Weds 27th June. Zebrabar

Weds 27^th June. Zebrabar, Senegal

A sad day yesterday. Luke rang us during the morning to say Huck, Luke'sdog had died. We feel so helpless being half way around the world at a time when Luke must be feeling so low and distraught. It appears he ate some rat poison that had become exposed. He was such a garbage guts but was loved by all of us especially Luke who will feel so alone without him. Thank you Jane & Gerry for once more stepping into the breech and helping Luke at such a time, we really appreciate it. He was old and had had liver problems in the past, these factors wouldn't have helped him fight the poison no doubt.

Still no papers. Almost 2 weeks since they were posted, we are feeling low at the moment and this holdup doesn't help. There is a NP to the north that has one of the best variety of birdlife in the continent, we will go up on the weekend if the Green Card doesn't arrive by then

Last night we were invited out by Muweja and Charlotte, a Congolese couple who have lived in St Louis for 22 years. Muweja is a professor at the local university and has led an interesting academic life using a scholarship to further his studies in Belgium before taking up posts in Addis Ababa, and Kinshasha then settling in St Louis. The restaurant was on a pontoon in the river with the lights of the bridge and mainland nearby. We appreciated their generosity.

25th June. Zebrabar, Senegal

17^th June. Tambacounda, Senegal.

N13 46'23.9” W013 40'52.6”

The Michelin map of North & West Africa has a list of 73 places with Max & Min temps throughout the year. They spread over a vast area. Kayes, a city in S/W Mali has the hottest temps of them all. In May the average is 46c, drops to 43c in June. Six of the months the temps are over 40 and the coldest month has a average temp of 66.We were to go to Kayes but this new route took us some 200kms south. But the temperature would have been similar. It was always our intention to stay in rooms with A/C if it became unbearable, the only trouble was, on this new road, no hotels or auberges have been built yet. We ended up, in a quarry not far from the Senegalese border. The 12v fan helped a bit but it was still almost unbearable. A breeze is often present during the day but that always seem to drop on dusk. Tonight we are in a room with a vintage 80s a/c rattling away, bliss. The land is drying out. At times the only greenery are the trees scattered over the landscape. It is the wet season but as of yet little rain has fallen.

No food served on the premises but the restaurant was a short distance down the road. We sat at an outside table, lattice work shielded us from the street. Before long we had 20 or so urchins on the other side of the lattice, hands poking through, their begging tins seemingly empty. Hard to eat chicken & chips in such circumstances, we had to move.

Today we had a good example of how the language barrier can cause misunderstandings. The road from the border passed through the middle of the biggest national park in the country. We had seen the odd monkey but coming onto a bridge just before the park HQ the waterhole below us had sitatunga antelope, baboons, warthogs, monkeys and a couple of African fish eagles. I had to stop and take some photos, there were no other traffic. On leaving the bridge a guard pulled us up. Trying to get the gist of what he was saying we thought, because we had stopped on the bridge, he was wanting us to pay the park fee. If we had've just driven through we wouldn't have had to but because we stopped, it was using the park. We complained strongly insinuating all he wanted to do was get money off us. This upset him, they are having a blitz on corruption here in Senegal, he profusely insisted that that wasn't the case. Then through his little English and my few words of French we realized that all the problem was I shouldn't have stopped on the bridge, I should have parked where we were standing, and walk back. We were all apologies, gave him a couple of lollies, hand shakes all round, and we were off. So easy to get the wrong idea.

We didn't spend long in Mali, a pity but not the place to hang around at present. The new road was built by the EU. It was fast, no speed humps, a pleasure to drive on.

19^th June. Chez Salim, Lac Rose, Senegal

Bit of a tourist dive this area. The sand dunes that separate the lake from the sea are a mecca for the quad bike fraternity. Chez Salim would have 50 or so parked as well as larger 4x4s that take the more less adventurous for a drive. The lake has a pinkish tinge due to the chemicals in the water, hence the name. Saltier than the Dead Sea between Israel/Jordan we were encouraged to take a dip. Not my idea of fun. This is the low season however, the place is almost deserted, we have a lovely campsite below palms with a power point handy for the 2^nd battery. I think I mentioned having it seen to in Togo but the repairs were short lived. Good batteries are difficult to get here esp the deep cycle type. We may have to wait until we get to UK to get a good one.

