Day 84: Conakry

Ultimately the situation is better than expected!

Hardly anyone was out this morning, the motorcycle taxi to the road closure costs almost twice as much as yesterday morning.

At first it's unclear whether the embassy will open, but little by little "stuff" arrives. After all, there are six of us (the two motorcyclists and the two Brits and us). So it should be worth it.

The papers have to be sorted in a certain order, then they are checked in advance – something is still missing from the others and so Wolle makes the way to the very hidden copy shop first with Almuth and Simon (because we have a computer with us) and then again with Catherine and Ian (because Wolle now knows where the copy shop is located).

We are informed that the express surcharge applies to collection the next day. After a bit of whining (who knows whether we'll get a motorcycle taxi tomorrow and it takes three hours on foot and given the situation we'd like to leave as quickly as possible) the “girls” make something possible that no one else has managed before us has: We get the visa on the same day. But we also have to put in a full day of work! And: Since the banks are still closed, we can pay cash at the embassy and even get a receipt. For this reason 12 millions have to be counted :-)

Finally when business closes and everyone wants to go home we get our passports. Hooray!!!

In the meantime, we are still completing the online visa for Sierra Leone, hoping that the confirmation will be there tomorrow like others and that we will avoid another three visits to the ATM. We had somehow lost sight of the visa.

Back with a motorcycle taxi at reasonable prices. The lockdown has been lifted, the gas stations are open, the streets are busier. The smell of the smoke cloud is replaced by the smog of the traffic.

The question that remains open for us is what will happen next. This afternoon the situation is much more relaxed and the government has eased the pressure. However, since 13 depots and the surrounding infrastructure were destroyed and only 5 depots were undamaged, it is foreseeable that rationing will have to occur again.

We can fill up fuel without a limit, do a little shopping and prepare to leave tomorrow.

It's almost a shame, because we're already a bit part of the inventory and are greeted in a friendly manner, asked about the car, asked for visas and always meet the same people everywhere. Or they meet us... It's a bit like in Italy, where on the third day in the same bar you don't have to say what you want anymore.