Caught In Shootings And Explosions In Liberia

Posted on June 27, 2019December 1, 2019 by dev

I had 5 lovely days in the beginning of my Liberia stay and I find most Liberian people as warm, friendly and sociable, but what happened in my last 2 days in Liberia is something I will never forget!

Is Liberia Dangerous?

Before you read this article and get scared of Liberia, I need to say I enjoyed Liberia mostly. A beautiful country, even though I was there in heavy rain season with up to 16 hours of rain some of my days. I had to be smart with my time in Liberia and took full advantage of the sunny hours, as well as with the rainy ones.

There are some sketchy areas in the capital Monrovia, especially at night, but I felt comfortable most places in Liberia during day and night. So it is a safe country, but there’s one specific time, where it’s NOT!

At the abandoned luxury hotel, Ducor Hotel, at night

My Observations In Liberia

Can’t avoid the spices in Liberia! Even cucumbers have spicy chili inside

The Language

I love the way Liberian speak English, the way they shorten all of the words and mix it with their own local language, makes it so hard to understand, but enjoyable to listen to. Sometimes I had to listen to sentences 3-4 times, in order to fully understand what was being said. So yes, Liberia is a English-speaking country, but not the English you know.

The Food

The food in Liberia is extremely spicy and it’s no matter what you eat. The Liberian people find the food to be completely normal, but in all of the other +115 countries I’ve been to, I only remember a few countries where ALL the food was this spicy. Most of the time I had tears in my eyes when eating in Liberia.

Public Transport Discussion

I took a lot of public transport in Liberia and in all of the cars, mini busses, busses there were discussions.

Usually the one who shouts the loudest wins the argument and when you think people are about to fight, they say “my man, listen,” and the “my man” takes of a lot of the pressure. I’ve seen it so many times here.

Civil Wars

The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia from 1989 until 1997. The conflict killed about 250,000 people. The Second Liberian Civil War was from 1999 – 2003. After nearly 14 years of Civil War the country is finally safe now, but when the situation get overheated, people can go back in war mode.

Caught In Shootings And Explosions In Liberia

I was caught in shooting and explosions in Liberia. The day before I went on a crazy hunt to find wild, abandoned chimpanzees on an isolated Liberian island, dubbed as ‘The Planet of the Apes.’ Read: The Hunt On Wild Chimpanzees In Liberia,’ but now it was time to go from Liberia to Ivory Coast!

Here’s what happened exactly: I went up 5 am in the morning to find a car from Monrovia to Ivory Coast, because you usually have to wake up early when moving around West Africa to get a car. The car was first full at 9 am though, so it was a long waiting time, but we were now finally ready to go. I was in a Jeep with 7 other African people and off we went!

I sat next to a guy from Ghana, who spoke a good English I could understand easily. There was also a Liberian guy, who was extremely friendly, but I was happy that the man from Ghana was there to translate what he said, because he spoke extremely fast and the Liberian way. Fast talking combined with the Liberian way of speaking English is not the best combination, at least not for me.

The Road Was Blocked. How Come?!

Police blocking the road. What is going on?!

We had been on the road for only 1,5 hour and now the road was blocked. We talked a bit to some of the other passengers in the cars waiting in line, and from what I could understand from the conversations there had been an incident and two kids had died.

I thought it was a bad road incident, which happens here occasionally, but after 30 min of waiting the Liberian guy and I decided to go and check what the problem. There was a lot of noise up there!

“The President Kills Our Children”

We came up to the chaos and walked a bit around. The police were there, but it seemed pretty quiet after all at first. We saw some people who were furious and my Liberian friend and I went over to them to find out what the problem was. A lady was screaming us in the face: “The President is killing our children.”

One of the furious ladies. Lots of aggression

The ladies wanted the President to come and talk, and I was hoping he would come, because I’m a football fan. The President of Liberia is the old football legend, George Weah. His abilities on the football pitch seemed to be better than his presidential ones! At least people were MAD about him in this situation.

Football legend George Weah is the President of Liberia

I honestly didn’t understand the issue really, but the protesters said they would block the road for at least 2-3 days. This was the ONLY International road from Monrovia, Liberia to the border of Ivory Coast.
At this point I thought either they stopped the demonstration or there would be big problems soon. In a country there has been in a war mode not many years ago. A country that’s not afraid to pull the trigger.

Only white man in the place. Would the President come or not?

At one point it seemed like the President would come to give an excuse to the people, but then the reports from the Government changed. I could see the Ghanaian guy from my car running back towards the car. The Police was still passive at this time, but the alarm bells were ringing now. I had to get back to the car.

Get In The Car! Now!

The Liberian guy ran past me and I turned around and ran also. Our car was only 40 meters away from the protests. When we came to the car we stood outside and talked a bit, and the Liberian guy said there was NO CHANCE we would leave today. Just when he said “no chance,” our driver came running from the opposite site of the demonstration and said the police are sending extra forces: “Get in the car. Now!”

Two of the last guys from our car came running in full sprint to the car and jumped in. Literally 5 seconds after we were all in the car, I looked to the right side and from around 50 meter distance I saw a young man throwing something and I yelled: “Get down!” It was a small home-made bomb. Everybody went down beneath the car seats! We could feel the pressure from the bomb inside the car. The car was shaking and right after I could smell the smoke from a battlefield.

I looked up again and from the other side now three Liberian men threw stones at our car, so we were still hiding under the car seats. The driver screamed: “Open the windows,” because if a stone hits glass, it could leave serious damage on the people inside. We were all with the heads down. The protesters were running away and I made a short video footage, where you can hear the gunshots starting to fire from the police.
The women from the demonstration came running now in full speed with crying kids, absolutely horrible.

Liberian woman running from her life. One of the worst days of my life!

The Police Didn’t Want The Protests To Continue – Shoot!

The President had told the police the situation was unacceptable and had told them to act! I saw this woman on the picture above came running past my car window, I looked back and saw a woman was shot in the back head 10 meters away from me. The second after a young man got shot in the back and went straight to the ground. F*CK! I went back under the car seat and heard 5-7 gunshots more and heard a lot of screaming outside. After 1 minute all the people who were protesting and blocking the road were gone.

Police with truncheon and guns. At least 2 were shot dead, I saw it with my own eyes!

I saw two people were shot with my own eyes, but I’m not sure how many were shot in total. A lot of gunshots.. Time was standing still.

All of the people from the demonstration were gone in less than 1 minute

Time To Get Away From The Gunshots

Now we had to escape. Our driver got up from where he was hiding, starting the engine and drove like he was getting casted for a new ‘Fast & The Furious-Movie.’ He destroyed the rear view mirror on another car, because all people just wanted to get away. We really had to get away in a hurry, and he even went off road, where the car was close to turn around. He honestly drove like Michael Schumacher in his heyday. The situation was hectic and scary, still with a lot of violent, unpredictable police around us.

Our driver driving right after he raced through the demonstration. We made it!

A Day Not To Remember

What a day to finish off Liberia, my country number 116. A day I wouldn’t even wish my worst enemy to experience. A day right in the middle of shootings and explosions a little outside of Monrovia, Liberia.

