I hadn't been looking forward to making the two-day trek from Kankan to Conakry by myself with all my luggage, so I was delighted to hear that PCV Alana and her dad (who was visiting from America) were planning on hiring a car and were open to hop-ons. People usually make the trip in two parts: Day 1 is Kankan to Mamou, and then Day 2 is Mamou to Conakry.
We left pretty early on Day 1, and PCVs Adrienne and Andrew rode along for most of the way to Mamou. Alana's dad took the front seat and the four of us rode in the back seat, which was one fewer passenger than usual - Guinean bush taxis generally put two people in the front seat, and occasionally two people in the driver's seat, which is excessive by pretty much anyone's standards but still happens sometimes.
On Day 2 it was just the three of us, so it was a very comfortable and spacious ride the rest of the way. Here are a couple pictures of traditional medicine supplies, all laid out for sale at one of the gas stations along the way.
Now I'm at the Peace Corps office in Conakry, catching up on e-mail and working through my Close-of-Service (COS) stuff. I'm done with the medical stuff - they check for everything from tuberculosis to HIV to tapeworms to anemia, so far so good - and this coming week I'll turn in my final reports, close out my bank account, have my exit interviews, and wrap up any other loose ends before I officially "get my R" and become a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, or in my case, a Returned Peace Corps Response Volunteer. Double R!
Speaking of cars and driving, newly-minted RPCVs Michelle, Chris M., Chris A., Zach, Clara, Brittany, and their friend Molly all just embarked on an epic West Africa roadtrip. They're calling themselves the Grey Goose Gaggle and they have a blog: "Armed with only our Peugeot 806, laughable hygienic standards and mad local-language skillz, we plan on taking West Africa by storm. Stay tuned to watch us embark on the greatest COS trip of all time."
The night before last PCV Wiatta and I got up at 5 in the morning to see them off as they packed up and left Conakry. As they pulled away we talked about how we wished we were going with them because they are awesome and we like hanging out with them, but when we think about the realities of the whole seven-people-six-weeks-one-car deal we start to reconsider... They're a good group though, very resourceful, and I hope they have an amazing time out there on the bumpy, dusty roads of West Africa.
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| "How exactly will all of this fit?" |
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| The Grey Goose Gaggle! |
Update (via Michelle): "Got a flat tire, the undercarriage fell off, exhaust pipe broke in half, our one belt broke, and our battery died. But we made it to Kankan! Bamako tomorrow..."
