3rd April 08

Date: 3rd April 08
Location: Big Millys, Ghana
Weather: Mental tropical storm here last night, huge rains, sunshine today though 35°c
Status: All raring to go

Visited the embassies yesterday to collect our letter from the Angolan Ambassador which he’d very kindly had translated into both French and Portuguese so it can be read by the officials on the border of DRC before we get to the Angolan Embassy thee to claim our visas.

Then onto the Nigerian Embassy to collect the visas which was a simple collection, thank you and leave system!

Tried to renew my brown card insurance for the Colonel as the current document which I bought way back in Senegal has a week to left and I’ll still need it until the end of Nigeria. Struggled to find the building in central Accra, got there to find it had moved so hired a guy to run in front of the car on the usual heavy traffic and found the new offices. Climbed the stairs to be told it was handled by another department on the other side of town, drove there and were THEN told it wasn’t the SIC (State Insurance Dept.) who handle renewals but instead the NIC (National Insurance Commission)!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGGGGHHHHHHHHH AFRICAN SYSTEMS!!

Made the trip back to the camp and got the vehicle repacked just in time before the heavens well and truly opened for nearly 4 hours together with wicked thunder and lightening. Flooded camp which cleared quickly as its all sand.

Fraser had a friend from Liberia staying with him for her birthday so he bought us all dinner and it was the best yet at Big Milly’s consisting of 10 lobster, porterhouse steak, barracuda, chipped new potatoes, Mediterranean veggies, salads all washed down with 2 bottles of Champagne! Lovely

Bed

End of day location: Big Millys
Distance covered: 40kms