C-ing things: Canada, Curry, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Camels, Chengis Khan and China!
Sep 21, 2015, 12:11 pm
#46
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Trenton, NJ (PHL, EWR)
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Posts: 1,633
The smacking sound my jaw made against that rock was pretty unpleasant. Luckily caught enough of it with my left bicep (which still has the remains of a bruise) to keep anything from breaking. I can't imagine the medical treatment process would have been enjoyable for me given where we were. But I knew those rocks were slippery from my first few steps, I was concentrating so hard I didn't even realize Jordan made an attempt. But bruises are just an occupational hazard that comes with being the guy that always says "yeah, sure I'll climb/cross/swim/jump that." 
Hat tip to you for arranging everything, I'd have struggled without your French. I promise to repay the favor in a Spanish speaking country.
Hat tip to you for arranging everything, I'd have struggled without your French. I promise to repay the favor in a Spanish speaking country.
Sep 26, 2015, 1:04 pm
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
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7. Bangui to Lome, Togo on ASKY, two nights at the Residence Oceane in Lomé
Hotel shuttle was right on time, and in no time at all we were at the booming Bangui M'Poko International Airport, where Jordan decided to do his best imitation of one of the big five since we were in Africa,.but fortunately nobody mistook his flowing mane for a lion....
Check-in was pretty easy, and there appeared to be several paramilitary types on our flight checking large gun and ammunition cases. Central African Republic is known to have lots of "private military" activity, supporting both the government and the rebels, so I guess they have t0 fly in and out somehow. Ian and I managed to secure the exit row, which was extra nice because it only had two seats while all of the other rows had three seats. Score! Immigration and security were pretty easy as well, and the agents were reasonably friendly, chatty, and efficient. One lady kept trying to sell us "VIP lounge access" for like $20, but we decided to resist. Spent our remaining Central African CFA francs on some waters in the departures lounge, and soon it was time to go.
ASKY flight 35
Bangui, Central African Republic (BGF) to.Douala, Cameroon (DLA)
Depart 7:55, Arrive 9:45, Flight Time: 1:50
Boeing 737-700, Registration ET-ANG, Manufactured 2007, Seat 15J
Flight to Douala looked to be quite full with most seats taken, and a small snack was served. Since we'd left the hotel too early for breakfast, was at least nice to get some bread and cheese to hold over until lunch:
Arrival into Douala right on time, where almost everyone on the flight got off. Since this is one of very few flights into CAR, and Douala is a much larger airport than Lomé it made sense people would be getting off. We said goodbye to Jordan who was headed straight home (just a long weekend for him) and waited for the other passengers to board for the continuation of the flight.
ASKY flight 35
Douala, Cameroon (DLA) to Lomé, Togo (LFW)
Depart 10:25, Arrive 11:10, Flight Time: 1:45
Boeing 737-700, Registration ET-ANG, Manufactured 2007, Seat 15J
Flight was maybe 75% full on this segment, mainly with connecting passengers. Lomé is a quasi hub for ASKY, so many of the passengers were headed from Douala to other points in Africa. Choice of sandwiches on this flight, cheese or tuna. The cheese was actually reasonable, and for a rare change I decided to risk the airplane sandwich...with a glass of semi-reasonable red wine to wash it down:
This was the third trip I've flown ASKY, and overall they're a pretty classy operation. Planes are leased from Ethiopian, which I believe has a large ownership stake in the airline as well. Flights have been completely on-time in my experience, staff reasonably friendly, and the planes inspire at least reasonable confidence in their maintenance. Definitely the jewel of west African aviation for now!
Arrived into Lomé on time, and immigration was a big of a challenge. You would think they almost never saw tourists, and even more rarely had ones that wanted visa on arrival despite all the prices and instructions being clearly posted. I asked the agent if the visas were single entry, as we would be making a daytrip to Benin the next day. "Oh no no no, they can be, but you need to go get them endorsed at this office somewhere downtown and then they are good unlimited." She seemed pretty unclear, and after finally getting the visas she let us go.
