Abuja

Ok. Just a quick one. As I've written this once already. But won't upload.

Angola is not issuing visas. The end. And that's why I'm here in abuja. So.....I'm going to have to ship around the country. No idea how. But that's what I have to do. Will let you know,  just as soon as I know :))

Abuja is pretty nice. No more bush meat. No more illegal road blocks. No more civilians with guns. ( That I can see anyway. )

When I was in the last town,getting my bike fixed. A crowd of one hundred people arrived. Kids from the school. It was crazy. It was bloody embarrassing! ! Head Master came out with the cane,to get his pupils back. Lol.

A grand " bonjour et merci " to Jean Luc and the Corsican bush. :))

Captains Log: I've been in Abuja for three days now. I'm staying at the Sheraton !!! Well, actually, I am camping in my tent, at the rear of the Sheraton ! For Overlanders out there, there has been a change in pricing.

Previously it was 500 N a day and a three day minimum stay. That changed last week. It is now 5000 N a day and five days minimum stay. So not cheap. The staff here are 5 star. But the building is 2 star in places. Worn and run down. And along with all of Abuja, is only twenty years old. The camping is around the back. You can use the hot shower in the squash courts. The pool. And wifi, from the Business Center is 2000 N per 24 hrs. Security is tight,  as is all of Abuja. There must be twenty security guards around and in the building. Armed soldiers on the main entrance at the front and rear.

Abuja it's self is nice. There is definatley money here. Born of the oil industry. But that wealth is held by the very few.Enjoyed being here and getting some of lifes luxuries. A hot shower. Actually, a shower, not stood in a bucket, has been nice. Pizza, yes Pizza. Very expensive. Can't afford it, 2000 N for a small one. Fast Food chain Mr  Biggs, does chicken and rice for 1000N. And is what I've been living off since arriving in Abuha. Green taxi's are everywhere, as are private motorists. All tooting their horns. Negotiate your price, when white, they will over charge you. When they say 500 N, the real price will be 300 N. If he insists, walk away and just put your hand out again. Another car will stop in a few seconds. 

Here are some photos.

Breaking up might be hard. But breaking down in Nigeria isn't a giggle either!

Due to my bike problems yesterday and the Nigerian roads being some of the worst in Africa. I was only at Jebba. No idea how far that is away from Abuja. And when I ask any Nigerian, I get " ooow very far...very far "!! They simply have no clue. They ask why I'm in Nigeria, I explain. "...I came from London,  riding my small motorbike..."  They then say, " so you fly here today"!! Ahhh man. Same every single time.

So having had my carburettor cleaned and ' all good now ', I left Jebba. I was told there were no illegal road blocks on the way to Abuja. Let me tell you, they can't count. I rode through a number. If I can, I'm not stopping for any of them.

One had three guys. No rope running over the road to a plank of wood, with a hundred six inch nails. No,they missed that bit out. And went straight to rifles. Two had rifles, very old or traditional. Totally unrecognisable. I'd even say they were 100 years old. Ruddy great long things. The third had a two foot mashiete strapped to his chest. ' Nice friendly lads '.

The first 100 km or so was very slow. I like the red dust tracks, however bad they are. It's good fun. But when it's tarmac, but with bomb crater sized pot holes. It's just slow,slow,slow. I don't understand how or why. But my exhaust hits my rear tyre now, when going over this sort of terrain. Shock absorber off the XT works well mind. :))

Then the breakdown began. No AA here mind, nobody to call. And whilst I know I'm no author, I assure you, I'm equally challenged with mechanics. Or lack of.

Splutter,splutter. 5 mph and to a halt. My guess its fuel based issue. Carb has red dust in it,I'm guessing. So I had the carb off the bike twice today, middle of Nigeria. Just what you want. And no joy. Sputter,splutter. I managed to get to a small town,come village. And found a shack which was fixing the usual Chinese 125's. I only had 420N on me. But they changed the plug straight away and tried cleaning the main fuel pipe. I asked for the carb. to be cleaned. But English isn't really understood by everyone. Not remotely. Plus I think he was just a guy who could change a chain. But true problems, were beyond him. Whilst he worked away,a crowd gathered. I'm not joking. ...It was sixty strong! !! Sixty. ( I'm not getting my camera out in Nigeria. Plus you just have ' tourist' written all over you.) And for me, that shouts future victim.

The rest of my day was spent at 5/10 mph. The swet pouring off me,as no breeze to cool me down in the enduro suit. Was a bit concerned today. Bike broken,I can't fix it. Middle of nowhere. In Nigeria. Illegal road blocks everywhere. Armed men. And to top the lot, whilst off roading, my water had bounced out my baggage!  So if I'd had to wild camp,I had nothing to drink. And its about 3 litres of water a day you need. Minimum.

