From Conakry guinea to Banjul Gambia

I thought I had seen it all but what awaited me on my journey I will call my epic journey in Africa, four days of hard core travelling
We started the journey not knowing any of the passengers don’t speak any of their language I held my own from the start and everyone knew I was not a push over but gentile by the end of our journey we had all bonded and everyone was watching out for me when we got to border points even the were listening out for me what the soldiers were saying about the Anglitel man, I did not speak their language but managed to make everyone laugh sometimes and I suppose language is not a barrier considering people still befriended me with my little French and I still had conversation.
Our car broke down after travelling for about ten hours, I was not surprise it did because upon all the over loading, ten people in a seven people estate car there were two motor bikes as well as all our luggage. Luggage is a big money here also I had a shock when they charged my luggage it was almost half the fare I was paying to travel, I had forgotten all about that in Africa, so I soon woke up about that and next time will carry less wires, I always carry a bag of wires I suppose its my karma me and wires are like best of friends.
It transpired that the problem was the master cylinder was gone, the bush mechanic was trying everything even using a new condom to wrapped around where the seal is to give it some suction it was some ingenuity at work, it got too late so we had to wait till the next morning.
I was lucky once again because I was talking to one local shopkeeper Mr Sangari he found me interesting he spoke a little English so by the end of his shift he told me come home with me, there was one man also sitting with us so we ended up in Mr Sangari’s village home he had a spare room with two beds so I slept in a very modest village bed room and slept well too, in the morning he brought us some bread but I told him I could not eat at mornings, so I thanked him and offered to give him something for his children he did not want to take it but I gave it to the wife to get some stuff for their kids .we got back to the car and the seal had work not sure if it was the condom that had done it but we were up and running once again. From n8 am we set off and went through so many border and bogus road blocks and lots of looking money and stamp monies but in the end we got to juba which is in Senegal where I would have to get another car for Gambia, so the saga continued we had to sleep in the car eight people sitting and sleeping with my laptop and camera in my rug sack clutched to my
Chest, it was my longest night but morning came and I got my entire luggage and got another car for the Gambia. One lady from my original group came so I was lucky she knew I spoke if any little French so she helped me at the borders a bit we finally got to the Gambian border after some near misses and some noise in the car and me saying ooh God please I don’t want to sleep in the jungle again, we got there the lady told me to bring all my luggage for inspection, she had a little bag so she finished and pointed me to the right direction and said bye to me I could tell by now she had had some sympathy and may be a little affection for me my be my tenacity and courage she waved to me and I said bon voyage I looked for a taxi to take me across to the Gambia.
I searched for a while but with lots of luggage I could not be too fussy, I had few help from people and in the end got myself check in a hotel about 10 30 mix was just ready to drop, it has been wonderful and painfully had but all is well and thanks be to the most high Yahweh.

AT GUINEA

Eventually after about twenty hours of travelling we arrived in Conakry, upon arrival I was told there we Bandits around so we had to stay with the car whilst our luggage were tied up in a tarpaulin on the roof in the station so we slept in the car till 6 am, it started raining at this time and the realisation of the type of country I am in hit me, the roads had turned into muddy rivers. The taxi that I was in with my friend was some really old Renault 18 like from the 60s holes everywhere all my concerns were what if the engine conks out how am I going to get out, the water level was like half way up the car I thought the car was an amphibious vehicle, I am sure the driver knew what he was doing soon we were out of the muddy waters on to some dusty road

I went to my friends family home for a while, they wanted to put me up but was a bit considerate also that they were trying too hard for me and did not want them to go through all that for me because I could afford to stay in a hotel and also it will make life easier all way round.
Eventually after looking at various places I decided to stay somewhere called Kippeh near the beech it was ok but I thought later there was some smell in the bath room the man offered to give me a different room but it over looked the back of the hotel so I decided to put up with the smell and stayed in my original room.
My work here had a set back when I could not use most of my equipments as a result of inadequate power even thou there was intermittent electricity it was not powerful enough to power my studio gear so far one of my lap top power supply is blown and now my video camera charger is blown and I am beginning to be frustrated by this.
As luck sometimes come in my way my friends dad is a chief of the Manding tribe in Guinea and as a result a Manding association meet in his compound so I met the president of a drama troop which organises African opera, so I met most of the musicians and did some work with them it was very quick and efficient but not as I would have wished but for now this will do till next time, hopefully one day will find some sponsors and travel well equipped. I am however optimistic that I will meet this group at some point in Europe and will have the privilege to record them. I made the decision to leave one there soldiers everywhere with guns and at night I felt a bit intimidated having to carry passport everywhere and fear of bandit activities, upon speaking to some of my friends both here and in England I got the strength to move on, it was strange thou I was very sad that I was leaving when the time came, I bonded with a lot of people within the few days that I was here even thou they had nothing they did a lot to make me feel welcome and showed me lot of genuine love and respect of what I was doing and I am about. I am sure one day I would be able to give something back in return, my friends Jara Camara’s step mum was always getting me oranges and had smiles in her face and I could feel the hardship that was all around and bonding everyone, its amazing to see people live in some conditions and still smile and appreciate the world and all its glory
All I can say is that African politicians sit in air condition office air conditioned 4x4 cars and homes and don’t care about the common people, but its them that keep the arteries of the nations going, its about time they started working for the people

BAMAKO TO CONAKERY

The journey started at about 4 30 am I had parked all my stuff and was ready so by 8 pm on Sunday I was at the net café in Bamako where my new found friend who is from Guinea works, he had tried to arrange his going back home to visit his Dad and family with my going, I thought I was not that necessary but was wrong to think that till we got to Conakry.
The journey was very long and tiring, when we set off from Bamako after a very long wait, I was horrified to learn that the front seat for one means two people, three seats at the back meant four people and two at the rear meant three, so eventually a seven seater estate car had ten people on board as well as a lot of luggage on the roof rack.
My first taste of what was to come hit me when after about ten miles outside Bamako we encountered our first border crossing. Here I had to pay three thousand Franc what for? The soldier said nothing then he goes stamp money. This set the stage for subsequent stamp monies to be paid at every border check point is also two one for the military and one for the police so you can guess two stamp money even when there is no stamp, I called it looking of passport money. After driving for about two hours we came to the borders Guinea here I had to change some money and get my passport stamped and another stamp money and looking money, every time we had to leave the car and walk to an office and every time because I am English speaking and don’t have French documents the get fussy just to get more money from me even thou I tell them the laws of ECOWAS states that citizens of member states have free passage to any member country, it did not matter to them.
This continued for a long time it even got worse as we were nearing Conakry the road blocks became rampant and more men in uniforms were blatantly asking for money they were naming how much they wanted. It was terrible.