The driver from our hotel was waiting in the parking lot, and we were soon on our way to La Résidence Océane - a small boutique which got great reviews on tripadvisor. The rooms inside faced a charming little courtyard:
Stairs up to our rooms:
Overall, the hotel was quite nice. Clean, quiet, very reasonably priced, good WiFi, ice .old air conditioning. They upgraded us to two-level "suites" as well, which was a nice bonus. We grabbed lunch at the hotel in their brasserie, which made a good variety of French staples and could have been anywhere in rural France. The staff were super nice and helpful, and although there were never more than 10 people eating, they always had everything on the menu and were quite quick
The hotel also had a small bar/lounge area which was pretty popular with locals and expats during the evening...staffed by the same people who worked in the restaurant, and occasionally at the check-in desk. Sometimes you win with smaller hotels, and sometimes you lose, but this was a definite win! The only area that could have been improved a little was the included breakfast, which was pretty much limited to croissants, crepes, some nutella, and laughing cow cheese...and plentiful coffee...so what more do you really need?
We kept Jordan on the trip in spirits at least, finding a bottle of Château Jourdan at the local grocery store. Off relatively early to bed because it would be a super long day of driving to Benin the next day. We had negotiated with the driver who picked us up at the airport, and he said he had all the necessary permits to drive into Benin, so it would save a lot of time over hiring taxis on both sides of the border.
Check-in was pretty easy, and there appeared to be several paramilitary types on our flight checking large gun and ammunition cases. Central African Republic is known to have lots of "private military" activity, supporting both the government and the rebels, so I guess they have t0 fly in and out somehow. Ian and I managed to secure the exit row, which was extra nice because it only had two seats while all of the other rows had three seats. Score! Immigration and security were pretty easy as well, and the agents were reasonably friendly, chatty, and efficient. One lady kept trying to sell us "VIP lounge access" for like $20, but we decided to resist. Spent our remaining Central African CFA francs on some waters in the departures lounge, and soon it was time to go.
ASKY flight 35
Bangui, Central African Republic (BGF) to.Douala, Cameroon (DLA)
Depart 7:55, Arrive 9:45, Flight Time: 1:50
Boeing 737-700, Registration ET-ANG, Manufactured 2007, Seat 15J
Flight to Douala looked to be quite full with most seats taken, and a small snack was served. Since we'd left the hotel too early for breakfast, was at least nice to get some bread and cheese to hold over until lunch:
Arrival into Douala right on time, where almost everyone on the flight got off. Since this is one of very few flights into CAR, and Douala is a much larger airport than Lomé it made sense people would be getting off. We said goodbye to Jordan who was headed straight home (just a long weekend for him) and waited for the other passengers to board for the continuation of the flight.
ASKY flight 35
Douala, Cameroon (DLA) to Lomé, Togo (LFW)
Depart 10:25, Arrive 11:10, Flight Time: 1:45
Boeing 737-700, Registration ET-ANG, Manufactured 2007, Seat 15J
Flight was maybe 75% full on this segment, mainly with connecting passengers. Lomé is a quasi hub for ASKY, so many of the passengers were headed from Douala to other points in Africa. Choice of sandwiches on this flight, cheese or tuna. The cheese was actually reasonable, and for a rare change I decided to risk the airplane sandwich...with a glass of semi-reasonable red wine to wash it down:
This was the third trip I've flown ASKY, and overall they're a pretty classy operation. Planes are leased from Ethiopian, which I believe has a large ownership stake in the airline as well. Flights have been completely on-time in my experience, staff reasonably friendly, and the planes inspire at least reasonable confidence in their maintenance. Definitely the jewel of west African aviation for now!
