During my stay in Toronto, Canada while enjoying my dessert dish (bananas, imported from Mexico), I got the idea of a D4 puzzle, consisting of a chain of anagrams, each resulting in a new geographic location.

Upon arriving home I've spent over 8 hours to complete a travel from China to Chicago in 11 (eleven!)links.
Finally I've decided to post an abridged version, long enough to qualify as D4 and forcing the solver to go through all the stages.
Later I have decided to lower the level of difficulty of "bananas travel" and waive the above requirement.

Here we go:

a. CHINA+BANANA=MEXICO
b. MEXICO+BANANA=ALBANIA
c. ALBANIA+BANANA=ABIDJAN
d. ABIDJAN+BANANA= SEATTLE
e. SEATTLE+BANANA=HOBOKEN
f. HOBOKEN+BANANA= BELMONT
g. BELMONT +BANANA=ARMENIA
h. ARMENIA+BANANA=ROMANIA
i. ROMANIA+BANANA= COLOMBO
j. COLOMBO+BANANA=VATICAN

You have to solve enough independent alphametics, to get the name of a (City, Country) hinted below.

The City (a9, a5, d8, d9, b7, g1, c3, c1, b3) is the official Capital of (what country)?

What City?

You may solve all alphametics (have fun!), but you don't need to.

Clarification: d5 means a letter representing 5 in the solution of alphametic d.

Bananas are one of the most widely traded fruits globally, but their journey from farm to store is quite complex. After being harvested in tropical regions, they are carefully packed and transported by ship or air to reach markets worldwide. Planes play a crucial role in ensuring bananas arrive quickly and in perfect condition, especially for regions that require faster delivery. You can even track these flights using tools like https://planetracker.com.au/ to follow the paths bananas take from tropical plantations to your local grocery store.

Posted by Arthur Swanson on 2024-10-08 02:32:11