20 minutes after the shootings. Seeing people get shot is something you don’t want to try.

Goodbye Liberia

As I said earlier I don’t know much about the conflict, but blocking the only International road to another country on the African continent usually have bloody consequences. It had today. These protesters put themselves, the road users and worst of all small children in extreme danger by doing this. Not smart. Seeing kids crying, running for their life. Not fun at all. I can’t figure out who were right or wrong though.

Honestly happy I have arrived to Ivory Coast alive, my country number 117. Can’t wait to see what this country has to offer and now it’s time to move forward!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

The Hunt For Wild Chimpanzees (Liberia)

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by dev

Dubbed as the Planet of the Apes, I traveled to the secretive “Monkey Island” in the Liberian jungle, but the hunt to find them wasn’t easy!

How To Find This Place?

I had talked a bit to my Dutch friend Bart about this place, but to be honest I had absolutely no clue how to get there at first. I just heard about the “Monkey Island”, and was a bit fascinated by the story of these aggressive laboratory monkeys living it up on the Liberian island.

What is said to be infected apes with a reputation for attacking invaders are apparently on their own private island in Africa. Going there sounds like something from a horror movie, right?! Anyway it sounded too cool for me to resist, and I always prefer to see animals in the wild and not in a circus or in most zoo’s, where they don’t belong.

Win-win situation!

Jumped on a motorbike with a man and his wife

No Tourist Attraction At All

I quickly found out this place wasn’t a tourist attraction and many people didn’t know the place I was asking for, but I took a shared taxi for around 1 hour south of Monrovia to a small city called Marshall and from there I jumped on a motorbike with a man and his wife. The man was complaining that I was moving too much in the 45 min motorbike drive, but I had his wife’s steel plate and fruits in my back, which caused a lot of pain!

Anyway, the pain shouldn’t stop me from making my way to the chimpanzees!

Corrupt Police Security Point

It’s incredible how much stuff can be on a small African motorbike, right?! I checked my phone and could see we were now close to the place, where the motorbike driver told me I could find a boat to the chimpanzees and right when I looked up from my phone a guy yelled: “HEY!” loudly.

I could see it was a security point and the 4 cops looked really sketchy.

I was sure they would try to get some money out of me. But I met them with a smile and a positive attitude, because I knew all my documents, vaccinations and visas were in order. After a little talk outside, I was taking into Officer Kanneh’s office and he asked me: “What are you doing here?”

I knew if I said I was going to look for the chimpanzees he would probably mention a fee for entrance, so I just said I was going to see the village here and walk around.

He said: “Ok I see. You didn’t know there were chimpanzees here?” I said: “No, are there really?” and looked very surprised.

Officer Kanneh said: “Yes. I can call a guy named Wacki, he know the chimpanzees and he can take you there for free.” I knew it wasn’t going to be free, but I just agreed and Officer Kanneh and his big security guard took me to the lake.

On which other continent would you see two police officers at an important security point just leave their job?

The Two Police Officers And Me Off On Motorbikes

We arrived to the place and it started to rain like crazy. We tried to call Wacki, but he didn’t take the phone. Out of a sudden someone found Wacki in the village and Wacki was very happy to see me and said he wanted to take me to the chimpanzees. But he said he would just go and change his outfit.

We waited for 20 minutes and Wacki didn’t come back.

Me and the corrupt police officers searching for Wacki

Where Is Wacki?

Now it was finally dry, so one of the guys said that we should go now to the “Monkey Island.”

I was sure the guy had coordinated it with Wacki, but I was a bit surprised, when I asked him 5 times about where Wacki was and I didn’t get any respond.

Officer Kanneh was there with us and said Wacki wasn’t here right now, but I could pay 15 dollars and then go with Mr. Mojo’s old fisher boat, instead of Wacki’s kayak.

I knew time was short, because it was raining heavily (it really does here in rain season), so I said let me talk to Mr. Mojo. First of all I told Mr. Mojo that I wanted Wacki to come with me, because he was the expert in the area. Mr. Mojo said it was impossible, because we couldn’t find Wacki. I could tell Mr. Mojo just wanted to benefit from the situation, instead of Wacki, and to be fair I could see this Mr. Mojo was focusing more on the money, whereas Wacki seemed like a really nice person with a big heart.

The Oral Agreement

I looked Mr. Mojo deep in the eyes before the ‘Chimpanzee Hunt’ and said: “I don’t want a boat tour. I want to see chimpanzees. When I’ve seen chimpanzees, I’ll pay you 15 dollars. Not before.”

It was a cheap price indeed, but it’s a lot of money for Liberian people and fuel prices are super cheap here.

He said: “Yes, that’s a deal” and we shaked each other hands. Everybody around us saw it.

From my experience when traveling Africa, it’s always super important to make clear agreements before you do something, otherwise there can sometimes be problems afterwards and you will have to cash out!

It turned out there were big problems here too later! Anyway..

I made sure all the other 20 Liberian guys who were circling around me heard it too, in case Mr. Mojo suddenly ran away from our oral agreement. I wanted to see chimpanzees and after I would pay.

The agreement was reached and I was ready to go with 5 Liberian guys in Mr. Mojo’s old fisher boat

We went out in the old fisher boat, which went from side to side. I’m glad I have Faroese fisherman blood, and even one of the Liberian guys went puking after 30 minutes. That boat was absolutely terrible! I thought it was going to tip over at times, but the water luckily got more quiet. But the weather didn’t.

Water got quiet, but then the rain was incoming!

We started to search for the chimpanzees in two nearby islands, but they were hiding. They had food in the morning, so a guy told us we should come back, when they were hungry again and then suddenly a crazy rainstorm hit us! We had to go back! No chimpanzees!

1.st Attempt – FAIL!

When I came back I could see Mr. Mojo was looking at us and we jumped up of the shaky boat, soaking wet and disappointed and went inside a small stone house. The 5 Liberian guys told Mr. Mojo we didn’t see any chimpanzees and Mr. Mojo then said:

“Ok. But I want my money now.”

I was shocked. 15 dollars is not a problem for me, but to change an agreement is a problem. We made an agreement 1,5 hours before in front of everybody and now Mr. Mojo changed his mind. Waow!

When I’m traveling in Africa I’m a man of principles and I stick to my agreements here, which is one of the reasons I rarely get scammed in Africa. so I reminded Mr. Mojo in a kind way about the agreement we made earlier about the fact that I would pay when I had seen chimpanzees.

Mr. Mojo Got Aggressive

Mr. Mojo went straight to my face and started to yell that he wanted his money now, and he started coming with several racist remark about me, calling me f*cking stupid white man and several other things I don’t want to wrtie, but I kept my calm and didn’t move one step, even though he was right up in my face and I just told him in a polite way.

“How can I be the stupid one? We had a deal?”

I wasn’t scared, because I knew I was right and I knew if he hit me one time, he wouldn’t stand a chance against me. The other guys took him away and told him to calm down, because they all heard the agreement we made. A guy in a yellow shirt came into the circle and that was THE GAME CHANGER!

