One thing I will always associate Guinea Bissau with is the amount of cashews they have. We drove through forests of cashew trees and right now is the main harvest. Trees full of bright yellow and red fruits everywhere and there is a special sweet smell in the air as well. Each cashew fruit produces one nut – that’s why they are so expensive. The fruit tastes good too but I can’t eat many at a time because they leave a funny layer on my teeth but they are very juicy.

We saw people collecting buckets full of cashews and then picking the nuts of. The fruits are hardly exported, it’s the nuts what is most valuable. The locals eat some of the fruits or use them to produce liquor but a big amount of the cashews (fruit) just go to waste. It really is a shame but the same with the mangos. There are just too many and there is no industry here to use the fruit for other productions (jam, juices etc.).

Right now we are in the mango season and almost every day we have some. A great time to travel and even in remote areas where finding food can be quite a mission we can get at least mangos.

Well after two years in The Gambia I have left.  Melanie and I have started travelling from The Gambia across west africa. A trip we have had planned for quite a long time.  When I was back in North America last summer we were beginning preparations and now we have commenced the journey by car in our white van.  Now we find ourselves 3 weeks in and already three countries deep. 

Mela is updating her website a lot more than I am, but unfortunately you will find much of it is in German... not much good for most of my friends. 

I'll try to write more but am using most of my computer time on work related items.  Currently we are in Dabola, Guinea a funny little town with a dam nearby.  So though it is surrounded by darkness this village has near constant electicity and even a decent satelite feed for internet complements of the French government and CCF.  It makes it a nice place to relax a few days and reconnect. 

Country Name      Currency          Currency Code
Guinea                    Guinea Franc     GNF

Country Name    Currency                           Currency Code
Guinea-Bissau       West African CFA franc     XOF