Africa 2014 – Mar – Guinea to Benin 9 June 16 admin Conakry car salesmen First day in Sierra Leone – Makeni Arriving in Freetown – JC with police escort Emanuel (our guide) and Ronny Andre’s compound A dip Aberdeen Beach, Freetown Andre – our generous host Teddy – boss of the Q Bar Brahim & JC Emanuel Amid at the Q Bar Aberdeen Beach River No. 2 Beach, Freetown River No. 2 Beach, Freetown Heading north from Freetown towards the Guinea border Zsolt Turza – Serbian bike enthusiast Northern Sierra Leone They stay one side of the road… we stay on the other Sierra Leone – Guinea border Truck bouncing off side of bridge River camp, NE Guinea Visitors to our camp Forest fire raging at night, a few kilometres away River side camp site, near Kissidougou Near Kissidougou Guinea road – heading for Cote d’Ivoire border Encouraging new growth or random/excessive use of fire? NE Guinea Nzerecore, NE Guinea Looking for cash machines Another (hot) street – Nzerecore, Guinea Tarmac again after 100km of dirt Eastwards towards Cote d’Ivoire Last night in Guinea… my ample accommodation is on the left! Near! In to Cote d’Ivoire; the surreal Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Yamoussoukro Yamoussoukro street, Cote d’Ivoire Outside the shady DST department in Abidjan. JC with Danane police sergeant who brought our confiscated passports from border region to Abidjan… (long story!) Hotel #1 – Hotel Cote de Repos, Abidjan A bit of TLC for my KTM; Zone 4, Abidjan Life in Abidjan Hotel #2 outside Abidjan… although looks can be deceptive! Wafou Hotel, Abidjan – we didn’t stay here, sadly! Our actual hotel, outside Abidjan. Minus palm trees, there’s a touch of the Stalag about it, but – hey – it’s cheap! Staff at hotel #2, the Sikewa Hotel. A piece of France in Cote d’Ivoire Into Ghana from Cote d’Ivoire – only US$50 for a 48 hour transit visa – but someone has forgotten to finish the road JC on Aprilia Caponord finds a strip of road almost complete! The Watapa Hotel, Esiama, Ghana. Generally unremarkable but Castle Milk Stout was good after 80km of grim roads. Ghana Fishing festival and village, Ghana Slaving fort, Ghana Into Accra… another hotel; no running water but there’s a VIP Garden! Accra beach, pirogue Independence Arch, Accra Steep shelving beach – east of Lomé… dodge the floating plastic bags but joyous temperature Togo n’est pas une poubelle” – in fact, replace the word ‘Togo’ with ‘West Africa’ The eagle eyed will notice an Arsenal sticker up front – important amongst the sea of Chelsea and Manchester United shirts out here… otherwise Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ghana flags have been affixed. Chez Alice, Lomé, Togo Air filters old and new Chez Alice resident The Supreme Council? Lome, Togo Another Chez Alice resident Essential Togo Still in Togo, looking east, up the coast, into Benin End of the day, Benin, just inside the border from Togo West Benin