Articles in Guinea Bike Trip
Guinea 057
Wednesday, February 14 5:47 a.m.
The electricity in Labe stays on most of the time but it surges and drops off so constantly that the light in my room is more like a strobe light. I find it’s better to turn the light off and use a candle instead. Sometimes no electricity at all is better than just a little bit. I shudder to think what …
Guinea 058
Thursday, February 15 7:15 a.m. Dalaba
From Labe to Dalaba is 95 kilometres of “goudron” and I zoomed through them in six and a half hours. After the rough roads of the previous days I felt like I had wings and joyed in the sensation of easy movement. This mood was helped considerably by the fact that from Labe to Pita it was practically all downhill …
Guinea 059
Friday, February 16 8:30 a.m.
Yesterday was a day for taking stock of the pummelling that my gear underwent on my tour through the Fouta. Even in the first couple of days it was clear I hadn’t really prepared for it or known exactly how serious it could be. This was when I discovered that cooking pots nested together loosely will beat the crap out of …
Guinea 060
Saturday, February 17 – Morning in Dalaba
Today is my official goodbye to the Fouta Djalon. I’m leaving Dalaba, cycling to Mamou where I hope to leave a bag of extra stuff with the Forest family and tomorrow morning I’ll be heading east towards Kankan. I’m not terribly excited about the prospect but who knows? Perhaps Haute Guinee (what they call the region) will surprise me …
Guinea 061
Monday, February 19 4:49 a.m.
I’m awake even a bit early for me. That’s because my bed finally collapsed at about 4:00 a.m. It was giving way bit by bit the whole night. Boards fell away here and there and I just kept twisting my body to avoid the bigger holes. It was odd but the bed actually became more comfortable as a form fitting cocoon …
Guinea 062
Wednesday, February 21 2:00 p.m. Kouroussa
If I was yearning for the hot plains I got my wish and then some. At first though I didn’t think it was going to happen. I left Dabola so loaded down with water I felt like a camel. But then I felt silly because the land was heavily populated, very pleasant, and after an hour or two and the …
Guinea 063
Thursday, February 22 1:30 p.m.
Kouroussa is proving to be by far the most atmospheric and pleasant town I’ve encountered in Guinea. I set off on my bicycle early this morning when it was still cool for an exploratory ride. The sky stayed overcast almost the entire time which made it even more enjoyable. I first checked out the main road to Kankan and even had …
Guinea 064
Friday, February 23 3:10 p.m. Kankan
I have a room at Bate’s Hotel in Kankan. First impressions matched the name and I immediately dubbed the fellow who showed me the pitch black rooms “Norman.” I knew I’d end up taking the room (the options in Kankan aren’t exactly overwhelming in number it was either rooming with Norman or a place at the Uni Hotel with a …