Previous country: Guinea Bissau
29th November 2023 – less than an hour at the border. However we had to wait to get around an overloaded lorry that was in danger of toppling over. Foolishly I started to take a video of it (not wise at a border!) and a policeman got rather heated. He insisted that I deleted it (which I did immediately). However he kept asking me (in French) why I had taken it. I kept repeating that I had now understood and deleted it but he wouldn’t leave it. Another (more junior) policeman arrived and insisted on looking through all the pictures on my phone (despite the fact that I told him they were by date) and it had clearly gone. The road at the border was non existent. How heavy lorries get through Lord only knows.
Interestingly the Immigration Officer entered a tirade of abuse about the French, they really are unpopular in West Africa now! He mentioned the “colonial tax” that the French ask their former colonies to pay (and then loan them part of the money when they can’t afford to pay it). Thankfully it seems they like the British!!
The scenery changes as soon as you cross the border, both human and natural. Lots of the houses in Guinea are round with a conical thatch roof. There are huge escarpments and hills:
The termite mounds here are mushroom shaped (a sub species of termite apparently). The caps shield them from rainfall. There can be hundreds in a small area:
I have never seen them before.
We have found a nice free camping spot (from iOverlander). Although cows have turned up to spend the night here but no problem we can share! There is no alternative in this area. The towns and villages are quite scrubby and undeveloped, although they often have small roadside markets.
We really hope to have a shower available tomorrow! A strip wash is fine (after all I did go to a boarding school in the 1970s!) but a shower is so much better!
Been on the road 2 months today and it has flashed by. So many good memories already.
30th November 2023 – drove to Labé this morning. They are redoing the road so it is a work in progress. Very slow going. At one point there was an overturned truck. They had taken its load off and were using hydraulic jacks to try and right it. We were initially told the road was impassable but we went on to look. There was just room to get through although the end of the awning caught on the trucks rear tyre which was in mid air. Squeezed through without any issue. Lots of other trucks waiting (and helping the rescue effort).
There was some sort of earthmoving machine struck in a ravine on the way. We saw a multi-wheeled mobile crane in the nearest town presumably going to try and retrieve it! It isn’t going to be easy, it looked seriously wedged.
There are nearly 11,000 Guinean Francs to the pound so with £100 you are a millionaire!
The Guinean lady who owns the lodge is quite a character. She had a glass of wine at her side when we arrived at around 11:30am! We have asked for her help in buying a replacement dry powder fire extinguisher as I used the current one putting out a fire (embarrassingly that I had started). We will see what sucess we have…
A motorbike taxi took me into the town and I quickly found a replacement 1kg extinguisher of reasonable quality. I misunderstood the price and the taxi driver corrected me (saved 100,000 Francs). However the taxi driver wanted half the saving when we got back to the lodge! The Guinean lady owner was furious and gave him a really hard time. I gave him a tip however in order to be fair as he had helped me.
Had dinner with a Dutch couple who are using public transport over several West African countries and 2 Germans with Bulgarian registered motorcycles who overtook us in Guinea Bissau who are long term overlanders (the wife Silke is working while travelling).
1st December 2023 – I am still getting bitten (despite no mosquitoes here in cooler Guinea) but Rachel isn’t. Our theory is that having our sheets washed at a Lodge they acquired bed bugs in the process!!
The question now is how to get rid of them. Washing (and especially drying) at high temperature is the best way but not really possible here (washing machines are rare and dryers non existent). We are going to try and find some chemical spray today if we can. Quelle chance?!
We went to Labé town and firstly found a supplier of agrochemicals! He wanted us to buy two different chemicals and a hand sprayer and “mélanger”! He telephoned a “technician” who could apply it for us. I was not happy either with his ludicrous prices or the fact that some of the chemicals are banned in Europe (useful being the son of an Agricultural Merchant). Also the amount of chemical was probably enough to do 100 acres not a small roof tent!
So we later found a 600ml aerosol Pyrethrin based insecticide spray in a small shop next to the market.
We are staying another night here in order to effect an extermination (think Dalek voice)!!
The leg of the Toubab following the feasting by the nasty blighters (and this is the least eaten part):
Gunfire reported in Bissau which we visited only a few days ago. The National Guard allegedly illegally released a minister accused of misusing public funds.
