November 1st: Waking Up in a Tent
Good day. We woke up in a tent for the first time on this trip. It was a little wet from the rain, but we managed to keep most of the mosquitoes out. There weren’t too many around anyway. You had to be careful not to step on cow chips. Other than that, it was a beautiful environment and much more solid ground than the day before when we had to pull the car out of the mud. This time everything went smoothly.
Rough Roads and Village Coffee
The roads didn’t improve much for the next 50 kilometers. Progress was very slow, and I had to carefully maneuver the car around the sculpted tracks. Small towns appeared along the way, and I always looked forward to stopping for coffee. You just look for a place with a thermos and a few people sitting around, and you get a tiny but tasty cup of coffee.
Reaching the Sua Piti Hydropower Dam
About 50 km later, we reached the Sua Piti Hydropower Dam on the Conchure River. It’s probably Guinea’s biggest hydropower project. I haven’t studied how many villages it replaced, but what mattered today is that from that point onward, the road was paved and solid along the N24. We were in good shape and could sail ahead—at least in theory.
Challenges on the N3
Not so fast. Once we hit the N3, the road had solid pavement except for rough sections about 100 meters long. We had to carefully navigate every few kilometers, which presented its own challenges. Traffic increased, and I had no idea what was coming next.
Conakry Traffic Nightmare
Conakry stretched about 40 kilometers and is very narrow. The so-called “speedway” is a misnomer. Depending on the time of day, the two- to three-lane roads become chaotic, and turning left or finding a place to turn around is almost impossible. When traffic slowed or came to a halt on a Saturday afternoon, we were basically stuck. Exhaust fumes were everywhere, and people began driving in oncoming lanes just to get ahead, which made maneuvering even trickier. It took an extremely long time to reach our hotel.
Hotel Azul: Strange but Decent
We finally arrived at Hotel Azul before dark. The hotel looked good online, but in reality, it was tucked behind a dirt road with potholes, and the beach nearby was full of low-tide garbage. The swimming pool hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The hotel itself was walled in, with two floors of rooms and an Indian restaurant on the top floor. The food was decent, and the view of the water was amazing, but it wasn’t obvious how to access the hotel without prior knowledge.
Reflections on the Day
It was a pretty eventful day: tent camping, hydropower sights, and a grueling commute through Conakry traffic. So far, Conakry has been one of the least favorable cities for tolerating traffic, but you deal with it and make the best of it. Thanks for coming along—there’s more to come.
