23rd November 2023 – quick border crossing, maybe an hour. Quite confusing because you stop at the police point before a rope and have to do some of the formalities before returning back. Had to pay road tax (£6.25) for the first time in West Africa. That isn’t going to fill many potholes! Stopped for lunch in a village under the shade of a Mango tree. The locals show no interest in us at all, which is quite unusual. Mangroves en route:
We are camped next to some mangroves. The owner is a slightly irascible Frenchman who sneered “Oh you are English but you have a good car!”. He then told us he didn’t like where we had placed the car but later relented just as I had started to move it. He told us that we needed to place our food order with the fat woman in the kitchen!
Salad starter and Giant prawns in garlic for dinner. Perhaps we can forgive the irascible Frenchman solely on the basis of his cuisine!
Three police checkpoints on the way. They asked for driving licence (permis), insurance (assurance), registration document (carte gris), Carnet de passage, fire extinguisher (they checked it had contents), horn, Windscreen washer (!) and two warning triangles (local police obsession here). All was in order, fortuitously we even have the required 2 warning triangles!
Judging by the rocks and branches marking broken down vehicles people rarely have the required triangles. Irritatingly they often leave the rocks in the road after the vehicle has been repaired and moved. I once badly dented an oil sump when driving at night on one of those rocks left in the road in Ethiopia. Thankfully it was carefully beaten back into shape with a hammer!
24th November 2023 – going to visit the capital Bissau today to see the Portuguese colonial architecture. They only received independence in 1974. Cashew nuts account for 90% of exports here and the country is one of the worlds top 5 producers. GDP per capita is only USD800 (similar to The Gambia).
Found camping in Bissau at Yuri’s who is married to a Spanish wife. It is a haven of peace in a bustling city, basic but fine (bucket shower). The traffic this morning was crowded and slow. Many small local buses and Mercedes 190 taxis crowd (and block!) the streets and stop everywhere regardless of common sense!
There is a restaurant that does Italian food (including Pizza) just down the road so we will try that this evening. It has a very extensive menu. Rachel seized the opportunity to have some fillet steak and I had a Calzone pizza. 15,300CFA with drinks (£20). So quite expensive in a local context. Full of Toubabs of course!
Managed to buy some good engine oil at the Shell station before we left Senegal in anticipation of having to do the first oil change soon. In countries with poor refinery capabilities I don’t want to risk engine damage by using poor quality oil.
Bissau is trying to make changes. New block paving and boulevards but nothing is finished. There is an old fort with canons around its edge and a wall made of volcanic rock:
The Ministry of Justice is hugely impressive but one wonders what is served as Justice here.
Catholic Church:
Shiny 5 star hotel. Depressingly with many new USDA and UNICEF Land Cruisers (double) parked outside! Scandalous. Good to know where our taxes go.
Soviet like “Place des Heros” monument to independence:
There are many old colonial buildings but most are crumbling. UNESCO is considering giving it status but hasn’t yet. I read that the UN buy 650 new Land Cruisers a month from one specific dealer in Gibraltar.
25th November 2023 – interesting chat with Yuri before we left about geopolitics. Lots of Guinea-Bissauans work in The Gambia and lots of Guineans work in Guinea Bissau (particularly in the big market). Guinea-Bissauans prefer to work in government jobs than any private enterprise. Yuri has lots of plans for the future. He has land on an island near the capital and he plans to develop it for tourism. There are turtles there and saltwater hippos and the photos of the island look stunning. Yuri used to run an annual festival but not since Covid. He explained how Casamance (the southern province of Senegal) used to be part of Guinea Bissau but was “traded” for some other territory. We had an interesting discussion over morning coffee. He used to import stuff from Spain but import duties are too high. He also used to deal in fish, first as a fishermen and later wholesale. He says that fish stocks while still extensive are massively depleted since his childhood. His father was in the military and killed during a Coup.
One bizarre thing in Bissau is the crossroad junctions. There are half moon roads on each side. Only the President and the military are allowed to drive straight across! All others have to take the long route!!
