Comments on: Days in the life: Journal excerpts

By: Navi

Navi — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:11:24 +0000

Oh man, look how inviting that presidential palace is for some exploring! :)

By: Colin

Colin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:12:00 +0000

Hi Peter,at least you appear to be doing better than the England team – you are progressing!Welcome to Guinea! I wouldnt hang around in Guinea too long, they have their first round elections on the 27th. You will be much more at home in Sierra leone.How is the wrist doing?
Cheers and bon voyage, Colin.

By: Najaaraq

Najaaraq — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:18:22 +0000

What a pity that you did not find a better place to accomodate – one of the good ones is situated in Bandim, Youth for Christ (you don’t have to be Christian to stay there). It is 5000 CFA for one night and quite cosy. It is owned by Americans who offer English lessons for locals. And the local restaurants are not expensive – usually 500 CFA for a meal. But you will not find them in the city centre, as only the rich and the White live there.
The thing that the kids are shouting is “Brancum pelele, pretumbao”, which means something like “white skin, black one”, after a couple of cartoon characters. Have e nice stay, the Guineans are truly amazing people!

All the best, Najaaraq (who worked in Bissau for 20 months)

By: helen

helen — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 17:10:26 +0000

Hi there,

keeping updated on your journey on Twitter. makes me want to get on the road again! hope you manage to find a tv screen. it’ll be a rowdy, vociferous and boisterous affair, I’m sure! those W Africans LOVE their football!

safe onwards….looking forward to reading more.
H

PS I did the same on the expedition: hand-written journal and the blog. the journal being much more about very personal thoughts on what I was feeling and experiencing. that’ll be for my book! ;)

By: Tiago

Tiago — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:40:13 +0000

You, my friend, are on the world’s first narco-state. Drug dealers literally run the country. The last president (Nino Vieira) was murdered because he was no longer convenient for the drug lords.

The people in Guine-Bissau are kind and friendly, but beware of the organised gangs as random violence against foreigners is not unheard of. A little fish like a cyclist should go unnoticed, though. Try not to spend much time there. The political climate is unstable.

You may also be called ‘pula’, a more pejorative version of ‘branco’.

Bijagos were a nice tourism haven at least until Nino’s exile. The boats can be dangerous, some have holes and occasionally some sink. Fortunately the waters are not very deep.