Oddity of oddities former Portuguese colony Guinea-Bissau leans towards French as well as Portuguese and Croele for language, and is a member state of the West African Franc. Bissau city, the capital, is the best I can do coast-wise for a while.
I manage to find myself a large ring doughnut – fresh and covered in sugar as it should – in what is obviously the cafe in Bissau. Its a stone’s throw from the destroyed presidential palace. The city is elegantly delapidated, as if the locals found it this way and rather liked it, much like its ancient fort. The fortaleza d’Amura has low built angled bastions topped with old guns and cannon. Inside remain the end walls of various derelict buildings, and high grasses, but its closed to the public.
I was in Bissau for day 35 (Tuesday 6th October) of this 351 day trip meaning I have already completed a tenth. I’m not thinking about all that’s left. To celebrate, I stayed in Bissau for another day – for rest and relaxation.
The normal route south into Guinea(-Conakry) is actually due East. However, I’m determined to see more of lovely Guinea-Bissau by heading south even if I then have to retrace my steps.
The road to Buba is good. It traverses my first hills in sometime, in what must originally been forest – now dissected by paddyfields. The land here looks much like it must have done when the road was laid. It’s mostly thatched roundhouses, and the beginning of the bushmeat trade, with a monkey hanging dead from a road sign for sale.
Its horrid not being able to communicate fully with people, and I am looking forward to returning to Francophone Africa again.
