First of all I wish Merry Christmas to everybody.
It took me 11 days from Bamako in Mali to Accra in Ghana and I’m full in my timetable. That has been 1579 km going through hilly countryside and now I need badly a rest. But now I’m going to tell you the adventures from the last 11 days.
14 Dec I got the visa for Ghana. Actually I wanted to get the one for Burkina Faso as well, but that would take another day and therefore I took the risk and started at once. After the experience about the visa of Mauritanian the decision wasn’t easy for me. But I knew when I wanted to get to Accra by Christmas I needed this day.
After 3 days I arrived at the border to Burkina Faso. It was very easy and friendly with the visa there and I was very relieved. Anyway everywhere I came through the last 11 days it was very friendly. The next evening I arrived in Bobo-Dioulasso which is the second biggest city in Burkina Faso. It the countryside everything is very easy and without problems. Many are lurking in the cities to get a bit of money from the tourists. The best thing is to get through it with humour, but I had to get quite a few things as I wanted to go on the next day. In front of the supermarket where I did my shopping a man in a wheelchair begged very aggressive. He followed me and I thought by me that this way of begging couldn’t be with success. Or was it on the time that he met a real Swabian (the people in this area are told to be very economical)? Anyway I told him in German what I was thinking about it. As my pitch of voice was clearly he got anguish and he turned off as he wasn’t sure about foreigners. I met a few more “friends”, who haven’t been uninterested what I wanted. But there are only a few who are able to get my mood in a bad sense. Anyway I did know what I wanted and I got on the next morning.
My shortcut to Ghana was very dusty but it was very good for biking. My calculated daytrips which I needed to get for Christmas to Accra have been on my upper limit. It was hot with head wind and it was going up and down and the air got more humid as well. In this heat I wasn’t able to eat much therefore I had to life on my fat reserves which I had luckily. Everything which I got to eat was not very good and there are hardly any fruits in the north of Ghana. But I got beer and cola. Because of sweating a lot and dusty roads I have been an exemplar of German cleanliness! Every evening I needed 1.5 l water, but the effect didn’t last long! On Christmas Eve I arrived in Accra.