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Happy Travels!

Driving Back through West Africa

28 December 2011 – 1 January 2012

6 whole days of driving. That’s all this trip could have taken. But, a month later. It’s really time to go home. So, here’s the basic run down on the drive back.

Woke up on the 28^th, load the car and away we went. Made it to Tamale, Ghana. Thankfully. We were hoping to gain a day by making this leg of the trip in one day! Pulled up to the Giriba Lodge and booked the last two rooms. Went to the restaurant at the hotel for dinner. They were swamped because everyone decided to show up at the same time for dinner. When this happens in Africa, the staff freak out and quit functioning. It’s just part of life here.  While we were enjoying our dinner, two French boys (about the age of 8-9) walked up to our table and snatched the bottle caps off of our beer and coke bottles. WTH?? Seriously. It was so rude. Their parents did nothing. Now, had they asked politely, we would have given the caps to them. Instead, Liam yelled at them and then started taunting the kids and hoarding all of the caps so they would leave our table alone. (I promise – he’s really great with kids…but not rude French kids).

On the 29^th, when we stopped for gas, I happened to notice that the tire that was canted was almost completely bald and was bound to pop. We also noticed there was a nail inside the back right tire. We have two spares and it looks like we are going to use them. Better start looking for a shop to repair the one with a nail in it. Instead of changing the bald tire at the gas station, we drove down the road a little closer to the border and then had the tire changed. Still confused why we didn’t just change it while we were already at a gas station. But, what do I know. I sat with my fingers crossed hoping we wouldn’t lose another tire. Things like that happen in Africa ALL THE TIME!

Our drive on the 29^th took us all the way to Bobo-Dissolou, Burkina Faso. Perfect. We are ahead of schedule and have enough time to drive back to Banfora in the morning to buy rum and enjoy a delicious breakfast at the Hotel Sucre de Canne! We were going to stay at a nicer hotel but they only had one room, so we went back to Villa Rose. Had dinner at St. Germaine again because it was so good last time!

On the 30^th, we drove down to Banfora early. Had breakfast, tasted some rum, and headed to Bamako, Mali. On the way from Banfora to Bobo-Dissolou, the tire with the nail in it went flat. Stopped at a tire-changing hut on the way out of Bobo to have someone change the tire. While the boys worked on the car, I was reading my book (Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles by Richard Dowden) and noticed a chicken stuck in a drainage ditch. Therefore, I went on a hunt to find something to pick up the chicken and put him back on normal ground. Thankfully, I had some gloves to protect me from funky chicken diseases. Picked up the chicken on a cardboard box. He was so freaked out that he sat right near the front tire of the car for a while. Finally, he calmed down enough and started walking around. Realizing he was free!! I’m sure he will be dinner at some point in the future, but it made me feel good knowing that he wouldn’t drown in the drainage ditch. Poor lil’ chicken.

Second tire changed, but not repaired. So, now we have no spare tires. Seriously, stressing. It’s just not a good idea to have ZERO spares. Especially since we had already driven the roads and knew they weren’t great. However, Al did not agree with us and didn’t want to take the time to stop. Now, I’m really going to stress about making it all the way to Mauritania. Cause we have no spare and potentially a broken back axle. AWESOME.

Made it to Bamako at dark. Checked into the Badala Hotel and ate dinner. Liam came upstairs after dinner and informed me that Al said he did not want to take the time to fix the tire. Seriously. It’s really frustrating. Liam tried to talk him into getting fixed, but it was becoming a don’t-bring-it-up-I’m-going-to-do-what-I-want-because-you-are-bossing-me-around issue. Um. It’s not. It’s a safety issue. Because now, we are traveling through Africa and seriously compromising our safety.  Oh, and apparently me saying, “I’m not comfortable traveling any further without a spare” does not matter to him. So, I know where I stand on the totem pole. I just wonder if he would put his own family in that kind of a position. (And in hindsight, I’m really pissed at myself for calming Liam down and convincing him to not make a scene. That was irresponsible of myself. I will never let it happen again. Safety first. Not feeling the need to live dangerously).