Wacki And His Friend Were Back!

Wacki came back and he got really pissed off at Mr. Mojo.

Wacki told Mr. Mojo, he shouldn’t take me on his boat, while he was changing his outfit. Wacki apparently lived a little away from the village, and Wacki told Mr. Mojo he knew nothing about finding chimpanzees. Everybody loved Wacki in the little village, and Wacki told me: “Don’t worry my man, my friend will show you chimpanzees.”

After 30 min. of crazy discussions between Mr. Mojo and Wacki, Wacki convinced Mr. Mojo about his plans. I would pay the 15 dollars, when I had seen the chimpanzees and Wacki promised Mr. Mojo I would see them now at the 2. attempt with huge confidence. Wacki told me to go with his friend!

My man!

Everybody in the village had arrived to see our hefty discussions

2. Attempt! Now Or Never

We left the village in the old fisher boat again for a 2. try! Wacki’s friend was really confident, he was actually dancing on the boat and started to say all the names of the monkeys and said he had a great personal relationship with them. I couldn’t help but to smile a bit after some rough hours of discussions.

Our 2. try to find chimpanzees. Wacki’s best friend in the yellow shirt! Top guy

Would We Finally Find The Chimpanzees?

Wacki’s friend was shocked about where the guys had taken me at first, and it turned out Wacki’s friend was right.
Right when we went out to the first place on this boat trip, 3 Chimpanzees came out, when Wacki’s friend started yelling their names. Such a clever animal, no wonder why it’s the most human like animal in the World.

We found them!

The water was shallow at the beach, so we couldn’t really get close, because the chimps could get aggressive with me as a new person they didn’t know, but we went to the other side of the island and got pretty close, where the chimpanzees were in the trees and on the seashore. Wauw, this was it!

CHIMPANZEES! Such an amazing experience getting close to these aggressive, but cute guys

We were all very happy to see the chimpanzees, and even Wacki’s friend’s friend was amazed and was sneaking out his phone and took some nice photos!

Wacki’s friend’s friend was even more hyped than me and took a lot of pics! Awesome chimps!

I couldn’t thank Wacki and Wacki’s friend enough and I gave them a solid well-deserved tip for saving my ‘Chimpanzee Trip’ and then I gave the man his 15 dollars when I came back of course. Even though I was a little mad about his racist remarks and aggressiveness towards me, but I could understand his frustrations too. I just can’t help sticking to the agreements I make. That’s just natural for me.

A hectic, but amazing chimpanzee hunt! Would you do have done the same like me?

Gustav

gus1thego.com

2 Seconds Away From REJECTED ENTRANCE (Sierra Leone)

Posted on June 21, 2019June 28, 2019 by dev

Guinea to Sierra Leone

After some long travel days and a baby puking on me on the bumpy roads in Guinea, I was honestly a bit tired to say the least and very excited to get out of Guinea’s capital Conakry’s craziness and into Sierra Leone, the country of white beaches and diamonds.

The Ebola Outbreak

When I had to go from Guinea down south to Sierra Leone, I a took bus, shared taxi, motor bike, basically every possible vehicle in order to finally reach Sierra Leone, the land of the white beaches, which I heard so much good stuff about. Besides a big Ebola outbreak few years ago which killed +10,000 people. Terrible!

Ebola just found in Congo again. Sierra Leone on alert!

Not Allowed To Enter Sierra Leone?

But I didn’t want to think too much about that. Like always. Just go!

First of all I was told that my vaccination card wasn’t complete to enter Sierra Leone. I told the border police that my doctor gave me all the vaccines which were needed. After a little talk with the Sierra Leonean border police, they told me: “This is not the Official Vaccination Card.” I told them that it was how the Official Vaccination Card we get in Denmark looks like, even though it was just a copy of it, (as I would be afraid to lose my original one,) and they luckily believed in my super convincing explanation.
I then had to go through two offices more for registration and thought okay, now I’m almost in Sierra Leone.. But then the lady at the registration office said: “Now you go into that room, to the ‘Big Boss!’

Border crossings in West Africa can be complicated and tiresome

My Meeting With The Big Boss

The ‘Big Boss’ was a big guy, probably around 50 years old, wearing a suit and with a mad look. He said “sit down” with a brutally dark voice and then started to look at my passport without saying anything for 2 minutes. It felt like a reeeally long time in there, because he looked really critically on every page and visa.

He then looked at me and opened his big mouth. “What are you doing here in Sierra Leone?” I replied “I’m just visiting the country as a tourist.” He didn’t say anything and continued to look at my passport.

It seemed like I was just about to get allowance to enter Sierra Leone, sitting in the ‘Big Boss’ office with him lifting his arm to give me the stamp, but then he put the arm down slowly and asked me:

“Which hotel in Sierra Leone?” Damn…

The Missing Hotel Reservation

SH*T. How could I forget to find a hotel name or to fake a hotel reservation in Sierra Leone.

I told ‘Big Boss’: “Give me one second..”

I was trying to get some internet connection, so I could say a name of a hotel, but there was absolutely zero connection at the border.

‘Big Boss’ looked impatiently at me and raised his voice. “I NEED A HOTEL RESERVATION.”

I replied: “It’s called Freetown Hotel.” Big Boss: “I don’t know that one?” I said: “At the beach?” He said: “There’s no one with that name.” I thought oh no, this is NOT good.

He continued: “We can’t let you in to Sierra Leone without a Hotel Reservation. Impossible.” I realized I had to make a quick move, otherwise entering Sierra Leone wouldn’t be for this time, which would destroy my travel plans completely. I didn’t want ‘Big Boss’ to destroy it for me!

I said: “Let me just call my friend about the hotel name.” He stared at me angrily with his scary mad look.. Of course I couldn’t call my friend with no connection at the border, but while I was pretending to call my friend, I took a quick look in ‘Big Boss’s’ book, which was upside down in front of him, and in 2 seconds I could see a hotel name called ‘YMCA.’ I started to scratch my eyes to distract him a bit..

YMCA in Sierra Leone

I took my phone to my ear and faked a call: “Hello Samuel (quickly made up name), what was the name of that hotel.. At the beach in Freetown? Arh, YMCA, okay thanks!” Without talking to any person of course.. When ‘Big Boss’ heard YMCA, he said “good” with his extremely manly voice and continued “Welcome to Sierra Leone.”

I didn’t go to that hotel, but..

Thank you, ‘Big Boss!’

Had to buy a Sierra Leone t-shirt out of pure excitement!

Entering Sierra Leone felt extra good after my meeting with the ‘Big Boss,’ he was indeed one of the biggest bosses I’ve ever met, and to top it off I met a nice lady who brought her rooster in the shared taxi in Makeni, Sierra Leone!

Hello Sierra Leone, my country number 115!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

A Super SHITTY Experience (Sierra Leone To Liberia)

Posted on June 21, 2019July 15, 2019 by dev

Sierra Leone

After some relaxing days in Sierra Leone visiting villages, beach hopping and enjoying the capital, Freetown, I thought it was time to make way to by country number 116, Liberia.