The drive down from Tambacounda yesterday was through wind swept dry arid country. However the baobabs were shooting new growth perhaps heralding the approach of rain. Such a beautiful tree it was refreshing to see them bursting into life. It was an excellent road donated by the EU. Each village had a sign reminding you of the fact. Senegal has a major trash problem. It would have to be one of the messiest countries we have passed through. On each side of any town and often through it as well the amount of rubbish esp plastic bags is shocking. Often animals and people are foraging through the trash picking out anything of value. I think only Nigeria would come close in this aspect. Consider Congo/Brazzaville where no plastic bags are available. Even the meat and vegetables are enclosed in paper bags in their supermarkets. It makes you feel the people or the government just don't care.

Tomorrow we hope to get the last of our visas, Mauritania. It will be our 14^th I think. Apart from Benin & Togo, they have all involved going to embassies to arrange. At times it has caused anxious uncertainty as there is no guarantee they will give it to you as what happened to us with the Nigerian crowd in Canberra. Many people heading south have had to alter their plans because they lacked DRC or Angola. Spending 2 months in the DRC travelling the length of the country to bypass Angola would be taking the adventurous spirit to the extreme. The web site of Radio Baobab gives an absorbing idea of what they went through on that route. It is also well written and hard to stop reading. Might be best to access it through The HUBB of Horizons Unlimited web site. So we have been pretty lucky in getting ours. Cheaper than expected in many cases and much quicker than we were told. Also the people at the consulates who we have dealt with have in the main been friendly, helpful and pleased we will be visiting their country. One or two have stood out: Mrs Mana, the consular officer at the Senegalese consulate in Ouagadougou was so interested in where we had been, she gave us a 2 month multiple entry visa, much better than we required and came out to hand us back our passports personally. Even the lady at the Angolan consulate in Pretoria. Spelt out exactly what we needed to write in a letter of introduction, stayed open later for us to get back, then gave our passports back to us earlier than we were told so we could get our application into the next embassy that same day. That one took 8 days but even that was quick for that crowd. But, I may be repeating myself with this story, the most relaxed visa issuance was at the Togo border where the officer sat under the mango tree at a desk issuing the visa. I wanted to take his photo but he said 'Mango tree yes, desk yes, Me no!'

20^th June. Phar de Esperance Mission (Beacon of Hope) Mammele, Dakar.

It often happens, after a couple of days rest like we had at Lac Rose, the body relaxes making the following day a draining experience. The Mauritanean Embassy was hard to find in the shambling metropolis of Dakar. We resorted to following a taxi, luckily we were in the area and the driver knew where it was. $2 well spent. The visa forms consisted of 2 pages all in French. Even a Frenchman also applying who could speak a little English couldn't work out what they wanted. But what we wrote satisfied the consular officer and after handing over $81 per person were told to come back the next day to pick them up.

From there we headed to the Oceanium, a dive centre that also allowed camping. It was very nice, right on the water with the Isle de Gorree in view a few kms off shore. We had lunch then put the bed out, opened the door to get a breeze, then fell asleep for a couple of hours. We were both very tired. Joan was woken by a beggar tapping her on the shoulder wanting alms, he got a short shrift. On waking we thought it wise to charge the battery so took off to a Casino Supermarche that came up on Garmin. Took a while to find it even with that but worth it as apart from getting provisions we picked up a sim card for the country and Joan was able to have her glasses adjusted to make them more comfortable. We went to a newsagent for the sim card, he didn't sell them but sent one of his staff out into the street to get one for us. Then they installed it, made sure it was working at no extra charge. I think they were amused being able to help us and something to tell their family that night of two oldies, couldn't speak a word of French, and how we were able to help them.