Arrived into Lomé on time, and immigration was a big of a challenge. You would think they almost never saw tourists, and even more rarely had ones that wanted visa on arrival despite all the prices and instructions being clearly posted. I asked the agent if the visas were single entry, as we would be making a daytrip to Benin the next day. "Oh no no no, they can be, but you need to go get them endorsed at this office somewhere downtown and then they are good unlimited." She seemed pretty unclear, and after finally getting the visas she let us go.
The driver from our hotel was waiting in the parking lot, and we were soon on our way to La Résidence Océane - a small boutique which got great reviews on tripadvisor. The rooms inside faced a charming little courtyard:
Stairs up to our rooms:
Overall, the hotel was quite nice. Clean, quiet, very reasonably priced, good WiFi, ice .old air conditioning. They upgraded us to two-level "suites" as well, which was a nice bonus. We grabbed lunch at the hotel in their brasserie, which made a good variety of French staples and could have been anywhere in rural France. The staff were super nice and helpful, and although there were never more than 10 people eating, they always had everything on the menu and were quite quick
The hotel also had a small bar/lounge area which was pretty popular with locals and expats during the evening...staffed by the same people who worked in the restaurant, and occasionally at the check-in desk. Sometimes you win with smaller hotels, and sometimes you lose, but this was a definite win! The only area that could have been improved a little was the included breakfast, which was pretty much limited to croissants, crepes, some nutella, and laughing cow cheese...and plentiful coffee...so what more do you really need?
We kept Jordan on the trip in spirits at least, finding a bottle of Château Jourdan at the local grocery store. Off relatively early to bed because it would be a super long day of driving to Benin the next day. We had negotiated with the driver who picked us up at the airport, and he said he had all the necessary permits to drive into Benin, so it would save a lot of time over hiring taxis on both sides of the border.
Sep 28, 2015, 9:01 pm
#50
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Trenton, NJ (PHL, EWR)
Programs: A3 Gold, BA Bronze
Posts: 1,633
Given the recent unrest in Bangui I guess the machine gun nests adjacent to the runway and armed patrols at the airport were warranted. We really timed this well.
Jordan, I wouldn't say it's time for a haircut, but don't go getting seen in the wild by any Midwest dentists.
Jordan, I wouldn't say it's time for a haircut, but don't go getting seen in the wild by any Midwest dentists.
Sep 29, 2015, 7:51 pm
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
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Posts: 5,525
8. Exploring Lome, and a sidetrip to Abomey, Benin
After unwinding in the hotel for a bit and relaxing, we decided to head out and get some dinner. Ian had found a place recommended by a friend that promised to be really interesting. It claimed to be "kind of " German food, and the online reviews called it a fascinating cultural mixing pot...so we had to go! Took a taxi towards where google maps said it was, and it turned out to be a little further walk than expected, but eventually we found Alt Munchen. It definitely had a bit of that beer garden feel, and even some semi-authentic sausages and sauerkraut:
...and flaming bananas for dessert!
Next morning we were up early for breakfast at the hotel before our driver picked us up. He was right on time, and we headed east on the road out of Lomé to the Togolese border. The border was a pretty lively place, but there was absolutely no hassle. Usually at west African borders like this there are dozens of touts trying to sell you pens, arrivals cards, whatever they think they can get a little money for. Here, it was super easy. Stamped out of Togo no questions asked, and then onto Benin.
We already had our Benin visas, and got a few questions about where we were going, how long we would stay there, etc. They spent a lot of time writing down all of our passport details in some big books, and eventually started asking more and more questions. The conversation turned to what seemed to be the "you're missing something" direction, but then the customs officer asked about my tattoo. I had to first explain to him what an octopus was, and then why I had one. He didn't seem to grasp it, until I made up a really wild story about being attacked by an octopus as a child, and then he let us go.
