West Africa was a dream destination of mine for the longest time. The idea of needing to apply for multiple visas in one trip seemed daunting. The fact that these were countries not many have visited or would visit, made it that much more appealing.
I met my travel buddy Aaron during our climb up the highest volcano in El Salvador in July 2021. As he was also trying to visit ever country in the world, we decided to attempt West Africa together.
The visa application process was nothing less than a nightmare. The visa desk of the Sierra Leone embassy in Geneva was closed for 3 weeks. In short, I broke down and cried two weeks before I was supposed to fly out to Dakar, Senegal, convinced I wouldn’t get my passport back in time despite paying the extra fee for the visa to be expedited by the Liberian embassy.
I suddenly remember myself calling the Sierra Leone embassy to check if they had received my passport, to which they replied they hadn’t. I went back and forth to the post office and called them ten times one morning trying to track down my missing passport which we later learned was in the drawer of someone’s desk.
Another issue was getting medical insurance coverage to apply for the Liberian visa. It’s not so straightforward to apply for the supplementary coverage with my health insurance – they asked me to list all the times and reasons I had been to a doctor (including visits to the physiotherapist in my first pregnancy) for the last 7 years!
Our trip began in Dakar, Senegal. From there, we made our way overland to Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and a flight to Abidjan, Cote d‘Ivoire.
To share some of the things I experienced and saw:
- a motorbike ride and fall on the worst dirt roads you can imagine at night in the jungles of Guinea
- squashed in a bus that broke down which had more than 100 people in Guinea-Bissau
- slept in a hotel without electricity, running water, pillows nor towels in Koumbia, Guinea
- best, thickest, fresh mango juice while seeing vultures on the beach just before sunset in Gambia
- a car accident, a flat tire, a blownup tire all within the same short 3 hour journey from Boke to Conakry which eventually took 10 hours; making that journey from Bissau to Conakry 77 hours instead of 18
- a beautiful swim at the infinity pool overlooking a river across the airport in Monrovia, Liberia
- driving through some neighbourhoods of Abidjan, Cote d‘Ivoire that reminded me of Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
- giving a speech at a primary school graduation Day in the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia
- eating grasscutter, a bush meat, what is a giant rodent, that our driver bought in Sierra Leone, in his home in Liberia
- learning about the violent history and civil wars that inflicted Liberia and Sierra Leone in their museums
- playing a game with marbles which is a lot like congkak in Malaysia, in Gambia
- invited to a stranger‘s home for dinner with his extended family in Dakar, Senegal
- a car with TWENTY people: 4 in front seat, 6 in back seat, 5 in the trunk and 5 on the roof at Waterside Market, Monrovia
- learning about Sierra Leone‘s national animal – the chimpanzees that were almost extinct
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I share a poetry I wrote towards the end of my trip.
(I had never written one before in my life; just shows how impactful this trip has been).
West Africa
On a bike on a dirt road,
Under the Guinean night sky,
I surrender and trust,
As the world passed us by
Patriarchal oppression,
Some marry oh so young,
Thirteen still a child,
Yet she nurses her young
They get by with so little,
How spoiled we are in the West,
Malaria pills every morning,
Mosquitoes are a pest
And then there was Mike,
Whom we met in Gambia,
A Bissauan who saved us in Guinea,
Our saviour from afar
Vibrant colourful outfits,
Children playing in the rain,
A six month old baby dies,
I couldn’t deal with the pain
A “hotel” without electricity,
Neither running water nor pillows,
This trip has been challenging,
With many highs and many lows
Bribery here is rampant,
There is no place to hide,
In the absence of education,
We can’t be surprised
Playing marbles in Serrakunda,
Visiting a hospital in Gabu,
Pounding corn in Foula Mori,
Seeing chimpanzees, not in a zoo
A blood diamond adorns her neck,
She knows not its history
Rape, sexual violence unbridled
An unfortunate legacy
To be adventurous and flexible,
Is needed for such a trip,
Constantly out of your comfort zone,
You really must get a grip
Marriage proposals,
I turned down a few,
Traveling this region,
Has given me a new view
Much darkness in their history,
Civil wars, child soldiers and slaves,
Determined, they fought for peace,
They rise, out of their caves
Without foreign investment,
Prosperity will be hard,
First and foremost, education,
Without it, remain scarred
Hungry and tired,
I’ve shed a tear or two,
This is no holiday,
There’s constant work to do
18 hours became 77,
It felt like we’d never arrive,
We continued to stay positive,
Despite always a long drive
Lemony Yassa in Senegal,
Thick fresh mango juice in Gambia,
Just like a Malaysian sambal in Freetown,
Groundhog bush meat in Monrovia
Intricate masks and statues,
Beautiful artwork galore,
Such unique traditions,
I want to learn more
The cities are polluted,
The air is hard to breathe,
I wrap my hair up,
And breathe a sigh of relief
Kind people everywhere,
Strangers helped us tirelessly,
We’ve made some lifelong friends,
Oh how lucky are we
Crossing a river into Guinea,
After a bus ride with a hundred people,
Not a TV in sight,
Life is so simple
The Liberian women who won the Nobel Peace Prize,
Showed strength, determination and power,
As much as my heart bleeds,
I also feel empowered
The toilets that don’t flush,
You’re lucky that its indoor,
Showers that don’t work,
They litter on the floor
Sampling mangoes in each country,
Was a fun thing to do,
It kept our spirits high,
When there was not much to do
They say small small a lot,
The markets are full of life,
Same skin colour but diverse,
Uniting the tribes, they strive
The poverty is heartbreaking,
It’s not easy to witness,
Yet there is so much kindness,
That my heart rejoices
Fried plantains for breakfast,
Cassava leaf for lunch,
What I did not like,
Was sausage with a crunch
Zipping through the streets of Monrovia,
With a fresh coconut in hand,
A little girl’s Graduation Day,
I was happy to attend
The unknown is scary,
It is why people fear,
Traveling brings you wisdom,
It is what I hold dear
Burger joints in Abidjan,
Africa’s Manhattan,
Skyscrapers everywhere,
Knowledge is a powerful weapon
Every day an adventure,
Always a thrill,
My soul is nourished,
I yearn for more still
From potholes in Guinea,
To six lanes in Cote d’Ivoire,
Finally I’m back in Europe,
A good sleep ce soir
Sensory overload,
What a trip this has been,
It has been so, so, hard,
Yet equally, so rewarding
A great travel buddy,
Aaron has surely been,
So calm and easygoing,
Thanks Aaron for everything
Dearest West Africa,
You brought awareness in me,
I have grown so much,
For that, I thank thee