At that point we decided a stay in an hotel may be more recuperating. The LP had one near the Mammelle lighthouse, sounded good but of course no coordinates. We went to the lighthouse, asked a few people with differing answers. It was almost dark, in desperation we pulled into this mission that had a big area outside the inner gate but suitable for a night. The guard wouldn't commit as 'le chef' wasn't there, just then a group of young Americans came loping along carrying handfuls of wood. They could speak English but only one had a smattering of French. By a series of phone calls to their supervisor and the guard's 'chef' we were given permission. The mission is interdenominational having accommodation for visiting church groups. The young group were running crusades on the university campus. They came from different schools in the US. It was a godsend for us. The lighthouse was directly above us, a beacon in the night.

21^st June. Zebrabar, near St Louis, Senegal.

The other refuge for Overlanders, we made the Zebrabar late afternoon. It is a real haven, unfortunately we are the only ones here. The Mali coup and the wet season have severely affected people heading along the west coast. It is built on the edge of a long lagoon that makes up part of a national park. The birdlife here is reputed to be phenomanal and sitting out this morning that seems to be the case. It would be even more so if one was visiting around Christmas when the migratory birds were in residence. I didn't think I would wish to come back to Africa but a visit here with a few birders, at that time of the year, would be worth considering.

We picked up our passports around lunchtime then headed north. The land became drier and dunes began to appear. But the towns were still as lively as elsewhere in the country. Just a shame about the rubbish. Filling in time to pick up the p/ps was spent at the Sea Plaza, an ultramodern shopping centre that, fortunately, had a hair dresser for Joan. Three months between cuts is a long time. She looks a stunner again.

23rdJune. Zebrabar, Senegal.

St Louis was the first established French settlement in Western Africa. Now stretched to the mainland, most of the action is still on two elongated islands connected to each other and the main land by 4 bridges. Fishing is still its major industry with these sleek wooden boats pulled up along the waters edge, being built, repaired or unloading the latest catch. It is just a seething mass of people engrossed in their everyday life. Some areas can be a bit smelly but even that can be forgiven, it adds a little to the charm of the place. I was wanting to drive through one of the side streets to the ocean but many were impassable due to the clothes lines stretched across the sandy tracks. We needed to buy some bread but lacked small change, they never have any in most of the shops, a bloke doing some sign writing nearby sensed a problem and offered to make up the difference out of his own pocket. We had Euros but he wouldn't accept those, it was a gift he said.

While there we met Tommy a member of the diplomatic corp for the Mauritanian government, he had escaped over the border to have a few drinks, as I said earlier Mauritania is a dry country. We should have a good time there if they are all like him, shouting us drinks in the early afternoon and effusively showing us the places we MUST visit when we cross the border. He was a delight.

Back at the Zebrabar I have been spending my time sitting in an easy chair taking note of the variety of birds that visit us. The acacias are in flower now attracting many types including the Yellow Crowned Gonolek, the beautiful sunbird and the red-billed firefinch. Looking at the photos I have taken I realized that one of the birds I snapped at the NP where we had the discussion with the ranger was the elusive African Finfoot. That was the bird I spent early mornings trying to see in South Africa. Down there it was at its southern most point of its range, up here it is at its norther extremity. We have also seen two Abysinnian Ground Hornbills and an Abysinnian roller amongst many others. Native animals are scarce but the birds make up for them.

24^th June. Zebrabar

We seem to be slowly recuperating and getting our strength back with this prolonged stay at Zebrabar. But then it is a perfect place for this to happen. On the banks of the Senegal River and part of a national park the consistent westerly cools the bakkie delightfully at night. The place is inundated with crabs. Hordes of medium sized ones on the beach and at night these blue monsters make an appearance. I was coming outside barefoot to have a pee during the night until we saw some of them scurrying away from us as we walked back from the restaurant. It will be slipons in future. Then there are the baboons Joan saw today. We have wondered what has been shaking the van at night more than just what the wind can do and then there are mysterious things being dropped outside. I even went out to investigate last night. With the sighting of the baboons it all fits into place.