Leaving Bamako on the 31^st, the guys got into a bit of a yelling contest. Being in the car for 30 days with the same people brings out all kinds of fun tension. Al and Liam ended up in a screaming match over lots of little things. Then, we spent the next 12 hours in silence. Except for when someone asked to pee. Liam and I were stuck in the front seat and back seat respectively, because Al wanted to drive. Fine. But, for the record, we both offered.

Beautiful Baobab in Western Mali.

The border between Senegal and Mali was a fiasco because the customs agent in Senegal was being a complete and utter prick. But, he realized he wasn’t going to get any money out of us and he better let us go. Came upon a giant animal. At first glance it looked like a West African baby rhino. But, since they have been extinct since 2006 and I’m not sure they were even in this area, we decided it was a giant wart hog. Make it to Tambacounda, Senegal. Stay in the same hotel we did last time. Actually, in the same room. And it was 104. Not 109. They fixed the toilet! We had to laugh. Spent some time talking Liam out of flying out of Dakar the next day instead of driving the other embassy vehicle to Mauritania. He was really pissed and ready to be done with this trip. Went to dinner and enjoyed a nice quiet meal on New Year’s Eve. After dinner looked up information and decided we would be able to leave on the 3^rd. Awesome. I don’t really feel like being in West Africa for another 5 days if I can go ahead and get out of here! Especially with all the extra tension.

Also, spent some time double-checking if the pig was really a rhino. My brain was literally seeing things. The pig was HUGE. It’s back was almost to the top of the front of the car. I’m guessing about 3.5 feet tall. Therefore, I had myself convinced I needed to report a rhino siting to the World Wildlife Foundation. See. Africa makes you crazy! (Here's a link to a few google images of African Bush pigs:  https://www.google.com/search?q=african+bush+pigs&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=tFy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SL1NT9_CDIjJtge3q_SkCA&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=607).

Wake up on New Year’s Day. Try to be polite, but it’s going to be another long day.

Silence most of the way to Dakar. Made it into Dakar and arrived at the embassy. Al went to grab the other car from the embassy compound since Liam didn’t have his id and I had absolutely no idea where it was parked. While Al was grabbing the car, we pulled all of our stuff out of the car we had been driving. Al pulls up the car and we tell him to go ahead and start driving to St. Louis, Senegal since we have to stop by the airport. That way, at least one of us would get there before dark. Again, more yelling and screaming. Seriously. This trip needs to end.

Al drives through the embassy gate. Liam runs up to him and asks him if his phone is working. Of course not. We have had phone issues the whole trip. We get in the other truck after loading all of our stuff. We drive over to the Casino market to get some food for the drive since we are both starving. As we were pulling in to the grocery store, we saw Al pull into the Radisson Blu next door. So, I guess he isn’t going to St. Louis tonight. I wonder if he is actually staying there. Hopefully, he will email us later and clue us in. The grocery store was closed for the holiday, so we headed to the airport. Changed our Senegal Airline flight from the 8^th to the 3^rd and were on our way to St. Louis. We wanted to enjoy a few days doing our own thing. Especially after how crappy the past few days were.

Bought some more oranges on the road and gobbled them down. OMG. They are so delicious. I would drive down that crazy road just to buy them!!!

Make it to Saint Louis right at dark. We begin the hunt for our hotel. There is a parked car in front of us and Liam puts on his blinker to go around the car. As he pulls out, BAM!!! A motorbike rams into the car and bounces off. Crap. We pull forward a little and the crowd starts to form, so we pull away looking for the police and trying to call our embassy. Well, someone follows us and stops us at a police blockade and accuses us of fleeing the scene. Well, we were following embassy policy. That’s what we are told to do. Remove yourself from the dangerous situation. So, we did.

The policeman tries to get into the car with us and take us back to the scene of the crime. Well, here’s the problem. This car only has two seats. So, I pushed him away and closed the door. Probably didn’t help the situation. The policeman jumps in the car of the people who chased us down since policemen don’t have cars in Africa. (I mean really, why would a policeman need a car. Seems silly doesn’t it?) So, back to the scene of the crime we went.

Ghana...

