Beautiful Poor Guinea (Conakry)

Entering Guinea changed my thinking of what I have and who I am. First day I slept in the bunch of hay. My plan was to see Mountain and village Mali - one of the internet recommendations unfortunately internet didn't specify way to get to the village - I quickly assumed - from my michelin map this can be done from  Koundara via Termesse village. I have no idea how hard it would be so I track Route National No 9. 

Route Nationale No 9 

First kilometers was not too bad - my motorbike almost gone over sharp edge to the river (was parked and collapsed)  - as I tried to help guinean motorcyclist to repair his chain. Unpaved Road was in thick forest In the first day and half I made 120km - literally I have 10km and Hour (around 6miles an Hour) the road was changed in to small divided path with no direction and nobody to ask - I have only map and the compass. I was going up and down and rear break gone. Second day afternoon 3 km from the summit - my overload yamaha burn it clutch. It was hot and I have to leave some equipment and clothes to local people passing by.  I much believe I was one of few or only first tourist seen from long time or for some maybe first time in their life time. 

3km from the summit my clutch died 

I have no idea what to do but solo glob overlanding - require decisions and I have half an hour water sipping break, just to see "where Iam now". I was 120 km from asphalt road - and no way to push or get transport from here.  I tried to readjust clutch and gears start to operate. I slowly went down down for next 2-3 hours and than slept in the big Forest, in the morning mountain were still decline but soon road was going up once again. My moto stops for good. Small poor villaga was around 200m and boys came, some chines mootorbike stops, I wasn't feel strong as poor sleep eat and liitea water take his tool. I send one of the boys to the village to get me some water, than I started striping side casing of the motorbike . In the same time one of the Chinese motorcycle stops and he was mechanic. He wrapped my clutch plates with piece of clothes and my moto starts and go. I left my camping gears including mat and sleeping bags and much more just to reduce weight of the motorbike. 

Reparation with piece of clothes (still Route Nationale No9)

Slowly I moved back to Koundara when I reach town I was happy as never before. This night and next one I was in the hotel for around 7 euro I had bed with mosquito net 2 buckets of cold water for the shower and toilet - I made washing too.

Route Nationale No9 

hand chain driven ferry 

I moved and went through Labe, Dalabe (1400 m over see level), Mamou where I stayed in Hotel for new year. I took off for Nzerekore through  Kissidougou and Gueckedou. I was riding towards Border with Ivory coast - My plan was to get new clutch disk in Abidjan - Ivory coast Everybody was also  saying That elephants are they - This was National park there but nobody could track me to elephants paths. 

I will keep this memioreis for ever 

Getting to Macenta - close to the border. I was riding through good new roads some bad unpaved roads. Sometimes asphalt was very old and eaten by the sun so the speed was not constant. I had to pay a lot of attention to make hole lees passing. 

Macenta was the ecpicentrum of Ebola of the previous years, couple days ago WHO (world health organization) announce West Africa - ebola free - people were happy and celebrate it. I had luck I meet Eric French man who traveled Africa on old BMW 20 years ago he was Head of Red Cross in Macenta and shared his knowledge about ebola. 

Eric - Head of Macenta Red Cross 

He also made comment that elephant are only the legend and I would have to travel and cross border with Liberia to see the Elephants. 

The Highest Mountains in Guinea

After around 300 kilometers I reached Ivory Coast border I asked Border Police to let me go and check if the Ivory cast border is closed or not? I had to go around 15 km to next post unpved dust road - Border were closed - so the only way to get to Ivory coast was way up to Mali and back down (1000km or more)   - I was tired and slept in the police post at Guinean side border. 

Small Shed just behind my tent is Border - Police Post at Guinea -  Ivory Coast
Can you see robe with all plastic bags tied in to it - yes this is West Afriacan type of border  

Caffe Tree - Guinea -  They use new sponsored EU asphalt road for drying beens 

I wish could write more here - maybe one day when I finish my journey I will write a book and that say more about Guinea and all people there I wish I could transfer all my thinking there. I after Borred was closed I had to go up to Mali. See you in my next entry 

Dakar - Gambia - Guinea Conakry - Back in Africa

at guinea Conakry border was around 12.150km of my travel

I almost gave up writing. It is more easier not to write when travel.  Travel is writing story it self. 

My only only hope is you will find my writing interesting so hey ho I' am writing for you. 

I was leaving Dakar on the 22 or 23 december - almost same time last year I was leaving Glasgow. Before I took off got more visas for Guinea Conakry - and Mali and Ivory Coast. I've made new subframe for old - BMW panniers. Lutz my dear Dakar friend helped me much and let me sleep in his place for almost 3 weeks and use all his tools. People are my type of travel and he was one of them who helped me much.  Sometimes I wish I could paid him back.  He helped me now and when I first time crossed Senegal and badly crashed my motorbike. I may not be able to paid him and all people back - but is good to know that world is full of people  and some of them are your friends

On the first day of riding  I had bad petrol tank leakage and glued it beside the road. Same day evening (15 min before border was closed) I entered Gambia.  I was second time at this border. First half year ago where I was refused to enter (argument with border police).  This time was widely open and I paid small for border customs for pasavant. I slept on the beach around 2km from city center of Banjul - it was safe and no money spend for sleeping, In the morning I went to see some traction but city - Banjul was very small. My idea for travel is mostly wild camping or cheap accommodation but I like eat one ‘’hot meal” a day, so I went to nice - european restaurant with free wi-fi. I slept in "About the time lodge" in my tent, in the morning I head to Senegal - Casmance - north part of senegal - border was easy and cheerful first zero stress border - I managed to go to Ziguinchor.

Banjul Beach - cheap sleep!

24 Dec - Christmas 

In some reasons I would prefer go faster because this was 23 dec and I'd like to cross the border and have Xmas evening - 24 on the Guinea side. Road was bad and partly was under construction. Forest in Casamas was beautiful. I remember vividly that in Ziguinchor I was asking in the shop: if this is the only one road to Kolda - road was bad, I was raging for that fact the road was bad -  but instantly I realized one good think for the rest of the travel:

                                                to accept all unplanned happens during my travel.

in Other words: Don't blame anyone - it is you who decided go for travel.
Shortly after I was much happier to cross dusty road for that day.
I slept beside the lake 200meters form noisy Senegal village almost no sleep, because of religion preachers were played till morning. In the morning I took off for Kolda -  unique and colorful town, full of people and the vehicle, - I had breakfast in the very African style “cafe”. I did refueling and head for the border(Senegal - Guinea) - around last 100km from the border was only sand roads and no signpost where to go. I stopped several times asking for direction,

Villages were made of clay house and  it was like film.

Village at Senegal to Guinea border

Those people have little, and no stress

People there - in "no civilization" places were kind and happy seeing me. All of them were kin to take picture and small chat in my french-wollof language. My older brother from Poland call me and we had 15 min talk with the whole family - was gathering at their Xmas dinner - They sang christmas song in polish. I was much touched

I made Frontier-border - in some village sharp bend and and piece of wood across the road - this is the border 

- border was easy - next post (Guineas side) was 30km of sand road in good condition - I was fourth person crossing in the last 10 days as this was entered in the border entry book. No surprise - they took time to chat and very long process of document check - they did't know anything about pasavant so they send to see ''Duans" - customs in Kundara

first sleep in Guinea - Water mellon is waiting for my breakfast