Kabala to Kamabai - Day 220

Date: March 26th, 2010
Distance: 83km
Country: Guinea

I woke up and got ready. Konday came by with a big sack of mangoes. He said he would get some for the morning, but I was thinking just a couple. There were more than twenty of them. Being hungry, as usual, we had a couple of mangoes before heading out. I think these are the best mangoes I have ever had. So juicy, and the fruit just seems to fall off the pit.

If you can, do yourself a favor. Go pick up a mango or two at the store. Give yourself a little treat, and enjoy the sweet life for a bit. Then wash up. Eating a mango always seems to be a messy business.

After the mangoes, Konday and I headed out. We found a place to change money, but I took a bigger hit on the exchange rate than I was expecting. Damn. Not much to be done about it though.

From there we headed over to the immigration office. Konday also explained a little bit about local governance. The local area is apparently run by a Paramount Chief. This is a hereditary, elected position. I didn't understand that at first either. To run for the office you have to trace your lineage back to a previous Chief of the tribe. Since the families are pretty large here it doesn't seem like they have a problem finding candidates. Once elected though you are Paramount Chief for life. So I think the position is a little like a governor back in the states.

Anyway, got to the immigration office. It turns out they didn't have the stamp either. The head guy was out and had taken it with him. So I had to get another pass to get me down to Freetown and get the entry stamp. Urgh. Plus the guy wanted "compensation". I am sorry, but this is your job. If you don't like it, or don't think you are being paid enough, you have to deal with that. I won't give out bribes. The guy didn't seem angry about not getting the money. More like silly tourist doesn't understand the country. Oh well.

After that I went back to the guesthouse and got all my stuff ready. I went over to Konday's house to say goodbye to him and his wife. Thanks you guys!

Sadly I didn't get on the rode until 12:30. By this point it was pretty hot. The sun is still being shaded a bit by clouds or dust. (I can't tell.) I did what I could, but I knew I wasn't going to make it Makeni, the next big city. I decided to try and make it as far as I could. Then the trip to Makeni would be easy.

I wasn't quite sure where I was going to stay though. I really wouldn't feel that uncomfortable sleeping out in the bush here, except for one thing. Brush fires. I have gone through a number of them in the last couple of days. So I was hoping to find a village to stay in. If I am going to stay in a village, I would like it to have a pump well. That way I can get water for drinking and washing.

Just as it was getting dark I found the village of Kamabai. I was stopped at the police station and started talking with the police constable, Lamin. He said there wasn't a guesthouse in the village, but I could stay at the police station. So I was staying at another police station. Actually, I was staying at the police barracks with Lamin. There was no spare room, just a guy being nice.

He also got me some water to wash up. I took a bucket shower out in front of the police barracks in the moonlight. I thought it was a bit weird to be in my birthday suit at the police station. I can't imagine that going very well back home. Here though, things are a bit different. Nudity doesn't seem to be that big a deal. People still bathe in rivers and streams along the road. Adults and children alike. Earlier in the day I had seen a man washing in front of his house. Nobody on the street seemed to mind. Also, because of the heat, women seem as likely as men to go topless. Later, when I went to get dinner, the woman behind the counter only had on a small towel slung over one shoulder. So that is an acceptable way to be seen in public. Then again, most of the time it really isn't someone who you would actually want to see topless.

After my shower, I wanted to go find some food. Lamin, my host, took me to the center part of the little village. I was hoping for something good, but all they had was fried fish. I am still not a fan of the fish here. So stopped at a little shop and bought some supplies for sandwiches. Bread, some tomato paste, and a can of processed chicken meat. (Kind of like Spam, but much less salty. Also, Halal.) It was too much food for me, so I made two sandwiches, and gave one to Lamin. He got me some palm wine. I lied and said it was good. It actually tasted like drinking vinegar. Still it was a good meal.

Eventually one of the teachers in the town came up. He started asking me where I was from and so forth. Then launched into the, "I want to go to America" stuff. We are friends, I want to come visit you. Give me your address. I want to see your country. I tried to explain that I didn't have any way to get him a visa. I don't even know where to begin with that. Plus I have serious doubts the machinery of the immigration department would listen to me. Lamin seemed to understand, and tried to explain. It didn't help. I realized at that point the teacher I was talking to was probably pretty drunk.

After that I went back to Lamins quarters, unrolled my sleeping mat and went to bed.

-Dravis