Two British guys in a Land Rover 90 arrived. They got here from the UK in only 7 days (average of 800 miles per day) and are planning on shipping from Accra in only 4 more days! They left at 5:30am! They only have a 55 litre tank with a range of 220 miles so they are filling up all the time. They even did two border crossings yesterday! They are experiencing little of Africa. The car has an upgraded intercooler and radiator with modified fuel flow so they can go faster! They are only getting 18 miles to a gallon! Seems like madness to me but each to their own.
Also talked to a British cyclist Ollie about his experiences (he used to live in Cambridge, small world). He is considering returning to the UK as he has an offer of work. We talked widely about the challenges of African travel.
Had dinner with Jan and Silke (German couple living in Bulgaria) again. Great to hear of their travel experiences.
2nd December 2023 – Pleased to report that the Pyrethrin seems to have been successful although I still look like I have the plague (takes around 3 weeks for the bites to heal). We are going to buy more spray and regularly retreat in case there are eggs or the blighters return. Good treatment for mosquitoes too so useful to have in the arsenal.
We removed the mattress and treated it with Pyrethrin and cooked it in the sun. Also treated the sheet and duvet cover with Pyrethrin and left them on a line in the breeze. The inside of the tent was repeatedly sprayed and fogged with the spray to try and get in all the crevices.
Visited some waterfalls at Kambadaga, simply stunning:
The surprise when we got there was that the UN from Labé were having a day out (WHO, UNICEF etc etc)! They were super friendly and asked us to eat with them but we had already eaten lunch. But they gave us a delicious milk drink with grains in it. The senior UN person had also worked for Oxfam and had worked in South Sudan, Mali, Congo often away from his family but had now settled in Labé. He was originally from Chad. He said he spoke no English when he left school but had enrolled on a course in order to get better work. Clearly it was a wise approach. Many of the guys were in the water frolicking. They were certainly really enjoying their day out! I lost track of how many hands I shook and how many I talked to. Amazing to be there on that day.
The two waterfalls from a viewpoint:
The only issue here was a local guide Ibrahim (and his sidekick) who would not leave us alone despite telling them that we didn’t need a guide. I told them to leave us in peace to no avail. They said the road was closed although they were rather hoist on their own petard when 6 UN vehicles turned up and clearly showed they weren’t telling the truth!
They were trying to argue that an entrance fee of 100,000 Francs was payable to the local prefecture but we didn’t believe that anymore than the invisible rope indicating road closure! Later a different local guide apologised for Ibrahim’s behaviour and said he would report it to the chief of the village. I explained that that kind of behaviour would mean that they would soon have no visitors at all.
Rickety footbridge across the river (we didn’t try it!).
The river valley is so incredibly green:
3rd December 2023 – got my weatherstation working again by remotely rebooting it. Amazing that technology allows you to do this from 6,000 miles away. We wild camped last night in a remote location and the mobile data connection is 80 megabits per second. That is what I get at home with fibre! Everywhere we have stopped for the night across Africa we have had a connection (only sometimes slow). I wish I could say that of East Anglia!
Another beautiful waterfall (called Ditinn) this time the highest in Guinea. Again terrible roads to get there. Huge debate about the price but the guides weren’t pushy or rude.
Pole bridge to get over the river (covered in soldier ants):
Tonight’s sunset:
Bizarrely we just met the British Ambassador to Guinea where we are staying. He gave us his card (he has two, we got the one without his mobile number!). Disappointed not to get Ferrero Rocher however (you remember the awful advert?). He had been deputy Ambassador in Ethiopia. Taxpayers might like to know that the Ambassador has two cars and drivers (he said he needed to find out exactly why!).
An option for dinner last night was Bicycle Chicken (local chicken that arrived by bike!)
We are staying in the grounds of a hotel. We are having to use the open air pool shower because the rooms are full! I think the wandering guests were maybe surprised by the naked Toubab taking a shower! There seem to be many people in each room. They have done loads of washing and put it on the ledges to dry. Some rooms have ten pairs of shoes on the ledge!
4th December 2023 – Rachel at the local branch of Tesco (the stall owner tried to sell a bit of everything!):
The taxis here (often old Peugeot estates) are piled high on top at least the height of the car again. Often they lift the suspension at the rear to carry more weight such that when they aren’t laden they are a a crazy angle. They then drive like total lunatics. And I just saw one pass with a coffin on top! I don’t know if it was empty or occupied! They often have poor live chickens strapped and hanging from the cargo.
