Comments on: A vote for Guinea http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/river-bed-roads-into-the-fouta-djalon Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:26:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Peter http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/river-bed-roads-into-the-fouta-djalon/comment-page-1#comment-617 Peter Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:35:54 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=1945#comment-617 Hi Brian - thanks for commenting. We still haven't done that conversation. Internet slowing down to the speed I anticipated now. Too slow to even upload even very small images. Maybe more luck in Sierra Leone Hi Brian – thanks for commenting. We still haven’t done that conversation. Internet slowing down to the speed I anticipated now. Too slow to even upload even very small images. Maybe more luck in Sierra Leone

]]> By: Peter http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/river-bed-roads-into-the-fouta-djalon/comment-page-1#comment-615 Peter Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:31:38 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=1945#comment-615 Hi John - I came a different route from Koundara - via Mali-Ville, so not a single ferry crossing - just some bad roads - mainly Koundara-Mali-Ville. Don't think we stayed in the same hotel in Labe - mine and I'm sure the one you stayed in have fallen on hard times. I'm not going to Conakry - entering SL in the west - will be quieter and as you mention, I don't need a visa. Keep in touch and thanks for commenting. Hi John – I came a different route from Koundara – via Mali-Ville, so not a single ferry crossing – just some bad roads – mainly Koundara-Mali-Ville. Don’t think we stayed in the same hotel in Labe – mine and I’m sure the one you stayed in have fallen on hard times. I’m not going to Conakry – entering SL in the west – will be quieter and as you mention, I don’t need a visa. Keep in touch and thanks for commenting.

]]> By: Brian Bikes http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/river-bed-roads-into-the-fouta-djalon/comment-page-1#comment-614 Brian Bikes Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:05:06 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=1945#comment-614 Nice work Peter, greeting from the far East. Your adventure sounds smooth, and the mission continues! All the best, keep up this great effort and hope to speak to you soon! Brian, Korea Nice work Peter, greeting from the far East. Your adventure sounds smooth, and the mission continues! All the best, keep up this great effort and hope to speak to you soon! Brian, Korea

]]> By: John Levermore http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/river-bed-roads-into-the-fouta-djalon/comment-page-1#comment-613 John Levermore Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:13:38 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=1945#comment-613 Pete, Really enjoying your status updates. Great to see you back on your bike after that nasty incident in Dakar. Northern Guinea was definitely the most isolated (and very beautiful) part of my trip around West Africa, although if your route goes through S Leone to Liberia maybe that will also be challenging in terms of infrastructure. The bush taxi from Koundara to Labé (how many hand cranked ferries did you have to cross?) was the most uncomfortable of the entire trip! I found a nice hotel in Labé when I was there (late 2007), out on a sidestreet off the main road (about a mile from center of town?) going up hill out towards the road south to Dalaba. Still rare electricity, but run by a really friendly middle aged woman who would cook every night. A bit musty, but the broken french conversations were really welcome. Sorry I don't have a name. Re: police checks - aside from the borders they were all quite tame until the last ~100km to Conakry. Unless you need visas there (I did) I'd suggest avoiding it completely. The traffic from before Kindia really picks up and I'd imagine it wouldn't be fun cycling that section. Good luck - keep up the blogging when you can. I've just left Ghana after a year there and reading this is really helps me keep it alive (although my life in Accra was a lot tamer!). Take care - enjoy your travels! John (we met in Cairo at the Libyan embassy) Pete,

Really enjoying your status updates. Great to see you back on your bike after that nasty incident in Dakar.

Northern Guinea was definitely the most isolated (and very beautiful) part of my trip around West Africa, although if your route goes through S Leone to Liberia maybe that will also be challenging in terms of infrastructure. The bush taxi from Koundara to Labé (how many hand cranked ferries did you have to cross?) was the most uncomfortable of the entire trip!

I found a nice hotel in Labé when I was there (late 2007), out on a sidestreet off the main road (about a mile from center of town?) going up hill out towards the road south to Dalaba. Still rare electricity, but run by a really friendly middle aged woman who would cook every night. A bit musty, but the broken french conversations were really welcome. Sorry I don’t have a name.

Re: police checks – aside from the borders they were all quite tame until the last ~100km to Conakry. Unless you need visas there (I did) I’d suggest avoiding it completely. The traffic from before Kindia really picks up and I’d imagine it wouldn’t be fun cycling that section.

Good luck – keep up the blogging when you can. I’ve just left Ghana after a year there and reading this is really helps me keep it alive (although my life in Accra was a lot tamer!).

Take care – enjoy your travels!

John (we met in Cairo at the Libyan embassy)

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