Reading material is starting to cause a problem; Joan is an avid reader and myself also. The bookshops stock French and the swap shops seem to have few English books, mainlf German and French. We have a Kindle on which I downloaded the complete works of Tolstoy as well as others so we will never be completely devoid of material. At the moment I am 29% through 'War & Peace', the library here had one of Jeremy Clarkson's books made up of 40 odd chapters each one of a car he tested. I thought I would have a break but what a difference; from wondering who Prince Nicholas is going to marry, Sonya or Princess Mary to Clarkson's crude but funny musings with lines such as 'Elton Jon has all the money in the world and he still looks like he has a Huguenot carpet tile on his bonce' We have read many African books on this trip often going through the areas the book is set at the same time. It gives added interest to the trip.

We were told the mail takes two days to get from France to St Louis, if that is the case we should have the papers early next week.

The last three days has seen large groups of youth spending the day here. Ranging from primary school to university students it is a great place for them to let off steam. The lodge provides kayaks and the such for use as well as other things to occupy the day guests

15th June. Bamako Mali

 Easiest 400km drive of the trip today to Bamako. Staying at a lovely camp that has closed due to the lack of visitors since the coup. Jean has shown us a new road to Senegal meaning we will be able to get across the border earlier tha n expected. Unsafe to travel to the north still. Gary

11^th June. Ouagadougou. BF.

Not sure if the signs are correct up town but at least 2 of them read 43c. It is very hot, dry, but still not pleasant to spend too long outside.

Last night we met Georges & Connie. Georges is attached to the Luxembourg Embassy in Ouaga and has been very helpful in giving us up to date info on the present situation in this part of the world. I first contacted him when planning the trip as they had traveled down West Africa a couple of years ago and I had been needing further details on parts of the trip. He was always happy to oblige. Good to put a face to a name. Connie assists the administrator of a large orphanage. They spent 2 years travelling in Sth America, whetting our appetite somewhat. Luxembourg has many aid projects in the Sahel that warrants embassies here and in Dakar.

Had a good day today. Mali visa in 30 minutes, Senegalese one in 3 hours. Having the Senegalese one means we don't have to hang around Bamako getting it there. Should be able to pass through Mali in 3-4 days. Georges said that things could heat up shortly when the army tries to regain the northern cities from the Tuareg rebels.

I had a break from driving today when we went back to pickup the passports. Taxis here are mainly clapped out Mercs. The one that took us there came to a stop with the driver climbing under the car to reattach the gears or something. Then we continued the trip in 2^nd gear, revving like mad as we sped along. Coming back that vehicle was slightly better.

Tomorrow we head Bobo-Dioulasso in the west of the country. A pretty town in an interesting area.

12^th June. On way to Parc National de Deux-Bales. BF

Wish Joan had been more assertive and I knew deep down, with water lying everywhere, the chances of elephants coming to the waterhole near the camp was zilch. But I pushed on over a diabolical track, a local boy riding shotgun on the side to guide us. LP said the camp, only 7kms from the main road, was very nice. When we finally reached the encampement there was only a caretaker there. The waterhole was part of a fast flowing muddy river with no chance of seeing any animals let alone elephants. He wanted $32 for the night, it was 6pm by this time and we weren't going to hand over that sort of money. So we headed back, the boy once again on the sideboard. On the edge of the park was a good place to camp but felt it very unfair to get the bloke to walk home. We continued with darkness setting in until he tapped on the roof. He had worked out a compromise, he was now close enough to walk, and we could go back to our camp. All this done in sign language, a very intelligent lad.

Setting up camp in the dark with a herd of cattle finding their own way back to the compound. Silent ghosts passing by. The odd one would stop and stare before continuing. Two girls in a donkey cart laden with water, gave us a friendly wave as they plodded along. Donkeys are the mode of transport up here.