The Slow Way To Liberia

I prefered to move slowly from Sierra Leone to Liberia in order to see some new places on the way. I wanted to take my time in Sierra Leone and there were several reasons why. First of all because it’s a pretty relaxed English speaking country in this region, which is rare to find. Secondly because when I entered Sierra Leone from the north, I was almost not allowed to enter. I had to be creative and my quick way of thinking saved me in the last second, otherwise it would have been NO Sierra Leone!

Read ‘2 Seconds From Rejection To Sierra Leone!’

Climbing the Lester Peak with a nice view over Freetown, Sierra Leone

After having a fun time in the north of Sierra Leone in Makeni, I went to Freetown and the area around there for some days. After having seen the beaches in Conakry, Guinea, I was stunned to see the difference in the beauty of the beaches in Sierra Leone in such relatively small distance.

Dirty Beach in Conakry, Guinea

Most beaches in Sierra Leone

Tokeh Beach Resort in Sierra Leone.. Different class!

Hard to leave Sierra Leone

It was honestly nice to relax a bit in Sierra Leone, especially to get out of the capital Freetown and enjoy the small villages and lovely beaches. Also enjoyed to eat some of my favourite West African food, the ‘Sierra Leonean attiéké’, with fermented and grated cassava and a blend of various ingredients. Definitely a different supplement to the rice and fish you’ll get most places here, which can get boring in the long run.

Too late for Liberia

I wasn’t too far from the border to Liberia and wanted to do some more exploring before crossing the border from Sierra Leone to Liberia. What I didn’t think about was that the border from Sierra Leone to Liberia would close at 6.30 pm. I found out of this randomly mid day and thought it was maybe the right time to head down to the border. I had a strong belief I would make it in time, still with plenty hours to go!

In a southern village Gbongay, Sierra Leone

I found a shared car going to the border and negotiated a fair (cheap) price with the driver. There was just one thing wrong. I quickly found out this could be a big problem in order to reach the border in time. Something was wrong with the driver. Me and the other passengers were in deep sh*t literally!

The Driver’s Diarrhea (Mr. Poo Poo)

I sat next to a very funny guy in the shared taxi, who said he was the black Cristiano Ronaldo!

Me and the black Cristiano Ronaldo and another guy out in nowhere, Sierra Leone

We had several stops on the way there and in the beginning we didn’t understand why we stopped the car all the time, because we were in a bit of a rush. The driver kept running away from the car every time he stopped the car. We quickly found out something wasn’t as it should be with him. After a few stops the driver pointed to his stomach and signaled something was wrong. The black Cristiano Ronaldo said: “We have to drive now Mr. Poo Poo” and every one in the car laughed, including the driver, even though he was in pain. Really a shitty situation for all of us, most of all for the driver!

The clock was 5 pm. Only 1,5 hour to the border would close…

We had to keep on going!

“Mr. Poo Poo” in pain! He insisted to keep on driving.. Would we make the border in time?!

The Liberian Border Would Close Soon

The minutes were counting down. Time was now 6 pm, which meant we only had 30 minutes to go, before the border would close!

I talked to the black Cristiano Ronaldo about the possibility of the border still being open, when we arrived, but I could see on my offline Maps.Me that we had at least 40 minutes to go. Time on a map in West Africa is never correct and that’s a fact. We arrived 7.09 pm. 39 min after the border closed!

Border closed 18.30 sharp. We didn’t make it!

Mr. Poo Poo was off to a little home made African toilet immediately at the border, but it didn’t take away the shit we were all in right now!

Me and a Liberian guy at the closed border! Before we knew the consequences of this situation

It was getting dark and I was there with the black Cristiano Ronaldo, the Liberian guy and Mr. Poo Poo and we discussed where we could sleep and none of us had any clue. We really didn’t want to sleep in the car after an exhausting ride. We were out in nowhere and the heavy rain could come anytime.

Stuck at the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia. Rain hits really hard in the night in rainy season!

The driver called someone and the black Cristiano Ronaldo said we could maybe go on some muddy roads through the forest at night to a village. The roads were really muddy, maybe not as muddy as the driver’s underpants, but indeed muddy!

We drove over 4 small rivers during night to find a place to sleep. Driver wasn’t scared we would get stuck with the car in the dark forest

The Right Track

Mr. Poo Poo drove us the right way. We were now in this village the black Cristiano Ronaldo mentioned to him and me and the Black Cristiano Ronaldo and the Liberian guy went out to search for a place to sleep. It was really hard to find anything and there weren’t many people we could ask during the night, but we found a place with a small ‘Motel’ sign, which looked really creepy. They had two rooms available.

What to do!?

Inside the motel at the border. Straight out of a horror movie

We all agreed that I took the single room. Sounded good to me at first, until I found out the lights went on and off every 1 second, the window was open and couldn’t close (would someone jump in or would the mosquitoes bite me like crazy?!), no mosquito net, no toilet. Anyway it was time to sleep.. We were all too exhausted to thing about anything late at night now!

My $7 motel room at the border to Liberia

Good Morning And Hello Liberia

The border crossing went pretty okay, besides a lot of police check points when we entered Liberia, but I was happy to be with the black Cristiano Ronaldo all the way to Monrovia, Liberia. It went a lot smoother with him, because he small-talked to all the police officers and they seemed to like him.

He is honestly a guy I’ll never forget. He was so excited to go home to his wife in Monrovia, Liberia to have a special dish she would make for him. But he came 1 day too late and I saw his girlfriend was texting angry messages to him about him sleeping with his side chick in Sierra Leone. Ouch!

I can confirm he slept with a Liberian guy and I hope for him he had his favourite dish today in Monrovia, Liberia! Top guy!

Me and the black Cristiano Ronaldo in the morning ready to pass the border to Liberia

Will never forget my crossing to Liberia. What a crazy ride it was with great friends! I still can’t believe I had a Near-Death Experience When I Arrived To Monrovia, Liberia.

Liberia. My country number 116.

Take care!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

How To Avoid The 7 Most Common Travel Scams (Africa)

Posted on June 17, 2019June 28, 2019 by dev

You can get scammed anywhere in the World, not only in Africa for sure. These 7 Advices on How To Avoid Travel Scams are great to keep in mind, no matter where you go. Stay safe out there!

Travel Scams Happen To Anyone?

I’ve traveled a lot over the last 7 years, and to be fair a proper travel scam can hit us all, experienced traveler or not. But for me it has become more rare now that it happens and on a much smaller scale, than in the beginning when I started traveling, because I stick to these 7 rules on how to avoid travel scams.

Pretending to be interested in buying carpets in Tunis, Tunisia 2017

Why Scams In Africa And Not Another Place?

After having spent a big part of my adulthood in Africa, this article is mainly about how to avoid some of the 7 most common travel scams in Africa, but similar scams scan be found in any other continent. So if you go Europe, North America, South America, Latin America, Australia or wherever, you can still use these tips, so you don’t get caught off guard so easily, even though a travel scam can happen for us all.