Tonights Campsite is near some more falls. We negotiated the price of camping down because the original offer was too high. It has been substantially refurbished since the reviews we read but even so. There is some Cinema company day/workshop going on here. A big table for lunch (they eat late here) and live music (Traditional West African Balafon – like a xylophone). Unsure whether they are staying overnight or leaving. Some kids wandered through the camp with some beautiful golden scaled fish they had just caught.
Paid for Ivory Coast visa online today and emailed the receipt (their odd process). Will then go to the embassy tomorrow in the Guinean capital Conakry.
More beautiful waterfalls. The butterflies love the moisture from the spray around the falls.
A boy had climbed up the rock at the side and was bathing at the top of the falls! I asked him if it was dangerous and he agreed it was! (You can just see him if you zoom in top right, I didn’t know he was there when I took it!):
Above African Giant Millipede at the falls.
The main road to Conakry has been resurfaced, I think by the Chinese. There was a huge convoy of mostly brand new Chinese trucks heading the other way. The new road is great but people are driving too fast and taking too much risk. There were loads of crashed cars and trucks beside the road that we haven’t seen on other roads.
5th December 2023 – traffic in Conakry is hellish. We went down a road and were stopped by the police because it is not open in that direction in the morning! He wanted 500,000 Francs to start with and later 100,000. Someone came to translate because I only spoke to him in English. I explained that it isn’t in our culture to give money to officials! He kept saying that he could give us an official document and take us to the police station to make it difficult or we could give him small money and be quickly on our way. He eventually gave up. I kept saying that we could be there all day! He was the most persistent we have come across so far. We have never paid a bribe in Africa so don’t wish to cross the Rubicon.
Went to the Ivorian Consulate. They told us to come back tomorrow. I told them that they didn’t close until 3pm and we had already paid. He then relented and gave us forms to fill in. He wanted us to re-email the receipts! He then said that the consular official who needs to sign isn’t there (given previous behaviour I am highly sceptical of the truth of that statement) but he took us to the office where they photocopied passports and yellow fever certificates. The folder for November’s visas was very slim so they are hardly overworked!
Conakry has little to recommend it. There are road blocks everywhere following the prison break (the British Ambassador told us that he was still at large). In the area of Kaloun there are concrete chicanes painted yellow and black. Some of the roads have piled earth and others cement blocks to close them off.
We have no choice but to take a room here. Even though the place has a garden that would be perfect they won’t allow it. A plumber is currently repairing the toilet and the basin tap. We may as well get our money’s worth! However he didn’t even get the toilet flush working! At least the tap is fixed. Definitely the worst hotel I have stayed in since Ethiopia.
6th December 2023 – going to pick up our Cote d’Ivoire visa this morning (he said he would call but I bet he doesn’t). It makes me nervous to be without my passport, I normally don’t let it out of my sight. I asked if I could take it (given that he had taken copies) and he wryly said “It depends whether you want the Visa!” and smiled. It is over 1,000 kilometres to get to Cote d’Ivoire and the roads are likely to be bad. Probably no choice except bush camping most of the way. But forest to see on the way, no doubt it will be scenic and beautiful like the rest of Guinea. Unsurprising that there is little tourism here. I guess their close neighbours (especially The Gambia) are well set up for tourists.
We couldn’t wait to leave the craziness of Conakry. Terrible traffic jam on the way out. Being a large city there are dual carriageways but people take short cuts and drive the wrong way down them! Lots of traders selling small triangular plastic bags of water, plantain crisps (tasty), cashew nuts, USB adapters, bananas, etc, etc every traffic jam!
We had someone start cleaning the windscreen and I told him to stop but he wouldn’t. Of course he then demands money. I was seriously angry. I always tell people not to touch the car and they usually heed it. But he was having none of it. I need to learn some swear words in French but it seems he understood the English ones (not that he took any notice whatever!).
A police checkpoint coming out of Conakry told me that it was forbidden to drive in sandals and said that he was going to give me a ticket. He quickly got bored and said “Go!”.
A voluble Frenchman at the Cote d’Ivoire consulate to get his visa told me how unusual it was to find an Englishman who speaks French!
We hoped to get a multiple entry visa for Guinea at the airport but it was USD550 so not worth it. If you stay for more than 5 days in Guinea you have to convert your eVisa (which ironically is required to be printed!!) into a sticker in the passport at the airport. Although this is the rule it is sometimes ignored on exit but not always. This is Africa!
