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Last night in Conakry, Guinea and really West Africa

Well, I haven’t done much with this blog since Dec., and I just spoke with my cousin, who shares the same passion for travel as I do, and thus I’ve been inspired to post my last few photos of my Fulbright trip to Sierra Leone and Guinea.  After 31 days of traveling in Sierra Leone and Guinea, my Mano-River Fulbright experience has come to an end.  This called for a celebration of pizza and diet coke (actually called Coke Light in West Africa).  I devoured the entire “Supreme Pizza”, I wasn’t messing around as my once 195 lb. frame had shrunk to a measly 179 lbs, and I was starting to feel quite ill/weak.  The “Supreme Pizza” sure wasn’t Luigi’s “Grandma Pizza” from back “Home” in Long Island, NY, but after living on parking lot chickens, couscous, “Street Meat”, sardine sandwiches, bananas and Skol Beer, I was ready for anything that even resembled a pizza, even if the meat toppings were Spam.  I noticed that I’m looking a bit ragged in this picture but please understand that it was a heck of a journey (mentally and physically).  I am sporting my new favorite shirt though, a souvenir I picked-up at a clothing store/shack in Conakry.

Good friends in Conakry, Guinea

Our friends Thierno Souleymane Bah and  Mamadou Sidy Bah joined us for our last meal in Conakry, Guinea.  Really great guys who made the Fulbright experience as memorable as it was.  They showed us many things that most tourists would never see and for this I appreciate their efforts and value their friendship.  Until we meet again guys ………….. Peace!

Spam Sandwich Anyone?

Dining at the Novotel (French Hotel Company) in Conakry was quite expensive so we would often venture out to the ever-present “Road Side cafes” that were established near the hotel.  Spam is apparently quite popular in West Africa and thus here I am ready to enjoy a “Spam Sandwich”.  Fanta soda is also quite popular and I found myself drinking one of these if it wasn’t a Skol Beer. 

Now the conditions of these “Road Side cafes” is a completely different story.  It’s much like camping I guess as the general conditions are quite rudimentary at best.  Super nice owner of the cafe though!  And the Spam Sandwich was actually pretty good.

“The Chicken Shop”

Just one of the many roadside scenes of Guinea.  Due to the lack of or really nonexistence of refrigeration in Guinea, meat products such as poultry are purchased “alive”.  I’m assuming these fellows are somehow secured to the basket they’re perched on as they’re basically advertising themselves for a future meal.  Otherwise, if they knew their fate (no, not as pets), they’d surely “fly the coop”.

Breaking the Chains of a Colonial Past

Located at a busy intersection, in downtown Conakry is this monument celebrating Guinea’s successful effort to liberate itself from French colonial domination (formerly part of French West Africa) in 1958.  France had tried to maintain its colonial possessions after the Second World War; however the people of Guinea had other plans for their future.

Seeking a seaworthy vessel

The good part of the day was spent negotiating passage, to the Lles de Los, the site of a former slave fort in the port of Conakry.   Here we are looking for our boat for the trip.  The seaworthiness may appear doubtful from the pictures, but as you’ll see, we were able to make it to the Lles de Los and back to tell our story.

Setting sail across the harbor blue

The seaworthiness of our boat was questionable and so was the condition of the Soviet Era (see close-up picture above) life preserves we were issued.  But anyway, this was just another adventure among so many experienced over the past five weeks while in West Africa.

Disembarking on Lles de Los (Port of Conakry, Guinea)

The Fulbright team eventually made its way across the port of Conakry and to the Lles de Los.  The dock area wasn’t the most accessible one I’ve experienced, but we all made it ashore safely.

Remembering a Colonial Past

Once arriving on Lles de Los, our guide brought us to a monument that reminded visitors of the island’s colonial past.  Both the French and the British contested the strategic value of the island regarding the African Slave trade to the Americas.  Ultimately the French were to dominate the port of Conakry, however, just to the south, the British made their imperialistic presence known at the port of Freetown, in modern day Sierra Leone.