Photo Tour de Guinea

After almost two weeks of traveling, we’re back in Kankan. Here’s a rundown of some of our journeying:

We were able to visit two gold mines in Kouroussa. The hot, dusty, remote tarp-towns full of shovels, 160 foot deep holes, noisy generators to pump air into the pits and to wash, re-wash and finally hand-wash the tons of dirt made it obvious why gold is expensive. It takes a very keen eye to catch a flake of gold in a mound of gravelly sludge and most of what we saw was just dust.

We traveled south about 4 hours to Kissidougou and visited some Swiss missionaries and a Guinean-run Telekoro Bible school. The director of the Bible school told stories of how Paul Ellenberger (whose grandchildren went to school with me, Brandon) begged Guinea’s first president, Sekou Toure, to let him stay in Guinea when foreigners were booted and Communism embraced. As a childhood friend, Toure let Paul stay and a few years later, on Paul’s behalf missionaries were slowly allowed back in. 

From there we drove within 35 miles of the source of the Niger River before the 1986 Peugeot 505 station wagon with a lift kit that was our carriage, had the clutch disc come apart. We paid $15 for a 13 mile tow over grungy roads behind a pickup truck. The tow rope broke 6 times which left about 2 feet between the cars by the time we arrived in Marella where we would spend the next 5 hours. We ate a 75 cent plate of peanut sauce in a “truck stop” restaurant while the nearby vultures watched. Literally. The cost of 2 sets of clutch discs, gas for the two mechanics to ride their moto 80 miles round trip, labor for 4 to remove the engine to replace the disc, plus the tow was $90!

After seeing a troupe of wild red monkeys cross the road (Hannah’s favorite part of the journey), we arrived in Kindia 17 hours after leaving Kissidougou. We spent the night at an interesting hotel: no electricity, lights, towels, sheets, running water, soap, bath mat, or toilet paper. Fortunately, we had most of the necessities in our luggage. To be fair, it only cost us $7. 

We spent 5 nights at a Kids in Crisis Center for orphans and abandoned children. We figured after all the rice/sauce and mystery meat we had eaten, we should splurge on burgers, chawarmas and pop for a few days. We did a little grocery shopping (skipped the $11 box of Frosted Flakes) and took a few taxi rides. For 15 cents a “place” (not necessarily a seat) we could ride between major intersections. We were a little surprised the first time the driver slowed to pick up a passenger when we were already 6 deep plus a nursing baby in the 1980’s Nissan Sunny (google it).

We attended the GBU Board meeting (which lasted 7 hours) to learn about the finances, work, vision, and projects that GBU is undertaking throughout Guinea. We were also able to get 1 year visas for $100 each (our last round of 3 month visas cost $160 each). We visited the Blackwells, Americans living in Conakry, and learned about some of the cool projects they’re undertaking with the elite businesspeople in Conakry as well as some ladies traveling on MercyShips. 

Leaving Conakry led to 14 hour trip including a 7 hour stop to replace the fan belt and whole fan system. We spent yet another day on the side of the road waiting—marveling that we could be on the side of the road typing emails but have to walk to a stream to get 5 gallons of radiator water to carry back to the car. We spent the night in Mamou where Brandon’s aunt and uncle went to school in the 1960’s as well as Wes Stafford (former president of Compassion International and author of “Too Small to Ignore”). 

From Mamou we continued deeper into the mountains and in Labe we experienced weather in the 50s and spent time with the Blessings, another WorldVenture couple. We were able to worship in a classroom with some University students Sunday morning (and place our tithes in a colander), and with a small Fulani gathering in the afternoon (and place our tithes in the leader’s baseball cap). While in Labe, the fan and belt broke again. It was repaired in time to start the journey home but while in the mountains, the bolts that the lug nuts are fastened to (to hold the wheel on) broke loose. We limped the last 4 miles into town with two half-tightened lug nuts holding one of the rear wheels on. 

After skipping our fourth meal on the road and evenly coating ourselves in dust, we bounced into Kankan 12 hours later, happy to be back.

We both loved be able to see so much of Guinea but we mourned the fact that God didn’t call us  to one of the cooler, more beautiful parts! It was also encouraging to see so many different ministries as well as so many youth taking responsibility and engaging in ministry voluntarily without someone else prompting or pressuring.