Stopped for lunch in a village under a Mango tree for shade and it was noticeable how much more friendly and inquisitive the locals are here in the South of GB. After eating I went to shake hands and meet people (as I am wont to do!) and a 21 year old man unusually spoke some English so I had a chat with him. He wanted to study more but family finances didn’t allow it. He explained that there was little and sporadic work and pay was low (1,000 CFA or £1.30 a day).
Stopped by a checkpoint just before where we are camping. They asked for documents and fire extinguisher/warning triangle. Then said that I hadn’t stopped at the stop sign so I needed to give money. They showed me a receipt book. At this checkpoint there were several kinds of police, customs and military. One of them asked for my glasses (!) and another (in military camouflage) said loudly and slowly as if I hadn’t understood and was simple “You must give us money!” When I stood my ground they got bored and just gave my documents back and I left. It was relentless though especially with so many of them. They were polite and friendly enough when they weren’t treating me like a simpleton!
At the campsite they insisted on cutting a limb off a tree to get us in. I would rather they didn’t but the owner was up the tree with a panga before I knew it!
A line of children came to the camp this evening to collect firewood:
Inquisitive local kids come to see the Toubab:
26th November 2023 – not a great night, the police checkpoint right next door played music most of the night, a lot of it on repeat! The campsite owner wanted too much money too (pit toilet and no water), in hindsight we should have free camped somewhere.
A bread seller on a motorbike arrived this morning. This child arrived with coins and left with a tablet (no idea what it was). The kids here seem to curtsy to Rachel, quite charming perhaps she has regal blood?
We plan to visit Chimpanzees today in a reserve in the south called Cantanhez – the last sub humid patch of forest in North West Africa. There is a sustainable tourism project there but not many visitors. Rangers identify the troupe location and you leave at 4:30am to trek to see them wake up! Looking forward to it immensely.
We drove 70 kilometres through cashew plantation and dense jungle on single track dirt roads. Stunning viewscl across the valleys over the treetops. This is West Africa in my minds eye.! The route was amazing, just what the Land Rover was invented for. On the way we heard rustling in the trees and saw movement. We stopped and got out and a local who was walking past pointed out the troupe of Chimpanzees in the trees. We hoped they would cross the road but they didn’t. So lucky to have this chance encounter. We have arrived at the (EU supported) Eco tourism project. We used google translate to find out about the cost of camping and about a guide to visit the Chimpanzees.
Incredibly there is 12 megabit per second mobile data connection here in this remote place!
We hear that Gunfire has been heard in Freetown, Sierra Leone overnight and a curfew announced. Rumours are of a Coup attempt but the government are saying their armoury was broken into. Perhaps just as well we can’t go there (because they don’t allow right hand drive vehicles).
Went to the village shop to buy eggs and met Solomon the local English teacher.
We also met Zidane who lives near where we are camping. He told me that he was 23 and is in his final year at school (not college or university). I think being in school until age 20 isn’t unusual in Africa. I don’t speak Creole or Portuguese and he doesn’t speak English or French but he kept making me laugh:
There are some Portuguese researchers here looking at small mammal populations as little is known. They are taking DNA samples back to Porto to exactly identify the species because it can be difficult from their morphology. They believe they may have discovered a new species of Squirrel! They are rather useful to us as translators!
Met Zidane’s “father” Abubaker (not his natural father) this evening. Our mutual language is French. He has had an interesting life. He studied at university in Belgium and has worked in many African countries (such as Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire) as well as extensively in South America ( Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina). His specialism is in advising regarding fruit growing (Bananas and Pineapples etc). Abubaker has a son called Sumanie who I also met (the same name as a great friend in Malawi who I met on our East Africa trip in 2005). They are very friendly here in the forest village. Abubaker invited us for dinner but had already eaten our evening meal.
We now have arrangements with a local guide Alfonso for a.5:30am start (sunrise is 7am). They spot where the Chimpanzees “nest” for the night so we can return and see them waking up. The guide we met earlier is otherwise occupied with the Portuguese researchers so they don’t get lost in the Jungle which I can imagine would be very easy to do!