There's a theory that when dealing with corruption there are three ways to approach it. First, you can give them "power" and you will always lose. Then, you can interact with them as an "official" or a job-related approach, but they could come up with some technicality that they think they can get you on. However, the third layer if you can get there is to have a one-on-one personal interaction with them, and then graft is almost impossible. Seems to have worked in this case when we had a long chat about the tattoo, and he soon sent us on our way. Our driver was already waiting for us on the other side, and we set off to the town of Grand Popo, Benin:
Up until this point the road was pretty good, and we were making good time:
But when we turned to the north, the road became dirt, with giant car-swallowing potholes to avoid:
Village woman selling bananas:
Eventually, after a long drive we arrived at the Royal Palaces of Abomey. These were built by the Fou people from about 1650 to the late 1800s, and each king would build a new palace when he took over. There was a tour just starting when we arrived (French only, of course), so we joined in with some local families. We were definitely the only tourists from abroad today. First stop was the palace of King Glele:
The courtyard, and entrance to the palace museum:
This was the structure where they buried the king, with animal sacrifices scattered around:
Photo of Ian in the courtyard:
Inside of the burial structure:
In total the tour was about two hours, and was a good introduction to how the kingdoms and tribes of the area had not only resisted colonialism, but had cooperated with colonialists to resist each other. In the end, of course, the colonialists won and everyone pretty much got screwed over.
On the way back, given the condition of the road, we decided to take the other route back to Togo. This involved heading west to the border, before shooting south to Lomé. We thought it was a good idea initially, and the terrain was quite lush and the road quite good:
However, after about ten miles, the road got much, much worse than that we had come in on:
Huge trucks stirring up dust on the heavily potholed road:
At this point, we came across a police truck having pulled over a truck searching for contraband. We never did find out what they were looking for, however, they got several of the big trucks off the road which were blocking traffic, so it sped up our journey at least slightly.
Then, we finally got to the border. In contrast to the southern border, this one was super quiet and deserted. Nobody in sight. Getting stamped out of Benin took much longer than it should...the official invited us into a small building, asked us to sit down, and took what was nearly an hour to fill out his log book and apply all the various stamps he decided he needed to to both the logbook and our passports. Then, it was time to walk a small bit before the Togo border.
At this point, we weren't sure our visas were good for a second entry, so it was time to play it by ear. We were standing outside at the Togo border, goats and chickens walking around, and he started to write our details in the logbook. He seemed happy with the visas, and then...the question came again. What's the story with the tattoo. It took a while, but eventually ended in the same way. No hassle at all, and we were allowed back into Togo. Our driver, however, did have to pay a small bribe of around 1,000 CFA to get the car across. Also, while we were waiting to have all our details recored, a few people walked through the border, just handed the border guy a little change, and he waved them through. Seems that if you're local, you just pay a small sum, and cross. Kind of sad.
We got back relatively late, and were absolutely exhausted after a full day of driving on rural African roads, so decided to stay in at the hotel and eat. Solid meal in the hotel restaurant, and got a good long night of sleep to catch up.
The next morning, our driver picked us up again to take us to the Marché des Feticheurs - basically the voodoo market. I'd visited there before, but thought it was something quirky and local Ian should see. It had become a bit more touristy since my previous visit, and even had signs posted offering tours and English-speaking guides. Bonus. The guide took us around and showed us all the "ingredients" for the various things...starting with miscellaneous owls and birds:
...moving onto bats, starfish, and other assorted critters. The porcupine quills are for cutting a gash in the skin. Then, after the ingredients are ground up they are smashed into the bleeding skin to let them work their magic. Sounds hygienic, right?
More birds, all for various ailments:
Overview of the market stalls:
After the tour, we got taken to see the local witch doctor, who unfortunately wasn't in today. But not to worry, his son was, and was happy to try and sell us all sorts of trinkets. Ian bough a talisman that was supposed to be for safe travel (they know their market) and soon we were back to the hotel to pack up and head to the airport. It was time to head on to Chad!
...and flaming bananas for dessert!
Next morning we were up early for breakfast at the hotel before our driver picked us up. He was right on time, and we headed east on the road out of Lomé to the Togolese border. The border was a pretty lively place, but there was absolutely no hassle. Usually at west African borders like this there are dozens of touts trying to sell you pens, arrivals cards, whatever they think they can get a little money for. Here, it was super easy. Stamped out of Togo no questions asked, and then onto Benin.
We already had our Benin visas, and got a few questions about where we were going, how long we would stay there, etc. They spent a lot of time writing down all of our passport details in some big books, and eventually started asking more and more questions. The conversation turned to what seemed to be the "you're missing something" direction, but then the customs officer asked about my tattoo. I had to first explain to him what an octopus was, and then why I had one. He didn't seem to grasp it, until I made up a really wild story about being attacked by an octopus as a child, and then he let us go.
There's a theory that when dealing with corruption there are three ways to approach it. First, you can give them "power" and you will always lose. Then, you can interact with them as an "official" or a job-related approach, but they could come up with some technicality that they think they can get you on. However, the third layer if you can get there is to have a one-on-one personal interaction with them, and then graft is almost impossible. Seems to have worked in this case when we had a long chat about the tattoo, and he soon sent us on our way. Our driver was already waiting for us on the other side, and we set off to the town of Grand Popo, Benin:
Up until this point the road was pretty good, and we were making good time:
But when we turned to the north, the road became dirt, with giant car-swallowing potholes to avoid:
Village woman selling bananas:
Eventually, after a long drive we arrived at the Royal Palaces of Abomey. These were built by the Fou people from about 1650 to the late 1800s, and each king would build a new palace when he took over. There was a tour just starting when we arrived (French only, of course), so we joined in with some local families. We were definitely the only tourists from abroad today. First stop was the palace of King Glele:
The courtyard, and entrance to the palace museum:
This was the structure where they buried the king, with animal sacrifices scattered around:
Photo of Ian in the courtyard:
Inside of the burial structure:
In total the tour was about two hours, and was a good introduction to how the kingdoms and tribes of the area had not only resisted colonialism, but had cooperated with colonialists to resist each other. In the end, of course, the colonialists won and everyone pretty much got screwed over.
On the way back, given the condition of the road, we decided to take the other route back to Togo. This involved heading west to the border, before shooting south to Lomé. We thought it was a good idea initially, and the terrain was quite lush and the road quite good:
However, after about ten miles, the road got much, much worse than that we had come in on:
Huge trucks stirring up dust on the heavily potholed road:
At this point, we came across a police truck having pulled over a truck searching for contraband. We never did find out what they were looking for, however, they got several of the big trucks off the road which were blocking traffic, so it sped up our journey at least slightly.
Then, we finally got to the border. In contrast to the southern border, this one was super quiet and deserted. Nobody in sight. Getting stamped out of Benin took much longer than it should...the official invited us into a small building, asked us to sit down, and took what was nearly an hour to fill out his log book and apply all the various stamps he decided he needed to to both the logbook and our passports. Then, it was time to walk a small bit before the Togo border.
At this point, we weren't sure our visas were good for a second entry, so it was time to play it by ear. We were standing outside at the Togo border, goats and chickens walking around, and he started to write our details in the logbook. He seemed happy with the visas, and then...the question came again. What's the story with the tattoo. It took a while, but eventually ended in the same way. No hassle at all, and we were allowed back into Togo. Our driver, however, did have to pay a small bribe of around 1,000 CFA to get the car across. Also, while we were waiting to have all our details recored, a few people walked through the border, just handed the border guy a little change, and he waved them through. Seems that if you're local, you just pay a small sum, and cross. Kind of sad.
We got back relatively late, and were absolutely exhausted after a full day of driving on rural African roads, so decided to stay in at the hotel and eat. Solid meal in the hotel restaurant, and got a good long night of sleep to catch up.
The next morning, our driver picked us up again to take us to the Marché des Feticheurs - basically the voodoo market. I'd visited there before, but thought it was something quirky and local Ian should see. It had become a bit more touristy since my previous visit, and even had signs posted offering tours and English-speaking guides. Bonus. The guide took us around and showed us all the "ingredients" for the various things...starting with miscellaneous owls and birds:
...moving onto bats, starfish, and other assorted critters. The porcupine quills are for cutting a gash in the skin. Then, after the ingredients are ground up they are smashed into the bleeding skin to let them work their magic. Sounds hygienic, right?
