Take On Africa

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We expected it to take 10-14 days to paddle down the Niger River from Faranah to Kouroussa in Guinea. It took 15 long days. It was hard work and tough at times but great fun too and an amazing experience.
I will of course be writing a full update, but for now, here are some pictures [...]

Leaving Freetown
We had arrived in Freetown on the bustling streets of Kissy Road in the East End lined with stalls selling everything from second-hand shoes to fake Sony radios; and had navigated our way through the commercial district centred around the towering cotton tree, down along Congo Road and across the poor shanty district of [...]

And finally….the final part of the journey, from No Man’s Land to Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown.
Noises in the Night
Camped in No Man’s Land, I woke numerous times in the night to a rattling sound coming from underneath the tent, which seemed to come from the left of my head one moment and then further to [...]

I’m hoping to do a podcast interview with Brian in the coming months, but for now the internet connections in this part of West Africa are too slow.
So, for now, I’ve answered a few of his questions here over at his Korean World blog.
Below is a copy of the interview….
1. What is principle reason you [...]

This second part of the journey from Labe to Freetown, takes me from Kindia to the border with Sierra Leone, where I camped the night in No Man’s Land.
The final part of the journey, from the border to Freetown, I’ll post in a third update.
Sorry it’s taking so long – there are too many distractions [...]

This is the first of two updates about the journey from Labe in Guinea to Freetown in Sierra Leone. This part takes me as far as Kindia, where I had a short rest before continuing across the border.
Leaving Labe
We left Labe late in the afternoon having gorged on a cheap lunch of rice and a [...]

3 weeks, 4 countries, 7 boat rides, 1200km cycled.
There have been good days and bad days, the best days and worst ones. At times it’s been tough and tiring, and yes there have even been tears. At times it’s been thrilling and exciting, and I’ve thought I must be the luckiest person alive. All times [...]

A lot has been and gone since the last update…
3 weeks, 4 countries, 7 boat rides, 1200km cycled.
There have been good days and bad days, the best days and worst ones. At times it’s been tough and tiring, and yes there have even been tears. At times it’s been thrilling and exciting, and I’ve thought [...]

Soulful St. Louis
Arriving in St. Louis was the best introduction to Senegal I could have hoped for. We crossed the bridge from the mainland having weaved our way through the bustling market between the donkey-carts and equally slow-moving black and yellow taxi cabs congesting the roads.
Over on the island, the pace of life was noticeably [...]

“Knowledge is like a Baobab tree, one person’s arms cannot encompass it.” - African proverb
On the ride from St. Louis towards The Gambia, we have passed many impressive baobab trees and one evening we even camped beneath one.  I thought I’d share with you some of the photos…
The Baobab tree, Adansonia digitata, can grow to [...]