I pedal with my head wrapped in my turban and my eyes sheltered behind my sunglasses. The glow of the incandescent sand in the midday sun blinds me. In this Saharan
As soon as I get off the taxi, the stench assaults my nostrils penetrating deep into my lungs. For a few seconds I hold my breath to digest the impact. I exhale, and try to
After 4 days in a row of pedaling breathing dust, I arrive at Dabola pushing on the pedals helped by the impulse of each cough. Tired, dirty and sweaty, the illusion of a cold drink fades in the darkness
Shortly after leaving Yamoussoukro, the green tones of the southern vegetation give way to the aridity of the north. I am experiencing the reverse transition process that I experienced almost 3 months ago when I was pedaling south from the Burkinabe Sahel to the fertile south of Ghana.
It takes me several days to arrive and stay in the region of the triple border between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger living with the Fulanis. At no time do I feel in danger, actually quite the opposite, but it is time for me to return to civilisation.
2015 has finally come to an end. A chaotic year that started as one of the most difficult of my life but ended as one of the best. Life may kick you mercilessly sometimes, but afterwards, it will always find a way to compensate you with joy, for the sorrow it put you through.
Despite the great inconvenience, I am surprised at how quickly I am able to resolve the end of the visa process. I find it amazing because that's how things are always like in Africa: totally unpredictable.
My original intention to head directly to the heart of the Sahel once I entered Burkina Faso, was truncated by the unexpected condition imposed on Burkinese visas obtained at the country's borders.
It's mid-morning, the sun is high already and the heat is tightening. I am happy because I am about to cross into a country that I have been waiting for so long to arrive: Burkina Faso. It is one of those countries (as were Kyrgyzstan, Gabon and others in the past) to which, with total honesty, I always wanted to go mostly because of the very curiosity that the name generated in me
The rest period in Cotonou was a balm for my soul and for my body. The days of good food, beach, photography and especially the invaluable company of a great friend like Germano, were an essential part of my recovery process.
How long do you intend to stay in Nigeria? - The immigration officer had asked me at the time of entering the country almost a month ago. What I did not know at that time was that the answer to that simple routine question would seal the fate of my departure or maybe, my indefinite stay in the country.
I don't go to each and every one of the places I visit for pleasure. I prefer to avoid some places and effectively, I manage to avoid many of those I don't want to go to, but not others. Had it been for me, I would have avoided Lagos, as I have been able to avoid other cities with a bad reputation.
It is the end of the afternoon when a truck drops me off on the outskirts of the giant city of Ibadan. From there, it takes me more than two hours to reach the university campus where my friend Bimbo lives and she is waiting for me to host me. Traffic is hell on earth
The conflict with the extremist group Boko Haram has the country in suspense. There is a reason why I decided to shave my beard and hair and hang Christian crucifixes before arriving here and it is because in southern Nigeria,
I will be decapitated in less than two days. They are going to kidnap me, shoot me, rob me, rape me and cut me into pieces to sell my organs in the Asian market. This is a brief list of some of the things that I had been told me that will happen to me once I cross the border that I have in front of me.
5 days of strong emotions in the capital have gone by, between infamous bureaucracies, diabolic exorcisms, bicycle mechanics, body healing, aesthetic transformations and little rest. I keep going with a great deal of effort, with infected legs and half of my skull numb without apparent wishes to wake up in the near future.
