Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

A BRIEF HISTORY
Guinea-Bissau was once an outpost of the enormous Mali empire but in the 1450's the first Europeans from Portugal landed and established trading routes for slaves and goods. Once the slave trade declined, the Portuguese moved further inland and became known for their repressive exploitative practices, particularly under right wing dictator Antonio Salazar who came to power in 1920's Portugal. By the 1960's many African states were sinning independence from colonial control but Salazar refused to relinquish control.

The war to liberate Guinea-Bissau, and it's ally Cape Verde, was mainly fought in Guinea-Bissau with many locals recruited by the Portuguese it became a very personal affair with families pitted against each other. Amilcar Cabral was the father of the independence movement but he was assassinated in 1973 before Salazar's regime fell the following year. In 1974 the new Portuguese government recognized the new nation named Guinea-Bissau so as not to be confused with their French neighbor, Guinea.

Independence didn't lead to prosperity however. The country was in ruin, corruption rife and education almost non-existent. Since 1974 no president has served a full term, either dying in office or handing over power following a coup. A country short on resources with only fish and cashews providing any material subsistence, Guinea-Bissau has become synonymous for its lucrative source of cocaine. Sounds like a lovely place to spend a weekend alone.

SEPT-PLACE TAXI'S
From Gambia I decided to travel to Guinea-Bissau via sept-place (seven seater) shared taxi. There are no such things as luxury buses or trains so the only way to get to the capital of Bissau, without flying, was to mix it up with the locals. The trip would also mean two land border crossings to add to the complexity, but I was ready for a long hard day of travel, Africa style.

It started well enough with a taxi to the border, about an hour and a half for 700D (USD$18). The border crossing was uneventful and complete within about 30 minutes but only because the respective immigration offices are about 2-3 km apart so there's a large stretch of no mans land. My first exposure to the sept-place taxi was pretty good - 2,500 CFA (USD$6) for the two hour drive to Ziguinchor and being the last of the seven passengers we left straight away. I got seat number seven which is in the back right (seat number 1 is hard to get!). As soon as I arrived in Zig I got a taxi to the Guinea-Bissau consulate and got a visa in 15 minutes, no waiting, for 20,000 CFA (USD$42). Back at the taxi rank I was again the last of the seven to buy the ticket to Bissau and we set off immediately but this taxi was in awful shape. The doors didn't close properly, the back seat had some kind of bar running through it and the engine was constantly overheating. During the four and a half hours we stopped at least 30 times to either show our passports at the too many customs stops, or to pour water over the engine. Mercifully the border crossings were easy and there were no hint of brides or anything untoward by the officials.

One of the many stops along the way

One time we stopped to help another taxi change a tire which gave us all a chance for a toilet stop next to the huge termite mounds. We were dumped on the outskirts of Bissau where I had a bit of trouble getting a taxi for the first time all trip. I ended up jumping in one as he stopped in traffic and started telling him where I needed to go. He had no idea and between the two of us we drove around for a good twenty minutes trying without luck to find the hotel I was looking for. Lonely Planet had the location incorrectly marked on the map and Google Maps was no better but after a few minutes walking blocks I stumbled upon the hotel I was looking for. I left the beach resort in Gambia at 8am and closed the door of my Bissau room nine hours later at 5pm.

BISSAU
I stayed at the Hotel Diarama not far from the center of town and the main sites - the only sites really. The room was huge, clean and at $40 a night it was great value, especially considering the toilet bowl was conveniently located in the shower stall which would speed up my morning routine considerably. There is a huge hospital nearby and lots of pharmacies dotted all around the neighborhood. The Belgian run "O Bistro" around the corner has a huge menu including build your own pizza's and crepes and they have real Belgian beer, a rare gem in a place with not much to offer.

Bissau is a filthy forgotten city. Only a few of the main streets are well paved, others that are paved are hopelessly falling apart and most of the streets are red dirt affairs with huge rocks and holes everywhere. There is no way to wander around the streets and remain clean but the only mercy is that the traffic moves very slowly so crossing the street is easy. The harbour is filled with all manner of trash and virtually all of the buildings are falling apart. I shouldn't have been surprised as Guinea-Bissau is ranked 164 out of 169 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index 2010. The motto of the nation is Unity, Struggle, Progress but I saw very little of the latter or former, just the struggles of the people in a nation where two thirds live below the poverty line.

Although Portuguese is the official language, only around 40% of the population speak it, instead most conversations on the street are carried out in a Portuguese Creole hybrid which is very unique. Billboards from last weeks' general election where everywhere and at the time of writing no clear victor had been decided. A run off election is to be held next week so political fervor is still rife and there were many public gatherings taking place which I avoided in case things became troublesome (they never did). People seemed to be hypersensitive though - I was shooed away from the Presidential Palace while trying to take photos, a game of checkers up and left because I was watching for too long and one of the street vendors selling sunglasses didn't want his picture taken even after I offered him a few francs for the privilege. I didn't see as many smiles as Senegal and Gambia but I didn't feel unsafe either.

Bissau Cathedral

The city is pitch black after 7pm. The power is off at night so only places with generators and car headlights help negotiate the streets at night. I used my iPhone torch to help keep me out of trouble and away from the stray dogs, cats, chickens and vultures eating the trash from the side of the road.

THE RETURN JOURNEY
The trip back to The Gambia was quicker. The shared taxi to Ziguinchor was a minivan instead of a station wagon and it took an hour and a half less. The one from Zig to the Gambia border was the most cramped of the lot but it was all over pretty quickly. Before long I was back in Serekunda and within striking distance of the Kombo Beach resort, where thankfully they remembered me and had my room beside the pool waiting for me.

GUINEA-BISSAU QUICK GUIDE
Capital: Bissau
Currency: West Caribbean Franc (USD$1 = 475CFA)
Language: Portuguese, Portuguese Kriol
Drives on the Right, or wherever there are no pot holes
Beer of choice: Did not find any local beers.