Somalia

ADEN ADDE AIRPORT 
While in Kenya I decided to commit to three days in Somalia using Visit Mogadishu Tours - something I’d planned to do in 2020 but had to cancel due to Covid-19.  The tour company arranged my visa invitation and told me to arrive at Aden Adde airport and get my visa at immigration. It was pretty simple, the only confusing part was finding the yellow application form in the arrivals hall. I was pretty much the last person processed out of the 40-50 people on my flight flight from Nairobi, most of which were Somali citizens. The cool thing about the arrivals area was I could see the guys from the tour company on the other side of immigration waiting for me.  The one page visa sticker, with photo included, cost $60 for a single entry ($42 for the visa plus an $18 service charge). 

Mohamed & Ali (yes, that’s correct) met me on the other side of immigration and quickly we were outside and seated in the car I was to spend the next three days in - a bullet proof Toyota Hilux with a dedicated driver and two armed security guards on the back bed. There were a few checkpoints within and immediately outside the airport; each with multiple armed security personal, huge concrete bollards and heavy gates.  

HOTEL SAHAFI
Hotel Sahafi is about 2km from the airport on a short back street with a security checkpoint at both ends and another security detail protecting the main gate into the hotel compound. The guys did a great job explaining what to expect during my stay - don’t get out of the car until given the all clear, no pictures of any security checkpoints or government buildings, expect to hear gunfire occasionally and under no circumstances leave the hotel compound on my own. 

Inside the Hotel Sahafi and the Toyota Hilux

The hotel is somewhat cavernous with a huge outdoor courtyard and restaurant, empty rooftop terrace and about 80 rooms of different shapes and sizes. The first room they put me in didn’t have a window so after a brief nap I was quickly moved to another smaller, easier to find room with a television stuck on one channel playing repeats of Indian soap operas overdubbed in English. Lunch at the restaurant was really good fish, rice and vegetables with coke to drink - no alcohol in Somalia.  I met the third member of the tour company, Omar, and paid the remaining balance of the tour in US $100 notes; One was slightly ripped so he said he may have to get me to use different one because the bank may not accept it.  He was right so before I left I gave him some twenties instead as that was the last of my hundreds.  In Africa, crisp new notes are a must - my bad for not checking before I left.

FIRST OUTING
After lunch was my first experience out and about in Mogadishu. The driver (cannot remember his name) is well accustomed to navigating the streets and stopping at the required checkpoints. He worked for Mohammed Farrah Aidid for a few months in the 1990's, driving him across the country numerous times to various locations, including over the border into Kenya. Aidid was the central target by the Americans in the Battle of Mogadishu (1993) - depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down. More to come on that tomorrow.

Mohamed, myself, the driver and two armed guards stayed fairly close to the hotel but visited a souvenir shop (the only one I saw during my stay), the Beerta Nabadda Peace Park (a popular wedding location), Mogadishu Mall (mainly empty but pristine clean indoor mall), and an excellent coffee shop called Home Bakery with great coffee and a wide selection of freshly baked cakes and pastries.  Mohamed made a few calls and before long we met a friend of his who works at a building not far from the bakery.  On the way we walked through some of the side streets and bought some fruit. I was asked more than once if I was Turkish. The Turks provided humanitarian aid in 2011 when the West largely ignored Somalia so there are a lot of Turkish nationals in Somalia. Erdogan's so called "Turkish Model" combined democratic governance and Islamic values with ambitious development plans aimed to neutralize western intervention.  Turkey rebuilt the international airport in Mogadishu, built it's largest overseas embassy on the shores of the Indian Ocean and a huge military base to the south of Somalia's capital.  Turkish is now widely observed as the second language of Somalia.