Saw a troupe of Chimpanzees at around 7am including a baby. Photos are really quite difficult unless they are feeding and today there isn’t fruit about so no photos sadly. Definitely worth the trip though. Cost 30,000CFA (about £38) including park and “observation” fee. I think they just don’t get the visitors like the Gorillas do to charge more (lucky for us). 10,000 goes to the guide and hopefully the government fees don’t get siphoned off somewhere. Truly a magical place to visit. The Mosquitoes are biting ants are truly something else however! I now know first-hand the origin of “ants in your pants”. When they get inside your clothing and are angry they sure do bite!
Parting photo with Zidane who gave me a letter in Portugueseas as I left (I have since translated it and it is incredibly touching):
We are free camping tonight. No official campsites around here (not many campsites anywhere in Guinea Bissau to be honest). Found a nice cashew plantation with a bare flat area and shade.
The only problem with free camping is that every Guinea-Bissauian who passes wants to help us! They stop, they phone their friends to translate and they invite us to their home. They struggle to understand a Toubab sleeping in the bush! It is very kind and incredibly welcoming.
Many Girls collecting firewood this evening passing our site:
28th November 2023 – so many visitors this morning, on foot, donkey cart, bicycle and motorbike. The people have been so friendly here. Most stop to chat. I just wish we had a common language. But huge smiles, laughter and hand gestures suffice. Some know a little French but mostly Wolof, Creole and (some) Portuguese. I am trying to learn some Portuguese but it isn’t always understood in rural areas. One man kept jokingly (I think) asking for our breakfast. I just helped fix someone’s bicycle. I guess they don’t have easy access to spanners or much understanding of bearings. 17 year old owner of bicycle I helped to repair (tried to get him to smile but he wasn’t too keen!):
Difficult driving today, potholes big enough to hide elephants (!) and broken asphalt. The gravel or piste is better for driving than broken tar although it is a dangerous surface if you go too fast. An average of 20 miles an hour today only. Very tiring as the eyes and brain continually have to scan the surface to decide the depth of craters, the required speed and required route and placing of each wheel. Sometimes inevitably you misjudge it. Everything has to be packed in/strapped down as everything bounces when you hit a crater too fast. As I have driven many tens of thousands of kilometres in Africa I am used to it but still make mistakes. A serious error of judgement could break a spring or even the chassis. I don’t like to push it because it takes a toll on shock absorbers and spring especially and twisting and shaking works many things loose over time. Stunning water lilies on the way:
I don’t know why but roads to borders always seem to be poor. I can understand if there is heavy lorry traffic but on this route there isn’t. There are even few cars.
We had planned to cross the border to Guinea today but it is getting late for a border crossing (you never know how long they will take). So we decided to free camp and go to the border early tomorrow.
Even though we are more remote than last night and screened in trees we have already had 3 visitors. One asking for petrol (or money to buy it), another for food and a lift to the border, the other for water (he had been tending his cassava). We provided water but the rest we can’t.
I noticed when we stopped by a river for lunch that most of the kids who were swimming had huge umbilical hernias. I guess they don’t have the luxury of trained midwives or hospital births. Although I understand that it is more common genetically in Africans. I believe half of them resolve by adulthood.
My homebuilt weatherstation that has been monitoring since 27th May 2022 stopped working today at 15:07. I tried remote reboots to no avail. Self test is reporting a sensor problem, possibly water ingress or somesuch. Sadly I will have to leave it until my return. I may try to reprogram it to operate without the faulty sensor if I get time. Annoying after it has been recording for all this time. Nous sommes rien à faire!
Beautiful here by the light of the full moon. We were in an area with trees but not dense ones and with a covering of grazed grass and vegetation. Perfect quiet camping spot. Almost like parkland!
I have much enjoyed Guinea Bissau (Rachel perhaps less so). I enjoy meeting local people and they are really very friendly here when you break the ice.
Something mercilessly bit my ankles in the night – around 40 bites.
