Category: Travel

Bob related in a private email that it takes about 7-10 days to become accustomed to the heat. Either it’s become cooler in Conakry or that’s true. We aren’t as bothered by the heat as when we arrived two weeks ago, even after an all too brief respite in the cool mountains. There also seems to be more of a breeze which of course helps. We also were suffering from jet-lag when we arrived. I’ll be interested to read the information and if possible check the highs for Conakry.

Louisa took advantage of being stuck here for another day and we hit the local downtown market. Hard bargaining for some nice fabric. Moderate pressure haggling, but it takes a lot of patience. The market was probably quiet relatively early on a Monday.

This is in the context of sweating in hot, humid weather and being in the air conditioned CyberCafe which can’t be less than 80F, and carrying a warm jacket for the plane and NY, and maybe CA.

Some trivialities. There is very little running water here apparently. We see many people carrying water. One can buy bottled water in 1.5l bottles for about $0.25 on the street. The apparently better off locals buy labeled water in sealed plastic bags of about 1 cup in size. We are told this is good water. The less well off buy water in hand tied plastic bags. On either kind of plastic bag, they bite off a corner and drink. They also use the tied bag water to fill radiators and wash feet and hands.

Last night we got up at 1am to take a taxi to the aeroport in the hope of getting on the 3pm Royal Air Maroc flight to Casablanca. We knew it would be a long shot to get seats, but it is our best connection to leaving. Seats were available, but they couldn’t sell any tickets; they didn’t have the computers. So back to the hotel for a few more hours sleep. Then downtown to try to get on the Air Senegal flight to Dakar which would have more air connections.

We bought the tickets to Dakar and it appears (not confirmed) we will then be able to get on Royal Air Maroc (RAM) flights to NYC. The unconfirmed reservations are:

Conakry-Dakar 2155-2310, Nov 20, Air Senegal V7
Dakar-Casablanca 0340-0655 Nov 21 RAM AT500

Casablanca-JFK 1220-1540, Nov 21, RAM AT200

JFK-LAX 1759-2127, Nov 21, Delta 1874.

We will see many of you soon. Sooner than we wished, but necessary.

Last night Greg and I ate dinner at sunset on the only public beach in Conakry. I had fresh fish with delicious pesto like sauce and fried spicy bananas with a condiment of chilipaste that will take your head off. Kids and adults frolicked in the waves while soccer teams played in the sand as far down the beach as we could see. Evenings are warm and balmy after the scorching heat of the day that just about makes you want to pass out. Thank god for air conditioning and fans.

However our ac room is not mosquito proof and we had to put up the mosquito net anyway. In search of petit dejeuner ( breakfast) we headed for the local market as Greg described. On the way we crossed a soccer field loaded with players and other teams waiting their turn to play. We passed a small road side stand with enticing looking edibles. The lady proprietor welcomed us — Bienevenue! We bought two of what turned out to be something like our donuts but less sweet. The lady actually spoke english which is uncommon for an adult. Her name is Black Diamond. She has a little beauty shop in her establishment which is more little a jerry rigged lean-to cobbled together on the road side. Hair here is an art form of incredible beauty and creativity. I am tempted to get Black Diamond to braid my hair. I will also add how beautiful and elegant the women are here. Their dress and demeanor is almost regal. There is a sense of propriety combined with exterior reserve.

There is so much to say about Guinea! How kind people are and hospitable. I am sad to say that due to my eye condition we will have to return to the USA perhaps tonight. More later.

Louisa

We’ve been in a neighborhood named Taouyah for about seven days. Taouyah is supposed to be a nicer neighborhood, but it’s like other third world neighborhood with crummy places and nicer places all mixed together. But there are larger homes/compounds around and quite a few cars. We were curious as to where people bought food. Small corner stores with limited selection and some street stalls, but not enough selection or quantity. We knew there was a large market in Conakry, but it seemed too far away. This morning while trying to round up some fruit we stepped into the alleys behind some stores on a market corner, and found outselves in tight alleys with a mix of small stalls, but still not enough food. Then we could hear the chatter and din and found ourselves in a maybe 60 by 100 foot open area with long rows of tables very close together. Lots of produce and other commodities; and teaming with women shopping. Not like other markets we’ve seen anywhere.

Unfortunately we won’t be showing photographs as they don’t you taking them. I went off near the entrance and tried to take a photo and a women about thirty feet away at one of the tables saw me and waved no photos. And I as walked down between the tables in the opposite direction, another vendor told me something to effect (in French) that I wasn’t respecting her by taking photographs. (The no photos is not anywhere near absolute. We saw what looked like a scout parade getting organized and they said we could take photographs. The parade turned out to be a procession into the nearby Christian church.

A note on food preparation in the street stalls. The chef/owner (it’s usually one or two people) start preparing a pot or two hours before over a charcoal fire and when they run out that’s it. And they seem to precook or start BBQing chickens early if that’s what is on the menu.

I’ve been able to post more often and longer, because we are in Conakry seeing the eye doctor, waiting for results, waiting for responses from Louisa’s home eye doctor, and because it is hot and humid here. Too hot and humid to be wandering around outside. And the Cyber Cafe has air-conditioning.

While in Conakry we’ve made an effort to eat what the locals eat. Or at least what the locals with enough money to eat the equivalent of fast food. But here you’d probably call it street food.

Starting with breakfast. It seems in most third world countries (well the few I’ve visitedI), breakfast is dinner left overs. We went to the three indoor table restaurant down the street from our hotel and asked what they had for breakfast: spagetti, bagette, and coffee (Nescafe). So we said fine. The spagetti was just that with a meat sauce (a few pieces of unchewable beef) which tasted pretty good. Not my idea of breakfast, but still good. Bagette, just that plain. And Nescafe with milk.

We had lunch in the same restaurant and I had beans and bagette and Louisa had fish and rice.  Simple and tasty.

Last night for dinner we ate at a one table on the street level porch restaurant. The chef had one pot cooking on a charcoal fire and we asked what she had. She was out of fish, but still had chicken with manioc. Easy to make a choice. The put a table cloth on the table and brought cloth napkins, and a candle. The chef barbequed the  chicken with the visual assistance of a flash light. It was about 7pm. I doubt the restaurant had electricity and the street lights didn’t work (we’ve seen them on once in the four or five days we’ve traveled the street). Our hotel had power, but it may be a generator. The chicken was great. I asked how it was prepared and she said it she used mustard. Manioc is mild and it had a bit of cucumbers and tomatoes which we discarded.

Prices: Breakfast for two: $1.50, lunch for two $1.40, dinner for two $3 including one beer.

To compare we had Nescafe, bagette with jam and butter in our hotel for $4.50 each. Unlimited quanities though.

The hotel we stayed in when we first arrived was nicer yet and with a Lebanese owner. They offered western style food and Lebanese. One meal of four shared Lebanese mezes was $14 with one large bottled water.  It was all good and too much to eat.

We’ve also had some fish and rice on the street and they dig up some benches for us to eat on. I think most people take it home.

We visited an eye doctor in Conakry recommended by the doctor for the Peace Corps. Today, Saturday we got the results of the retina photos. They show a lesion on the left eye which he thought was caused by too much sun on the day of our all day hike. He doesn’t think it is serious, but Louisa will confirm with her eye doctor to whom we are emailing the photo results.

Now we have to do some rescheduling as we’ve lost a week chasing doctors.