The building Mohamed took me to was a half completed, largely empty apartment complex where we went to the rooftop to get fantastic views of the city, beachfront and ocean.  After many photos and noting historic landmarks for tomorrows agenda, we headed to another great coffee shop, 5 Gen Cafe, for the last coffee of the day. It was located within the compound of another hotel where by chance I bumped into one of the people on my flight from Kenya yesterday.  We were both taking selfies on the tarmac in Nairobi before boarding and after landing in Mogadishu which is how we recognized each other.

SECOND OUTING
The second excursion away from the hotel was my favorite day in Somalia. Not saying the rest of my time here was not great, but today was something special and it started somewhere that didn't promise much. Expectations were low as we approached the Xamar-Weyne Fish Market near the medieval mosque on a rocky point jutting into the Indian Ocean. As I stepped out of the truck I couldn't help but think, 'the Seychelles are out there somewhere, what am I doing here?'.  I visited the huge fish market in Mwanza, Tanzania last year so by comparison this one was tiny but there was a staggering array of fish and lots of sharks. Moreover the fish mongers were happy for me to take photographs and pose with some of the big fish, including the sharks. The stench was terrible but for some reason I've always had a fascination with fish markets and, if you can get over the smell, there's some great sights and sounds to experience.  We spent about an hour at the market and wandering around the rocks behind the mosque taking photographs and making short videos for the tour website.  I made a few 20 second vignettes about how much I loved Somalia and how safe Mogadishu is - while the armed guards stayed conspicuously out of sight.  They didn't want to be photographed.  Not yet anyway.

Great white shark at the Fish Market

Around the corner from the fish market, we stop and find a man selling a giant turtle shell. Some words are exchanged, a small bribe too, and he ushers us behind some old tires and other junk to find a half dozen giant turtles, still alive, on their backs clinging on to dear life. I wasn't expecting it and not really what I wanted to see but there was nothing I could do about it. Time to move on to the curiously named Second Lido Beach.

The rocks behind the fish market

Past a few more derelict buildings then through a small alley leading to stairs down to the beach I set my eyes on the old Italian Lighthouse for the first time. It's a gloriously dilapidated building, no longer in service and I start taking photos almost immediately after I get the all clear to do so.  But down on the beach there are people yelling at me and I'm aware that there are lots of eyes directed towards me. Mohamed and Ali are both with me today so Ali tells me to hold tight while he heads towards the beach.  It's very crowded. Lots of people milling about doing not much at all, some people tending to boats, kids playing soccer but it becomes very apparent that people know I'm there and are a little uneasy. I'm uneasy too, wondering if my two armed guards are enough or even if they're even on my side. Ali comes back and things seem to have calmed down a little. He's found the 'Lighthouse Keeper', paid another small bribe and now we're okay to continue down to the beach.  

Second Lido Beach

Second Lido Beach is hard to describe - Google Maps says "Beach surrounded by ruined buildings." In truth the beach is also ruined; a dumping ground cleaned only by the rising tide but rewind to the 1950's, this was the highlight of Italian Somalia. It's a shame to see it so neglected today but for me it was the highlight of the trip.  I took a lot of photos here, played soccer on the beach and helped push a boat out across the sand.  Around the base of the lighthouse the rocks were covered in algae which made for a wonderful contrast of green against the blue sky and brown sand.  I never quite felt comfortable there though - I felt many sets of eyes on me at all times. Most friendly but others I couldn't quite tell.

The Italian Lighthouse on Second Lido Beach

The Battle of Mogadishu, known as the Day of the Rangers to Somalis, was fought October 3-4, 1993 between the US and Somali militia loyal to Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The movie Black Hawk Down was based on the events that unfolded during the botched attempt to capture Aidid.  He was never caught, 19 American soldiers were killed along with anywhere between 300 - 2,000 Somalis. Two  Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and in the aftermath dead American soldiers were dragged through the streets by Somalis. This had a massive impact on US foreign policy in the region with a reluctance to interfere any further in Somalia and a blind eye turned to the genocide in Rwanda six months later.  The helicopters are long gone but at least two American tanks remain where they were abandoned near the Bakaara Market.  We drove to the first crash site site (not much to see these days) and saw the two tanks but there was no getting out of the car at any point.  The area around the market is not governed or administered in any way. There are no police, no law enforcement, no checkpoints, no real semblance of any type of organization or order.  The paved roads that are not severely potholed are either flooded, covered with debris or congested with goats, dogs, chickens and whatever else.  The dirt roads were even worse - some impassable except by motorbike. It was not a place to dwell for too long.