Getting Visas is such a waste of time and money but it has to be done.
Amazing wood carvings at the falls (wouldn’t readily fit in George!):
7th December 2023 – got an oil change at a Shell fuel station using our own oil and filter. The guy seemed thorough and efficient at least to start with. He used a compressor to blow the dust out of the air filter and engine bay. I asked him to check the gearbox/transfer box and differential oil. He said he had and all was fine so I questioned him because he did it so quickly (I am pretty sure he only checked the rear differential). His services were only 50,000 Guinean Francs (£4.60). George feels much better with some new oil. Although they overfilled, I must watch for that next time.
Lots of taxis overloaded with freight today but also some with one or two people sitting on top clinging on for dear life! We have a lovely bush camp spot tonight under mango and other trees. Really quiet. Some motorbikes going past (the main form of transport here). Some stop to say Bon soir and have a chat. One was pointing out that police ask for bribes because they are poor. I think they are probably some of the more well off citizens however. He suggested that I should be doing business here to properly help them (he is working for the Chinese on new roads), not a bad point, the whole way Aid works (or doesn’t work) in Africa needs to change.
8th December 2023 – a long driving day. Roads improved in the afternoon thankfully. We stopped at a checkpoint that had a bad reputation but it was fine but the next one wasn’t. They made an issue of me wearing “sandalettes”! It is OK to wear sandals with a strap around the ankle but not without. They wanted 500,000 which later came down to 300,000. They wrote out a ticket and tried to hold my documents to ransom. Eventually we paid the 50,000 official fine with a receipt. It took an hour to get to this point! I told them I wasnt in a hurry and would wait there for a week. They kept transferring my documents from one police officer to another. I repeatedly asked for that back. The senior officer asked for my passport and given the circumstances I refused. He didn’t seem to be bothered! The female officer was pretty blatant about the blackmail! And rude with it! We had given an International Driving Licence so we could leave it if necessary (we have 4!). But they had our Carnet Customs document which we cannot proceed without. They said that I had to go to the office to pay the fine but wouldn’t tell me where it was. I kept telling them that one of them had to come with me and that the office needed my documents to no avail. It is a cat and mouse game to them. I have no doubt that the official document was torn up after we left and the money pocketed.
Truly this extortion with menace represents the unacceptable face of West Africa.
The Chinese roadworkers have built a walled compound with galleried living quarters with giant Chinese characters announcing something on the front. Quite the citadel. There is also another huge compound where they are crushing stone with massive piles all ready for the new road. Guinea has one of the largest reserves of Bauxite in the world which could well be attractive to the Chinese. They often make deals of this nature to get a foot in the door I believe. The road contract is worth €39m and will link Guinea and Guinea Bissau. The Chinese have signed 200 such road agreements with 142 countries apparently. It seems they are paving the planet.
Camara, the owner of Nelson Mandela Hotel was very friendly (that is actually his surname but he said that his first name is too difficult for tourists!). He told us about plant medicines that they use in Guinea for Malaria and Migraines. Also that they mine Bauxite, Gold and Diamonds but the people are not benefiting from these resources, only Politicians and their families. He also suggested that it isn’t illegal in Guinea to drive in bare feet so if you are atopped with sandalettes just slip them off!!
He mentioned that coffee is grown in Guinea so we asked him how we could get some because the coffee we bought with us is nearly finished (and Waitrose refuse to deliver here!). He kindly took me to the market on his motorbike where a sweet old lady sold me 2 kilograms for 40,000 Guinean Francs.
9th December’s 2023 – long drive again but through densely forested areas. One section was of original native forest with incredibly tall hardwood trees and areas of ferns. Jaw droppingly amazing. The forest floor was covered with vegetation, not a square centimetre bare. There were signs saying watch out for forest elephants, hippos and Chimpanzees but sadly we didn’t see any.
Many of the villages had grain, coffee beans or pulses at the side of the road to dry in the sun. In some places you couldn’t drive around them. They seemed not to be bothered or maybe they wanted you to drive over them for some reason.
We are bush camping beside the river. A group of lads with a truck are collecting sand. Some of them went off in wooden boats to fish. One of them asked for some food and we gave them some bread. It is a beautiful spot to camp but there are annoying sandflies here.
Lots of fireflies darting around again tonight.