22 December 2011 – 27 December 2011

Wake up to Liam’s bright and shining face on our 1^st anniversary in Africa!  We have been married for 3 years. And it’s been a busy three years. But, I’m hoping the 4^th year of our marriage is MUCH better than the past one. While we have grown together, it has been a REALLY tough year and we are due a break.

Load the car. We are stopping by the embassy and then we are heading out of town. Ouagadougou has been fun, but I’m ready to see some friends!! We are heading to Ghana to meet up with some friends of ours from DC who moved to Ghana in March!

But, first things first. Head to the embassy one last time to take care of some paperwork, hand in the keys for the TDY house, and check email one more time. I’m waiting on official yes from the travel office to book my ticket to Memphis for surgery. But, seeing as how I have yet to receive an answer, it will be last minute before I have a response. Sigh. Gotta love the government and their inability to do their job in a timely manner.

Head south around 10am. We have a border to cross and are staying in Tamale, Ghana a town a couple hours south of the border. It’s a short trek to the border and the road was brand new. There were a few spots where they were finishing construction of the road but all in all, I think it only took us about 4.5 hours. Arrive in Tamale and look for a bank that will take MasterCard for cash. This is a serious problem in West Africa. It’s almost impossible to find banks that work with MasterCard debit cards. Finally did. Thank you Stanbic. You will have lots of USAA customers for life with that option.

After looking at all of the hotel options and one of the guesthouses being full, we decide on the Catholic Archdiocese Guesthouse. For $22.50, Liam treated me to a very special third anniversary. Compete with prostitutes hovering outside Al’s room. Oh wait. Did I say prostitutes? I meant to say they “just wanted to be his friend.” One of the girls watching him check in slipped him a note under his door. Yea. He wasn’t very appreciative of that fact. Al didn’t really feel the need to make any new friends. And thankfully, they left our rooms alone all night!

I thought the C-wire added a nice touch. Safety first.

The room was actually pretty clean, but the bed was not comfortable and lacked a top sheet. So, we had to sleep under a blanket, which was probably clean, but still sketched me out a tiny bit. But, we survived. Another African guesthouse. Is it wrong that I’m starting to prefer the slightly sketchy guesthouses to the lush bungalows on the beach? It’s really a cost thing. I’ve become very cheap when choosing a place to snuggle. Why pay $200 a night when you can spend $20 for essentially the same thing. Well, hot water, top sheets, and towels may be a negotiable item. But, that’s part of the appeal. You never know what you are going to get.

After checking in and situating our self in our room, we walked down the street to Swad Fast Food for dinner. Now, the title might lead you to assume that this was a McDonald’s type fast food restaurant. However, fast food is a term African’s have added to titles because it is American and cool to say “fast food.” However, by no means does it actually mean you will receive your food in a timely manner. In fact, it could be a two-hour meal. Because time is irrelevant in Africa.  Which I’m adapting too and beginning to like. It’s a slower pace of life. It’s actually nice. 

As expected dinner took a while, but it was overall pretty tasty. I probably ordered the wrong thing for my belly, but Liam’s curry was fantastic and I was kicking myself for not ordering a vegetable curry instead of the chicken cordon bleu. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and had a few beers in the courtyard of the guesthouse. It was enjoyable. There were a few cats running around and all of a sudden two were in a nasty cat fight and ran past us. I’m not sure what was going on there. Maybe one kitty crossed the other kitty’s line?

The party going on in the conference room ended right as we were finishing our beers in the courtyard. Thankfully. Cause had it continued into the wee hours of the morning, sleeping would have been impossible. The conference center was literally behind our two rooms and the music was LOUD. Speaker blowing loud. This is the norm in Africa though. I’m guessing it’s about feeling the music. Literally.

Head to bed after a rather unusual anniversary.

Wake up on the morning of the 23^rd and we grab breakfast from the guesthouse restaurant. The breakfast options were pretty limited. But, I can fill up on toast, fruit, and tea if necessary. However, fruit was the wrong thing to order, because everyone else ordered omelets and the guys were done eating their eggs before my fruit was even cut. It was worth the wait though. The pineapple was delicious.

Finish up breakfast, pay, check out. In the process of all of this, Liam pointed out that the back left wheel of the car was canted. I didn’t see it. But, I guess that could be a problem long term. We will just keep an eye on it and hope it gets us all the way back to Noukachott.

