Articles tagged with: guinea
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 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 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 …
Guinea 037
Thursday, January 18 7:39 a.m. Dalaba
The dreaded cold that everyone warned me about has so far turned out to be more myth than fact. I find it quite mild this morning. Mamou felt much colder. Of course that could be just a question of the difference between a cold bucket bath and an actual hot water shower. And the Tangama Hotel is based on courtyards …
Guinea 036
Tuesday, January 16 2:41 a.m.
I was having trouble sleeping and decided to get up and have one of the world’s best cheese sandwiches. It’s very good. Unfortunately most of the mosquitoes in Mamou have decided to join me. They’re the small, soundless ones with the really savage bites. Their anti coagulant produces a much stronger allergic reaction than that of the big hairy mosquitoes. I’m …
Guinea 034
Saturday, January 13 1:38 p.m.
The turtle lives. I moved a scant twenty kilometres down the road from Linsan before I decided to call it a day. I thought I was in Konkoure, the only town on my map between Linsan and Mamou, but in fact I’m in Tamagaly. (Though of course that depends on who you ask and how you ask. I could be in …
Guinea 033
Friday, January 12 8:15 a.m.
The plan was to spend only one night in Linsan and cycle to Mamou today but the plan has changed. “J’ai beaucoup de temps” has become my motto repeated over and over again to Guineans querying me about my slow moving bicycle. And with lots of time on my hands I might as well stay in Linsan a day and see …