Lome

I've had three days in Lome now. My main purpose here is to get an Angola visa. But as they work so hard in these embassies, they needed a holiday from 16 th December to 6 th of January. The Angola Embassy shut. Gutted.

It's the Christmas period. And I wanted to have a western meal and hopefully speak to someone in English. There's plenty here in Africa that isn't all roses and Cum By Yar Ma Lord. I searched for a top hotel. And then went to the nearest restaurant. And to be honest, the steak was terrible. And the service looked like it was a comedy scene. From a book entitled ' How not to act whilst at work '.

Whilst the restaurant was very smart and clean. ( I could have been in London or Paris. ) Plasma tvs on the wall. Air conditioned. And the staff in smart uniforms. The attitude and service was simply shocking.

Litterraly dragging their feet as they walked around. Shoulders rolled forward and never " qui " or " pardon ". Just " uh ". And some of the staff were actually asleep.  Not a very Merry Christmas. And the cost ? UK price and some.

Back to my hotel,where I met a crazy French man. Jean Luke. A really nice character. He was the previous hotel owner. And had lived in Togo for twenty years. Having been disillusioned with Europe. As a personality ? Think white Bob Marley, meets a 90's acid rave party. Funny guy, spoke great English. And was just the tonic. As I was feeling pretty glum. The constant isolation and Christmas alone,getting me down a bit.

Yesterday I went to the Benin frontier. Where according to Lonely Planet,you can buy a Visa. I got to see the first two feet of Benin. And was turned away, no visa's at the border. It's only 40 km from Lome to the border. Imagine if I'd spent three or four days getting there.

So now I am sat outside the Benin Embassy, back in Lome. My Togo Transit visa ran out yesterday. Which may creat problems. And the embassy is closed for lunch. 11 am to 3 pm!! What are they eating in there???  A Barontasourus ??

Been a little disappointed with Lome. But like all of Africa so far. The rural people have been friendly, intrigued and respectful. The city dwellers, for the most part,see $$$$ and a chance to over charge or scam you. I'm constantly hissed at. "Ttttss"....It means "oy you". Its used by someone who wants to sell you something, you don't need. I get it one hundred times a day. And it completely winds me up.

Only two and a half more hours waiting for the Benin Embassy to finish their Barountasourus steaks and Roast Pheasant Volla Vons. I'm guessing I might have to collect the visa tomorrow. Which means I will have over stayed my Togo Visa by one day. " oops " and " thank you,  Lonely Planet Guide ".

Now 8pm. So, after waiting outside Benin Embassy for four hours. Filling in my Visa application forms. Handing over 2x photos. And 10,000 cfa. I was informed they could not issue a visa. As my Togo visa ran out yesterday. I had to get a new Togo Visa from wherever they were issued. Return and they'd give me a Benin Visa. " o what joy ", I thought.

So now I had to work out how to extend my Togo Visa. Where to go and what to do. All whilst nobody in Togo understands my French. ( which I had confirmed by actual real French people, was correct. ) They apparently have the same problem !

I found an American sat in his car outside the embassy. An ' aid ' worker. Awaiting his Benin visa. He provided the location of the Director General Immigration. By now I was dripping in swet,sat in 95 ° all day. Whilst wearing an enduro suit. With one of my hand drawn maps off I went.

The office turned out to be a desk, in a car park. A large group of people just standing around it. Nobody speaks English. But I found a French girl who did. I know what I have to do now. Despite waiting for an hour at a window, nobody bothered to serve me.

Saturday tomorrow. I think the Director General Immigration office is open. 10 am is the  best guess. So I'll be back there then.  Hopefully sort out an extension. But of course the Benin embassy will be closed till Monday. So it will be more hotels I can't afford till then.

Get my Benin visa Monday and move on.

Photos of a Chinese bike I thought was cool. Prices of these bikes is unbelievable. That bike is about 500,000 cfa. Brand new !! Lome beach. Large,long, but with people living on it. And the road to Benin, before I got turned back.

" onwards and upwards Rodney.....onwards and upwards .....".

Will

Togo

So gutted. I wrote this once already,  but due to technical difficulties,  lost all the data. It took me two hours. Ahhh..... Ce la ve :()

Burkina Faso Police and Customs were polite and didn't ask for a bribe. But two men outside the frontier post, indicated they were police. And took my passport and my bikes Lassier Passer. Upon asking inside the police station,  they turned out to be " working with us ". Not actual Police. Which is code for....' we can't be seen to take a bribe. They are so called fixers. '

Having got my police exit stamp,  I went outside and snatched back my Lassier Passer. ( bike import / export doc. ) Simply saying " non " ! ( These ' fixers ' would have demanded money for the ' help '. And given a kick back to the police. )

Over to the Togo side. For the Overlanders out there. A visa at the border is 10,000 cfa. For 7 Day Transit. Extendable in Lome Duan Office . No bribes asked for,  I always explain I've come from the UK,  ' avec le petite moto '. Which they all love. It breaks the ice and seems to smooth the process. The reply is almost always,  "can I have your bike "? In French of course.