Pile in the car and we are off to Kumasi, Ghana. Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti kingdom. The Ashanti people have been in this region for several centuries. There is a legend of the golden stool. A golden stool (literally made of gold) came down from the heavens. Over the years, several different groups of people have tried to steal the stool. However, after one of the last attempts, the real stool has been placed in a secure location and an imitation one is on display. Additionally, there is a sword in the ground at one of the hospital. If the sword is removed, the Ashanti kingdom will collapse. Also, they still have a king. Pretty cool.

Somehow we managed to make a wrong turn and were quite a ways out of Tamale before we realized it. But, stopped asked for directions and away we went on the correct road. The road was full of potholes, goats, mutton, cows, and people. Some of which understood basic physics. One lil' baby goat went splat. It was not nice. But, that's why slowing down and having plenty of reaction time is so essential here.

Arrived in Kumasi to a cluster of chaos. Seriously. The map we had was okay until we hit a detour in the road. Then, we made a right when we should have gone left and 20 km outside of the city we turned around. However, it was not a total loss. We bought some fresh sugar cane to chew on and a bunch of bananas. Delicious, as usual.

Back track and make the right turn. Check out the two hotels we are looking at staying in. Decide to stay at the Royal Park Hotel because they said they took American Express and we were low on cash. Check in and check out our room. It’s pretty nice and an actual king size bed. That’s the first I have seen on this trip. We are both going to get a good night sleep tonight!

We are staying in Kumasi for two nights. Mostly to break up the drive and actually enjoy the sites of a country. So, we head out on the hunt to find a place to eat dinner. Look for two restaurants down the street from our hotel but it’s approaching dark and we can’t find them. The Lonely Planet we are using is a few years old, and lists them off the map. We give up and have park at the restaurant next to our hotel. We head in, the servers fight over who is going to help us. Then, we sit down to eat. However, they turn on the music and it’s BLARING. In our ears. The speakers are 10 feet away and so loud. We decide there is no way we can suffer through that and pack up our stuff to leave. However, the owner comes over and talks to us. They turn down the music and we head over to another side of the restaurant. Which made me feel bad. Why should all the other patrons not have the music at the volume they want it? But, the owner assured us it was okay.

We ordered drinks and food. The owner came back over and talked with us for a while. Turns out his is a doctor in town and has opened his own hospital. We talked a little more and I gave him my contact info. I would not mind going back one day and volunteering at his hospital. He did mention that he wanted a new dialysis machine. I kind of felt like he was fishing for someone to donate one. But, the man owns a hospital. Owns a VERY successful restaurant. AND. Who knows what else. But, he needs a free dialysis machine. He probably makes more money than most of the physicians I know. Sigh. TIA.

Dinner was delicious. Liam ordered pizza. I ordered soup and vegetable fried rice. There must be a gigantic Asian population in this town because there is only Asian food on the menu. We started connecting the dots on that one. If there is a large range of a certain ethnic type of food – the population reflects it. But, whatever. Bring on some Chinese food. It’s delicious!  Liam’s pizza was also pretty tasty and the live band was nice. By the time we left, we were all a fan of this place. To think we almost missed out on a nice evening because the music was loud.

Leave the restaurant and walk to the car. We are blocked in. There are other people who have been blocked in for over an hour. Even though, they have announced the license plate over and over again. They were understandably upset. Well, that’s not okay to me. People should not be so impolite. So, I go find the owner and ask him to help. Then, we take off the license plate on the car and give it to a security guard (the plate was tied to the car with a string). Then, a group of about 5 guys picked up the back end of the Kia and moved it over a few feet. At last. Everyone is free! Helped the people who had been stuck to back out and away we went. Well at least the 200 feet we went. I’m just glad we were able to help!

Head back to the hotel and decide I can’t resist the monkey in the cage. He looked so miserable and lonely. I snuck a banana out to him. He was pretty excited and I think I made a friend. It was entertaining to watch him eat the banana. He did the exact same thing I do. Every time I come across a stringy thing on the banana, he pulled it off, made a face, and threw it to the ground! Yep. I definitely share a lot of genes with this guy!!!!!

My lil' friend.

Off to bed. I’m so exhausted. Traveling really wears you out.

Wake up on the morning of the 24^th. It doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve. Probably because it’s so hot. We take our sweet time and enjoy a late breakfast. After breakfast, walked back to the room and the housekeepers asked me to leave them a Christmas present. WTH? Really. That’s rude. I don’t even know you.

We showered and headed out to explore town. First stop, the military museum. I had no idea that the Ghanaians fought with the Germans in World War I in East Africa and then with the British in Burma in World War II. Talk about a change in alliance. They had managed to secure a pretty cool collection of military equipment. Guns, machetes, tanks, planes, etc. They had a section that was dedicated to each branch of the military. It was in the old fort that was used to protect the Ashanti kingdom in the early 1900s.

After the tour of the museum, head into town to go exploring. You never know what you will come across. Walk down, meet a few people. Ghanaians are a very friendly and welcoming people. We shop a little. But, it’s lunch time. Based on a recommendation one of the guys gave us, we walked across the street and had lunch in an awesome café. I ordered alu matter. I was craving some Indian goodness after Liam’s delicious curry the other night. Indian food is always good. And filling. I actually think it’s a comfort food for me. I grew up on it!!! All because we have so many fantastic Indian friends!!

After lunch, we decide to check out a few of the shops. Liam ends up bargaining for two Ashanti masks. One is the king. One is the queen. And he scored a GREAT deal. It’s become a game for him. How cheap can I get something?

Queen on left, King on the right.

Walked down the hill and went for a stroll through the market. I really enjoy markets. You literally can find anything you need. We found a receipt book for Al. There was a ton of CCC – cheap china crap. Okay. So, I think I need to explain something here. I have made a lot of comments about China lately. China has done a lot of great things for African countries as far as infrastructure. The new roads are quite nice. However, within 2 years they fall apart and are crap. It’s kind of like the cheaply made plastic stuff we buy in the states. You know it’s going to break at some point. Well, they have a whole different version of cheap plastic for Africa. And the quality is even worse than what is available in the States. To the point, some African countries (like Tanzania) are restricting and outlawing importation of CCC. Because, families save their hard earned money to buy a $5 chair. Then, the chair breaks a week later and the family has just wasted $5 that took them a year to save up. So, coming to Africa with an indifferent opinion, I now have a strong opinion that the entire world, specifically China, is only ‘helping’ Africa for their own gain. It’s sad. How about we all help this continent grow and become a strong economic factor in the world without trying to clean the continent of it’s natural resources. Might help us all out!!!!!

Leave the market and head back to the hotel to rest for a bit!  When Al & I get out of the car, Liam runs back to the bank to get cash. I walk towards our room and the security guard asks for his Christmas present. WTH, again. What is up with these people? It’s just rude. I spend a little bit of time talking to my new friend, Mr. Monkey. He even let me hold us hand for a bit and talked to me. The key was in the padlock and I wanted to let the poor guy go. But, I didn’t want to upset the hotel. I’m surprised the monkey hasn’t unlocked himself though. Monkeys are known for figuring out locks and opening things!!!

After looking for the other restaurants again, we decide to return to the restaurant next door for dinner. Leave the car parked at the hotel after last night’s fiasco and walk to the restaurant. Order dinner and some popcorn. Again the food was great! There was a couple near us that had to be holding their new grandbaby! They would not put the baby down! It made me smile! Another happy, loved baby!

Head back to the hotel and another night of great sleep.

Wake up on Christmas day! Merry Christmas world. We are heading to the beach. We eat breakfast and load up the car. At some point, the housekeepers asked me why I did not leave them their Christmas present. Really? Okay. Now, I’m annoyed. Liam goes to check out and gets really upset when he finds out they didn’t take American Express. I’m not surprised. Thankfully, he got enough cash out to cover it. Otherwise, we would have been screwed. The owner was standing there and saw how upset Liam was. Regardless, it didn’t matter. So, we paid and left. With no plans to ever return to this hotel. TIA.

Get on the road to head to Cape Coast. Or what we thought was the road to Cape Coast. Another wrong turn in Africa. Just another day in our life. Find the right road after a rather knowledgeable Ghanaian pointed us in the right direction. It happens so infrequently, we are all so shocked when it does!

This was probably one of the coolest drives of our trip. We went from Sahel to Jungle. In about 2 hours. Dryness to sweating, sticking, torture-ess heat.

Made it to Cape Coast and went to check out two hotels. The first was nice, but the 2^nd was much preferred. Checked in, and jumped in the car to go find a cash machine. Our constant problem in life these days. Finding a cash machine that works. While on the hunt for money, we came across Cape Coast Castle. Another horrible facility used to steal Africans of there home and ship them all over the world. However, at sunset and with all of the people around us celebrating Christmas, it was a fun place to be! I loved watching everyone swim in the ocean and celebrate life next to a building that relocated so many lives. Funny how life works isn’t it?

Canons.

Wandering around the Castle.

Merry Christmas!

May not want to order octopus with flip flop. Thinking foot sweat would not be a good flavor.

Leave the Castle and head to a restaurant on the beach for dinner. Christmas on the beach? I know it’s some people’s dream, but for me. I want 4 feet of snow and temperatures below zero. I was out of my element. But, at least Liam and I were able to spend the holidays together.

Head back to the hotel, get online for the first time in a couple of days and tackle the emails, skypes, and Christmas phone calls. What a zoo! Mostly because of lag and interference.

Head to bed. It’s been a long day and we are heading to Accra tomorrow.

Wake up, grab breakfast and away we go! December 26^th is all about spending time with friends. Susan and Dan were our neighbors in DC and they moved to Ghana this past March. They have two precious children that we love to spend time with! We can’t wait to see them!

Driving to Accra can be pretty death defying from what I heard the boys mumble while I was napping. Something about 10 died on this curve, 12 died here, etc. Scary. But, I blame unbelievably poor driving. Oh and the 5 people hanging on the back of the bus rather than sitting in it. It’s a public health/safety teaching extravaganza in the making!!! But, will the people absorb and practice the lessons? Always a question…

Arrive safely into Accra, check into the Holiday Inn Airport (nicest hotel on our trip) and headed over to Susan and Dan’s. Lots of hugs and hanging out with friends. They had friends in town from Shanghai. I love meeting friends of friends. You know you surround yourself with good people when their friends are wonderful as well! It was such a wonderful day! Including baking with the bigger munchkins!

After a fantastic dinner, we headed back to the hotel and crashed.

Woke up on the 27^th. At what I thought was 8:30. Well, guess what. Clocks are playing tricks on me too. Cause it was really 7:30. So, I was exhausted already and woke up an hour early. Sigh. But, I’m going mask hunting. I’m on the hunt for two masks. Both are specific for Ghana.

Another Ghanaian mask.

Head over to Susan and Dan’s and Karen, Susan, and I jump in the car to enjoy a morning of shopping and woman time. First, we drive by a few craft markets that are closed because it is a holiday in Ghana. Head to the open-air market. Since their car was broken into, Susan stayed in the car and practiced for her language class. Karen and I went hunting. I love the way she bargains. She is so nice! She gives her price and then says something along the lines of, “It’s okay if you don’t want to take that price, but that’s all I’m willing to pay for it.” She was on the hunt for presents for her two munchkins and a nativity scene. I found one of the masks I wanted. I guess the other will have to wait. Head back to the car and go grab some lunch at a great French café.

After lunch, we headed to Global Mamas (http://www.globalmamas.org). It’s a fair trade NGO. They had a bunch of great stuff. I bought a counting kids book. I’m a sucker for kids book. We have a pretty great collection now!!! But, I’m hoping it only grows! It’s so important for children to have books and develop a love for reading at a young age!

Head back over to there house around 1400. Spend the rest of the afternoon having great conversation and spending time playing with the munchkins! Head back to the hotel as they were sitting down for dinner. Liam and I spent the rest of the evening catching up on life/work/school.

I’m sad we are leaving tomorrow to begin the drive back to Nouakchott. But, I’ve also hit the I’m-done-with-traveling-point. Ready to go back home.