Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 9: Guinea
As soon as I left the border marker, I was pleasantly surprised on the excellent con-
dition of the road. Unlike the Senegalese section, the Guinean section was well-maintained
and allowed for stress-free cycling.
Just before I arrived at the border checkpoint, a Dutch motorcyclist named Amir,
walked up to me to explain his dilemma. He told me that he was being refused entry into
Guinea because he didn't have a visa. He argued with the border chief that because he car-
riedaSwisspassporthedidnotneedavisaforanycountryintheworldbecauseSwitzerland
was a neutral country. The border chief refused to hear his explanation and told him that in
the morning he would have to return to Dakar to obtain visa if he wanted to enter Guinea.
HeeventookAmir'smotorcyclekeysjustincasehewouldtrytosneakawayatnight.Amir
then asked me if I could defend him and plead with the chief.
WhenIenteredthecheckpoint'soffice,Ispoketotheborderchieftopersuadehimto
grant Amir permission to enter Guinea. However, the border chief vehemently said no and
during his explanation began to raise his voice at me. As selfish as it may sound, I didn't
want to give him any just cause for refusing me entry. He actually did have just cause for
there was a gaping irregularity in my passport: no Senegalese exit stamp.
The border chief beckoned me out of the office and ordered me to strip the bike for
inspection. I first showed him my official papers from the Canadian Government and STC-
UK and then did as I was told. As he read the letters, I took off all the panniers and lined
them up ready for inspection. He walked over, gave them a quick look over but didn't ask
me to open anything. He stamped my passport and returned to his office. I was elated that
he didn't notice the missing exit stamp.
Since the gear was off, I took the opportunity to clean my bike from all the excess
mud that built up on the wheels and frame. I met up with Amir and told him that when I
started to plead his case, the border chief got angry and didn't want to discuss it any further.
I felt bad for Amir for I knew he would have to revisit the road again in the morning. Since
it was late, I asked the border chief permission to stay on the porch of the customs building
to sleep. He agreed and since there were two hammocks, I took one and so did Amir.
We stayed in our hammocks and talked for there was not much else to do. I was
totallyexhaustedandaftercheckingthecompleteddistancefortheday,Iwasshockedtosee
thatIonlydid40kilometres!Ipackedmymapandjournalaway,slappedonsomeinsectre-
Search WWH ::
Custom Search