When I started to travel around Africa many years ago I was often blind folded and trusted wrong people too much, which can be an expensive mistake here. I’ve seen famous Travel Vloggers in Africa pay $300 for a simple 1 hour boat trip in Zanzibar. SCAM! I paid $5 for a half day boat trip, swimming with wild dolphins in Zanzibar, because I went to a local fisherman there and asked him instead. It’s easy for tourists to fall in ‘the tourist trap’, especially if you’re new to traveling around Africa. After the boat trip the fisherman and I became friends and enjoyed some fish together. You have to know your psychology in Africa and quickly find out, which people are genuine and which people have hidden interests with you.

Swimming with turtles in Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania

7 Most Common Travel Scams In 2019 (Africa)

1: Broken Taxi Meter

Cab drivers near airports or train stations are known to pull this scam, but it can happen in any place. When you get into a taxi and start to drive, the driver will inform you, (or not inform you,) that the meter is broken and charge you a ridiculous price (to the tune of 100s of dollars if you’re not careful).

My Experience:

This is a pretty common scam in some African countries. I’ve probably had 10 different taxi drivers try to pull this scam on me around the world and half of them were when traveling in Africa.

How To Avoid It:

I usually agree the price before I get in the taxi, but if there’s a taxi meter I make sure it looks legit and works as it should. I usually check in the first 30 seconds how the taxi meter goes, and if it’s looks wrong, I quickly get out of the taxi. Negotiate rates ahead of time, or ensure the meter is in fact working. If the taxi driver refuses to turn on the meter, or tells you it’s cheaper without the meter, get out and opt for another driver. Not all cab drivers are scammers, but I honestly prefer to avoid taxis if possible.

I usually avoid taxis if possible. Here around Bamako, Mali with a much more fun option!

2: Fake Police Officers

The fake police officer scam is a popular one in many large cities or capitals. Most often, a person will approach a tourist and offer illicit items, like drugs. While conversing one or two other people will approach, appearing to be police officers and flashing “badges.” They will then insist the unknowing traveler hand over their passport and wallet. However, they are not police officers.

My Experience:

I’ve had similar experiences, mostly in Africa and Latin America. In Maputo, Mozambique I had fake police stopping me all the time, to check my bag for ‘cocaine’ and other stuff, usually just wasting my time to try to get money out of me.

How To Avoid It:

Never hand over your wallet or passport. Request they show you their identification and then inform them you will call the police to confirm they are who they say they are. Or tell them your passport is locked up in the hotel safe, and they’ll need to accompany you to your hotel. If they don’t allow this, simply walk away.

In Mozambique I asked for the fake cops identification and couldn’t stop to laugh about their homemade Police ID. Some of the fake police men would follow me around for 15 min and in the end ask me for any kind of tips. Tips for the police? Really.. How come, for what?

A lovely city, but sooo much fake police in Maputo, Mozambique

3: Friendly ATM Helper

Someone approaches at an ATM cash machine to help you avoid local bank fees. What they really want to do is scan your ATM card with the card skimmer in their pocket and watch you enter your pin number, so they can drain your account later.

My Experience:

I never fell for this scam, but a close friend of mine did in South Africa.

One man was the helpful local, the second pretended to be a fellow customer waiting in line who agreed with what the first was saying. When the first guy cancelled my friend’s transaction and told him to try again, he then scanned the password and the other guy quickly took his card, a car quickly pulled up to the side in literally no seconds and off they were, leaving my friend running after them in tears.

How To Avoid It:

Never let anyone near you while you’re making an ATM transaction, and ALWAYS cover the number pad with your other hand while entering your pin code. If someone approaches, take your card and find another ATM. Always have a look over your shoulder to see if anyone is too near to you.

South Africa is beautiful, but can be brutal with scams at certain places!

4: Injured Or Child Beggars

Usually deaf, blind, or pregnant, sometimes accompanied by a “helper”, beggars will ask you for money. Women with babies are common (they might not even be theirs). Children are also frequently used by begging gangs to collect money. Why? Because it’s difficult for most people to say no to the old, injured, or young. Sometimes an accomplice nearby is just watching to see where you keep your wallet, so they can pickpocket you later.

My Experience:

You’ll see this stuff almost everywhere.

How To Avoid It:

It’s practically impossible to distinguish who is legit and who is not, so my policy is to never give cash to street beggars. I’m a very emphatic person and I want to help everyone suffering, but when traveling in Africa or other places in the World, it’s a big mission impossible to help everyone. However I do buy food, water or giveaway old clothes sometimes. Then your money isn’t going to a gang, alcohol or drugs.

Traveling around mountain villages in Congo

5: Gemstone Or Carpet Deals

A local man casually brings up his lucrative side business of buying jewelry, gemstones, watches or carpets then selling them back in the United States (or some other country) for a fat profit. He offers to share how he does it, and shows you where to find the best deal. The only problem is that these products are fake.

My Experience:

This has never happened to me. For me I don’t believe in the stories that: “Jesus had this earring in his ear or washed his body in this towel,” but I can assure you that some people do and pay A LOT OF MONEY for their stupidity, because they’re actually just getting scammed!

How To Avoid It:

Don’t buy expensive luxury items overseas while on vacation, no matter how good the deal is. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a travel scam.

In North African countries like Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia people will try to sell you some really expensive overpriced stuff in some cases!

6: Flirtatious Local Women

You arrive to a new country only to discover that beautiful local women seem to pay much more attention to you than back home. One of them invites you out to a nightclub or bar. However after a wild night, the woman disappears and you’re forced to pay an overpriced bill. Or worse, drugged and robbed.

My Experience:

This hasn’t happened to me. I can usually see what a woman’s intention is quiet easily. If she gives me the wrong signals, I know I need to be aware and in most cases I stop the conversation before it even gets started. There are much better women to surround yourself with than these types!

How To Avoid It:

Be wary of attractive women who are unusually forward or hitting on you aggressively. I know it is every man’s dream to be propositioned by beautiful women, but if it’s not a normal occurrence for you, then it’s probably a scam and you can end up paying big time for it!

Out clubbing! With an ex-gang member from Mozambique, who came out on the right side and is now employed in my Mozambican friend’s Henry’s company

7: Fake Bus/Train/Plane Tickets

Someone offers to sell you train tickets at a discount, or avoid the line and pay a slightly higher price. Maybe a taxi driver offers to bring you to his friend who’s a local travel agent. However the tickets they are selling aren’t real, and by the time you figure it out, the scammers are gone with your money.

My Experience:

One time when entering Gibraltar a man started to scratch my rental car in the front window and asked for 20 euros for the ticket. I was very confused on what happened, and I was just about to give him the money, when I realized he looked drunk and it was a scam, so I drove away. Ticket scam! Also I bought a fake bus ticket in Zambia for a long drive, but the bus driver was nice to me and let me in the bus anyways! Top guy!

How To Avoid It:

Always buy transportation tickets from the official ticket office or website.

After a nice game of football in a little village in Zambia, where I had a ticket scam right before!

Conclusion

Try to stay avoid these 7 scams, and you’ll enjoy Africa a lot more and it will be relatively cheap. If you do something over the top extraordinary when traveling in Africa, it’s obviously pricey!

