Getting THROUGH Africa

The tricky part was not getting to Africa, but getting to where I wanted to be once on this magnificent continent. Saying my route would be less than pretty was perhaps the understatement of my life! It was downright horrendous. The important thing is that I made it, alive, and with all of my belongings. For anyone who has a story of a ‘travel nightmare’ that they like to share when others gripe over travel inconveniences and misfortunes – this one’s for you!

It’s most simply put into numbers: 4 different airplanes, 5 joyous take-offs, 5 successful landings, 5 interactions with customs, 2 times explaining why I don’t have a visa for the African country I’m leaving (I just arrived on a plane 4-7 hours ago and haven’t left the airport, I swear), 3 hours in Ghana when I thought I wouldn’t ever leave (didn’t have enough cash to buy my final plane tickets – the bank’s computer system was down simultaneously), 1 hour 40 minutes sitting next to a Nigerian man who persisted that he wanted to ‘take care of me’ while I’m in Liberia, 2 bottles of Coke from different countries – British version is good, Morocco’s was lacking, 5.5 hours sitting with an empty seat between me and a Lebanese man who wanted to convince me to sit next to him using English and French, 2 times of being overcharged for a beverage because I didn’t have local currency and they could exploit me for my US dollar, 15 minutes of holding up the check-in line in Morocco because I couldn’t understand the woman telling me my bags weighed too much – eventually the language barrier wore her out and she just let me go, 20 USD paid for overweight baggage leaving Ghana (should have been 70 USD but my airline friend who supported me during my ‘no cash to buy my ticket’ crisis told the baggage guy I didn’t have any money so he gave me a break!), 10 minutes wasted riding a bus to the wrong terminal in London after I confirmed with the man that I was going to the right place + 15 minutes sweating profusely while trying to get back to the correct terminal after the woman told me I was not going to make it in time, 4+ men trying to hustle and carry my bags in Ghana, 3 AYDAP volunteers greeting me with hugs in Monrovia, 45 minute truck ride seeing the lush, green country of Liberia on the way to my new home.