Ride for Polio, Day 10 – From Sogakope (Ghana) to Lome (Togo)

Today we started a little later than usual (just before 7am local time) given that our overall distance for the day would not exceed 90km. An easy day overall when compared to the other days but certainly not void of its own interesting challenges.

The main objectives for the day: (1) crossing the border between Ghana and Togo; (2) hook up with my 12 work colleagues somewhere along the road from Sogakope to Lome. Uzo and the gang was scheduled to leave Accra at 6am local time this morning so it would have taken them about 1 hour to reach Sogakope. Therefore I figured that if I leave Sogakope at 7am we should more or less “bump” into one another not too long after I leave Sogakope.

Unlike any of the other days I felt somewhat lethargic this morning and really struggled to get into a comfortable rhythm. Our pace however was not too bad as we managed to maintain about 25km per hour which was good enough for me. The weather also played along as it remained overcast and relatively cool throughout.

Most of the roads we travelled in Ghana thus far were in very good shape and I found the cycling relatively easy (except for the wind when going west). However, the closer we got to Aflao (the border town on the Ghanaian side) the more road works we encountered. On the one hand this is a good thing because the Ghanaian government is doing something good with its money. On the other hand it made the cycling a little more challenging.

Shortly before we reached our first scheduled stop for the morning (after about 40km), we hit a stretch where they (some Chinese company who has a government concession to upgrade Ghana’s road network) were busy resurfacing a stretch of road. Before I knew it, I was cycling on a section where the tar was still wet and within a few metres was covered with little black tar spots all over my body. What a mess! My bike was also covered so it was a real sticky situation. As if that was not enough, we went around the next corner, and there was a truck spraying fresh tar on to the road. We had no choice but to go through this tar shower. Not funny at all. I was completely covered in tar from head to toe. There was no way out!

After being sprayed with tar, we continued for another km or so until we reached a spot where it seemed certain the truck won’t pass by. I was really upset about this little “bump” in the road that we had encountered. Thank goodness for Wet Wipes. While in Ghana I bought Wet Wipes in case we needed it on the way back and this could not have come in more handy. After finishing almost half of the Wet Wipes I managed to clean most of my face (especially around my eyes, nose and mouth). My arms, neck and legs (pretty much all of my body not covered by clothing) was dark brown and it looked like I had just woken up from an extended sun bed spa treatment gone all wrong.

After having a few salti crack biscuits, cheese, dried peaches and chocolate milk I was ready to take on the remaining 40km before we reached the border. From here on the road became increasingly bad with lots of potholes. With 18km to go we hit a gravel road and from here all the way to the border it was very dusty (again) and bumpy. No time to sit down and ease into a comfortable cycle. This was all concentration and continuously looking for the best part of the road to cycle on.

By now we still haven’t bumped into my work colleagues and I figured that they must have missed me somehow and be at the border busy getting their passports stamped. At this point we stopped for a quick drinks break when a text message came through from Uzo. They were already clearing the border and will be waiting for me until I arrive. This was a welcome message and gave me some added motivation to cover the last 11km in record speed. 30 minutes later and with weary legs I reached the border and were now just hoping that we could jump through all the necessary hoops in quick time.

Fortunately for us this is exactly what had happened and 45 minutes later we cleared the border both on the Ghanaian and Togolese sides. All the border officials we met as we came into Ghana a week before were there and were happy to see us again. It was nice to be recognised by them and also to see the amount of goodwill they extended to us.

Five minutes later I eventually caught up with my work colleagues. All 12 of them waiting over an hour just to say goodbye as they were heading back to Lagos. Amazing and truly an inspiring moment for me. After posing for some pictures with them we hugged and waved goodbye except for Uzo.

Uzo promptly unloaded his luggage from the bus and asked whether he could hitch a ride with us back to Lagos. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Really? Cool! Our party has just grown by one person for the remainder of the journey. I was very surprised but also very happy about this development.

Now that we have reached Lome our next objective was to find a cheap hotel where we could stay for the night. Upon our third attempt (off the main road) we found Hotel Aurore, a quaint little compound hidden behind the line of properties facing the main beach boulevard in Lome. Definitely off the beaten track but well worth the decision to try it out. Clean rooms with air conditioner and a shower all 3 rooms for the incredible prize of CFA35,000 (approximately USD75). They also offer free internet access! This was a lot cheaper than what I had anticipated and definitely value for money. Owned by a French expatriate, I also thought that we hit the jackpot as far as food was concerned. The French really knows how to cook and I can’t wait to have dinner.

Another good example of why it was a good thing that we did not book any accommodation in advance!

After a few ice cold beers with Uzo spinning a few yarns, I headed to my room for a marathon 45 minute shower. Tar really sticks and takes lots of patience and focus to get off your body. Now I understand why cyclists shave their legs – LOL!

Tomorrow promises to be a hard slog: (1) it will most likely be the longest of the 5 days going back to Lagos; (2) bad roads in Togo; and (3) looks like the weather is changing and therefore I expect it to be a sunny, hot and humid day. The destination, hopefully, would be Ouidah, a historical little town in Benin and a place I have visited on a number of occasions before. Looking forward to it!