Fifth Journey Day 188: Wake That Erased Itself

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Date: November 12, 2025
Location: Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

In Bissau, Guinea‑Bissau, the day moved slowly under an overcast sky as the humid breath of the Geba River pushed through the port. Ferries stitch the city to its mangroves and islands; charcoal fires and mint tea gather at the edges of rain. Today’s painting listens for the way a wake disappears.

River Weather over the Geba

The morning was slow and quiet. I walked out to the ferry terminal by late afternoon, not because I wanted to move, but because I could hear it: the sound of the engine and the ropes hitting the metal. The water in the Geba River looked muddy and agitated. It didn't reflect the sky, but the weight of the water. I sat on the deck next to a woman carrying a woven basket of limes. Their scent was strong in the damp air.

On the Ferry: Motion that Disappears

As the ferry drifted into the open space, the city softened behind us — pale walls, scattered sounds, and the faint rhythm of music rising from a distance. There was a moment, halfway across, when the wind got cooler, and I felt my body exhale easily. I noticed how the water made a fold back into the river, as though the boat had never passed through it. That felt important somehow — how the visible evidence of motion disappears so quickly.

Quiet Moments at a Tea Stall

When we got back to the shore, the light had changed color. It was a mix of gray and yellow. The air smelled like charcoal and rain. I stopped for a glass of sweet mint tea from a stand near the port. The man who served it didn't speak English, but he nodded once, slowly, as if to acknowledge something unspoken. It could have been fatigue or maybe just his presence.

Choosing Stillness Over Sketching

Tonight, the sound of the fan mixes with the distant hum of insects. I can't stop thinking about the river's surface. It doesn't reflect anything, and it seems to carry silence with it. Sometimes, I think my paintings are trying to do the same thing. They try to capture a moment that has already changed.

A City in Sync with Rain

Overcast light turns gray to yellow, charcoal and rain in the air. The city seems to move at the pace of water.

Travel Notes

• Weather: Overcast with soft breaks of light; 29°C; heavy humidity; intermittent gusts rolling off the river; dusk shifting to a gray‑yellow wash.
• Scents: Fresh limes in a woven basket, damp river water, charcoal smoke near the port, sweet mint tea.
• Sounds: Engine thrum and ropes striking metal, faraway music as the city faded, evening fan and the fine hum of insects.
• Reflection: The wake closed over itself as if nothing had moved—an image the painting tries to hold for a breath longer.

Continue the Journey

You may also enjoy reading about yesterday’s quiet reflections from the river, or linger with another moment from Guinea‑Bissau where motion dissolves back into silence.