I've no idea how to say in French,  ' you would have more chance of plating snot '. And that's probably a good thing.  :)

Over to Togo Duan.( Customs ). A Lassier Passer I knew to be 5,000 cfa. But was originally charged 6,000 cfa. Until an official asked where I was going and had come from. ( Yes, I did it in French. .....sort of.) The Customs Officer, completing my Lassier Passer, then lowered the price to the proper price of 5,000 cfa. He seemed to be impressed or surprised.

Liking that, I smiled and paid the 5,000 cfa. And gave him a 1,000 cfa ' tip'. No bribes paid, everybody happy. And through both sides in under an hour. Result. :)))

Into Togo......the home of voodoo. !! How exciting is that ??

First question that poped into my head ?? ' where do I get a life sized doll of the clown at Suzuki GB, who dropped my sponsorship ' ?  And ' do you do discount on bulk pin purchases ' ? :)))

Togo. After the desert and sub desert, of the Sahl Region. It's plush green, mountainous countryside, was a delight. Interesting and a first for me. Unsure if this is classed as sub tropical or tropical. But I can confirm it's a whole lot more interesting than endless miles of sand.!

The people of Togo seem friendly, intrigued in my visit. When I stop, I am quickly surrounded by interested passer bys. But as soon as there is more than three or four people, I say goodbyes, and get underway. Whilst friendly, I am alone. And security is my number 1 priority. (  I recently lost my knife, from under my tank bag. Which is a big concern for me.) And I promise you,  I don't like carrying a knife. But I am not living in lar lar, cum by yar ma lord land.

They love dancing and they love their music.  Its fast tempoed, really up beat. And boy, can they dance. We white people, should A) leave basketball alone.  And B) step away from the dance floor. :))

Some photos of the lovely and very different Togo countryside. Rivers with water.....been a while. Bush fires. Me finding a fruit drink. So i now know what Mango tastes like.( I've never eaten a fruit. ) Me squinting in the sun. ( not a great look. ) candle on the floor. As electricity is intermittent. These pointed Termite hills. Not a great explanation. And I could very easily be wrong. Someone e mail. And let me know what they are exactly. Im just An Idiot Who Got Bored. On the Slow Way Down.

I have noticed an Expedition website  has shared my page. " Thank you. Cheers. ". Good of you.:))

I'm in Lome tomorrow night. And would love to just listen to someone,  anyone, speak English.

Liking Togo. Nice, respectful people. Just don't set foot on the dance floor with one of them. They'll make you look stupid.

Will x

.....the changing face of Africa.

Quick one. Please remember, my blog is but a snap shot of what happens. So, so much goes on. Good and bad. I just can never fit it all in. :)))

So onto the capital of Burkina Faso,  after meeting more extortion, at two of Ghana's border posts. I wanted to try to A) try and get some visa's.  And B ) the road from Leo to the Togo border, was close to non existant. My luggage rack, yet again had taken a pounding. The new bolt that attached it to the bike frame, now bent. And the overly large 'style', exhaust, hitting the rear tyre,  whilst going off road.

I had a BBC Nottingham phone interview at 3 pm. And needed to be near a cell tower. I don't ever use my phone,  as a phone. Just camera and i pod and wifi.

Having had two nights in  cheap accommodation. In Pa and Leo. That prisoners wouldn't be allowed to stay in. Decades of filth, flees, mosquitos and even a rat. I fancied somewhere hygienic, but reasonable.

I did the interview, seemed to go ok. Problem was, I had ordered a western meal. My first in weeks. And for comedy value,  it finally arrived, as the BBC rang me.

So to say I spoke quickly, is an under statement. I've only tasted beef once, in three months. And there was my rather expensive pepper steak going cold. :((  Ce la ve.

Checked out the DRC embassy. They wanted 104,000 cfa for a Transit Visa !! Plus bribes and Lasser Passer at the border. "No chance", I'm not paying that. Will try another DRC embassy. Remember,  nothing is standardised in Africa.

I drew my map of my route,  to the Togo border. A distance of about 290 km. ( using wifi ). And off I went to the home of Voodoo! ! Yea...exciting or what ? ( Do they do a doll of Suzuki GB ) ? I doubt if Togo has enough pins !!!

I saw the now usual tribal villages, the surprised faces of the locals. On their bicycles, women with pots and pans on their heads. The children happily playing,yet without toys. Just the odd lucky one having a old tyre and rolling it with a stick.

It was just great to be back on the bike. Really enjoyed it. But due to the admin behind this challenge. I'd not left till lunch time. And day light.was running out. Reluctantly, I found a spot to wild camp. I knew local tribe huts were close. Too close. I have a 1 km away rule, for security. But had to break it, as they were just everywhere.

Camp was made by 7 pm, hidden behind some rocks. And by 8 pm I could hear traditional African dance and tribal singing !! It sounded great. The tribes and their culture are changing. Nothing came of it. Bar my realisation, that I maybe on the same planet. But I'm in a different world.

Africa is changing around me. Gone is the desert. Im entering tropical Africa. Very green and with lots of animals. Time to pay attention. And work with my surroundings.

Uneventful day. Just pleased to be underway again. After bike delays in Mali and then malaria delays.