Next stop, the original Lido Beach, on our way passing the Arch of Umberto, a smaller Italian version of the Arch de Triomphe named after the King of Italy (1878-1900), and the 15th century Almnara Tower - both stops confined to the truck because of security fears.  Lido Beach is much busier than Second - more people, more games of soccer, hugely expansive and seemingly much safer.  Unlike Second Beach, some buildings are still in use and its in one of them that we stop for a delicious seafood lunch with an unparalleled view of the beach and ocean.  We're the only guests at the restaurant. Not far away is the Elite Hotel, bombed by Al Shabab about a year earlier but now restored to some version of its former glory.  After lunch is a boat trip along the coast to see the sights from a different angle and marvel at the masses of people in the water avoiding the boats and jumping the waves. A quick stop at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for photographs is followed by a long stop at the Heritage Hotel for coffee and cake.

THIRD OUTING
The last full day in Somalia revolved around a hospital visit, a trip to the bank and day out at the beach. After another huge breakfast at the hotel I was taken around the corner to a small clinic for my mandatory Covid test so that I could board my flight the next day back to Kenya. The test itself was uneventful and cost $25 but the lingering thought in my head was what would I do if the test came back positive for Covid - I'd be stranded in Somalia of all places. Don't get me wrong I was happy to be here but this was no place to dwell for very long.  Thankfully the test came back negative so the path was clear for me to get back to the 'relative safety' of downtown Nairobi tomorrow.

Calling the next stop a bank would be stretching it a little bit - it was more like a small shop with a large safe in the center. The US dollar is accepted pretty much anywhere a tourist needs to go in this country. Apart from the payment to the tour company in cash, the only time I actually bought anything was on the first day when I found some old Italian era banknotes in the souvenir shop.  Everything else was paid for electronically by Mohamed and I paid him back in cash at the end of my stay. The only legal tender Somali Shilling banknotes are in denominations of 1,000 which is the equivalent of about 5 cents.  Part of the appeal of coming to the 'bank' is so that you can sit there in a chair beside the safe while they pile stacks of cash three feet high worth a mere few hundred dollars. Most of the banknotes have passed through thousands of pairs of hands, are torn, oily, filthy.  Sanitizer is required after handling but the experience was funny.  We stop at a couple of camel markets on route to the beach to pick up milk and take pictures.

Camel Market: My Wesley Snipes lookalike bodyguard

Jazeera Beach is about 12 miles (20 km) south of the southern most part of Mogadishu where the airport is located but the drive takes over an hour. Some of the route is paved but most is dirt or sand and a lot of it is severely potholed. Omar is along for the ride today and he's brought his drone to make more videos for their website. The beach is nice and there's an island close enough to wade to while the tide was out.  It's very picturesque and well worth the trip.

Jazeera Beach

BACK TO KENYA
Mohamed accompanied me back to the airport, through about half a dozen different check points before finally making it to the terminal.   When I landed, I got the Somali visa in my NZ passport.  The visa for Kenya was in my US passport. This caused a problem at immigration and I was taken aside while they figured out what to do with me.  I should have used my US passport both visas but I wasn't thinking clearly when I landed here three days ago.  After about 20 minutes it all seemed to get sorted out with plenty of help from Mohamed who was keen to make sure I got away okay.

Somalia is the most dangerous place I've been to up until now but the tour company really did a great job at making me feel safe. They didn't cut any corners. They didn't try to shake me down for any additional services. They were genuinely interested in making sure my trip was comfortable. 

