60 in Africa (London to Ghana)
- Thread starter Davey Bee
- Start date
Well done. Good trip. Pics please.
As they say ... "one life live it"
Great stuff Davey
Great stuff Davey
Part 2; The journey continues
Hello all,
As you’re aware I’ve not posted here for sometime. However I’m about to resume my trip after 2 years. I hope you’ll all follow me here and it’s not too boring.
I’m currently in Uganda, but I’m planning to fly to Ghana later in the month, where I left the motorbike that carried me from London to Accra 2 years ago.
I’ve got a few replacement parts with me and I’ll be giving it a full service. I thought I’d save money by buying new tyres in the UK at my favourite suppliers. But it’s been a royal pain in the ass getting them to Ghana. I now plan to abandon them here in UG and pick them up on my northward journey.
So what’s the plan? I intend to ride from Ghana to Cape Agulhas in South Africa, the most southerly point in Africa, then turn around and take the eastern route back through the continent to Europe. If I can I’d like to go all the way to Nordkapp, (Europe’s most northerly point) but I’m not sure that my budget will allow it. If I can find any work along the way that will be welcome. However I’m not going to dwell on these things too much. I’ll take the trip as it comes. If I run out of time or budget I’ll find a place to leave the bike and head home until I can find more time and budget to continue, health permitting. The one thing I don’t want to do this time is rush or have any time schedules. I know the above maybe seen as irresponsible but what the hell, you’re only old once..........
Hello all,
As you’re aware I’ve not posted here for sometime. However I’m about to resume my trip after 2 years. I hope you’ll all follow me here and it’s not too boring.
I’m currently in Uganda, but I’m planning to fly to Ghana later in the month, where I left the motorbike that carried me from London to Accra 2 years ago.
I’ve got a few replacement parts with me and I’ll be giving it a full service. I thought I’d save money by buying new tyres in the UK at my favourite suppliers. But it’s been a royal pain in the ass getting them to Ghana. I now plan to abandon them here in UG and pick them up on my northward journey.
So what’s the plan? I intend to ride from Ghana to Cape Agulhas in South Africa, the most southerly point in Africa, then turn around and take the eastern route back through the continent to Europe. If I can I’d like to go all the way to Nordkapp, (Europe’s most northerly point) but I’m not sure that my budget will allow it. If I can find any work along the way that will be welcome. However I’m not going to dwell on these things too much. I’ll take the trip as it comes. If I run out of time or budget I’ll find a place to leave the bike and head home until I can find more time and budget to continue, health permitting. The one thing I don’t want to do this time is rush or have any time schedules. I know the above maybe seen as irresponsible but what the hell, you’re only old once..........
Have a great trip, Davey.... I'm in again. 
Camel Toe
Registered user
Looking forward to round 2 whilst sat here in tropical Yorkshire....��
Subscribed again!
Good luck on your travels Davey and look forward to reading about your progress
Good luck on your travels Davey and look forward to reading about your progress
Excellent news and sort of welcome back 
Really enjoyed the original thread so looking forward to the new updates
Really enjoyed the original thread so looking forward to the new updates
yamonda1
Registered user
Good luck .. this will be an interesting trip
johndglynn
Registered user
Back for part 2! Keep up the good work Davey!
Looking forward to this. Enjoyed Part I. Ride safe and ride long!
Thanks for the kind words guys. Sat in a very cold Kampala at the moment. Cold? Of course not but did you really want me to say its so hot I can’t even put a shirt on or brag about ice cold fresh passion fruit juice I’m enjoying. I’m not that sort of person........... I’m hoping to have my Ghanaian visa on Tuesday and fly out of here in a couple of weeks from now. I still need to get the Nigerian visa that I will try for this week in Kampala but I’ve read reports of it only being available in my home country, we will see.
I like it here in Uganda, the people are very gentle in character, with the exception of a few beggars and the police no one is trying to extract money without offering something in return. I have tolerance for both the beggars and the police with their ways, although I avoid giving my money to either. I learnt on the last trip that giving beggars money didn’t help, it just made them become dependant on foreign travellers. Even worse for child beggars, as adults “guardians” pressure them to find more travellers. So rather than give money I prefer to give fruits, cakes or just sweets. In the Muslim dominant countries, the locals will give food to the homeless daily but it tends to be staples, rice and such like. So I figure addding a little sweetness to the diet of a child can’t be a bad thing.