10th December 2024 – disaster – the extermination of the bed bugs wasn’t total. I was badly bitten last night (worse than before) and one ankle is swollen. Again Rachel is unaffected although clearly bitten. A Swiss nurse here took a look and recommended Antihistamine. We have a tube from Costa Rica and it is really helping. Just don’t want to get into the tent for fear of being eaten alive again. They really are my Bête noire.
I really liked Guinea (possibly because it is so undeveloped) although the last part was all driving to get to Côte d’Ivoire. I must wave a hundred times a day, whenever I see inquisitive Guineans looking at us. It is a joy when their faces light up when they see they are greeted (I think it is unexpected). I often say “Ça va?” as we drive over the speed bumps through villages or markets when people are close.
Return to Guinea
Return
27th January 2024 – About 2 hours on the border. Everything seemed very slow. The Ivorian immigration officer wanted to try out his English! But he was charming and kind so no problem. He said how easy English was to learn and how difficult French was!
Staying at a Catholic mission tonight in Nzerekore. Internet very poor here now, caused by electricity and fuel problems after the fuel terminal explosion. There is load shedding. Met Martin, a German biker who has been on the road for 18 months – first headed for Nepal, then India, shipped to Mombasa to do some of East Africa doen to South Africa then up the West Coast.
28th January 2024 – managed to get 33 litres of diesel to top up the tank without even having to queue. Hopefully this will be enough to get us through Guinea but we may well find more. The situation has eased it seems although some fuel stations had big queues of motorbikes so perhaps petrol is more difficult. The fuel price was the same per litre as pre shortage.
Staying outside a place called Houndoni so hopefully quieter than last night. Lots of potholes to dodge on the first part of today’s route.
Guinea won their Africa cup match tonight in the last few minutes of the match so there is much celebration here!
Interesting chat with the owner here, he worked at the local hospital as a Doctor for 32 years and was telling me about Ebola there is a British researcher here into viral pathogens) and also his role in Covid vaccinations – he showed me a spreadsheet where they had vaccinated 220,000 people.
29th January 2024 – another split in the side wall of a Cooper S/T tyre. It went down when we were eating our lunch!! Changed the tyre but when jacking up the rear cross member started to deform:
I had noticed a small patch of corrosion and thought that it would need replacing when back in the UK but it is much larger than I realised. We used the hi lift jack on the bumperette to finish lifting the vehicle to change the tyre.
We went to a tyre place in the nearest large town. A 13 year old boy removed the spare from the back door on his own:
He is part of the family who own/run the tyre repair shop and works there after school. He removed the tyre from the rim too! Incredibly strong. We provided a gaitor patch which he glued:
And inside the tyre:
Final charge 30,000 Guinea Francs (£2.75)!
We are back to being called Toubabs again. The kids chant “Touba-boo!, Touba-boo!, Touba-boo!” As we drive past!
Been on the road for 4 months today. Incredible how this has already passed.
30th January 2024 – the tyre repair failed overnight. Flat as a pancake this morning. Perhaps a 13 year old isn’t the best at tyre repair! We returned and they had another go (elder brother this time!). We decided to put the Michelin tyre onto the spare rim because two Cooper tyres had split. We are using one of them with an inner tube however.
Staying at a new place in Mamou. Hopefully we will make better progress tomorrow. The road was pretty awful today, seriously potholed!
Arthur Molyneaux (my uncle) wanted the Transit van to be a serious load carrier. It sure is!! Tested and certified in Guinea, West Africa:
31st January 2024 – arrived back a Labé where we were around 2 months ago. The Guinean lady who owns/runs it is just the same (rude and with a glass of wine!). Although Flavio the Italian owner is now here. The Jacaranda trees are in bloom in Labé now. Mango trees are flowering too and look great.
1st February 2024 – so many internet and social media problems. Social media is definitely being blocked. It makes you wonder what is really going on in Guinea!
We drove through the mountain pass again where they are redoing the road. 25 kilometres of dirt and powdery dust. Not much traffic thankfully. Certainly less trucks than last time – just as well because they breakdown and block the road! One of the last bits of Guinea was noticeably poorer with lots of shelters made from blue plastic. We wondered if refugees were sheltering here (from Mali or Guinea Bissau).
The last couple days have been cooler around 27 Celsius. About 15 or less at night. Even needed a duvet! (although Rachel uses one when it is 25 Celsius at night!!). Tonight’s wild camping spot:
