THE MIDWEST AFRICAN SERIES, DAY 17 & 18
KOUNDARA – BAFATA – BISSAU
West Africa’s worst roads. Today we experience the worst roads in all of West Africa, from the Guinean border town of Koundara to the capital of country 167, Bissau.
WELCOME TO COUNTRY NUMBER 167
I do hope but don’t expect our hotels to improve much tonight but let’s see.
WHERE IS GUINEA BISSAU?
Guinea Bissau
After I was able to pluck the pubes that made their way from the pillow to my mouth we headed straight for the border and it wasn’t long until another issue had raised its head.
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL –
Trident Bafata (7.5)
Malaika Bissau (7) - ATTRACTIONS –
NO EXIT STAMP
The immigration officer wanted to see my Guinean visa before officially stamping me out, something I no longer had. Why on earth do you now need a visa to exit the country is beyond me.
After showing him a copy on my phone he then wanted a hard copy but instead of sending me on my way back to the capital he told me to go on and see if the Guinea Bissau side would notice a lack of an exit stamp… fella was a grade A tit.
West Africa’s worst roads
FACTS ABOUT GUINEA-BISSAU:
- The country derives its name from the Guinea region of West Africa. To distinguish it from its neighbor Guinea, it uses the name of its capital, Bissau.
- In the past, Portuguese Guinea referred to the region that would eventually become Guinea-Bissau. It was part of the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands and played a significant role in the slave trade.
- Unfortunately, Guinea-Bissau has one of the world’s lowest life expectancies. As of 2021, it stood at just 58.0 years, compared to the global average of 72.6 years.
FLAG….
- RED – Represents the blood shed during the long struggle for independence from Portugal.
- YELLOW – Symbolizes the sun and hope.
- GREEN – Represents the lush forests of Guinea-Bissau.
- BLACK STAR – Represents unity across Africa.
ROAD TO BAFATA
I was warned by Marlon that these roads were the worst in all of west Africa and he was right. Although a lot of them are paved there are huge pot holes every 20-30metres meaning hours of constantly speeding up and slowing down, a bit frustrating to know this road would be quicker if it hadn’t been tarred.
West Africa’s worst roads
RELATED READ: DRIVING INTO SYRIA
ABOUT THE COUNTRY:
- LANGUAGE – The official language of Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese. However, the most widely spoken language in Guinea-Bissau is Guinea-Bissau Creole, a Portuguese-based creole language.
- HELLO – “Kuma?”
- HOW TO CHEERS – “Mma manu!”
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE – café Touba
- POPULAR SPORT – Football
- STAPLE DIET – Rice
DAY 18 – WINDSCREEN WATER
This morning we were pulled over twice in the space of 100 yards and asked the most bizarre set of questions. If driving in West Africa there is certain items you must have on you, such as a reflective triangle and a fire extinguisher. However, myself and Marlon were both shocked when we were asked if there was water to wash our windscreen. Half of the cars on the road don’t have windscreens let alone water in the tank!
WITCH DOCTOR
Stopping in Quinhámel, a village just outside of Bissau we visited a witch doctor who specialises in kids with broken bones. But this is no doctor who applies ointment and casts a spell but instead uses sudden force to manipulate the bones healing process. There were no kids being treated today (thank f**k) but I was shown a video and it looked horrendous, for sure those kids are traumatised.
LUNCH
Just up the road we stopped at the dodgiest restaurant of the trip. As there was only one thing on the menu (fish) I enjoyed a plate of rice and eggs and hoped to god things would be ok in a few hours time! Its probably the toughest part of the trip knowing where to eat as it could put you out for a few days, I still get flashbacks of that fish in Afghanistan (LINK).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thank god that is the end of the trip from Conakry. Not sure if it was the rice or the bumpy roads that gave me the shits.
NEXT UP
The Guinea Bissau Festival!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
167/229
This post is part of The Midwest African Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my go Instagram.