The police are equally a sad case or the lower rank ones at least, hear me out on this. We all depend on them to make our world safer, whatever country we live in. But often they are viewed by there respective government as a necessary evil. Their pay and therefore their living conditions are pathetic. Two things surprises me, one why do they do the job in the first place and two how little coruption I found on my journey. So rather than getting angry if I have clearly contravened some law, I negotiate and pay up,after all if I do the same at home I have to pay a lawyer, go to court and pay x 100 more in fines than the first price this traffic officer is asking. Yesterday the car I was loaned turned out to be without insurance, I paid the officer around £11 and then found 1 years 3rd party insurance for a further £18. The only one that lost out on the deal was the lawyer........... is it really such a bad system?
I like it here in Uganda, the people are very gentle in character, with the exception of a few beggars and the police no one is trying to extract money without offering something in return. I have tolerance for both the beggars and the police with their ways, although I avoid giving my money to either. I learnt on the last trip that giving beggars money didn’t help, it just made them become dependant on foreign travellers. Even worse for child beggars, as adults “guardians” pressure them to find more travellers. So rather than give money I prefer to give fruits, cakes or just sweets. In the Muslim dominant countries, the locals will give food to the homeless daily but it tends to be staples, rice and such like. So I figure addding a little sweetness to the diet of a child can’t be a bad thing.
The police are equally a sad case or the lower rank ones at least, hear me out on this. We all depend on them to make our world safer, whatever country we live in. But often they are viewed by there respective government as a necessary evil. Their pay and therefore their living conditions are pathetic. Two things surprises me, one why do they do the job in the first place and two how little coruption I found on my journey. So rather than getting angry if I have clearly contravened some law, I negotiate and pay up,after all if I do the same at home I have to pay a lawyer, go to court and pay x 100 more in fines than the first price this traffic officer is asking. Yesterday the car I was loaned turned out to be without insurance, I paid the officer around £11 and then found 1 years 3rd party insurance for a further £18. The only one that lost out on the deal was the lawyer........... is it really such a bad system?
johndglynn
Registered user
I was nicked for speeding in Arusha, Tanzania for passing some smoky old tipper. The copper said I was doing 36 in a 30. The truck was doing less than 20 and I was under 30 I reckon but still they pushed it. We had a chat and I worked out the fine was about the same as yours - £11 - so I paid it, pinched a few of their sweets and got back on the road. The huge ticket is ready to hang in my new loo when it’s finished: best brush with the law ever
Well in a couple of days I’ll leave Uganda for Ghana and the start of my adventure real. Once I’m reunited with my bike, I need to do service and repair it, it’s been stood for 2 years so I’m not sure what I’ll encounter. I have most of what I think I need for repairs, a new exhaust, radiator fan and a few unique service items. Oil and and the like I’ll buy locally. I know that the battery will be dead but I replaced it in Senegal so I think a recharge is all it needs.
I stayed longer here in Uganda, hoping to get my Nigerian visa but despite promises of just a few more days by the Nigerian High Commission, I’m still without it. The rule is now that you can only get one in your country of residents. I really don’t want to fly back to the the UK just for a stamp. The Minster (Consulor) here had said because of my roots and the way I was travelling he would put a proposal to the immigration office in Abuja for their approval but clearly that hasn’t happened. It could just be the recent election that’s the reason for the delay, who knows, whatever the cause I need to move on. He did say if it comes once I’ve left he will pass on the information to Accra office, again I’m not holding my breath. If I don’t get it I will have to go around or over Nigeria. Non of the options are ideal as I wanted to experience Nigeria (for better or worse), but there you go. The choices I’m faced with 1/ going back home 2/ flying myself and the bike to Cameroon, 3/ trying to get a cargo boat from Ghana or Togo to Cameroon 4/ go the long way round (where have I heard that phrase before?) Bukino Faso, Niger, Chad, Congo. I’m not going to make any big decision yet, I’ll see how I feel and how things are once I’ve sorted the bike. I may take a short tour of Togo and Benin while I try to decide.
So what of Uganda? This is my second trip here and I will be sad to leave. The people are generally relaxed here, they’re not rich by any means, but there appears to be a steady carry on. Most seem to be doing something that enables them to put food on the table. There are fast food outlets all over the place so I assume that most have sufficient money not to need to cook.