1: Climbing Africa’s Highest Mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro

Climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t cheap, but it’s one of the absolute best thing you can do!

2: Paying the gorilla permit to see the mountain gorillas in the rain forest in Bwindi National Park, Uganda

Will never forget my time with the wild mountain gorillas in Uganda in 2015

3: Safaris can be a bit expensive also, but worth it!

But sometimes even for a safari in Africa you can pay very little…

Walking around wild rhinos for free in Zimbabwe, 2013

Africa is cheap (just avoid the scams)

I hear many people saying Africa is so expensive to travel, and yes, it is more expensive than South East Asia, but in most cases what adds up the expenses are the scams. Visas and accommodation can cost you a bit, but public transport, food and a lot of other stuff are in most African countries extremely cheap.

Eating local Kenyan food with my buddy John Kennedy in Nairobi, Kenya 2016

Remember’s

Remember to question everything and make sure you know the price before you’re getting a taxi, a new haircut or buying food. I usually confirm the price on the calculator on my phone to avoid misunderstandings. I had a taxi driver wanting to scam me in Senegal recently by putting an extra 0 on the price, but I already had confirmed the price with the taxa guy on the calculator before we went. In that way I had no problem rejecting his new price. Also remember to have TOTALLY ORDER in your passport, documents, stamps, vaccinations etc., a small mistake in any of these will be super expensive at a corrupt police check-point. Last but not least, don’t wear expensive clothes or jewelry when traveling in Africa, in this way you invite scammers to come to you straight away. I usually wear basic shorts, a normal t-shirt and a dirty cap, when I’m in crowded markets or places to avoid getting too much bad attention.

Africa is the continent where everything is possible, so remember to check out your options before you do something. And remember to try to avoid these 7 Most Common Travel Scams, it’ll help you!

With the National Team of Swaziland in the ‘new country,’ Eswatini 2018

Travel Scammers Suck!

The truth is that no matter how prepared you think you are, you’ll eventually fall for some sort of travel scam. But don’t let this deter you from traveling the world. Think of it as a rite of passage.

Sure, it’s embarrassing to be tricked out of your money, but there are always worse things that could happen. It’s just a learning experience. At least that’s how I look at it! For me Africa is the best continent to travel, both on the good and the bad days and scams can happen anywhere..

Take care everyone ✈️

Gustav

gus1thego.com

The Number 1 Thing About Bamako (Mali)

Posted on June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 by dev

Mali is currently not in a good state to say the least, and there was a big terrorist attack not far from where I was on my second day here, which was really sad, but there are still lots of positive things about the country and the capital, Bamako.

Mali Travel Advisory – US Government

The US Government has put a 4 on their travel advisory level, which is highest danger, which means do NOT travel to Mali at the moment, because there have been some really ugly incidents recently with kidnappings of Westerners, bombings, massacres and more..

The Capital Bamako

Bamako is the capital of Mali and is also the largest city with 2 million people. The place is near the famous Niger River. Located between the Sahara to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south, Bamako is very hot on average all year round with the hottest months being March, April, and May.

I wasn’t freezing during my time in Bamako! +40°C was the standard

Is Bamako All Bad And Dangerous?

No, Bamako is not all bad and dangerous. There are so many reasons to visit this city also. I agree it’s maybe not the best time to go to Bamako right now, but the capital still has a lot to offer.

Seydou, one of my new friends in Bamako, Mali

The People

Mali is the 4th poorest country in the world (UN Human Development Index). In Bamako and in Mali in general people is primarily Muslim, but there are also significant populations of Christians and animists. French is the official language and Bambara is the most widely spoken.

Women wear long skirts but arms, chests and heads are regularly exposed.

Colorful Malian ladies in a village outside of Bamako

Malians are poor and most people live for less than 1 dollar a day. No medical care, little to no access to education, weak infrastructure – But sometimes when you know the feeling of having nothing, that’s when you become more open-minded, wanting to share more with people..

I had the most from people who had the least to be fair!

Bamako might have people who wants to take advantage of you, but is also full of incredible kindness, hospitality and curiosity.

Two Malian guys chiling at a local market, Bamako

One thing I found interesting here was the fact that a lot of families practice polygamy. A man will live with 2-3 wives in a large compound, a hut or a small house with all their children. In Senegal it was 4 out of 10 men, who lived as polygamists and here probably around the same if not more.

The Sights

Bamako is a sprawling city through which the river Niger flows. On one end of the city is a hill formation (supposed to be an extinct volcano?) on which the President’s Palace is located. You start driving up the hill, you leave the hustle and bustle of the city, enter into green surroundings and the roads are great.

Bamako is not a knock out sightseeing city. There is no must see location, but I still found some very cool places here and even though it’s a large, noisy, crowded city, it has its charms.

*Monument* de l”Independance, Bamako, Mali

I really liked to see the crazy and colorfol Bamako City Center market. A great, vibrant and hectic experience, even though a bus smashed really hard into a car few meters away from me. Scary! The bus drove away right after leaving the car smashed and the car owner shocked and speechless. Not cool…

3 Best Sights In Bamako

My favorite places in Bamako to visit are: Monument de l”Independance, Bamako Grand Mosque and of course the obvious Bamako highlight, Le Campement.

Morning swim at Le Campement. So cool and you have it all by yourself!

The way to Le Campement was great, if you choose the bumpy, little used but well signposted road taking you through rural areas directly to the foot of the 3rd bridge. You’ll pass trough rarely visited villages, beautiful green countryside and have some excellent views over fields, canals and mountain side villages.

Having been all around the city of Bamako and the small neighborhoods, the city villages and their people are the real sights of this colorful city. In the suburbs you can see so many things, visit potters, blacksmiths, tailors and and colorful local markets or just grab a cup of tea and watch the daily life of a vibrant township pass by before your eyes. And if you stop for a look there, you will be met by big smiles and respect.

The Number 1 Thing About Bamako

It could have been the food, which is pretty amazing and cheap here, but IT’S NOT.

I like the Malian breakfast, which was a bit different to my oatmeal with raisins back in Denmark, I really liked the extremely cheap grilled meat sticks you can get on every street corner too and then ofc. the Timbuktu Toukassou. Yummy!

But food wasn’t what I liked the most about Bamako, even though it was up there among the best things. The thing I liked the most, and I actually can’t remember one capital city I’ve been to around the World, where this thing was so common and easy: Free motorbike rides.

Free Motorbike Rides (THE BEST THING)

I’ve done at least 30+ free motorbike rides during my time in Bamako.

I quickly found out the traffic here was really bad quiet early during my stay and there were so many people on their motorbikes, who drove past the queues of the cars easily. So what I usually did to beat the traffic was just jumping on random motorbikes. How in the world was that possible?

Crossed the Niger River several times a day. That was so easy to do!

It was so super easy here actually. I just pointed with my hand in which direction I was going to go, and the drivers then nodded if they were going that way, or showed with their hand they were going in another direction. I usually didn’t wait for more than 30 seconds before having a ride ready and no one did ever ask me for money after I said: “Merci beaucoup pour le voyage de mon ami.” / Thanks for the ride my friend.