I managed to splutter to a good sized town,about 20km from Abuja. I saw a bank,which is rare. Grabbed £40. ( I'm now down to £400 plus overdraft. ) Found a cheap Guesthouse and have organised to take the bike to someone at 8.15 am tomorrow.

On the plus side. Today was day three with just a bowl of rice inside me. But the Guesthouse owner sent me out with a worker to a western style restaurant. I've just had a chicken leg and meat pie. Fan bloody tastic !!! Nailed it in 5. Forget cheap African prices....more than Europe. I just can't eat bush meat. It's what came with my rice three days ago.

So, just another day of challenges. I will be happier when my bikes fixed. I just doubt the knowledge of some of these guys here. It's self taught, standards vary drastically. And they will never have seen this sort of carburettor before. We shall soon find out.

Glad to be in a bed, with a plan and possible solution. So its not all bad. The Guesthouse has intermittent power, as usual. So the pump for water doesn't work. So the maid brings two buckets. One with water. You stand in the first bucket. And by using a bowl, scoop water from the second. And Bob's your tea pot, you've had a shower. Sorry for the photo. :)) Hopefully I shall be camping in the grounds of the Hilton Hotel Abuja tomorrow. :))

Then it's over to Angola Embassy number four !! And try and get that visa. :))

...." this time next year......"

Will.x

Splutter splutter...

So I found a Guesthouse in Llorin. A Guesthouse is not a victorian 3 storey building, run by Dot and her elderly husband Burt. It's two tennis courts in size. Has an eight foot surrounding wall. And a row of rooms,similar to a US motel. There is always a Guardian or Security.

This one had a bar and some food. Having had my ' shower '. ( me stood in a big bucket,throwing water over myself from a second bucket. ) I went to the ' restaurant '. Well....I mean I'm a fussy eater in England. I'm always getting moaned at over it. So eating in Africa is not easy for me. I asked for rice and chicken. ( its a safe bet.) ' No chicken '...just beef. Result.  I thought. Out comes my rice and ' beef '.....ahum. it was cow spine and chilli soup . " hhhhm...always fancied a bit of spine " !

In the guesthouse complex,I sat with twenty or so locals. Watching Nigeria v Morocco. 4-3 Nigeria. I was the centre of attention.  No annanimity here for a white man. You are constantly being watched . Akin to an alien has landed. We actually had some deep conversations. These Nigerians tend to big guys. I simply keep it simple. I'm respectful, I have my knife in my left boot. I do stand my ground. But without any attitude. It works.

I had a quick two hours out and about in Llorin. A guy from the Guesthouse glad to 'help' me. Which is code for,you pay me after. Almost, almost no 'help' in Africa is for friendship alone . Taxi moto, is a taxi motorbike. They are all Chinese, the bikes,not the riders. Cost 100N for a short journey. The taxi moto in the photo took me to the damn. Wasn't too exciting. Nice crash helmet though ...because that won't come off. ;)

Nigeria is apparently the 8 th richest country in the world. You'll need to check that. Well, the roads are terrible! ! The drivers insane. Don't be surprised to see cars and bikes driving on the wrong side of the road. And boy have I had some close shaves. Mental.

Yesterday, I'm riding centre of my side of the road. A truck heading towards me on the other side. A truck behind that one. It takes a look to over take. He can't bloody miss me. Head light on,im in the middle of the road. He over takes anyway. He's coming directly at me. No room left on the road for me. Just me being splattered on his bonnet. No joking.  He was say, 200 m away now. Head to head and only one winner. No road left.  I had to jump the bike off the road and onto the dust track,some two feet below the actual road. Nice moment. Liked that a lot. !!! Happened again today. Hey ho. Mad, mad and more madness.

My bike has been almost un rideable today. Spluttering, no power at all . Big problem for me. Middle of the Nigerian bush, with a broken bike. Just what you want. Some sort of fuel blockage. I cleaned the air filter and changed the plug. And still splutter,splutter, splutter. 5 mph.

I just managed to get into Jebba. Having spluttered my way through an illegal road block. ( That had the bottom twitching.  ) " work. ...go..work.." splutter ,splutter. Whistles blowing and shouting, as I ignored their road block.

My bike came to a halt outside a hut, with Chinese bikes being repaired . 20 minutes later my carb had been cleaned, my chain adjusted. And whilst far from running correctly, is now  workable. Of a fashion.

I'm now on my bed in a house. A Guesthouse. About 1 km outside Jebba. It's THE house with water. As it had a bore hole dug. Er...for water. So all the local houses come here to use the outside tape. They come with big trolleys, carrying 20 lt water containers. As a result, I've had a few conversations in English, with some of the locals. All good. One girl arrived for water. Her name ? Loveit! Had to smile inside. " reaaaally " .

My bike = ..." ...I've changed the head twice and the handle three times. .....but it's still the same broom..."

