Guinea Bissau to Guinea Conakry

Day: 16
Location: ?, Guinea
Weather: hot
Kilometers: 275
Hours: 17
Health: tired
Accomodation: Peugot 505
Price, room: 0 FG
Price, water: 4K FG
Shower: no
Morale: 5
Total spend: 251K FG

AW: We heard that it was forbidden to take pictures of the bombed out ruins of the presidential palace, so that was first on the agenda. After that, we walked through old town to the port and then caught a cab to catch the minibus to Gabu.

In what would quickly become a theme, we ended up with the two crappiest seats in the back of a minibus. Well, maybe not the crappiest because we wanted to keep our bags between our legs, but they put two humans there instead. It got worse on the ride from Gabu to the border with Guinea. I sat on top of the e-brake next to big boy (Guillaume) in the front seat and that sucked. Instead of 7 people in 7 tight seats (acceptable), the standard in Senegal, it had become 9 people in 7 tight seats (misery). I won't get stuck in the front again if I can help it.

Then we reached the border. We were told it would be about 3 hours to reach Labe, but would cost a whopping $14 US each. We guessed it had to be a perfect road with an aggressive driver given that it looked like at least 300 km on the map. About 5 minutes into the ride I realized I had accepted the seat on the metal rimmed crack between the 2 person seat and the third foldable seat in a Sept place. Still not as bad as the front, but I sure hoped the 3 hours would go quickly.

The car broke about 4 times, and to our surprise we ended up sleeping in the car, only reaching Labe the next day at 9AM, 18 hours after we started. Guillaume and I juggled the hot seat so that we were both pretty busted up but not destroyed. We also had red dirt caked all over our faces from the road. At least we weren't the two kids who rode on top (yep, that's 12 including the driver) because they were completely red. Maybe tomorrow would be more comfortable.

GB: Long day. Started in Bissau, went to Gabu. From Gabu crossed the border and went to Seraboido. From there went to Labe. The Rough Guide described it as one of the toughest international overland journeys in the region, and while it felt tough, we had not quite seen how that was justified until the final stretch to Labe. The poor car had clearly been through that road too many times, but the driver kept reviving it to make it run a few extra kilometers.

Although, to give to Caesars what is Caesar's, the driver was not doing that himself. Among the 2 kids on the roof, one of them was a one-man garage. When the car stopped, he would jump down, and run to take a rock to block the car. To start it, he would push (the starter was dead). At every stop, he would check the oil, the tire pressure, and add some water. He would also regularly get under the car and do what seemed like body work, except it would take him 20 minutes approximately every time.

In the end, we ended in some unknown town, for yet another stop. At this point it was just a question of whether the seat we were sleeping in was moving or static. As a result we only realized we were going to spend the night there when the last remaining occupant asked to leave in order to go sleep on a real bed. Next thing we knew, it was tomorrow.