TRANSITING GHANA AND JOHANNESBURG

11/12 MAY 2011

TRANSITING GHANA AND JOHANNESBURG

Wednesday rolls around and I get a okada to Eyari Motors who have air con vans going long distance to the various parks in Lagos. I’m asked which ‘park’ I want to go to in Lagos and when I tell them I’m going to the airport they kindly work out where they will drop me so the route to Mile Two so I can then get a taxi quickly rather than going all the way and having to cross town to get to the airport, which could easily take half a day, with Lagos’ go slows!. The driver still makes the offer of “I drop you, you pay small money?”. My lorry takes a long while to fill up meanwhile I am continually ‘pestered’ by the girls selling phone credit, biscuits, water etc Today they are really annoying me and I can’t find any breakfast nearby that suits me so I am feeling happy to be making todays’ geographical move. Eventually the van fill and we’re ready to go around 9am but who guessed that there is still a bar fridge, two ceiling fans and generator to load into the door space of the van once we’re all seated. This leads to a lot of complaining (yelled of course) but the driver is not perturbed because this is an easy ‘dash’ earner for him. Four hours later we’re stuck in a go slow still on the outskirts of Lagos with much discussion of the best way around and the best place to drop me. I still have plenty of time so remain relaxed but as the go slow remains slow and unmoving I begin checking the map just to check how far I will from the airport when I am dropped. I remain confident until I do get dropped after 2pm at a taxi park and get a quote of 2500 Naira – how far away am I? 45 minutes driving, Madam. Hmm My last gasp at haggling for the last Naira I now have left and get driven to the airport in 15 minutes!!! My goodbye to Nigeria and I’m robbed by a taxi driver – I had to laugh at the incongruity of Nigeria and West Africa knowing I was leaving after 5 months. Lining up to check in, I chat to an expat pommie who is working here and married to a Nigerian and when I’m asked about a visa – visa? No visa needed for transit? “Madam, wait.” Ooh this could be a snag – I had just assumed that transit was ok. The pommie offers to ring his travel agent to see if they can help me out, whilst the official checks his officials’ book to soon tell me “ok, but you cannot leave the airport” – no problems. Check in, and the security check gets me a full body pat down. Max and I share a couple of beers as I get down to my last 1000 Naira and we’re on board and landing 45 minutes later in Accra. There are 3 of us transiting which is done so laxly, that I am left at in a check in queue while she escorts the other 2 to their queues. And that’s the last I see of her! lol

If you're happy and you know it!

The original libation

Ahh its a blokes world, ain't it?

In Air Namibia’s queue I meet a Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons to the rest of us) missionary from South Africa returning home after his 2 year stint saving souls in Ghana. Soon enough I hit the immigration line and tell them I’m transiting – no entry so no exit “where is your escort?” Gosh I get asked some good questions to which I never have the answers! He obligingly stamps my boarding pass and waves me through to the security where I get another full body pat down – must be new security measures introduced here? But twice in one day I’ve had the closest body contact with another human being in five months! Accra airport has wifi so the few hours pass quickly then we’re bussed out to the plane, up in the air and being fed a delicious dinner – salad, vegetables and some creamy, dreamy dessert with 2 glasses of red wine. I am now literally in heaven, whilst anticipating the Southern Africa in front of me with its affluent luxuries. Five hours later we land in Johannesburg (5am local time, 3am Ghana time) and transit for a few hours before taking off for Namibia. My seat neighbor is traveling on business from Johannesburg and when we near Windhoek I ask her about transport to town and how much a taxi might cost - she kindly offers me a lift as she is picking up a hire car at the airport. WOO HOO PEOPLE CAN BE SO KIND!!

Entering Namibia I get the standard (and free) 60 day entry permit and soon enough we’re in the car park where my new friend discovers the car is an automatic – she has never driven an automatic. I tell her it’s easy; you can drive it with a broken arm and a broken leg. She goes for it (on my encouragement she tells me later) and after a few hesitant starts we’re off, being directed by the GPS (where was it when we were getting lost in Guinea, I ask myself). I assure her the car won’t stall, her impulse to use the clutch will soon pass and she’ll wonder why she hasn’t driven an automatic every time. I get dropped right the door of Chameleon Backpackers with its formidable security that I am sure will become something I will adjust to, now I’ve arrived in Southern Africa.

FACT: Some Nigerian first or christian names are just that, so Christian! A few I have met: Mercy and her daughter Blessing, Godspower and Godknows were named in news reports and then there is Good Luck Jonathon, the Nigerian President.

FACT 2: Nigeria is one of only three oil producing countries in the world who do not have a sovereign wealth fund. This fund should manage Nigeria’s savings from their windfall oil production. Their current ‘Excess Crude Account’ contained more than US$20 billion when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua came to power in 2007 but by the end of 2010 it contained less than US$1 billion!!