Guinea - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 114

up his fence and hence, the land became his. It also helped that he married a local women
and now has a family.
All of a sudden, my exhaustion caught up with me and all I wanted to do was to lie
down.However,itdawnedonmethatIhadthedauntingtaskofwalkingback5kilometres
to my guest hut. To top it all off, my Liberian tour guide asked me for a present.
“What for?” I asked.
“Because I showed you my house,” he answered. Shit. I felt I had to give him
something, for if I didn't and he tells the chief, my invitation to stay the night could then
be rescinded. So, I did a terrible thing. I ceremoniously pinned a Canadian lapel pin on his
shirt and told him that it came directly from the Canadian Government. I insisted that he
couldnotselliteventhoughitwasveryexpensive.Itwascruel,Iknow,butIwasstillmad
athimforunder-estimating howfarhishomewas.Hewasquitehonouredandescortedme
back to the village with a slight spring in his step. He proudly showed the pin to the chief
of the village who approved of it as well.
That evening just outside the village, I met a Dutch couple who were traveling
acrossAfricabyLandRover.Iwalkeduptothemastheyweresettinguptheircampbythe
river. I was surprised when they said that they were in fact looking for me! They explained
that as they passed through villages, the locals told them that a Dutch cyclist just passed
through. I laughed at this but had to clarify that I was very much Canadian. During our
conversation, I mentioned in passing that I had a new camping stove, tank and spare parts
thatIneverusedforIwastootiredattheendofeachdaytocook.Coincidentally,theytold
me that since their arrival in Dakar, their new camping stove from Europe never worked.
Theysaidthattheywereeagerlylookingforonetobuyforthey,unlikeme,wantedtocook
their evening meals. So, much to their delight (and to mine), I sold them my stove below
cost.Iwasjusthappytofreeupspaceinmypanniersfromtheunwantedgear.Ireturnedto
my bike to retrieve the cooking equipment and we made the transaction. I bid them good-
night and set off to my bed. Just before I left, we made plans to meet in Labé the next day.