara. The fact that the hotel was running the bar and that the power went on until 2am, and the window of my room was out onto the front, above the bar, meant the music – however nice it was at times – didn’t allow me […]

Bafatá to Koundara: no sight of Guinness

The electricity in my Bafatá room went off around 5:30am and I almost immediately woke up. It does get quite cool at night, the temperature drops 20 degrees from +40 to +20 yet it’s still hot. I think this may be due to to house walls retaining the heat. Shower water on the other hand […]

Buba to Bafatá: everything lasts

I was worried that I should have gone all the way to Republic of Guinea today. Buba to Bafatá is 135km, 2 hours and here I was at the bus junction, before 9am. Bafatá is recommended by The Rough Guide to West Africa AD2008 as one of Guinea Bissau highlights. Pretty town with Portuguese red-roofed […]

Bissau to Bolama: dusty bush roads

This week Consulmar Guine ferry ran Monday to Thursday (they publish the schedule every week) at 8am. The ferry leaves from the port of Bissau. I arrived at the port around 7:45, there were already people at the dock. The day before when I asked at the ticket office what time I should be at […]