People in Bamako loves to help you with a free ride

Excuse Moi?

My French is extremely limited, so don’t be afraid to do the same. It’s all about the attitude.

Even when I came back from hiking in Malian mountains several hours outside of Bamako, I had free rides, after our bus crashed down in the middle of nowhere, which by the way happens way too often in West Africa.. I even had some gifts on the free motor bikes in Bamako and a lot of appreciation. You probably wouldn’t get that in Bangkok, Manila or in any major European city. In these places most people would look strange at you or ask you to pay as much as possible, worst case even try to scam you.

In Bamako, it’s a different story.

– Gustav

gus1thego.com

The Scariest Border Crossing – From Guinea Bissau to Guinea

Posted on June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 by dev

After an amazing time in Guinea Bissau, it was time for me to start a new adventure. Off to Guinea, which I only knew from a big ebola outbreak 3 years ago before.

Staying in the slums of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

Interesting stay in Guinea-Bissau

I left from Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau to Gabu, a city in the east of Guinea-Bissau and spend some time exploring Gabu, before making the decision to head to the bus station and see if there were any busses or taxis, which was going to Guinea in the afternoon.

I asked for Labe, a relatively big city in Guinea and a guy there took me to the ticket office in Gabu. I bought the ticket and was told to sit and wait with a bunch of other people on a small bench.

Waiting for the bus in Gabu, Guinea-Bissau. One guy was wearing football shoes and a shirt, love the combo!

Different prices at the bus station

All people paid 14.000 CFA, including myself, but I had to pay 3000 CFA extra, because of my small extra bag, eventhough all the local people carried many extra bags + a lot of other things from their home, without any extra fees.

Love Africa sometimes..

Anyway, I didn’t want to discuss that further with the ticket guy and I accepted it, because I thought I would be one of the last persons to join the bus, and that we were then ready to leave the place and go to Guinea, my country number 113.

But no. We waited for one hour, we waited for two.. We waited for three.. Nothing really happened.

We were 11 people sitting there waiting impatiently and I counted the seats in the mini bus to 13 seats, if everyone was sitting super close, so I hoped a solution was going to be found soon.

The Rastafarian Guy

A Rastafarian guy from Guinea, who showed me some weird bar photos on his phone from his time in Germany

I was small talking a bit with a Rastafarian Guinean guy, (he didn’t speak any English though,) but we went for a nice omelette sandwich together while waiting. Very popular in Guinea-Bissau! He showed me some weird photos too from Germany, where he went to a bar apparently!

Lack of English and lack of patience

Nobody in the Gabu bus station spoke English, but I tried to tell the ticket guy that there were only two free seats, but he started to say ‘tomorrow’ and signaled to me that we would probably first be able to go tomorrow instead of today, because the bus wasn’t full.

My general impression, after having traveled to many places in Africa, is that time is never a factor. I’m used to it, but to say the bus would first be able to leave tomorrow morning, because of 2 people missing pissed me off, especially after having waited for more than 3 hours in an insane heat.

I could see people were losing their patience too like me and I told the guy that we would maybe meet two persons on the way. He rejected me again.

We waited 30 minutes more..

Waiting for many hours to go to Guinea at the bus station in Gabu, Guinea-Bissau. The ticket guy to the right!

I then lost my temper and told him to give me back my overpaid money, and everyone at the station now had their eyes planted on me. I pointed out on the street and said I was going to find another solution.. He could understand my hand gestures and facial expression.

That’s when stuff got serious.

Leaving Gabu in a new bus

I could see he was now afraid of losing the 3000 CFA going directly to his pocket, and he said in a mix of Portuguese, French and English that I should wait 5 minutes and he would just go to the toilet.

When he came back, he had called someone else. That guy brought an even smaller, older and more crappy mini bus, with windows that couldn’t even close. Three people moved all of our luggage to the ‘new’ bus.

They put some fuel on it and a guy was trying to fix the brakes. After few minutes the ticket guy told us we were ready to go, looking at me directly. He smiled to me and I smiled back and we shaked hands and both laughed a bit. No bad feelings, I just love Africa sometimes! All of this for two free seats on the bus..

A beautiful girl waiting at the station in Gabu, Guinea-Bissau

Finally off to Guinea, my country number 113

When we got in the small mini bus with windows that couldn’t close, we were sitting there super close to each other and it was impossible to move. This was going to be a long drive! Everyone was smiling at me and greeting me, because people were happy to leave today and not tomorrow.

Right when we left the station, two local people were asking if the bus went to Labe, Guinea.. Really? So why did we need to change bus!? Anyways, in the bus with them too! The bus was absolutely packed now!

Some Of The Most Bumpy Roads Ever

We drove for hours on some of the most bumpy roads I’ve ever experienced driving on, even as an experienced African traveler, and then the Rastafarian guy told me that we were now at the border when it was late evening.

Me and the Rastafarian guy, both very tired!

We went out of the bus and there was this big lake we had to pass. We were standing in Guinea Bissau and on the other side of that lake was Guinea.

The big problem was there was no bridge.

I could see a small tree platform and some goats on the other side and nothing more, except for some pretty interesting observations in the water.. Crocodiles and other interesting stuff? Most possibly!

Standing in Guinea-Bissau, ready to cross the river to Guinea! Completely covered in dust, because the windows in the bus couldn’t close

We waited for three hours until night time, and then someone came to the tree platform on the Guinean side and brought it over to our side.

Passing the border on an old, shaky, tree platform

We then put the mini bus on the tree platform and me and 8 African guys had to pull a rope by hand power to get us over the river. We were all drained when we made it to the other side. Talk about an adventurous border crossing!

It was totally dark now on the other side and we went through 4 or 5 border stops, where we all had to get out of the bus each time, having our passports and documents checked, before we squeezed together again and continued on the dusty, narrow, bumpy African roads. I knocked my head into the windows several times and had to buy coffee on every stop we made, because sleeping on this route would leave you seriously damaged. And I hate coffee!

At around 3am in the night the Rastafarian guy, who apparently went to Germany, showed the pictures of him there to a lady in the bus and the lady didn’t believe him. They started to shout at each other for the next hours and everyone in the bus was suddenly taking part in the argument, except for me! Nuts!

Trying to stay positive in the drama bus

Good thing was the discussions helped me to stay awake. But damn, Guinean people can get angry, that’s a fact! Didn’t need to buy any coffee for these hours at least..

At 5 am it all culminated with a woman’s baby puking on my bag and on another Guinean guy, because of the crazy driving on the dust roads! The smell some African busses can have with lack of deo/perfume, motor oil and other ingrediens, just got even worse. When I arrived in Labe, Guinea at 10 in the morning, I was so super exhausted and relieved to have reached the destination.. It was great to get in a taxi!

When arriving in Labe, Guinea completely done with dust everywhere. I took a shared taxi to a guesthouse to sleep a bit!

But also happy to have taken part in such a cultural, adventurous, scary, off the beaten path bus ride from Guinea Bissau to Guinea, which I’m now thinking back on with a smile.

What a way to enter my country number 113!