' ...onwards and upwards Rodney. ...onwards and upwards. ...'

Tomorrow Abuja. X

Will

What a day....

Up bright and breezy, with a view to an early start and definitely a day light finish.

Working on the principle that these illegal road blocks will go onto late into the night. The bad guys will be having a lay in. So I set off from Pobe,early doors. some 10 km from the Nigerian border.

Not 7 km later it was dark red dusty track, as a road. And slap my thigh with blissful glee,I had a puncture. A six inch nail, used on the illegal road blocks to stop the traffic. Was hanging out of my rear tyre. " Gosh..good ", I said.

Bike un rideable and now in the jungle, miles from anywhere. And I doubt if the AA would respond. Time to get my thinking cap on. My bike doesn't have a centre stand. Making taking the rear wheel off alone, somewhat of a challenge.

A long story short. A local tribesmen turned up. Followed by three more. Followed by half a school, all dressed in brown uniform. Between us we got the wheel off,changed the inner tube and got it blown up. An hour of sweating my bits off. Now with a crowd of about twenty around me and the bike. Strange. Not one word of English and not one word of French was said. They only spoke tribal.... photos below.

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

Through Benin Customs without any hassle. Now for Nigeria. With fingers crossed, that choosing a remote boarder crossing was the right thing to do.

Into Nigeria Immigration, a hut on the left side. Where I was grilled about my visit. Despite having a visa. Until the penny dropped. ( I now always explain I've ridden my bike from England. It throws them off any bribery game.) Passport all stamped up,they even asked to have photos next to me. Result. Then over to Health Desk,to show my Yellow Fever card. ( Another small hut.)Then I was called to the SS Office. To which I said " sounds about right ". Thankfully he had no idea. SS, means Secret Service. Had a quick chat and some more forms. Then over to Nigeria Customs.

It started all strict and official. Scrutinised everything. So glad I bought new bike insurance. All my baggage off the bike. Into the building, checked for drugs and weapons. 2 hrs worth. The head of Narcotics being also present. After I explained my story,it all changed again. Back to asking for photos. The head of Narcotics taking a wrist band off and giving it to me ! Which was a great gesture.They even forgot to charge me for my Lassier Passer. Which should be 5,000 N. Result !!!

And into Nigeria. ..remember I don't have the luxury of gps. Due to Suzuki GB. So just my home made map. As usual.

A typical scene: By the road side,you can clearly see large logs,lots of them. A hut,some string running over the road. Attached to a wooden board,with a hundred or so nails sticking out. 12 times I went through illegal road blocks. Each time I waited for a car to go ahead and as it slowed down, for the road block,id over take down the centre line. The car or truck obscuring the view of the ' Vigilante' gang. I'm sure at least four times I went through Official road blocks. They had uniforms and were shouting, but me "no comprendo".

"...onwards and upwards Rodney. ."

The road at times was terrible. It had been raining and I soon was filthy. Pretty sure i was running parallel to the road I actually wanted. Mine was red and muddy. It should have been tarmac. A number of times locals shouted at me. And it didn't seem to smell of roses and love. But I pushed on through the jungle until I hit a tarmac road. Then asked someone for Abeokuta. The bike and I now covered in red dirt. And I like that a lot !

I got to my first pit stop at about 4 pm and found a basic Guesthouse. 3,000N. Just north of Abeokuta. The family were Muslims and very helpful. The power is intermittent. Which means the water is. A problem across Africa. Photo of me in a bucket. Having a ' shower '.The room was good. Made acceptable, as the family owning it, were so nice. ( I was actually offered the daughter by the mother.Now that's service!!. ) I wanted to get food in me before nightfall. They escorted me to a locals restaurant. Knife now in left boot.The chicken and rice was fantastic. Best I've had in Africa. ( Usually chicken here is skin and bone. Hardly any meat.) Not here though, it was massive. Covered in a natural chilli sauce. It was on the money. O and it cost 600 N with a water. Then it was one bottle of beer at their cousins shop,next door to the Guest house. All tucked up in my room by nightfall. Watching black and white Nigeria soap. Hhhmmm

In the morning one of them gave me a wrist band,for good luck. Not to be outdone, the daughter, about 20 ish,came over. " I want to give you a gift "....and she put a watch around my left wrist. How nice.

I am starting look like a model in the Next Catalogue. African Edition. Kneck lace from a tribesmen in Burkina Faso. Knife from the Toureg in Mali. Two wristbands from Nigeria and now a watch. Never mind that lot....where's the oil .:)

I feel very privileged actually. They are all gifts for safe passage. X

Will

PS For security reasons. Very few photos will be taken in Nigeria. In public.I'm not giving anyone an extra opportunity. Hope you understand.

