I am now so far behind with news and the blog and sitting in downtown Conakry in a cyber cafe -- the first in almost two weeks -- where the connection is painfully slow and seems downloading photos is just about easier than finding the golden fleece.
Anyway -- it is going to have to be briefly and then pics later -- but from southern senegal and the casamance, we travelled into Guinea Bissau, crossing the border at Sao Domingo. Suddenly everything is Portuguese, the people look completely differeent again, the houses are different- lots of colours, wide verandahs around the houses. Everywhere we go people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. You have to remember that for years now these countries have been pretty much occupied with fighting their civil wars and not too many tourists -- and especially white tourists have been coming here. There have been some; but the group travel of the overlanders like us, has not been seen here before.
Shortly -- in Bissau we stayed in a hotel in the town centre. Not far from there the port and the fish market -- so vibrant and colourful it made me *want to cry it was so beautiful. This is supposed to be the port where the drugs from South America come through to go to Europe. We had promised David we would not take photographs -- not a good idea ever in a place where the military are in control and are everywhere you look, brandishing their automatic weapons and looking bored and stoned enough that you don't want to mess with them -- but then it seemed I was the only one actually keeping the promise and everyone else got a few pics in anyway without getting arrested. The fish market was where my camera started screaming to be let out of the bag, but I stayed strong -- and very sad that I got no pics of the men delivering the ice, the piglet that fell into the water and stood shivering on a huge pile of fish, the woen laying the silver fish glittering out in beautiful patterns for sale, the men hacking the massive tunas and yellow fins in pieces and packing them with ice, the young boys running with carts of crushed ice and fish and the babies on their mothers' back looking out at the wolrd with their huge round brown eyes.
And of course, it was in Bissau that I bought my latest cow mask! Not a mask in the traditional sense of the word; but a small cow that has straps of rope which you put over your shoulders and then carry the cow on your back. These masks are amazing -- there are giant sword fish heads and the front half of cows and hammerhead sharks and massive horns that fit onto the tops of heads -- how people carry that weight and then dance as well, remains a mystery. Would have loved to see this in action. These quite different masks come from the Bijagós islands off the coast of Bissau -- apparently very beautiful but quite remote and unfortunately we did not have time to venture there. Definitely a place I woulkd love to go back to and explore lots more.
Guinea Bissau has like the Casamance a lot of flat lowlands -- marshy and lmots of water and consequently large areas of rice fields. But then also many palm trees and dense forested areas -- quite quite beautiful. Our last night we spent on the edge of the Carubal river (the rivers here in this part of the world are somethjing to behold!! They are huge! And of course at the end of the rainy season they are swollen and strong and very impressive!). We stayed at a little encampement right by the bridge which crosses the river where there are the Soltinho Falls. Not really waterfalls but massive rapids that stretch fopr a long way and looked particularly spectacular at sunset and then again in the early morning at sunrise. We all pitched our tents and went straight down to the water where there was a little area where the water was calm enough for us to swim -- wonderful! And the next morning I got up at sunrise and went down the side of the river again to watch the fishermen -- they lind fish from the rock or from the bridge and bring in some pretty impressive big fish!
During the night though a storm came up that was even more ipressive -- it thundered down and we ended up all getting drenched -- IN our tents! NOTHING was going to keep that rain out! A sad and sorry lot we were the next morning, and not having anywhere to hang out wet washing for three days after, also a very smelly lot we were!
All too soon we had crossed right through Guinea Bissau and we were at a border crossing again -- this time to enter Guinea. -- all these names that have always only been exotic names on the vast map of Africaz for me --- quite thrilling!
The border town here was a real border town -- scruffy; dodgy, dirty; messy, strange, unpredictable, packs of dogs running about or lazing in the late afternoon sun, derelict buildings with doors hanging on hinges, -- in an area where mandmines are omnipresent and a woman killed by one only a month ago -- so we were advised by the military there to sleep in the backyard of the little clinic (in name only) -- and if we had thought we aere going to get our clothes dry we were sadly mistaken -- another huge huge storm duyring the night and scurrying for fly's and trying to cover the tents before the rqin came down too hard. Why not put the fly's on before going to bed, you may well ask? Well -- if you had any idea how hot it is here -- in the upper thirties and with a humidity that goes into the nineties, you would understand. We are melting. All the time. The heat is quite unbearable. So if the skies are clear with no cloud or hint of a cloud in sight when you go to bed at night, you leave that suffocating fly off for as loing as possible...
Next night was bush camp and definitely a Red Button one at that -- waking up in the morning with the cows licking the dew off the tents, the mist rising around the mountains surrounding us... Guinea is by far now the most beautioful African country on my list -- even more beautiful and impressive than Uganda and Ruanda. it is lush and green and wild and forested and dense and mountainous with huge rivers, waterfalls that are just simply indescribable -- and so far so unspoilt. (but I am now in Conakry which, by contrast, must be the ugliest dirtiest messiest city after Nouackchott) Loving Guinee.
Quick rundown --- the Fouta Djoulon absdolutely beautiful -- the mountainous north of the country: Labe -- where Miriam Makeba lived in exile!, Pita, Delaba -- the most amazing stunning exquisite view over yet another canyon where you can see for miles and miles and miles -- breathtaking . Spent a day on the back of a motoirbike travelling across roads that are not really roads with a young 15year old dirver/guide who took me to Doucki (had to see the place, Nix!) five hours away from Pita where we stayed -- well, only about half that but we got hopelessly lost!!! -- and then with a guide -- Hassan-- down into the gorges and down the cliffs of what they call the Grand Canyon of Africa -- and I can vouch for that -- only it is so very very green! -- absolutely magnificently stunning!!
And then another day we took a taxi -- for a 48 km drive over some more soil erosion ( how these cars stay driving is a mystery) to the Ditin waterfall -- about 80 metres high so very very imprssive!! I went in and had a swim -- definitely one of the best highlights EVER! And of course a RED RED RED Button moment!!
Two nights ago slept in a camp at the foot of yet another waterfall -- the Bridal Veil -- and survived another thunderstorm the likes of ahich I have never experienced!! And last night arrived in this mad mad place Conakry where the festivalof Tabaski (muslim sheep slaughter festival where gifts are given; offerings are made -- BIG --)meant that hotels are full and camping limited so an owner of one of the little guest houses offerend for us to sleep in his back garden! Wonderful! Abd tonight is our African Kool party -- so I had better get going and go sort out some fancy dress for the occasion! Nici -- won't be anything as fancy as your Black Swan outfit (cannot wait to see th pics!!!) and nothing as smart as dad's white tie and tails outfit of last nighjt (want to see those pics too!!) but will be African and will be kool --- I am planning a few fanta tin pieces of jewellery......
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