Guinea

Real travel, always

Gustav

Gus1thego.com

Why You Should Go To Senegal

Posted on June 2, 2019 by dev

Are you considering to visit Africa and maybe a little scared of the big continent?

I have spent a big part of my life on the African continent and it’s my favourite continent to travel, because it’s the 100% most adventurous.

Picture from my stay with the Banna Tribe in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia

Africa Feeling

I always felt a particular affection for Africa. Since childhood, I’ve been incredibly interested in its culture and history; I listen to African music daily (afro pop, bongo flavour) and have a big African bucket list and generally feel connected to this huge and complex continent. But the truth is, I did not meet many people who shared this interest. Most of my friends dreamed about places like Paris or New York, not remote African towns. Many tourists want to feel comfortable and it might be easier in most of the overcrowded touristy European cities, but for me the most unique travel experiences are found in Africa.

Abushe, my meeting with the boy with the blue eyes

There are some countries in Africa you shouldn’t start with to gain experience in traveling Africa.

And then there’s Senegal

I recommend you to start your Africa adventure with Senegal, a country with no extreme weather conditions (only in few places), acceptable facilities and the most welcoming people. These are some of my travel memories to this country, including a few suggestions and advice to go backpacking Senegal.

Senegal is not a country to see, but rather to experience.

Useful Information

Languages: French and Wolof.
Religion: mostly Muslim population (however, it feels like a “more open“ version of Islam, in which women have a fairly active role).
Money: the unit of currency is the West African CFA franc (1 € = around 656 CFA).
Weather: Senegal’s peak season goes from December to May when the weather is pleasant and warm. The rainy/wet season normally begins in July and ends in September. Temperatures are high in summer.

Senegal is a cheap country and you can go around 1 hour in taxi for 3000 CFA / 5 euros, so don’t go with anyone suggesting 10,000 CFA for a 15 minutes drive, just keep that in mind.. Taxi drivers can be douches in any country unfortunately!

But, Is it Safe to Travel to Senegal?

Unfortunately, Senegal has the stigma of insecurity and poverty as many other African countries. However, I must say during my time I spent in Senegal, I never felt the slightest threat. Obviously, bad things can happen anywhere, and you always need to be careful, watch your pockets and bags and use your common sense. I recommend not to bring anything of value you would be sad to lose, don’t carry too much cash and don’t walk alone at night in the suburbs, which I did anyways with no problem at all here!

A random guy took me to his family late at night in Zac Mbao, Senegal

Health

Make sure to get the Yellow Fever vaccination and to bring along the International certificate and proof of vaccination. They probably will not ask for it at the airport, but have it handy. It’s recommended to get vaccinated against Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus and Typhus and to take antimalarial medication.

I’m taking Vibradox malaria pills, which are actually the only malaria pills I don’t get a bad stomach with and I’m putting mosquito repellent on skin and clothes when the evening comes.

If you don’t want to take the Malaria prophylaxis, be very vigilant about not being bitten too much. A good mosquito net is key! Even if flats/hotels have their own, it is better to trust yours, with no holes.

A very good mosquito repellent did it for me though!

Backpacking Senegal: What to Visit

Dakar

The beauty of Senegal’s capital is not really in its architecture, the dusty streets or the roads collapsed by traffic: but rather in its atmosphere and cheerful people.

The best part of Dakar though is the smiling locals walk through the city wearing flashy clothes while causing a color explosion. Though it is worth a visit, the center of Dakar is definitely not the best place for a relaxing walk. In my experience, the best of Dakar is in the outskirts of the city and in the villages along the coast (like N’gor and Yoff).

Africa’s tallest statue

That being said, Dakar has Africa’s tallest statue made my North Korea architects, The African Renaissance Monument, which is ment to symbolize Africa’s rebirth, potential and liberation.

A 49 meter tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, which is pretty cool!

Getting asked by a Congolese family for a pic with their son at Africa’s Tallest Statue

Pink Lake (Lake Retba)

Less than an hour away from Dakar, there is an unusual lake that will surely catch your eye due to its vivid pink color: Lake Retba (or Lac Rosé). Its distinct color is caused by the Dunaliella salina algae, which is attracted by the lake’s high salt content. The algae produces a red pigment to absorb the sunlight while giving the lake its unique color. Since the algae which gives the lake its color is completely harmless to humans, swimming is possible.

When I was there it wasn’t that pink, because it depends on many factors to get this color, but it can look like this on some occasions

Saint Louis

Saint Louis, the first French colony in Africa, is one of the most fascinating cities in Senegal. Located 260 km from Dakar, the heart of this old colonial city is on a narrow island over the river Senegal and linked to the African mainland by the bridge Faidherbe.

Lompoul Desert

Senegal isn’t all about mangroves and lagoons. If you venture south of St. Louis, you’ll eventually run into the Lompoul Desert. The orange-tinted dunes in the area are similar to what you’d fine in the Sahara. While there, you can take a hike over the dunes on foot or take it easy with the help of a camel.

Villages visits

I was very impulsive in Senegal and went to many small villages by myself and always met Senegalese people who welcomed me to their home, eventhough my French is absolutely limited.

Staying with Amadou’s lovely family in village Tivaouane, Senegal

Language

If you can speak French, you will have no problem communicating in this country. If you don’t, remember the universal language in Senegal is the smile. You should also learn a few key phrases in Arabic and Wolof that you will hear all the time:

Salaam Aleikum (and the answer: Aleikum Saalam) > “peace be with you“

Nan ga deff? > “how are you?“, you will hear this all the time and you will have to respond:

Mahn gii fii > ‘I am fine“ / “I am here“

Jarrejeff > Thank you

Nookobokk > You’re welcome

Amul solo > No problem

Wow wow > Yes

Ded ett > No

Ded ett, merci > No, thank you

Alham doulilah > Thanks be to Allah

Insh allah > Allah willing

Degguma Wolof > I don’t speak Wolof

To conclude…

Having been all around Senegal from north, central to the south of Ziguinchor, the so-called “Gate of Africa” may not be the most beautiful place on earth or a holiday destination for those seeking comfort, but it has everything for a fascinating experience as a whole.

Inside the home of a family I stayed with in Senegal, Fun when they came in the living room!

Senegal is defined by its small details: the baobabs, the teranga (hospitality of its people) and the smiles of the children that you’ll meet, who will love to talk and play with the toubabs (white).

Taking two of my hosts kids to the beach for their first time with a French friend!

You will be captivated by the colorful pirogues of the fishermen, the flashy dresses of the women, the sounds of the djembe, the endless dancing nights, the mythical sept-places (and all the stories that will happen to you inside them) and the eternal African sunsets. Even the local bus ride can be fascinating!

Love this pic from the local bus in Dakar, Senegal

I know one Senegalese guy who moved to Europe in pursuit of financial happiness. He misses Senegal, he says Europe is cold and people are not happy. He is sad, because this is not like Senegal and he is already dreaming of coming back. To be honest, I understand him.

I will miss you Senegal ❤️

With my local friend Amadou and his son. Amazing hospitality!

See you next time….

– Gustav

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