Guinea, Ivory Coast and Ghana travelogue

After an extended eight-day stop in Dakar and the last few hours at sea, I am ready to leave for the last major leg to get to Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, quite close to Ghana. 2500 km eastward, crossing Senegal, Guinea Conakry and Ivory Coast.
Estimated travel time 8 days + one spare day for unforeseen events or rest if necessary. I’m supposed to arrive on Sunday, December 11, just enough to go on Monday, December 12, to the Ghanaian embassy to try to get an entry visa.
Then in Ghana there will be the last 700 km, but I will think about those once I am inside.
In these countries some travelers are there, although the majority have Dakar as their point of arrival. That’s why I don’t have a lot of information about Guinea Conakry and Côte d’Ivoire, about roads, gasoline availability, accommodations, internet connection and whatnot. As always, the first day of entering a new country will be one of acclimatization and then onward and upward.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, the main focus will be on the Police, who here in Senegal as soon as they see a foreigner, they will do anything to get money out of him. I know this well since a few days ago in transit from St. Louis to Dakar I was stopped and on an absurd pretext they did not want to give me my documents back telling me that I would have to pick them up the next morning at the barracks upon payment of a fine, equally absurd. They caught me unprepared, and this little joke cost me thirty euros to avoid staying one night in a place I didn’t even know what it was. Having learned my lesson, if a similar situation happens again, I will make sure that I am more prepared and less vulnerable.

DAKAR RESTART, WRONG WAY

Eh nothing, the Kedougou border from Senegal with Guinea Conakry seems to be bad, bad and unsafe road. I sleep here and tomorrow go back 250 km to Tambacunda from where I go to the Koundara border which seems to be the right one. Small detour of 500 km, but necessary.
However, the mistake is mine; I could have had a timely first alert if I had looked more carefully at iOverlander.

GUINEA CHECKPOINTS

I’m in Guinea, I’ve been battling with absurd roads for two days.
Today, I see a petrol station halfway, I stop so as not to risk not reaching the end.
I fill up and set off again, put gloves on the windshield, I’m entering the village and I want to stop to see if I can find something to eat.
After 100 meters the Police stop me, there were three of them, they ask me for the Vespa Carnet de Passage, I give it and they start to attack me because I wasn’t wearing gloves…INFRACTION INFRACTION!! and off the old story of the other day.
In my wallet I had 800,000 francs equal to 100 euros.
We begin to discuss, without understanding each other… I pretended not to understand anything.
They ask me for a pen, I pretend not to understand. They write 400,000 (50 euros) on the ground with a stick.
I discuss, I show that others who pass are without gloves.
While they turn around, I take most of the money out of my wallet.
At that point they on the bench, I sit on the Vespa and start eating.
They ask me for a translator, I say I don’t have internet.
One returns to the office, I show him the wallet 20,000 francs, just over two euros. 10,000 I have to keep to eat.
Nothing and so on, they keep my CDP and gloves and I eat.
They come back and ask me for a passport and vaccination certificate, I don’t give them anything, I tell them to look at the CdP.
After half an hour they stop two motorcycles, one is a policeman 😳😳😳. He speaks a little English, he asks me for my passport, I give it to him.
I hear him talking to the others telling them it’s okay to let me go.
They ask me again for the 400,000 francs, I give them 15,000 (just over 1.5 euros) I take my documents back and see that the other policeman is waiting for me to leave before moving.
I say goodbye, put on my gloves and leave.

ON-THE-ROAD MEETINGS IN GUINEA AND IVORY COAST

When you travel by Land you meet the street people, the ones you don’t see in airports, and then you find the cyclists, backpackers, and overland travelers in cars or motorcycles.
José, the Spanish cyclist who has been pedaling for months to get as far as Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast
Border police in Guinea, who agree to take a selfie with me
Jeremy, the French motorcyclist whose Africa Twin has just begun the return trip from Ghana
Two other boys, French cyclists, also traveling for months to Ghana
African children, who when you ride by on a Vespa run to the side of the road shouting “photo photo,” and if you stop to take a picture with them they immediately pose, serious and focused, then smile back when they see the shot taken
Various street food
The laundress
The outgoing Guinea customs officer
The tire dealers, large and small
The wood bearers
The banana salesmen and women.
The German motorcyclist whose electric motorcycle is attempting the journey from Spain to Cape Town solo
Matteo, the lone Italian backpacker
The clerk, pretty, of Ghana’s embassy in Ivory Coast.
And many others that I have not photographed but have well imprinted in my memory.

FINALLY IN GHANA

Today I finally entered Ghana from the Noah border, where it was very hot.
In Ghana immediately two outstanding meetings:
Simon, the cyclist who set off solo from Switzerland in March 2022 and wants to get to Cape Town. Great.
Espoir Efo Aziamati a boy, now a man, who knowing I was coming wanted to meet me. We found each other in Takoradi, 100 km inside the border of Ghana, and he told me his story.
Efo Espoir was on mission in Abor by Joseph Rabbiosi , hei in that mission grew up there, spending 11 years of his life there, from 1997 to 2007.
Today he works in the building materials industry and is fully integrated into society.
This is one of the many concrete results of the work done by In My Father’s House over the years.

CUT THE BEARD

Because of the heat today I gave in and went to the barber shop. Zero beard and African-cut hair, I tried to explain but then he did as he wanted. 1 hour of work, 2 euros.
Then a nice meeting with Father Martino, a missionary originally from Mosnigo (TV) who told me his beautiful story of life and volunteer work. He left Italy at the age of 22, did 17 years in Spain and then 34 here in Ghana where he is still today and supports many villages in various parts of the country with his work.
And then sea…, Very warm water.

ARRIVING AT THE DESTINATION: IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE

After 57 days of travel, 10 countries crossed and 12,000 km traveled, I finally arrived with my Vespa at the In My Father’s House mission in Abor, Ghana.
It was a trip I longed for, I remember being in Nepal in July when I started thinking about it.
I really liked the idea of getting to the mission overland, solo on my Vespa and at the same time promoting a number of initiatives aimed at supporting the activities of the mission and Father Joseph Rabbiosi here in Ghana.
The greatest difficulties I had were in crossing the deserts of Western Sahara and Mauritania, as well as the very bad roads in Guinea.
The Vespa has always held up and performed beautifully with an average consumption of over 32 km/LT and not a single puncture.
Now here in the mission the pace changes, everything is slowed down, the children are having fun playing volleyball or with an old soccer ball. For us, who are used to the stress and hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is not easy to settle in, I remember in 2013, when I first came I already noticed this aspect.
I will spend my days with the children, the less fortunate ones who even during the holidays do not have a family to return to. We will share simplicity, togetherness and happiness.

I would like to thank Vespa Club Conegliano for their support in taking me on this adventure and for the concrete help given to the IMFH Mission/In the House Of My Father and Father Joseph Rabbiosi .
In early January I have a long journey back, so I will see you in February.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO FOLLOW AND SUPPORT ME
To make a donation to the mission in Africa (you really make me a great gift, any amount – as a company you also have the tax deduction)
To purchase my book NEPAL IN VESPA (making this second trip made me realize even more the value of what I wrote)
To follow me in real time during my journey

Thank you from the bottom of my heart