Road Travel Ramblings

When traveling in a country like this one, traffic is usually a good sign.  We love to see traffic, because it means that people are out and about, and not afraid to do so.  On the other hand, traffic that is suddenly NOT moving – especially when you see cars turning around and heading the other direction, likely means that there is a mob or protest just up the way and you should make sure BEFORE you head in that direction.

-          I am not sure why the chicken (or duck or goat or sheep or cow) crosses the road nor do I care, but I would SUPER love it if they didn’t choose to do it as I am barreling down the road at them.  Of course, RUNNING across beats standing in the road, staring at me as if they are unimpressed by my big truck any day!

-          Gas at the gas station – TRAVEL BONUS!!!

-          You can buy an enormous amount of fruits and vegies on the road, so prepare a place in advance for all of it – otherwise you will be forced to put them at your feet or stuff them in all the little nooks and crannies, which makes opening the doors a little tricky at the end of your trip.  Also – NEVER, NEVER travel with bananas – it NEVER ends well for the people or the bananas – which start to turn brown and emit a very nasty, sticky liquid!

-          Next time I travel with tomatoes, I believe I will wash them and put them in a bowl with onions, garlic cloves, salt and cumin, and see if I can create salsa with the help of the potholes.

-          Red dirt on the pavement (what little pavement there is) usually signifies a pothole up ahead – it is a good “caution” sign to slow down – it means that the pavement is worn away and the dirt has come through….

-          If you are traveling with me through a town and you hear me yell “stop”, it is likely that I have spotted either fried sweet potatoes, or cassava balls (my 2 main vices when I travel) and should not be cause for alarm – though I REALLY love those so you would be well advised to stop!

-          I do want my Guinean friends to know that we realize that only putting 5 people in the space provided for 5 people IS considered a waste of space here, but we white people like personal space and are a bit partial to seatbelts in a one to one ratio.