25th Ma. Chez Alice, Lome, Togo

Hi, Long post after problems getting on line in Nigeria. 18th May makes interesting reading. All well, enjoying a few days break and hope to get more of them in the next few weeks. Gary & Joan

 13^th May. Presbyterian Maternity Hospital & University.  Baminda, Cameroon

N05 58'02.4” E010 09'10.0”

We seemed to have travelled quite some distance since the last words I wrote. Last night we spent at the capital, Yaounde at the Presbyterian Eglise. Tonight we are some 360kms further on at Baminda in the Cameroon Highlands. The road reached 1900 rain drenched metres today before dropping down to 1400 at this town. A good road though, apart from the last 70kms which required concentration esp with all the unannounced bloody speed humps that could break a spring if not seen.

Tomorrow we travel around the Ring Road. A very scenic 350km drive through many traditional villages. The area was made famous by some of Gerald Durrell's books such as 'The Bafut Beagles' He spent some time in this area. It is also where that lake, a few years ago, belched poisonous gas one night killing all the villages living around the lake. These daily notes have to be short as the battery in the computer is giving up the ghost and only has 22 minutes of life from a full charge.

Joan had porridge in bed for Mother's Day. And a wine with her spinach omelette tonight.

15^th May. Ekok Border Post. Cameroon.

N05 48'32.6 E008 51'01.0”

Well we did it. It was always going to be a race to get to Ekok on the Nigerian border before the rains set in and stuffed up the 80kms from Mamfe. Well, the rains started two weeks ago but the road had dried up enough for us to do the distance in under 4 hours. There were sticky places where 4wd was necessary but we got through without too many hassles. As we pulled up to the Immigration/Customs post here in Ekok, the heavens opened. For 2 hours torrential rain scored the earth. I was stuck in the customs building while Joan sat in the car a few metres away. Lightning and thunder were simultaneous. It  was very scary. We intended staying the night at the border post to make sure we can use the full 7 days of our Nigerian visa.  The natives are restless tonight, the drums are sounding to the beat of some popular Cameroonian artist.

An American we met had taken 10 days to get across these 80kms and he was in a convoy of 4 vehicles while the Swiss couple we met in Angola had to spend 6 months in Cameroon due to the damage done to their vehicle from this stretch of road. When dry it looks quite harmless. But when the rains hit it turns to mud. The Chinese have turned the road to Mamfe from the east into a fast 2 lane highway. They have started the initial work on this last stretch but will be three years before this overlander challenge is a thing of the past.

Yesterday we started up the Ring Road that is a must-see for people visiting this area. The scenery was spectacular but the road pretty bad. It was going to take us too long to do the full circuit. We covered about a third of the circuit, happy to nurse the bakkie in anticipation of the road today.

16^th May. Le Chateau Hotel. Calabar, Nigeria.

The owner of this hotel used to permit overlanders to camp here, but not now. We decided to take a room to do some washing and dry the things that were saturated in the storm last night. Apart from a few sections of potholes, the road is good asphalt all the way to Calabar.

This city is said to be one of the more attractive ones of this country. The streets are tree lined and the traffic not too bad. We will take a drive around this morning after getting our Brown Card Insurance which covers most of the countries up to Morocco.

In Calabar a must see is the Drill Ranch. It is one part of efforts to save the Drill Monkey from extinction. The other section of Drill Ranch is in the Afi mountains to the north where they are released. Here in Calabar they foster the orphans that are brought in. There is also a tribe of the monkeys in a large enclosure to give visitors a taste of their living habits. The guide was very interesting, the hour we spent there well worth it. Though a pity we didn't go to Afi.

Still looking for a nice place to spend a few extra days to relax now we are through the Mamfe road.. Thought Calabar might be the place but unless we find somewhere better than this we will push on. Our 7 day visa gives us enough time to comfortably get through Nigeria.

18^th May. Tourist Garden Hotel. Asaba, Nigeria

I have spoken earlier about the smashed vehicles we see on the roads in some of these countries, Angola in particular. Here in Nigeria it's the trucks that seem to have a predilection to end up upside down on the side of the road, smashed into  power poles, one still burning, or upright in the side of the road with a car ploughed into the front. Unfortunately we were part of an accident scene that luckily left us and the bakkie untouched but two smashed trucks and perhaps a smashed Mercedes with at least 4 passengers sitting inside.

         Yesterday we travelled from Calabar on asphalt, some areas of potholes  but generally not bad. The last 70kms was on good 4 lane highway. Trucks tend to keep to the fast (left) lane when it's two lane each way meaning we pass on the right (wrong) side remember we are driving on the right. We were coming down a long quite steep hill  following this Merc in passing this fully laden truck on the right. He must have been doing a good 80-90KPH. At the bottom of the hill this big semi illegally turned onto our side of the dividing strip and headed towards us then began turning into a yard on his left. The Merc pulled up on the right hand lane, I could see the left hand lane would be cleared first so pulled into that. As the semi moved enough for me to almost squeeze past I noticed in my right rear vision mirror the truck we had passed travelling fast metres away from the other semi, I hit the gas just as the truck hit. The was an almighty crash slewing the slowly moving semi around. We pulled up very shaken  a few metres away. The truck driver didn't sound his horn to warn us but must have realized he couldn't stop and chose a path between the bakkie and the Merc. If he had've hit either vehicle he would have squashed it horribly. Local people were running over to help, we thought it wise not to get involved. Joan was unaware of what was happening until she heard the crash, it happened so quickly.

