Old Handmade maps of the Bakoun Forest

Old Handmade map of the Bakoun Forest, Guinea.

Within the old files of the prefecture of Togue we found handmade maps of the Bakoun forest, one of many classified forests inside Guinea. Rough paper, colors faded by time, reference lines made with light pencil and ruler, rusty old paper smell, these are no doubt pieces for collection. Bakoun is the area where I will be working, approximately 300 squared meters of barely untouched inhabited forest. There are old notes reporting signs of leopards, buffalos, waterbucks, chimps, baboons and even lions, although the latter are long extinct here around. It’s wild, the first live report I got from this area confirmed that it's infested with Tse-Tse flies, which besides being a mayor annoyance for field work, is a good sign that there is plenty of wildlife around. For now this hand sketch and a couple of boring digital maps is our only reference, soon there will be more to show.

Guinea, views from the road.

Guinea, views from the road. from Alejandra Aponte on Vimeo.

Shots of our 2 days journey from Dabola to Togue, Guinea. The way was long and tough, only compensated by the feeling of getting closer to the region of the Fouta Djallon. With only one way to go there was no much chance of getting lost, however frequently the road branched off to access small villages and we found our selves asking for indications to go somewhere in the middle of nowhere. And surprisingly people pointing in a "always straight away" direction. We also lost some luggage from our poorly packed roof, showing our obvious in-expertise in the matter, luckily we managed to notice before loosing the big pack of toilet paper, also our only supply, that was lingering out ready to fall out. And, of course, after so many hours in the same car we had nothing interesting to talk about so we did the typical "let's-buy-a-chicken break", where we had to decide among a huge variety of options which chicken would continue the trip with us. 

Despite long driving times and very poor road conditions we are here, one step closer to the heart of the Fouta Djallon. 

The essential rules of packing in Guinea

A Guinean Land Cruiser

Voilá our vehicule, doubled in size and packed in the most Guinean style! Well, I have to admit we are still missing some more luggage in and out, 6-7-8 people inside plus one that goes half in - half out the trunk, the guy on the roof and, of course, the live chickens tied to any free spot that flap their wings during the whole way simulating flight. Sometimes there are also goats on the roof. So, next to that image, our semi-packed Toyota is not really an achievement... 

However, all that luggage is what's gonna keep me alive during one year in the forest, among the most valuable resources we can find (all equally important): 

1. A full bidon of peanut butter (organic and hand crushed)

2. A solar panel

3. My camera

4. Water filters to convert any source of water into drinkable water

The rest is only complement. Now, all ready, time to go!

The First Mile...

New and old world Primates, Primates of the new world who inhabit the old world and the other way around, introduced and exotic Primates;

I want to introduce you all to my blog, the one I should have started a long time ago. Those of you who have not read my stories before need to know this is not a conventional travel blog, I do not write about travel advice, there are plenty of Lonely planet guides for that. I aim for personal stories, not only from my experience but also from the characters I meet on my way; I aim for details and simple versions that can say a lot about a place customs, lifestyle, everyday life economics and even some politics. I aim for texts, videos, images and sounds to make these stories alive for those who read them. I welcome comments, questions, additions, corrections, and I hope more than just a "blog" comes out from this personal project. 

It's September 29th. and I am in Togue, in the Guinean highlands, better known as the region of Fouta Djallon. I am sitting next to a noisy generator which is also the only hope for electricity in this town. Incredibly I have found a USB internet device that will make this blog possible every now and then. In a few days I will be settled in a tiny village in the woodland savannah, I have come here to manage the first chimpanzee temporary research site in the Fouta Djallon area, which host the highest chimp density in the whole west Africa.

That's the context at the moment, more will come later.

Good morning lizard.

Every morning, while I go through my morning routine, I see this intrepid lizard climbing the dead log in the garden. It seems it got its own spot there, no other lizard in the area comes close. Head in the sun and body in the shadows, it looks like a really nice spot to sunbath, with a nice view of the peanut fields. Dabola - Guinea.