Yep, Tuesday night it started to rain, and it rained hard all night long. Fortunately, at about 7am, it started to ease up. It was still raining, just not as hard. I got up at 7:10. Today was the day I"d go to the embassy for Guinea-Bissau. So I shaved and put on my best embassy clothes. Then, armed with 2 passport photos, a ball point pen (I remembered), my rain hat, my rain coat, and a plastic wrapped 2008 West Africa Lonely Planet, I set out to find the embassy--the 2008 can't be too wrong, eh? The bus I needed got to the bus stop right after I arrived, but it was already just full enough that all the seats were taken. So I stood the whole way to where I got on the bus yesterday. I walked toward the monument of the Independence--a very tall obelisk visible from afar, and went up rue 24 to rue 34. I crossed the boulevard expecting rue 9. But it wasn't rue 9 as in the Lonely Planet. It had some name. Anyway, it looked about right so I continued. I got to a traffic circle and went what, according to Lonely Planet should be rue 5. But it wasn't rue 5--it was something else. At least the layout of the streets conformed to the map if the names didn't exactly. The little icon for the embassy of both Guinea and Guinea Bissau looked like they were on rue 5, though the addresses are given as rue 6 and rue 7.
The rain was light now, but there was no embassy where the icon is. The Ghanan embassy, according to the Lonely Planet is just a block over, so I figured I'd see if at least that was there. So I went a street over and there was an embassy. It was the Iraq embassy. Interesting. Then I saw right across the street from the Iaqi embassy, an Irish bar called the Celtic. And right next to that, the Consulate for Guinea Bissau! Woo hoo! I found it. So I told the guy standing out front that I want to apply for a visa. He took me in by the driveway rather than the front door where there were a few other people waiting. He said something in French but all I got was "elle va venir" or "she's going to come". Another woman waiting told me there were seats inside and to "assiez-vous" so I did. The woman came and I could hear her setting up her office. Then finally, she opened the window. I got up and one of the guys came in from outside. I motioned him to go ahead--he was there first, after all. But he motioned for me to go. I motioned again-he motioned again. So I said to the woman that I'd like to apply for a visa. She handed me a form. The other guy then a his forms. Then we all just sat there filling in forms.
It had many of the same questions as the Gambian form. It didn't ask for my parent's names and nationalities, but it did ask for my religion. To keep things simple I just put Christian. After all I was baptized in a Lutheran church and did voluntarily attend a Unitarian church--who are apparently Christian enough to get shot up.
I paid 20000 CFA--about US$40--and gave them one photo. She told me to return at 11 tomorrow. I thanked her and left.
So now to find the Guinean embassy so that as soon as I got my passport, I could try to take it over there. I went over one more street--no embassy. I wandered around a bit. No embassy. FInally I came to a guard of something that looked official and asked him if he knew where it was. He sent me turning left onto B, walking 3 blocks, then taking a right. So I tried that. No embassy. I went back to the sort of main street that should be rue 5 according to Lonely Planet and asked another set of official looking people. He gave me similar directions but with a few more details. He said I take what I think is rue B all the way to the end until it ends in a sort of garage door. Then take a right and it's 2 buildings down. He added that there would be a flag and a plaque. So I got back on rue B and walked to the end. It ended in a sort of garage door. I turned right and voila--2 buildings down, there it was. I think the first guy just miscounted or maybe I misunderstood. But now I know how to quickly get from the Guinea Bissau embassy to the Guinea embassy. Also, I found a place on rue A called "Chez Ass". I'm not sure if I want to eat there. Anyway, the icon in the Lonely Plant really should be on what is labeled rue 1 but is actually rue 7. just south of what is labeled as rue A. And the Guinea Bissau embassy icon should be moved just a tad to the right so that it closer to the street on the other side of the block. I never did find the Ghanan embassy.
It was interesting that when I asked, everyone wanted to know which Guinea. Guinea Bissau or Guinea Conakry. I thought that Guinea without the Bissau defaulted to the Guinea that has Conakry.
Then I walked south back to the Casino. The rain had finally ceased. I bought some Bonne Maman tartelettes which I knew to be individually wrapped from France. So I can eat these and not worry too much about the ants. Whew! Then I hopped on the bus and came home right around noon.
July 30, 2008 12:30 Senegal local time.
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