And finally on the bad roads of DRC
We had been talking about them since the beginning of the trip, fearing them, waiting for them, imagining them but I think none of us really thought they could really be as bad as the reality showed us: DRC bad roads. We left Congo to enter DRC on the top of the most beautiful […]
Brazzaville, capital of Congo River
Not so European like Libreville, neither so modern or cosmopolitan, Brazzaville is a real African capital, with a mix of old and new, trying to get closer to the new world but holding up a lot of features that remind you where you are: in the capital of Congo. I couldn’t feel more in […]
My Congolese birthday
It was in Congo, at the border with Gabon, in a small village called Mbie, that I celebrated the special edition of my birthday this year. You may wonder how it is having a birthday on a truck, while travelling across Africa, and I can tell you it was special, and not for the […]
Gabon, close to the sun
It was in Gabon where we passed the Equator, going literally on the other side of the world. Just like the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator sign is in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the rainforest, were the only company you can get is the one of the trees and of the men who […]
Kribi, last relaxing paradise
Kribi is one of those places that have nothing special but that you keep loving for the rest of your life. The day we arrived in the village it was public holiday in Cameorun, and since the early afternoon all the people were in the street, chatting, drinking and most of all dancing […]
Cameroun, African beauty in a nutshell
From the moment we passed the border, Cameroun has been an explosion of colours and shapes. At the border, where we slept the night we arrived, I had one of the most enjoyable nights of the entire trip, surrounded by local kids who were almost fighting to come to sit on my knees. Like everywhere […]
Nigeria, land of contraddictions #2
After we left the Consolidated Brewery the real Nigeria finally started to appear. The Nigerian flag has green stripes, probably related to the main colour of the country, which is definitely green. That’s the first thing you notice when you start driving across its roads. The entire country is covered by a rich vegetation that […]
Nigeria, land of contraddictions #1
At the border with Benin, where the borders are not properly identified and the two countries mix together in languages, people and cultures, it’s difficult to say if Nigeria is as scary as we have heard in the last few weeks, when everybody we met on our way suggested us to be careful as it […]
In Benin, where the sun gently shines
Leaving Togo and its friendly charm was not much of a shock as we got to Benin, which is almost its continuation, both geographically and socially. In Cotonou we finally applied for the Nigeria visa, and with our great surprise, people at the Nigeria House were friendly and polite and we got it after few […]
Lomé and the smile of Togo
Even if it’s one of the smallest countries of Africa, Togo has been able to pleasantly surprise me and leave a trace in my heart. It’s certainly because of its amazing people, less lazy than the Ghanaian, and much more honest then the Benin ones, where I am currently. Lomé is an amazing town that […]
A day at the voodoo fetish market of Lomè
There is a bit of everything at Lome voodoo fetish market; there is what you expect, like cows’ head bones or horses hair tails, and there is what you don’t expect, like dead cats’ heads, or even what you have never seen in life, like cobras’ or antelopes’ heads. Once you enter it, you enter […]
Shantaram, a book for travelling Africa
Before I left Italy, early in January, I was looking for a book to bring with me to Africa. I didn’t have a lot of space and I knew I could bring only one, so I had to choose the one, the book who would have enlight my Africa days of dreams. I spent almost […]
Elmina, lights and shadows of African history
It doesn’t seem possible that this tiny lovely fishermen village in the Southern coast of Ghana, in front of blue open ocean, with the most colourful harbour of the entire West Africa, has been the scenery of the darkest chapter of history of the entire Africa, of its people, of our history as well and […]
Ezile Bay, Ghana’s step to paradise
After so many days in the jungle, without having a proper shower, sometimes without showering at all, and often without a lot of food, especially when we were in Guinea, it has been not only a relief but pure happiness to get to Ghana and rest on the peaceful and breathtaking shores of Ezile Bay. […]
A week in the mighty jungle: football and people (Part #2)
It has been in the jungle that I have finally watched a football game with the locals…and, apart for the fact that my team lost, it was an experience itself. Football in Africa is like daily food. The most common t-shirts guys wear in the street are football shirts, of all times and of all […]
A week in the mighty jungle (Part #1)
Leaving the heat of Conakry and slowly approaching the jungle has been refreshing. I rejoined the truck in Coyah after a week in the Guinean capital and found out that Jen, the Candian girl, was gone and Britney the American one was still there but had messed up and confused a lot of people […]
Conakry, crazy capital of Guinea
Conakry, the capital of Guinea, is so far the most African of all the places seen till now. In order to get to know a bit how everything works you need at least a week, as at the beginning you will be wrapped by its mess and confusion and finding a reason or a rule […]
The desert, its end and Mauritania
So it’s over. We are at the opposite edge of the Western Sahara. We made it. We crossed it all while it left a trace on this trip and in our hearts. It was good to spend 10days in the desert. I didn’t expect it so beautiful and alive. Yes, the Sahara is full of […]
Mauritania and the real cultural shock
FEBRUARY 12TH, 2012 Mauritania has been the turning point of this Africa trip so far. Entering it costed us an entire day at the border, first of Morocco and then of this country. Between the two borders there are 3 kilometres of land called “No man’s land”, filled with mines on both sides. We were […]
If now you ask me about Morocco…
Warm breeze, people in the streets, talking loud, smiling, greeting, people thinking I am Moroccan, tajine, couscous, no pork, no beer, hashish, ice cream, Chefchaouen, the Rif Mountains, many people called Mohammed, old Medinas and new towns, football, Africa cup, Fes, labyrinth streets, tea with tons of sugar, tea served in small glasses, […]
