Sierra Leone Visa And Leones

I woke up after a really nice sleep. Usually my good sleeps are the result of exhaustion from previous nights of poor sleep. But last night it was just a nice comfortable bed that did it. I woke up and was ready to go to see if I can find the Freetown bound cars at the Matam gare voiture. I found the muddy gare voiture but when I asked around, they said I had to go to the gare voiture in Medina or in Bambeto. At least I found the gros bus to Kankan and asked about it. It costs GF100000 (US$20) and leaves about 4pm everyday, arriving at 10am the next day. So I'll think about doing that. My current plan is to break it up into 2 trips, stopping for the night in Mamou.

I got to the Sierra Leone embassy a bit early, so I shopped in a little supermarket a couple doors down. I got some canned spaghetti (GF9800 or US$2) and peanut butter (GF22000 or US$4.40). Then I showed up at the embassy at 9:58. Just as I was entering, the officer I was working with was leading a group of people out the door to the street. He told me I'd have to wait just a little longer.

So I went in and sat down. I was the first one there. While I was waiting, a guy talking with the receptionist started to raise his voice. Then she started getting angry. Eventually they got into an argument. Then all the employees came and took the guy outside. I'm not sure what happened. A consular official talked mostly in an African language sort of peppered with English. He said at one point that he has to show respect to the people at the embassy and a few minutes later he said that he has to comply with the instructions of the embassy. Near the end of it, a woman said something to another guy who was with the guy who got angry. As near as I can tell, the guy was supposed to bring in some information typed up, but he brought it in handwritten and they wouldn't accept the paper with the information. But I may completely wrong.

Then the sky started to darken. It was raining when I left, but had stopped on the way to Matam. But now it looked like it was going to rain again. At 10:50, a heavy downpour started. It was heavy for about a half hour. Then the guy I was working with came back at about 11:30. Another guy went into his office and they were there quite a while. Then finally at about a quarter to 12, I got my visa. It is only valid from today to September 15.

I returned to the hotel to drop off my peanut butter and spaghetti. On my way out, three little girls were walking down the street with trays on their heads. They were teasing each other and one girl knocked a tray with about 3 dozen limes off the head of another and the limes started rolling everywhere. I gathered up about a dozen to help them since a car was coming and could run over some of the limes. She thanked me and lifted her dress to make a little area for me to dump the limes.

I went to Conakry by minibus. The minibus costs GF2000 (US$0.40). I am trying to figure out the taxi hand signal system. When a cab with empty seats goes by, the driver holds his hand out the window with his fingers in some configuration, often shaking his hand. This signal indicated where his passengers are going. If you are going there, too, you can flag him down and get in.

I got out at the Marché Niger and went through a muddy and crowded vegetable market. Then I exited the market right by the Hotel Niger where I stayed for a few days. I got in line at the BICIGUI and soon withdrew a couple tranches of GF200000. Then one last internet hour at MouNa. Which was just packed. After that I had a plate of spaghetti bolognaise at Chelsea and then went to the port roundabout to find a bus to Bellevue. I was hoping to see a bus on the way to the port, but there wasn't one. Then when I got to the place where the bus left from, but there was no bus. But there were a lot of people. The bus arrived a the door stopped right by me--I almost got crushed but I got a seat almost of my choice. But the ticket women wasn't on yet. By the time she came, we were like sardines. I was hoping a bunch of people would get out by the stadium, but they didn't. Finally I saw we were where I wanted to get off. I had to get through the thickest crowd I ever went through. The ticket taker wasn't happy that I paid in cash rather than with a ticket, but I couldn't get to the ticket woman.

I wasn't too far from the Sierra Leone embassy so I went back since the moneychangers who hang out there have Leones. I got Le115000 for GF200000. So I have about $40 worth of Leones and that should get me to the bank where I can withdraw enough to live on for the 3 or so days.

Then I came home and waited for the electricity to come back--which didn't happen until 7pm.

September 2, 2008 20:18 Guinea local time