Articles by Doug Nienhuis
I am a Canadian, and I am currently traveling through Asia with a touring bicycle. These are stories and pictures from my trip.
Guinea 045
Sunday, January 28 10:25 a.m. Douki
To say that I am deliriously happy would be an understatement. The reason for that happiness is my new home, a traditional Fula hut (with some decidedly Western twists) located right in the middle of the Fouta Djalon in a small village called Douki.
To be here in this hut is so perfect that I keep expecting someone to show up …
Guinea 044
Saturday, January 27 4:00 a.m. Diaga
I dislike writing in my tent and I don’t know how long my back will hold out but I have no choice. There probably isn’t a single solitary table and chair for sixty kilometres in any direction. And certainly at this time of the morning there is no other option. I just hope that neither the Director nor the Garbled …
Guinea 043
Friday, January 26 8:53 a.m. Pita
The last day and a half has been a series of mysteries solved, discoveries made, and lessons learned.
The first mystery was why “feh de manioc” was a bright slimy green while manioc itself is white. This had been bothering me since the first day in Linsan when the pot lid was lifted to reveal the disgusting but tasty goo inside. …
Guinea 042
Thursday, January 25 6:00 a.m.
It must be the nature of the hotel and room but Ditinn feels colder to me than Dalaba. That’s strange though since Ditinn is 600 meters lower than Dalaba and doesn’t sit in a valley. Of course it could also be because I’m taking cold water bucket baths at 5:30 in the morning (by candlelight and standing barefoot on a gravel …
Guinea 041
Wednesday, January 24 7:00 a.m.
I realize looking back that I didn’t write very much in Dalaba even though I was there for six nights. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that my rhythm was disrupted. I was accustomed to going to bed fairly early, waking up early (and well rested), then carving out a couple morning hours for writing. But the …
Guinea 040
Tuesday, January 23 3:13 p.m. Ditinn
I asked Michel, the owner of the spotless and well run Tangama Hotel, if there was a hotel in Ditinn. A pained look came over his face. He had to admit there was a hotel there but he didn’t want to. “It’s not clean,” he finally said.
And it’s true. It’s not clean. In fact it’s spectacularly dirty. And my room, …
Guinea 039
Sunday, January 21 7:46 a.m.
Dalaba is supposed to be a place of “beauty and repose” but though I appreciate the town’s scenic qualities I can’t quite master the repose part. I’m not sleeping well. I spend the whole night aware of the pillow and sheets and the squeaking headboard and I can’t sleep past 6:00 a.m. even though I’m quite tired.
I don’t think it’s anything …
Guinea 038
Saturday, January 20 8:04 a.m.
My legs are a pleasant surprise this morning. Jason and I went on a six hour hike yesterday that was a bit more than either of us had bargained for and I thought that my knees would be seized up or my leg muscles cramped. But the only aftereffect is a pleasing tightness in the thighs and calves. I have to …