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. .

Malaria

Well Malaria is just one long giggle.  O what fun it is. I've been feeling bad for over a week now.  Doing the denial routine,  that it could be Malaria. But knowing whatever I had,was similar to Thyphoid. Which I had back in 2010, in Cambodia.

So past three days I've been sweating my bits off. As it hit me big time.Throwing up and basically having a jolly good time. All whilst I took some very powerful medicine. Artefan 80/480.

Feel 80 % ok now. And am looking forward to getting back to the challenge. Next stop is Leo frontier crossing,  between Burkina Faso and Ghana.

Lots of technical issues here. Can't upload and so on.

Here's some photos of my journey to Bobo Duilassa. Keeping it short. So hopefully it will publish.

Please,please remember....I am putting myself through all this. To raise awarness and donations for wounded servicemen. CLICK HELP FOR HEROES LOGO. TOP RIGHT.

Ps. Or I will give you the lergy !!!