The morning was spent arranging the Green Card Ins for Europe. Normally quite a simple ahel job but with the AU phone not working in BF it meant the NAB couldn't text us with the confirmation number for the International transfer. Emma, at home at the moment, came to the rescue.

14^th June. Chutes de Farako, Near Sikasso, Mali.

N11 12'33.6” W005 27'00.9”

The waterfalls aren't much, just a metre or so drop, but the setting is a perfect place to bushcamp the night. A wide expanse of flat rock which continues into the river with the water trickling over various branches. A large tree offered shade for us to stop early. We were surprised to see a hammerkop pottering around near the river. One of our favourite African birds, we first saw them in Ethiopia then down east Africa and around the south. Now we have seen them in the Sahel in the west. They have such a distinct shaped head. Storm has finally hit us bringing an appreciated drop in the temperature.

So into Mali. I always intended going this route but the coup did cause 2^nd thoughts but things have quietened in this part of the country. The alternative was to travel through 3-4 further countries with the Guinea roads reputed to be very difficult to traverse in the wet which is now. The border crossing was again less than an hour with both sides knowing what to do with the carnet. The old immigration officer was a little confused though trying to fill the forms we usually fill out ourselves for us. Gave up on 'profession' we said retraite which means retired but how we said it confused him no end.

10th June. Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso

10^th June. Le Pavillion de Verte Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

It's pronounced Waagadoogoo actually. There was a distinct change in climate driving north yesterday. The greenness gave way to dry dirt, the vegetation changed, we are now in the Sahel. This is the strip of land that stretches across Africa below the Sahara. Known for it's dust haze at certain times of the year as well as a dry hot climate it is where Arab features come to the fore in the people. Too hot to sleep in the bakkie we have taken refuge in an air conditioned room overlooking a shaded courtyard. On turning the A/C off this morning we could hear a couple of rams baaaing in yard behind our room and chooks clucking and doves cooing. It was like being back in the country. Since then the rams have had their throats cut and are lying in a pool of blood which the chooks are happy to indulge in. A very pastoral scene.

The traffic here are the best behaved we have met in any of the cities, oncoming traffic even stops to let you turn left. I had better curtail my assertive (Joan says aggressive) tendencies.

Tomorrow we hope to get our Mali visas then start to head towards the border. When we tell the locals we are going to Mali often they suggest we change our plans because of the troubles, but when we point out where we are going, to the south west and that we will be passing through quickly, this seems to satisfy them. They were quite concerned for us.

9th March. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

6^th June. Kintampo Waterfall Car Park. Central Ghana.

N08 05'17.4” W001 41'58.3”

The staff were kind enough to let us camp the night in the car park here. 200 metres off the road minimises traffic noise, the falls are a background murmur and we are alone with over 100 chooks and roosters from one day chicks to randy roosters who have spent the last couple of hours chasing the squawking chooks. You think with the myriad of chickens running around they could take a rest. They are at peace now, perched above and to two sides of us. Don't like to think of the noise we will be woken by in the morning. I found what appeared to be a newly hatched chicken but couldn't walk. I think it must have been rejected by the hen because of its disability.

A short drive today, we were both feeling pretty washed out, Joan especially. It seems when you relax a little like we have since arriving in Ghana it becomes difficult to get back in the swing of things. It was good getting the car serviced and at the cheapest price yet. Granted I did have the 2 diesel filters they used. The bakkie always seems to go better after a service. Problems have been minimal so far, hope it keeps up.

Back into rain forest type of country but with a lot of cropping such as bananas and yams. The road has been good but don't like to talk about such things as they change so quickly over here. One minute a beautiful 2 lane highway, the next a potholed dusty rock strewn track. We have learnt to appreciate it when it is good.

7^th June. Tongo Hills & Tenzung Shrine Reception

A pleasant shock while buying a few things in a shop in a small city in Northeren Ghana: Nobilo Marlborough Sav/Blanc for $7 and the Hardy range for the same price! And they weren't refills as can happen. Amazing.