North into Benin

Well, having had Malaria for the second time. And waited for the Angola Embassy to reopen, I was told they were not issuing visas till April. The Angolan visas is the hardest to get. 3 months bank statement,  a Letter of Invitation, from someone in Angola. (In Portuguese of course.) Forms and two photos. And not forgetting $100 and then, and only then, you might get a five day transit visa. And in a country much, much larger than the UK. With few roads, that is impossible. And just to finish the moment off. You get a $200 fine for every day it takes longer !!! Never been a scam !

So I left Cocotiers Guesthouse this morning. Had two cartons of wine ( I know I'm soo classy ). With a German girl and two of the lads, from the Guesthouse. Last night, as a bit of a send off.

Due to the above, I left a tad latter than I expected. But made my way, with my trusty home made map, towards Porto Novo.

But I kinda missed my turning off the coastal road. And found myself at the Benin / Nigeria border. Lagos crossing point. ( oops !) But my plan,  due to security, was to head inland basically. And cross at a rural crossing point. No foreigners,  no big expensive 4x4's. No money. In theory, no bad guys.

Lots of security issues at the Lagos crossing point. 18 million I think in Lagos. Lots of people with money, but huge numbers of broke and desperate men. Who make a living from robbing people at knife point. One method being the illegal road block. Tree trunks over the road,,backed up with a chain attached to spikes. Just as the police have. But home made. You're stopping basically. And welcome to a ' moment '!

So back to my turning and onto Porto Novo. Then up a reasonable road to Pobe. A tiny frontier town. I got a cheap B&B. (£9 including two beers. ) I even had chicken and rice brought to me. Result !Took photos of the kids that came to see me. Very shy.And did my final prep for Nigeria,  early in the morning.

Will

Malaria....again.

Loved it. Special. Great time. Missed it a lot...

I can't afford to take anti malaria tablets for the six months this challenge will take. Its over £500.So I have to get it and then treat it. Artefan is my weapon of choice. I was back on my feet after four days. Today being my first day properly being able to moan. At my usual high standard :))

I'm not going to dribble on about Malaria. It's different for everyone, as there are four different strains. You don't want it, it can kill you. And does bump off over a million people a year !!

So I'm here in Contonou. Benin. Had two days to myself, before my mate Malaria came to revisit. So I've not seen too much. Huge beach mind. And there clearly is money here. In some places at least.

My guesthouse is massive and right in the middle of the diplomats area. The houses are enormous, stylish ,walled and each has security men. The road on the other hand,looks like a building site. No tarmac. Multi million pound homes on rubble streets and no lighting. Why do think that might be hey ????

In part and I will repeat this. ' In part ', due to getting malaria again. I started to question my position. Question what motivates me. Why am I doing this ? And it's still the same answer. My motivator is, donations to my charity web page. They stop.....im going to question my position. It's only natural. Yes,I write this on my phone. Via rare wifi. You read it on a computer. What's new ? Security threats are new. Keeping quite on it. But I assure you I am very much risking my life. I need to see those donations.

Now the meds and malaria don't make for a great cocktail for pure thought. But I want everyone to know, I'm truly proud and great full for those who have contributed. Shown their support and true colours. Touches my heart. It's a great feeling, knowing different people around the world. Are Chipping in. Some with Fuel money,some with donations and some with promoting the challenge. "Thank you".x

I'm not so, " kumby yar ma lord" , with Suzuki GB or the national press. I'm in a tight spot financial myself, thanks to Suzuki GB. Im at £900 to my name. But the Halifax increased my over draft to £1,500. Hopefully that will cover all the fuel,breakdowns,  ( bike not me). Huge visas and bribery. Food n accom as and when. etc etc

My gripe. That despite my best efforts I've not been able to get this challenge into the national media. Without that,donations will be stagnant. As my Facebook come Twitter audience, have all made a donation.

Can you help ? I will carry on...

Just e mail the Sun. The Mirror. Etc.lets show people power. New audience.......new donations. And that's the name of the game here.

Bold enough thank you.

Been out of bed today,getting money for the guesthouse. And ready to exchange my CFA into Nigerian Nairn. 3 to 1 basically. Slightly unsure if my bike will be insured by my policy. I have a african ECWAS policy.Some contradictions on line. I suspect not. And will have to pay a crazy amount at the border. Also got all my clothes washed. For once I didn't do them in the shower. 2,000 cfa to the land lady. Bought some tinned food. ( Take one bloody guess...) washed and repacked all my exped. Kit. Cleaned and oiled my completely worn out chain and sprocket set. And came to tell you....

Monday and Tuesday im sat in the Angola Embassy. 6 am Wednesday morning i will be at the Benin / Nigeria border. I'm going to do my best.

Will.

No pics . So a few of before I set off. Whilst working as crew on the Exteme Stunt Show. You could find me practising on various beaches.Even one of Dangerous Brian. :))