SOMALI PROVERB
The world is like a shadow; in the morning it is turned towards one direction, in the evening towards the opposite one. (i.e., things change)

Zanzibar

WELCOME TO TANZANIA.  NOW WHAT?

Forced to leave Egypt with very little notice, I chose to fly to Tanzania, for a few good reasons - visas are issued on arrival, it's relatively cheap, I haven't been there before and there's a ton of things to do (safari, Kilimanjaro, Maasai tribes). Tanzania would be U.N. country #108 for me.  There was a mandatory temperature check on arrival and a standard form to fill out but securing a three month tourist visa was quick and easy.

I withdrew some cash from an ATM and got a taxi from Julius Nyerere International Airport to the ZanFast Ferry Terminal and purchased a one-way business class ticket to Zanzibar for $20. It was a bit of a mess getting onto the boat with every passenger trying to board at the exact same time, but once upstairs and in my airconditioned seat it was smooth sailing for the two hour trip across the archipelago to Stone Town. Another temperature check on arrival, a heaving mess at baggage claim where all the porters wanted to help and another medical form to complete before escaping the ferry terminal. 

Stone Town is gorgeous. It was sunset as I walked the short distance from the ferry terminal along the seafront past big tree beach to the Double Tree Hilton hidden away behind Freddy Mercury’s childhood home. I circled the thing a few times before a kindly security guard help me find the front door. 

Zanzibar at sunset

The Double Tree was beautiful. It was a warm evening when I arrived and shortly after settling in I retreated to the rooftop restaurant to relax and reflect on the chaos of the last few days. As Covid was ramping up around the world, I’d just passed through five huge international airports and a bustling ferry terminal armed with nothing more than a bottle of hand sanitizer. No masks in Africa yet. In fact, none will be seen for the next six weeks - not until the day I would finally leave this country. 

The Anglican Cathedral in Stone Town

Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - by definition a place judged to contain cultural and/or natural significance and considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. There were lots of options and plenty of  time so the plan was to take a few days on foot around the old city to stumble upon;

• The Old Anglican Cathedral - made from stone with a lovely alter and slave chambers next door.
• The Persian baths - built for the former Sultan of Zanzibar. 
• Zanzibar coffee house - a cafe and hotel with excellent food (and super fast WiFi)
• The People’s Palace Museum - a 19th palace, sadly closed to tours
• Big Tree Beach - next to 'the big tree' and close to the ferry terminal, it's a bustling part of town with lots of little cafes. 

The next day was set aside for Freddy Mercury’s House, some shopping and a trip to Prison Island to visit the giant tortoise sanctuary. I forget how many tortoises are on the island - safe to say more than 50 - but some are much older and more revered than others. They have their birth date painted on their shells and the oldest one I saw was over 150 years old.

One of the tortoises on Prison Island

After a couple of wonderful days cramming in as many sites as possible it was time for a change of location and a change of pace.  In the very north of Zanzibar is a small village called Nungwi, known for great diving, excellent seafood and the second DoubleTree Hilton on the island. 

Leaving Prison Island

I booked three nights but ended up staying five. My ocean front room was too good to give up without a fight, plus I needed time to plan my next move. Each of the next few days followed a familiar pattern - watch the sunrise, quickly followed by the news for any Covid updates, breakfast, pool time, lunch, more news, beach time (mainly taking photos versus swimming), news, dinner timed to watch sunset from the beach. Interspersed with this routine were various conversations with other tourists either planning their early route home or, like me, holding out for better news in the hope that I could get my trip back on track. 

Per my original plan I should have been on the island of Socotra in Yemen, off the Horn of Africa.  It was hard to be unhappy where I was but I had a sinking feeling that I was either going to to be forced home early, or get stuck somewhere. Turns out both scenarios would play out. 