The place where other overlanders stay at Bolga didn't sound the best, we had a bit of time to kill as we had to plan our time getting to Ouaguadouga, capital of Burkina Faso for the Monday or Tues to get visas, so headed off a few kms to the Tongo Hills. An unexpectedly lovely area of rocky outcrops leading up to a animist shrine on one of the higher levels. It was late when we arrived. A vicious storm had hit us on the road with galef orce winds and driving rain. Dangerous to drive in. We, and most others had to pull over and wait the worst of it out. We pitied the school girls walking home in it.

Before camping the night, Ernest, our guide for the next morning, had to take us over the the chief's palace to ask permission from him for us to stay the night. A lovely 73 year old, a few grey whiskers on his chin, living in this enormous palace with his 18 wives and countless children. The palace consisted of many rounded compounds the walls of some making the outer walls of the structure, not high, at most some 2 metres. I don't know much about the religion here but sacrifices play a big part. Around the back of the palace a group had just killed 2 dogs and were singeing them on a fire. Not sure whether they eat the flesh before the sacrifice. As well as dogs, chickens, goats, cows and even donkeys are sacrificed at certain times. The altar where they had been killed still had the blood dribbling down the side. A cave nearby had a row of donkey skulls arrayed. This was where people came who had problems with their business or marital affairs, if things improved they would kill a donkey. The caves we went to were more a rocky overhang. One of interest was the one that was the classroom before the school was built in the late 1980s. Then school was something new and the teacher used to climb onto the top of an outcrop and ring the bell to make the parents let their kids come to school.

The vegetation as we go north is changing. We see now shrt grasslands, cultivated fiels with single trees growing. The road often has beautiful old trees alongside giving shade and tranquility to the driver.

8^th June. Auberge Kakayon, Tiebele, South Burkina Faso.

Well, how many of you had heard of Burkina Faso before we mentioned it as part of our route? Used to be called Upper Volta and was a French colony in the old days. It's one of the poorest countries in Africa but has a reputation of the people having a very relaxed lifestyle, tidy and the cities nicely set out. Again we made a diversion some 30kms off the main road to Teibele. A small town renowned for the painted walls of its houses. This afternoon we visited another palace, (2 in one day? We must be in the Loire Valley!) This time the bloke was a king. We didn't meet him but Aziz the guide took us around. The painted walls were very impressive. I hope some of the patterns come out in the photos. Pierre, the Rastaferean managing the auberge is a really laid back character. We are the only ones staying here.

The border crossing today was one of the quickest we have experienced. When the customs bloke know what to do with the carnet it makes such a difference. Often it has been stamped incorrectly which caused problems.

The land is drying out now. They had rain a couple of weeks ago, planted the peanut crop, and are hoping for more followup to save it from shrivelling.

Some Photos at last

Finally got a few photos up on Flikr. Go to www.flikr.com/photos/jelga  
Leaving Kumasi today, heading north to Burkina Faso

5th June. Kumasi, Central Ghana

 At last, a fast connection. Getting the van serviced here so might be able to catch up with a few emails and get some photos on flikr. Three days at Green Turtle Lodge relaxing made it hard to get back on the road.

Regards

Gary & Joan

27^th May. New Estuary Camp, Volta River Estuary, at Ada Foah, Ghana.

Both maps displayed a camping sign on this area, at the mouth of the Volta, one of the major African rivers. Yet when we reached the town after crossing over from Togo, camping grounds seemed few and far between. In fact zilch. Outside the Maritime Board building on the estuary we asked two men who seemed to be waiting for a lift, I jokingly asked them if we could maybe camp in the grounds of the Maritime board, they were giving it serious consideration when I informed them it was a joke. But they did ring up Daniel who had a house on an arm of the river who was happy for us to camp in his back yard. On arriving we couldn't help thinking we would be intruding on their privacy and suggested perhaps we would prefer somewhere near the beach. He rang up Bibu who lived near the spit that divides the estuary from the Atlantic. Yes, we could stay there but we might prefer the picnic areas further along the spit, we had 4 wheel drive didn't we? Yes, but I am a little averse driving on sand after our experiences leaving Congo/Brazzaville. We took the plunge, put it into 4wd and took off for over 2kms of soft sand. Most people come to these picnic areas by hired boat but we made it. So here we are, the Atlantic crashing behind us, the still waters of the estuary lapping a few metres away. The picnickers have all gone home, leaving the place to the manager and ourselves plus a few dogs.