More birds, all for various ailments:
Overview of the market stalls:
After the tour, we got taken to see the local witch doctor, who unfortunately wasn't in today. But not to worry, his son was, and was happy to try and sell us all sorts of trinkets. Ian bough a talisman that was supposed to be for safe travel (they know their market) and soon we were back to the hotel to pack up and head to the airport. It was time to head on to Chad!
Sep 30, 2015, 10:52 am
#54
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: OTP
Programs: AF/KL platinum, Turkish gold, QR gold
Posts: 1,572
I really love reading your African reports. Well written, funny, and a great insight into relatively unknown territories. Looking forward to Chad!
As an African novice myself (I only visited Cape Verde and Senegal so far), I'm curious how you would rate all the Western and Central African countries you visited in terms of hassle on the streets, precautions you have to take, general easiness to travel? Which are the most pleasant to visit, which were more of a drag with constant hassle and having to be on guard?
As an African novice myself (I only visited Cape Verde and Senegal so far), I'm curious how you would rate all the Western and Central African countries you visited in terms of hassle on the streets, precautions you have to take, general easiness to travel? Which are the most pleasant to visit, which were more of a drag with constant hassle and having to be on guard?
Sep 30, 2015, 12:47 pm
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,525
As an African novice myself (I only visited Cape Verde and Senegal so far), I'm curious how you would rate all the Western and Central African countries you visited in terms of hassle on the streets, precautions you have to take, general easiness to travel? Which are the most pleasant to visit, which were more of a drag with constant hassle and having to be on guard?
From a precautions/safety point of view I would say Kinshasa and Bangui were up there along with Lagos, but Lagos was more of a corruption issue. Probably should add in Luanda as well, since hauteboy got mugged there.
Sep 30, 2015, 2:48 pm
#56
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: OTP
Programs: AF/KL platinum, Turkish gold, QR gold
Posts: 1,572
I've never felt hassled on the streets in Africa, except near borders where everyone harasses you.
From a precautions/safety point of view I would say Kinshasa and Bangui were up there along with Lagos, but Lagos was more of a corruption issue. Probably should add in Luanda as well, since hauteboy got mugged there.
From a precautions/safety point of view I would say Kinshasa and Bangui were up there along with Lagos, but Lagos was more of a corruption issue. Probably should add in Luanda as well, since hauteboy got mugged there.
This was my constant experience walking in Dakar at least, and it was mildly annoying after a while. To be honest, it didn't occur away from the centre of such a big city, but I was merely wondering if one could expect such annoyances in other cities/countries too. Loved all other of my experiences though, and your reports make me wish to plan a new trip to Africa.
Oct 1, 2015, 11:36 pm
#58
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: New York/Vancouver
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 77
It belongs to TP Mazambe, Congolese football(soccer) team.
N572AA McDonnell Douglas MD-83 American Airlines (hidden) 2x PW JT8D 18. Sep 1987 572
wfu and std at ROW 10. May 2010
std at TUL 27. Jul 2010
std at VCV 27. Oct 2010
VP-CKN McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Private (hidden) 2x PW JT8D 21. Sep 2011
9Q-CKW McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Private (hidden) 2x PW JT8D Dec 2012
rr
Used to be AA.
N572AA McDonnell Douglas MD-83 American Airlines (hidden) 2x PW JT8D 18. Sep 1987 572
wfu and std at ROW 10. May 2010
std at TUL 27. Jul 2010
std at VCV 27. Oct 2010
VP-CKN McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Private (hidden) 2x PW JT8D 21. Sep 2011
9Q-CKW McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Private (hidden) 2x PW JT8D Dec 2012
rr
Used to be AA.