With each passing sunrise and sunset in Nungwi, the DoubleTree guests at breakfast and by the pool and sunning themselves on the beach and wandering the grounds, dwindled noticeably. The morning I checked out was eerie. I was the only guest at breakfast. I wandered to the empty market and arranged a taxi to take me to the airport. At the checkout desk I asked how many rooms are at the resort. Ninety four was the answer. How many rooms are occupied was my next question. The answer;  “After you leave, just one.”  Two hours later I was at the airport about to head to the mainland, for safari, for wildlife, for adventure. And I was about to get an awful lot of alone time. Next stop, Arusha.

Recap Caribbean & Africa 2014

Now safely back in the USA it's time to reflect on the last three months of travel and try to reduce it to something of a manageable and entertaining summary. It was difficult to follow because I doubled back on myself a little bit but the sequence of locations goes something like this: Southern Caribbean - Portugal - North & West Africa - France & England - Northern Caribbean.

A FEW STATS

• Flights: 32 (including 22 with my five year old boy Sebastian)
• UN countries visited: 20 (Grenada, St Vincent & the Grenadines, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts & Nevis, Portugal, Morocco, Cape Verde, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, England, Dominican Republic, Haiti & the Bahamas)
• Additional Territories or Collectivities visited: 5 (Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Sint Maarten, St Martin, Turks & Caicos)
• Visas required: 5 (Cape Verde, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone)
• Rented cars in 11 different countries, caught 9 boats, 49 taxis, 5 motorcycle taxis and a couple of pirogues.
• Crossed 10 land borders including the Channel Tunnel.
• Stayed at 25 different hotels

My CrossFit Bartlesville T-Shirt went with me everywhere. Between my son Sebastian, my brother Glen, wife Sara and a few random strangers I managed to get photos of me wearing the same shirt in all the places I visited.

Grenada: 
Morne Rouge Bay

St Vincent: 
Bequia

St Lucia: 
Rodney Bay

Guadeloupe: 
Summit of Soufriere

Antigua: 
At the Anchorage Rooms

Montserrat: 
Soufriere Hills volcano

St Kitts & Nevis: 
Sugar Mill

Sint Maarten: 
Maho Beach

St Martin: 
Grand Case Beach

Portugal: 
At Belem Tower

Morocco: 
Cobra in Marrakesh

Cape Verde: 
Real de San Felipe Fort

Senegal: 
Random guy on Goree Island

The Gambia: 
Bro, Teresa & me

Guinea-Bissau: 
Smelly harbour in Bissau

Sierra Leone: 
Freetown street gym

Guinea: 
At the Sierra Leone border

Belgium:
Airport stop only (hence green)

Luxembourg:
Day trip from Paris

France:
With the big stone pants

England:
Me, myself and the London Eye

Dominican Republic: 
Near Kite Beach

Haiti: 
The Iron Market

Turks & Caicos: 
The beach at Provo

Bahamas: 
The beach at the Hilton

Freetown, Sierra Leone

This trip through West Africa started in French influenced Morocco, moved to Portuguese speaking Cape Verde then French speaking Senegal before heading into English speaking Gambia. After a few days in the former Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau and a quick foray into French Guinea it's back to the heavily English Sierra Leone.

A BRIEF HISTORY
The slave trade began in Sierra Leone in 1560 and within 100 years the British & Portuguese had established trading settlements all along the West African coast. By the late 1700's the optimistically named capital of Freetown was established at the mouth of the Sierra Leone river. Freetown is framed by beautiful mountains and white sand beaches, and quickly the colony known to locals as Salone became a British colony. Freetown was where freed North American slaves and others liberated from slaving ships were brought by the British. Known as 'Krios' the former slaves assumed an English type of lifestyle and openly discriminated against the indigenous population. Attacks by the French, disease and growing unrest led to a monstrous uprising in the late 20th century by the indigenous Mende people, who make up about one third of the population. Independence came in 1961, followed by three coups in one year in the late 60's, then the headline grabbing civil war that lasted from 1991 until 2001. Now peaceful, Sierra Leone is still recovering and while overseas investment may be slow in coming, it seems inevitable that the beaches south of Freetown will soon be overrun with resorts and golf courses, similar to Cancun.

