In the Jungle

After a year of living in the African bush, I seem to find myself finally in the African jungle. Welcome to Guinea-Conakry. After a mere two and a half weeks, I've already seen more trees and exotic wildlife than a entire year in Benin could provide. And I love it!

With mountains popping up here and there, waterfalls and a respectable forest, T and I expect to do a little hiking on our weekends. We're just waiting for the ankle-high, leather army boots the driver said he could find for us... our protection from snakes! And I'm really not kidding. Last weekend we went to a "ranch" out in the jungle by Kindia (your guess is as good as mine as we didn't get to see it) and ended up stuck at the entrance, albeit next to a beautiful waterfall, because a very large snake was laying across the path. Lucky for us, there were others already waiting who warned us in advance so we didn't actually see the snake, though, for a moment there, I almost lost my mind and thought I'd go have a look. Don't worry, better judgement kicked in just in time! I'm sure we'll see more than enough big, poisonous snakes in the days to come.

The city itself isn't so bad either. That's not to say it's lovely though. It's still a West African city and has all the charm, or lack thereof, that you would expect from an over-crowded, undeveloped metropolis. Still, my basis for comparison is not exactly typical. Compared to Cotonou, Conakry is surprisingly organized and relatively clean. For one thing, there are hardly any mopeds. What a difference in air quality! Add to that the fact that most of the roads are paved and you've got a much more pleasant place to be. There are even sidewalks scattered here and there! But Conakry's biggest advantage over Cotonou is probably its sunsets. The city itself is based on a thin peninsula, which means that you are never very far from the sea, and you can't avoid a view of the day's last rays reflecting off the water. Everywhere you turn, there's a photo taking opportunity... which is a good thing, because T's just got himself a fancy new camera to play with. I feel the need to mention that most of the photo credits (or at least all the good ones) on this blog from here on out belong to him.

Our little corner of the city is quite the place to be. We live in a complex called "Residence 2000", which is about five or six apartment buildings right on the water with a pool, a gym, some tennis courts and a big garden. It's an immensely exclusive place to live compared to typical Guinean living arrangements and sounds particularly snobbish when you must tell your driver to take you back to "le Residence". But this isn't a two week camping trip, it's a two year stay, and you have to maintain your sanity so any guilt you feel at living here wears off pretty fast. That said, gratefulness and appreciation do not. The view from your balcony alone reminds you everyday how very lucky you are. I'll post pictures of the inside of our apartment once our stuff arrives in a month's time (which, if it actually comes that quickly, would make us very lucky indeed). Until then, you'll have to make due with the sea view.