Mamou, Labe & Kankan

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I remained with the "trapper" and his posse for a short while longer, but the promises of arriving before dawn always went unfulfilled. Africa is on a "whenever" timeclock, but the western world does not sync with that. Back in the the States, the May 1st - 10th deadline was coming up fast, and I still hadn't seen even one of these birds. I had to find out where they had gone to. Then I had to trap them, and then I had to acclimate them, get them used to people, etc., so that they'd ship well. Once the first were caught, everything became more complicated because it had to be kept safe and tended to while I went out to find and trap more. Once all were found, they'd have to make it to Dakar, and a shipping crate had to be constructed. There was no free time to spare on this lazy man's antics. When he said he was giving up and going back into Conakry, it was a relief.

I'm going to let the pictures tell the tale for a while, as this is still in the summary version of last year's adventure.

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Photos

Mamou, Kankan? Labe?
Sometimes those roadside vilages grow...

Gutters
When they do it seems filth accompanies them within the cities.

One of hundreds of stalls
The towns exist to provide a market. Hundreds of stalls like this one competed for one's business.

Biker Bar
These motorcycles, Chinese -made 125 cc hoppers, would retail at $600-650. Not a bad way to get around, if you're staying in the area.

Villager's children
These kids were great.. warm welcomes, and lots of laughter and fun... And it was then, with the kids, that I got a glipse of the true spirit of Africa.

It takes a village
... to raise a family.

Inside a hut
Not too shabby, and no mortgage!

Outdoor kitchen
Each cluster of family homes has its own kitchen.

Newfangled luxury
Though some of these western homes could be found, they were near the huts that are the mainstay...

A hut of a different color
IN this area, they build the walls charcoaled, instead of white. I suppose it's easier to keep clean.:)