Some photos of Martyrs Monument. My Will Will gps map. A van with live goats on board. That sounded like children crying. My tent being patched up. Lots of holes for bugs and ants with attutude problems to get in. : ) And bits I saw on route to Togo. Camped 64 km from the frontier.

Next stop. ....voodoo! !!

This road is long and it's definitely red !!!

Wifi is so rare it's barely warm. :)

Complete with the usual high quality map, I left Bobo and headed to the Ghana border. Ghana is not on my absolute direct route. But, the capital Accra, is a good place to get visa's. The infamous Angolan ' Willy Wonka Golden Ticket ' of the visa world, possibly being obtained there.

Some of these countries I'm going to and through, are the most beurocratic,  corrupt and difficult to get into.

Still wearing essence de la Malaria, I made my way to Pa. Stomach still dodgy and ears still slightly deaf.

Between Bobo Dioulasso and Ougadougou. ( pronounced. .waga doo goo.) I came across a sign. ' Air de parking '. ( Anyone who has been to France,  will be familiar with this. )

Now remember that Burkina Faso is a very,  very poor country. It survives only due to aid. Outside of the two main cities, you will find the population getting around via flip flops and old bicycles.

So what do you reckon I came across 160 km away from any town.  In the middle of absolutely nowhere ???

A massive car park !!!! You could land a plan on it ! Air de parking. Same as you would have off a busy motorway in France. That's,  ' busy ' motorway !! I'd read about this place before. And there it was. In all it's illogical and costly glory. Because as your people starve, thats what you'd do!! Aid at it's finest. Made a video. Will upload on Facebook page, London to Johannesburg. Click " like " and you'll get the updates. 

I finally found Pa and stayed at possibly the worst aubergine in Africa. Still feeling bad,with the left overs of malaria. I thought it better to be near people, instead of wild camping. As a ' just incase '. The room looked like it had been deficated in. And smeared on the walls. The bed was broken and flees were hoping out of the pillow. I now have an infected eye, as a result. O joy.  ( made a video and will stick it on fb page. London to Johannesburg. )

The shower was the usual hole in the floor and bucket of water. Which a lady fetched in a large silver bowl from the well. Returning with it balanced on her head. The toilet also the usual hole in the ground, flys everywhere. And a plastic kettle by it's side, with water in it. A hum....you can work it out.

I couldn't find anything to eat. Which is an ongoing problem for me. So fried one of my valued Corned Beef tins.

The locals were surprised and respectful.  Saying "bon soir', putting their right hand out. Whilst holding the forearm with the left. ' presenting ' the hand.

The French  language barrier, both frustrates and isolates me. Food and solitude, are my personal challenges in all this. The rest is within range.

The owner of the auberge did ask me a question though. Part English and part French. ....are you ready.?
Said totally seriously. ..." can you come back and take my son to L'anglataire ". Wow !! Bob smacked. Even calling his wife, who had said son, strapped to her back with a sheet. He was about two years old. I explained " impossibla...visa ". Goes to show you the desperation. And lack of understanding of the outside world.

Single with a black child. Explain that one to society. " well I was on my bike......".

On the Ghana backpacker website, it states you can get a visa at the border for 100Ghana Ceti.about £28.ish. I cleared Burkina Faso Duan and Police. No bribes and only smiles and sqwarky noises,as I explained how far I'd come.

Over to Ghana at Hamile frontier. Short of it ? A Lassier Passer is possible at the border. Despite the official line being you need a Carnet de Passage. Cost about £10. I risked it, as everything on the Internet said it was impossible. Back to ' anything can happen in Africa. ' ...and probably will.

Over to Ghana Immigration. £28 for a visa ??? No . Try $200 to be paid in US $$$. And yes,exchanged at their rate. Why would you have US $$ for Ghana ??? So I simply said " goodbye ". Mutch to their surprise. And high tailed it back to Burkina Faso.

81 km I was told to Leo. Another border crossing. The road,red with dust. Green vegetation either side. Totally rural,with the odd village. Round huts, straw roofs. Wildebeest , chickens and donkey's.

Quick one. I love the off road riding, it's real freedom. The bike luggage frame on the other hand, does not !! So much weigh on the rear,it keeps breaking the welds, as I hit the bumps and troughs. The exhaust now scraping on the tyre. ( which I've subsequently fixed. )

So,knackered and into Leo. A frontier town. Shacks and huts as shops.No street lights. And a uncomfortable feel to it. Through the whole B.F. Police and Customs routine. 18 km of no mans land. And into Ghana.

This time I complained about the visa con. But it was now $150 !!! After an hour of negotiations. I simply said " Ghana has priced it's self out of the market. Togo is 10,00 cfa.(£12). To get a visa.Im going to go there. Get visa's at Lome the capital. Goodbye."

The big Customs boss was shocked. It was now gone 8 pm, pitch black. No street lights for the return journey. ( mainly as there's no street.) It's all off road....humm in the pitch dark. No chance of coming off of course :))))

Into auberge number 2 in 24 hrs. Into another disgusting room. Where as I entered, a rat was leaving. ....

Will do a blog tomorrow. .