The roads in Kampala are something else, but mercifully I’ve seen little or no incidents. How the Boda Boda’s (motorbike taxis) survive a day I really don’t know. There was one the other day coming towards me, on a dual carriageway, with a baby sat on the fuel tank, I was going to take a photo but 2 fools in the same place is never good. There are 2 rules on the road here number 1, here is that there are no rules, number 2, if in doubt refer to rule 1. Though the traffic is chaotic, heavy and slow, it moves and in a perverse way it works. But the one thing that you pray will not happen, is that the Traffic Police get involve. Their idea of traffic management is effing useless, its the one sure way of bringing the everything to a standstill. The other evening I was stationary for more than 30 minutes. I could see the junction but short of abandoning the car there was no way of getting to it. Don’t fool yourself that there was some sort of incident that they were dealing with and I was being impatient. This happens at any junction they are managing. Apart for beinng on their mobile to their girlfriends, wives,or wife’s girlfriend. There is one at each corner of the junction controlling the traffic coming out of that sector of the road but each allows his vehicles to enter the junction thus they all meet and block the road, nothing moves! Then each one of the officers blames the other. Although there is lots on horns sounding all the time here, I never see signs of road rage, no verbal or physical confrontations.
So while this is the worse aspect of what I’ve seen in Kampala, so it’s not really a big thing. Sadly the car that I’ve been using has not been up to travelling too far and while I’ve tried buses, they’re not a great way to get around. So I’ve left touring around until I return with my bike, assuming that we both make it back.
As I said I’ll be sad to leave, it’s really a nice friendly country to visit one I’d recommend to anyone.
I stayed longer here in Uganda, hoping to get my Nigerian visa but despite promises of just a few more days by the Nigerian High Commission, I’m still without it. The rule is now that you can only get one in your country of residents. I really don’t want to fly back to the the UK just for a stamp. The Minster (Consulor) here had said because of my roots and the way I was travelling he would put a proposal to the immigration office in Abuja for their approval but clearly that hasn’t happened. It could just be the recent election that’s the reason for the delay, who knows, whatever the cause I need to move on. He did say if it comes once I’ve left he will pass on the information to Accra office, again I’m not holding my breath. If I don’t get it I will have to go around or over Nigeria. Non of the options are ideal as I wanted to experience Nigeria (for better or worse), but there you go. The choices I’m faced with 1/ going back home 2/ flying myself and the bike to Cameroon, 3/ trying to get a cargo boat from Ghana or Togo to Cameroon 4/ go the long way round (where have I heard that phrase before?) Bukino Faso, Niger, Chad, Congo. I’m not going to make any big decision yet, I’ll see how I feel and how things are once I’ve sorted the bike. I may take a short tour of Togo and Benin while I try to decide.
So what of Uganda? This is my second trip here and I will be sad to leave. The people are generally relaxed here, they’re not rich by any means, but there appears to be a steady carry on. Most seem to be doing something that enables them to put food on the table. There are fast food outlets all over the place so I assume that most have sufficient money not to need to cook.
The roads in Kampala are something else, but mercifully I’ve seen little or no incidents. How the Boda Boda’s (motorbike taxis) survive a day I really don’t know. There was one the other day coming towards me, on a dual carriageway, with a baby sat on the fuel tank, I was going to take a photo but 2 fools in the same place is never good. There are 2 rules on the road here number 1, here is that there are no rules, number 2, if in doubt refer to rule 1. Though the traffic is chaotic, heavy and slow, it moves and in a perverse way it works. But the one thing that you pray will not happen, is that the Traffic Police get involve. Their idea of traffic management is effing useless, its the one sure way of bringing the everything to a standstill. The other evening I was stationary for more than 30 minutes. I could see the junction but short of abandoning the car there was no way of getting to it. Don’t fool yourself that there was some sort of incident that they were dealing with and I was being impatient. This happens at any junction they are managing. Apart for beinng on their mobile to their girlfriends, wives,or wife’s girlfriend. There is one at each corner of the junction controlling the traffic coming out of that sector of the road but each allows his vehicles to enter the junction thus they all meet and block the road, nothing moves! Then each one of the officers blames the other. Although there is lots on horns sounding all the time here, I never see signs of road rage, no verbal or physical confrontations.
So while this is the worse aspect of what I’ve seen in Kampala, so it’s not really a big thing. Sadly the car that I’ve been using has not been up to travelling too far and while I’ve tried buses, they’re not a great way to get around. So I’ve left touring around until I return with my bike, assuming that we both make it back.
As I said I’ll be sad to leave, it’s really a nice friendly country to visit one I’d recommend to anyone.
Attachments
Davey
On some forum a person posted they had got a Nigerian visa on arrival. Can't remember if it was the HuBB or some overland group, sorry! But it was quite recently.
Regards Simon
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
On some forum a person posted they had got a Nigerian visa on arrival. Can't remember if it was the HuBB or some overland group, sorry! But it was quite recently.
Regards Simon
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Similar threads