A couple of one of the groups were very intrigued with our camper and came over to introduce themselves and have a closer look. One was an American, Guy Chambers, who has been in Ghana 8 months now setting up a business. He feels Ghana is the place that will go ahead in leaps and bounds especially with the discovery of massive oil deposits off the coast. Signs of preparatory work to tap in to those fields are already evident out where we are. He had never met an Australian before. They were all very interesting to talk to.

The border crossing went off with few hitches. These hangers-on can be annoying but in this case there were quite a few offices to go to and the $4 I paid him was worth it.

The two nights in Chez Alice in Lome were great. A place that caters for Overlanders. We also met a young Dutch couple there, Maartin and Vincent. They are heading south, it is their first time travelling overland and were very apprehensive about Nigeria. We were able to calm their and their parents fears about travelling through that country.

28^th May. New Estuary Camp. Ghana.

The girl has gone home leaving the New Estuary Camp to Joan and myself as well as a couple of dogs. It has been a relaxing day; a little swimming, walking and reading. Just what we needed. Tomorrow we head up to Lake Volta, I believe the biggest man made lake in Africa. There are some pleasant camps up there.

Settlement of our Nambucca apartment happens at 2am (our time) tomorrow. I wonder if there has ever been a sale of a property quite so interesting as this has been. The day after arriving in Pretoria we received an offer, the first we knew there was an interested party. A price was settled 2 days later. In Luanda, Angola we heard the purchasers had reservations and needed more details. In the DRC we heard they were going ahead with the purchase. A settlement date was received while in Congo/Brazzaville. Discharge of Mortgage papers were emailed to the NAB from Libreville, correspondence with solicitors and agent continued through Gabon and Cameroon and here we are in Ghana with settlement occurring tomorrow morning. It has been difficult selling from a distance especially when the internet is not good in many of these countries but we appreciate the effort put in by Jane & Gerry, Pam, Paul and Tipper Associates staff and Taj at the NAB. They all accommodated our situation very well.

And thank you Annee and Jane for both your comments on the blog, I'm sorry we haven't had the time to reply up till now, hope things will slow down giving us time to catch up. Bird watching has had to take a back seat the last few weeks, getting through in one piece has been the important thing. Hope we can get some photos etc on Flikr shortly as well. Also the emails we have received, they have all been appreciated and if we haven't replied, will do so shortly.

29^th May. Abylos Hotel, on Edge of Volta River near Akosombo, Ghana.

Mango season is in full swing at the moment. The roads are lined with stalls selling them, both the old stringy type that you only eat in the bath, and the newer, larger stringless variety. We have been feasting on both. The downside though is where we are camped, metres from the Volta River there are two large trees, both laden with ripe fruit. A corrugated shed sits below one of them and when a mango drops there is an almighty 'Bang!' Might be a night for ear plugs. Last trip we didn't bring a couple of sets and suffered on many a night with the surrounding noise. This time we have 5 pairs between us. Just in case.

Upstream from where we are is the dam holding back Lake Volta. The guide book tells us it is the largest man made lake in Africa I always thought Lake Nasser in Egypt was that. You live and learn. We took a drive to look at the dam wall and part of the lake. When we head north to Burkina Faso I think we might even travel over part of the headwaters.

The drive from Ada Foah was uneventful, partly on highway then hitting the outskirts of Accra was a mess before turning off and heading north. We had hoped to bypass Accra proper but there is a possibillity we may have to get our Burkina Faso visa there. It was our belief we could get it at the border.