FLYING INTO FREETOWN
After the trip from Gambia to Guinea-Bissau the next country south was Guinea but the Ebola outbreak had led to a lot of uncertainty around border opening and flight cancellations. I decided it was quicker and easier to return to Banjul in The Gambia and fly Gambia Bird airlines to Sierra Leone and approach Guinea from the south. Gambia Bird doesn't boast many flights on their schedule but they are cost effective and pretty efficient. The flight cost was only about $40 but with the airport fees and various taxes the total price was a little over USD$100 - still not bad I thought.

Ours was the only plane at Lungi airport in Sierra Leone so there were no lines and few touts. Lungi is the closest airport to Freetown but I was about to discover that it's not very close or convenient. A taxi from the airport to the city takes about two and a half hours and I was quoted USD$150 one way. I read that there was also a helicopter for USD$80 that would take 5 minutes or a hovercraft for USD$40 that would take 20 minutes - but both were out of service. I was left with one of two options; a rickety speed boat or a car ferry, but both involved catching a taxi to the port first. The water was a little rough so the speedboat seemed like a poor option so I waited for the car ferry. Schedules are optional for most forms of public transport in Africa so I wasn't sure when the boat was going to leave so I hung around and watched until the lower level of the ferry filled up with cars, trucks and animals until I jumped on board. I probably waited about an hour for the boat to leave and the journey to the Kissy terminal in Freetown took another hour. I was in no hurry but I wasn't sure where I wanted to stay once I got to Freetown - I had 2 or 3 options but they weren't particularly close to each other.

The port on the Lungi side of the Sierra Leone river

Welcome to Freetown

The Freetown side was extremely busy since the fresh boatload of potential customers had unearthed all the hawkers and taxi drivers. I spent some time trying to organize a taxi but the driver didn't know the location of the hotel and wanted to take me to another more expensive option. We couldn't agree on either the destination or the price so instead I put my life in the hands of one of the motorcycle taxi drivers. Part of the problem was the location of the hotel in my Lonely Planet guidebook was off by quite a few miles.

Freetown doesn't have a huge volume of traffic but it's predominantly made up of local buses, trucks, shared taxis and motorcycles (plus stray dogs, goats chickens etc). The shared taxis are an interesting concept and work well if you know where you're going and how far it is but I couldn't find any close to the ferry terminal. Motorcycle taxis are everywhere, quick and convenient but are more on the dangerous side. I agreed on the price with the driver, he had a good idea of the location and I told him to drive slow (he tried, but every now and then I had to remind him). The Hotobah Lodge is an excellent hotel in a so-so location, but for $75 a night with views over White Man's Bay and huge room with a massive balcony I couldn't complain. There were not many restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, apart from a dodgy looking Chinese place but no-one should ever have to eat Chinese food in Africa.

The Hotobah Lodge in Freetown

I rented a car and driver for the day to take me to the northern part of the country around the Scarcies River and we were close enough to Guinea to make a trip across the border for lunch in Pamelap. I changed some US$ into the local Guinean Franc and received a fistful of well worn notes to add to my collection. As is compulsory the car broke down and we had to get help from some folks at a nearby taxi rank. They fixed it pretty quick but left me with the 5,000 Franc bill (about USD 75c).

I spent another day exploring Freetown on my own including the huge Cotton Tree which marks the center of town and the various churches in the downtown area, the State House and the National Museum - all free. The Chimpanzee Sanctuary in the hills outside the city was an excellent excursion and well worth the effort.

The Tacugama Chimpanzee sanctuary

After Freetown I decided to spend a couple of nights in the southern beaches near Tokeh. I stayed at the River No. 2 Guesthouse, a very basic community run outfit boasting fresh seafood and the best beach. The food was great and the beach absolutely stunning but being Easter weekend it was overrun with tourists and the place was a real mess. Far from the relaxed beach retreat I was looking for it was more like a nightclub - between the music and the leaky shower I didn't get much sleep while I was there.