Travelling through these countries people expect kidnapping and bombings to be the danger but it's on the roads the danger is more so. I'm not sure if many of the trucks here have air brakes, I haven't heard any compressors operating when passing.

         At Onitsha, on the banks of the Niger River we ran into an almighty road block. A real shambles with  cars and trucks going the wrong way on either side of the road. A typical African scene. This hotel is on the other side of the river, a large complex that offers rooms at a good rate. The food is terrible but it's nice to unwind for a couple  of days.

21^st May. In Disused Quarry. Over Benin Border

N09 51'20.1” Eoo3 21' 03.3”

The break at Asaba was a boost for both of us. Then it was on the road to Oshogbo where there is a sacred forest with statues to their god Osun. It is World Heritage Listed so thought it would be worth the excursion. The hype was bigger than the happening even if it was a World Heritage Site. We stayed the night there then travelled on towards the Benin border at a place called Nikki. Another Overlander had said the road to the border was slow but interesting. It was an apt description, for 140kms the road was a shocker not made easier by the rain we had during the night. Places to camp were impossible to find until finally coming upon a track with what seemed to have little use and drove 100metres up that for the night. In these countries all tracks lead somewhere and before turning in for the night we had a young Fulani bloke on his motorbike coming along to see what we were doing. He couldn't speak English and we weren't sure what he was saying. In the end he left us, it was one of the few nights bush camping I felt a little unsure of the situation.

The next morning we hadn't been driving that long on the bad road when we started to come upon the Fulani's herds of cattle being led along the road to pasture. Some of the herds would number over 100, large serene animals with massive horns, They are beautiful. The Fulani are very different to other tribes in the area. Tall, with more finer features, they are quite aloof and may manage a slight nod of the head if you wave to them. Very similar to the Tutsis in Rwanda I think they also are reputed to have emigrated from The Ethiopian area.

It was our intention to camp near the border and cross in the morning as the Benin police only issue a 2 day visa that can be extended at the capital, Cotonou. The customs crowd refused so we headed a short distance till we came upon this quarry.

22^nd May.  Cat Has Hotel, Djougou, West Benin.

Well it didn't take us long to get across this country. Benin is a long narrow country, about 250kms wide at this point. The 2 day visa meant a quick trip or going to Cotonou which, I believe, is not the nicest of cities. In fact, looking at what we have seen so far, there are not many pleasant African cities. Just mad traffic, rubbish, stalls, tooting horns, heat and frustration. The villages out in the country are different, like yesterday, when we were driving on the rough road on the way to the border, entering a village the first kids would call out in their dialect 'White Man'! It would gain momentum as we passed through both kids running and waving, and adults also calling out and giving us a wave. To stop is to be surrounded by a horde of people most of them just wanting to be close. Occasionally one would want something, we must seem to have so much, them so little, but usually not. And this would  happen in every village we passed through. Admittedly not that many foolhardy whites would have driven down that road I would say.

Joan & I were commenting on the country we had passed through since leaving Namibia; not what you would call inspiring apart from the rain forest in Gabon and Cameroon. Interesting sights were also few and far between. Drill monkeys were interesting and the gorillas were worth going to, the national parks are often difficult to get to with few animals to be seen. The colourful people are what makes a trip up West Africa worth while, and when we look back, it's they who we will remember.

Internet in Nigeria was bad, always not working and we have seen no cybernet signs here in Benin, so this post is getting longer and longer. Sorry about that.

23^rd May. Kande Central Togo

It's Wednesday so this must be Togo! Not quite as bad as that. At least we have a 6 day visa here meaning we can take our time. Kande is the stepping off point to the Tamberma Valley where, during the slavery period, the local inhabitants of the valley fortified their family compounds using only mud and timber, against the Dahomian slavers. The houses are still lived in and the plan of the houses are quite unique. Joel, our guide spoke good English, was very informative in describing their way of life. Afterwards we visited a nearby market that usually occurs every Wednesday. Full of life, colour and vibrancy. With a guide we were able to learn more abot the different happenings in the market such as the group of elders sitting in earnest discussion working out the areas problems. Or the cooking area where we sat down and ate freshly cooked gateau biscuits served with pepper.

Crossing into Togo this morning, the Beninese immigration blokes wanted to know where our Benin visa was. On entering the country the bloke who seemed slack to us, stamped the entry stamp on the passports but didn't place the transit visa in the passport as well. But they were nice blokes who took pity on a couple of oldies and said to make sure we get one when we come back to their country. On the Togolese side things were very relaxed. The im