Tonight we had a delicious meal of Tilapia and pap on a pontoon set out into the river. Tilapia is an introduced fish that has proven popular in many African countries. Very fleshy and flavoursome it must be able to co-exist with local species without too much disturbance. We have eaten it before in at least Ethiopia and Tanzania. Can't think of where else.

31^st May Anomabo Resort, West of Accra

N05 10'17.7” W001 07'47.1”

Note, we have passed the Greenwich meridian and are now in the western hemisphere.

Nice place to spend your birthday and hope the meal tonight is better than my birthday last year in Mozambique when, although in a fishing village, the seafood platter we both had was all from frozen ingredients, the worst meal on the whole trip.

Yesterday was pretty full on. We travelled down from the dam in rain which continued all morning. There is a Shoprite in Accra, a good place to stock up in essentials and some shops for Joan to get some therapy. Shoprite is big in SA & Namibia and you get the odd one in the major cities north of there. Checked emails while there, there was one from Georges, a bloke working in one of the embassies in Burkina Faso who informed me visas at the border were $180 per person. Wow. Decided to find the BF embassy in Accra which we did fairly easily, usually you drop your passport in in the morning and pickup the visa in the afternoon. It was the afternoon when we arrived but the lovely receptionist, Fatima, talked the official into giving it to us there and then. For a cost of $37 each. We are so lucky with visas, maybe age does count?? I think I've said that before.

Were dreading the traffic in Accra but, compared to Nigeria, were very well behaved. Had an incident with a young police officer while there: wanted to go in the opposite direction so did a U turn at traffic lights. I had seen another bloke do it and, although saw the cop standing there, thought it must be ok. A km further on this taxi pulled alongside with the cop in it waving me to stop. He must have commandeered the taxi to chase me. He went off his head about me doing a U turn, I pointed out there was no sign like the one over there.... showing U turns were not permitted and I had seen someone else do it. He countered saying he had yelled after us to stop, we answered that we had heard no such sound which was true. He said we must go back to the station, we said we were only tourists passing through, were very apologetic and would not do it again. He kept on and on, I said right! Let's go back to the police station but you're not coming with us! I started the car up and said 'Let's go!' Suddenly he changed, I think realizing we had called his bluff, I think he wanted Dash (bribe) but we were damn sure he wouldn't get it. After both parties cooling down, we shook hands, gave him a smile & wave, and took off. 5 minutes later I had cause to do the same manouvre again, but luckily no cops were there to see.

2^nd June. Green Turtle Lodge, Dixcove, Ghana.

There are two places on the West Africa route that are renowned as places where Overlanders take a break, learn about routes further on, places that have good food and cold beer. GTL is one of them, The Zebra Bar in Senegal is the other. This place was some 120kms off our route but thought it best to visit just to say we had been there. The last 10kms of road was bad due to the rains but the lodge itself has a relaxed atmosphere and friendly people in attendance. There is no phone reception and no WiFi. The uploading of photos I was intending doing here will have to wait for another day. No electricity, small solar panels seem to provide light in the chalets. A few guests, mainly a group of English girls that look like they are having a break from volunteering, and one Overlander, Ronald and his dog Puli. Ronald is filling in time until his girlfriend flies to Accra next month to join him. On talking to him we discovered that we had met 4 years ago at Jungle Junction in Nairobi. He remembered us from the blue VW parked in the yard. He is heading south on this trip then up the east coast once again back to Holland. Meeting people from 4 years ago, perhaps we have been in Africa too long.

Got caught for speeding yesterday. Cars had been flashing their lights at us but that happens a lot so didn't give it much thought until rounding a corner in the smallest of small villages face to face with a radar gun. The chief came over, leant on the window and commented how much I would have to pay and how long a court case would take and we wouldn't be able to leave the country till it had been settled. But,,,,, we could settle it now with say..... 100cedi ($52). Oh no! What about 20cedi. He laughed came down to 50, I stuck on 20, he laughed again then we settled on 30. Might have been able to get it lower but I was doing 82 in a 50kph area. I find it hard to argue with a radar gun.