Tokeh Beach south of Freetown

CURRENCY
Sierra Leone uses the Leone as the national currency, but US dollars can be used in many places like hotels, rental car hire and the tourist sites. The main issue with the Leone is that the largest bank note (10,000Le) is worth about US$2.40 which means that carrying local currency means thinking outside the wallet - there's just not enough room. I tried to get some of the smaller denomination coins from one of the local banks and was sent to the bulk cash room in the back where a number of locals had boxes full of bundled notes they were depositing. They laughed when I asked if I could get some coins with a value of about 25c for my collection but I still had to try.

SIERRA LEONE QUICK GUIDE
Capital: Freetown
Currency: Leone (USD$1 = 4,400Le)
Language: English, Kriol
Drives on the Right, or wherever there are no pot holes
Beer of choice: Star

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.

The Gambia

I negotiated a taxi from our Hotel in Dakar (the Accor, near the ferry terminal) to the Gambian border for 120k CFA, and the safe return of Glen and Teresa to the airport the following evening. The owner of the taxi company paid me what I believed to be a compliment when he told me a bargained hard like a Frenchman. He started at 160k CFA for a one way trip for one person so I was pleased with what we ended up paying for three. Much cheaper than flying and we got to pick our leave time from Dakar – a very respectable 11am.

We didn't have enough local currency so we had our driver stop by one of the local money changers to get some USD exchanged so we could pay him. I tried to haggle over the rate but it was not going to change 460 CFA to the USD. Our driver spoke no English but the taxi owner, Mass Kane, called the driver regularly throughout our journey to make sure we were happy and making good progress. It was a nice touch.

Compared to the previous day, there was a haze over Dakar which trapped the heat the blocked the direct sunlight. The visibility was poor and it never really improved as we drove further south. We crossed the border at Karang and said goodbye to the driver. Glen arranged to meet him the following afternoon when he and Teresa would make the return trip to Dakar. On the Gambian side we met up with the Taxi owners ‘friend’ who would shepherd us the remainder of the way, whether we needed him or not. He actually proved to be pretty helpful and friendly but we knew he was looking for a tip for his local knowledge.

Welcome to The Gambia

After a short taxi ride to Barra on the north bank of the Gambia River we were forced to stop and wait for the next ferry. Two ferries usually ply the journey between Barra and Banjul but one was out of service and the other was as slow as anything I've seen on the water. We waited about 90 minutes during which time I changed some money and had a surprisingly good meal for less than $10 for the four of us (shepherd included). The quality of most Gambian paper money is awful, especially the smaller denominations (5, 10 & 25).

The Gambia River ferry coming into dock

 By the time the ferry left it was dusk, the mosquitoes were out and the river was angry. It took all of an hour to get to Banjul and by this time it was dark and I was anxious to get to our hotel. Banjul is not much of a city and there is very little to see and do there so decided not to stay. Unfortunately I had forgotten the name of the place I had booked and paid for on hotels.com the night before, which I knew was about 15km away – another taxi. I had a hunch it began with K and had the word Beach in it. On our shepherds advice we headed for the Kombo Beach Resort in Kololi, not far from Serakunda. They had no record of our booking, and neither did I because we had no internet access so I asked to use the computer at the front desk to check my Hotmail account. After a nervous few minutes I found the reservation, printed it out and made it to our room by about 10pm. The only wifi access was in the bar so we parked ourselves there for a later supper and drinks.

The Beach at Kombo Beach Resort

 The beach at Kololi & Kotu is very nice and even though the resorts are a little dated they are reasonably priced for the location and have free breakfast and comfy beds. We paid about USD$120 for a triple and after Glen & Teresa left a single room, which wasn't much smaller, was USD$70.

