Oh! the luxury of a warm shower.
Our breakfast supplies are running out. Chia seeds and raisins bought from England are nearly spent and it won’t be long before porridge oats are out too. There seems to be plenty of the basic foodstuffs but we’ll probably have to wait till we get to a big city to restock.
Mamou
At one point two buses passed us, going like the clappers, rear engine flaps up and doors open with people hanging out, swerving and weaving to miss potholes. I was sure we would see them on their sides at some point up the road.
All along the road, bulging sacks of charcoal stacked along with tied bundles of wood.
There are few spaces between habitation. The forests are being burned and chopped down for charcoal. Obviously a cash crop. Clearly they have no thought for the future. Another thing, there is no evidence of wild animals. A couple of days ago I thought I saw the tail of a monkey disappear into the forest and Jen saw a small snake crossing the road today. Other than that, domestic animals only.
Nearing Faranah a rotund wee police woman flagged us down. I should have driven through the check point but instinctively stopped. Got to think quicker…:) She couldn’t think of what she wanted to stop us for and I was in no mood to help her, even though I smiled and shook her hand. Jen passed me a photocopy of my NZ licence, which she couldn’t read. Then she asked to see our triangles. 2x. I went to the back of Poki and started taking all the tools out of the box, at which point she decided she didn’t need to see them after all. We drove away.
Faranah
We are now at our destination of Faranah. It was a 190k drive and took us from 9.45am till 3.45pm. Five hours of driving and my waist muscles are sore. Wrestling the steering wheel all day to avoid pot holes and more. Up and down through the gears every 100 or so meters. All day passing trucks and cars broken down on the roadside. Dust, dust, dust. Every village has speed bumps that are next to invisible.
So, our camp is in what looks like a former French army barracks. Adam has been here since yesterday and secured us a nice secluded spot for the vehicles and facilities. The Spanish owner, married to a Guinean woman run it. Power did not come on till 7pm after which we all enjoyed warm showers.
Both Jen and I are exhausted and we look forward to getting into bed.
Visits: 112
Does Poki have power steering?
Hi John, yes, it does….:)
I think the problem is all the beer that he is drinking
I’m so excited for my next visit to Africa! I’ve always wanted to see this place and now I can! I’m curious about the different cultures and what the history is behind the architecture. I’m also excited to see the Muslims, who are such a significant part of the population.
Hi! Zoe, Yep, come and see for yourself and make your own decisions. Unless you have traveled, make sure you understand what you are about to get yourself into. There is wonderful, and not so wonderful. People are great though. If Islamic architecture is your thing, I would suggest a trip to Spain or Uzbekistan.
Good luck.
Dennis