A Day in Togo

I am EXHAUSTED. I went to Togo today in order to get a Visa extension. A lot of foreign students are traveling to other countries, returning back to Ghana and getting a 30 or 60 day visa extension. It was a good idea- spend 7 Ghc for a taxi to the Afloa station, 10 Ghc for a one-way trip to the Togo Border, 48 Ghc for a Togolese Visa, 7 Ghc for a one way trip back to Accra, and a free taxi to Legon campus from the station, (thanks to my good friend Issah). We saved about 20 Ghc and had the chance to see another country in Africa.
Waiting for a tro tro…
I left the hostel a little before dawn hoping to beat the rush of people that are always traveling, but was unsuccessful. I arrived at the station by 5:30 and the everyday hustle and bustle in Africa was already in motion. There were so many people waiting for a van and I knew that there would be a lot of commotion and confusion trying to get a seat. First come, first serve is not a working notion in Africa. As soon as the van pulled up and the doors opened, people- young and old- BUMRUSHED it trying to grab a seat. The situation was so chaotic and hostile. People were shoving each other, yelling at each other, jumping in front of others, totally disregarding any type of order or respect. Even elderly people have no seniority in this regard. They do not board the van first, unless they were more swift than the next and got themselves a seat.

Waiting for a seat on the tro tro frustrates me and a lot of times I opt for a taxi to avoid the chaos. It’s so unorganized, but a guy came and made everybody form a line and stick to it. The next van, the girls and I were on it and headed to the Ghana/Togo border.

Chaos at the border…
Landmarks are not well labeled in Ghana or in Togo. We didn’t know which way to go. I stopped and asked a guy that was exchanging currency which way was the border. He offered to show me and as a courtesy, I exchanged Ghana cedis for Togolese currency. I wasn’t too sure if it was the legal way of doing things so I exchanged only a little and waiting until I got to the border to exchange more. He had a wad of cash in his pocket and used a calculator to determine the rate. It turned out to be a completely legitimate transaction. All the guys exchanging currency walked around with wads of money in their pocket.

Anyway, the beach at the border was so beautiful! The sun reflecting off the water made it look crystal blue. The sand was hot and the sea waves were more meek compared to the waves in Accra. We were at the beach for no more than 5 minutes because I couldn’t take the heat. It was HOT!! Africa heat and humidity is unnatural to me. I was standing in one place, and broke out in a sweat!!!

The girls and myself decided not to stay in Togo long. We didn’t speak French that well and we were not with a Ghanaian that spoke Ewe so we found difficulty trying to get around. We were there for an hour or so having lunch and drinking Guinness (at 11 o’clock in the morning) and then headed back to Accra.

On our way back to Accra, I noticed somebody putting a goat on top of one of the vans.  Someone was travelling with their animal.  Luggage is typically stored at the top and so was the goat.  The vans travel so fast on unpaved roads... I'm pretty sure those goats were afraid.