CROCODILES
It was sad to say goodbye to Teresa & Glen the following afternoon - it wouldn't be the same without them around. I've done a lot of trips with Glen and to have the pleasure of Teresa's company in Africa was something very special. But with them both gone I had to get out and about to get my mind off things so after some Dutch courage I walked up the beach to the crocodile pond and finally got to touch was of the adults. I was a bit worried at first but there was children running around so I figured if any of them were hungry they would likely go for them first. The pond has algae all over it so when the crocodiles emerge they have an eerie green glow about them.

Kachikally crocodile pool

Crocodiles really are misunderstood

There are a few markets around the place but the biggest is in Serekunda. It's difficult to know exactly where it starts and finishes but I wandered around for about an hour and ended up buying a South African football jersey so that I could tell people I’m from there instead of New Zealand since very few people can appreciate where and how far away it is.

Tomorrow I plan to do some hard core African traveling in sept-place taxis which are seven-seater shared station wagons that commute between major towns all over the place. The aim is to get all the way to Bissau in Guinea-Bissau but I’ll have to stop in Ziguinchor along the way to pick up a visa, and the consulate closes at 2pm.

THE GAMBIA QUICK GUIDE
Capital: Banjul
Currency: Dalisis (USD$1 = 40D)
Language: English, Creole
Drives on the Right, or wherever there are no pot holes
Beer of choice: Jul Brew

Dakar, Senegal

We flew TACV airlines from Praia in Cape Verde to Dakar, Senegal's largest and capital city. The flight took something like an hour and a half and we jumped forward an hour to be an hour behind London. Senegal is my 100th different country so arriving here brings about a great deal of satisfaction and I was determined to make a big deal of it.

100 countries

VISA
Most nationalities require a visa for Senegal and the online pre-application process is very good. The onsite final application process is a lot more cumbersome. Once you’ve lined up to get the immigration entry stamp, which can take a while, you have to join one of a number of lines leading into small administrative offices behind immigration. You get fingerprinted and photographed and the visa, with your photo on it, is printed out and stuck in your passport. It’s a wonderful sounding process, but it took an hour for the three of us to get done.

DAKAR
Dakar is a big, dirty city and the southern tip near the ferry terminal is where we made our home base. I had booked the Hotel Baraka for our first night since they were quick to arrange the letter we needed for our visa pre-applications. They also arranged to meet us at the airport but we still had to pay 10k CFA (about USD$21) for the transfer. Glen managed to get us into the much nicer Accor Hotel the following night so we could swim but we roughed it the first night. The touts in Dakar are extremely persistent, more so than Morocco. While wandering around we were offered things ranging from shoes, socks, underwear, jewelry, and sunglasses to phone cards and coat hangers. Beer was again difficult to find but we found a shack run by a funny guy who we visited a few times during our stay.  I highly recommend the French Institute for dinner, probably up there with the best meals of the trip.

Our hotel pool with Goree Island in the distance

GOREE ISLAND
Goree was a huge surprise. It’s a twenty minute ferry ride from the terminal in Dakar (5.5k CFA) but the messing around to actually get a ticket and jostle for position adds to the time considerably. The ferry we took to and from the island was fairly crowded but there was no other choice. Once on the island the busyness of Dakar is left behind and everything seems much more peaceful. There are still stores and touts but no cars or motorbikes and it’s far more relaxed than the capital. We even bumped into the Mayor of the island while we ate lunch.

The beach at Goree Island

While the extent of Goree's  role in the Atlantic slave trade is questionable, today the island serves as a symbolic reminder of the suffering caused across the African continent. There may have only been a small proportion of slaves sent from this location but the Slave House is an example of what the houses were like, with living quarters upstairs and cells and the infamous doorway to nowhere down below.

The steps of the slave house

SENEGAL QUICK GUIDE

Capital: Dakar

Currency: West Caribbean Franc (USD$1 = 475CFA)

Language: French, Wolof

Drives on the Right

Beer of choice: Biere la Gazelle