Guinea - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 112

views from the road cheered me up. The contrast between the lush green vegetation, the
dark brown earthen roads made for very beautiful photographs. The weather changed for
the better too. Oddly enough, I was hoping for clouds and soon cycled under an overcast
sky.
Then the horseflies came. I put on my mosquito head net which protected my ears
and eyes. However there were still dozens around by legs and arms. They were driving
me mad. The road was in such a bad condition that I couldn't out run them. It was painful
when they bit the back of my hands. I released my frustration twice by screaming at them
(for some reason they didn't listen and kept biting.) I looked like a lunatic as both hands
alternated swapping the flies off the back of the opposite hand.
Finally relief came in the form of a sudden downpour. Once it hit, the flies re-
treated…cowards!!! I continued until the 93 kilometre mark and then took refuge by a
gardener's hut. When I realized how late it had become, I asked the gardener if I could
put my tent up on his property. He said it wasn't a problem but suggested that if I wanted
to I could sleep with his family instead. So, inside I went. I slept next to the children and
thanked him again. I was too tired to wash and after quickly checking my itinerary (I was
two weeks behind schedule), I fell asleep.
In the morning, I again thanked my hosts, and left at 7:15 a.m. and continued to as-
cend. The horseflies had completely disappeared, most likely due to the higher elevation.
As I neared the top, the beauty of Guinea began to unfold. This area was extremely hilly
with many rivers to cycle down to and then to cross. The road was at times very steep with
deep ruts and sometimes it took me almost 45 minutes to crest a hill. The vegetation con-
trasted from huge trees on both sides of the road with thick foliage to open fields. I was
mainly struck, however, by the variety of butterflies. Some were black with white spots,
others were bright yellow and others were multi-coloured. Their colours contrasted with
the greenness of their lush surroundings. They were in the dozens and seemed to escort me
as I approached each village. Needless to say, they were stunning to behold.
I arrived in Kounsitel and met a Liberian woman who left her country 15 years ago
to live in Canada. She returned to Liberia only to have to flee due to the war. She decided
to settle in the town and ran her own café. For breakfast, she served me sweet coffee and
bread with margarine. Before I left, I bought some food supplies from her for the road and
then headed out.
Iarrivedatariver-crossingandwas'required'topay5,000Guineanfrancstocross.
I explained to the one in charge that I didn't have enough francs on me and also explained
the reason why I was cycling across Guinea. He seemed to have a change of heart and