So I received news this week that my West Africa trip is
now guaranteed.
I can’t tell you what GREAT news this is to finally
get. Time was my enemy on a few fronts
and the biggest one was my flight back from London in May. I had to book this onto my West Africa trip as
it was cheaper than purchasing it separately, but I couldn’t book that flight
until I knew if my tour was going to go ahead and if not the next departure
would probably be guaranteed and then I would have to reverse the flights,
which would cost money. Confused? Well you can see that I started to chase my
tail and a lot really did depend on the tour going confirmed.
I had done all my homework on what visas I needed to get
when I made my booking and out of the 8 visas I need to get there are 2 that
are going to be headaches for me.
Senegal and Ghana. There is no Senegal Embassy here in Nairobi and the
closest one for me to go to is in Ethiopia.
It would be ideal if I could get my visa in London at their embassy
there, so I phoned the London office and I was told being an Australian
passport holder I had to go to Malaysia!
WTF. The London Embassy only
process UK passport holders. I asked
about the Ethiopian branch and he said I could try there and when I questioned
him if they only issue for Ethiopian passport holders then how the hell was I
supposed to get a visa for their country-well without having to trip to
Malaysia to do it. AND I would have to
go, there is no way I would trust my passport to be sent from Africa to Asia
and back again and not expect a problem.
What a nightmare proposition. He
did relent a little and said to contact Ethiopia and if I have issues to come
back to them-and indeed I will. I have
been trying to call the Senegal Consulate in Addis Ababa every single day since
last week at different times and it rings but there is no answer and I have
scoured the internet for different numbers and there is zilch numbers except
for the digits I already have. Yes, the
Senegal Embassy will be my first port of call the day after I land in the UK.
Ghana is also the same, except even more frustrating is
that there IS actually an embassy here in Nairobi. When I phoned them I was told that they only
issue visas for Kenyan residents and when I enquired about their London office,
I was told that they too would only issue visas for UK passport holders, so
like the Senegal Embassy how is an Australian supposed to get a visa to enter
their country and when I posed this question to the embassy here in Nairobi I
was told that I could apply online at the Ghana Immigration web site and get
like a pre-approval visa that will then be issued when I arrive into Accra-Ghana. Well now that is sounding more like it. I found the said web site and all the
information on there and it does indeed look like I fall into the requirements
of applying online. BUT there was no
link and no address as to where to send that request to? So I sent an email last week to them, to
which of course I have had no reply-so Ghana will also be on my list of embassies
to visit on my trip to London in 2 weeks.
So thinking positive and that I will be able to get both
of these visas in London (the power of positive thinking) I was also planning
to get a new Australian passport while I was in the UK. I figured that they would be a little more
reliable then the Australian Embassy here in Nairobi and if I was to get stuck
without a passport I think I would prefer to be in the UK than in Africa. When I started my World Odyssey in 2011 I had
a brand new 60 page passport. I now only
have 16 pages left. The reasoning behind
the new passport is since I do only have 16 available pages left I require 9
visas for West Africa with one embassy asking for a double page, so that’s 10
pages. I need at least 2 pages for my
Kenyan tourist visa for when I come in and out of the country and then if I
have to go to Ethiopia for my Senegal visa I will need another page which takes
me up to 13 pages of the 16 and that is just a little too close for comfort. To think that I would run out of pages after
all the hassle of getting the West Africa visas it wasn’t worth the
stress. I hear you say it is lucky I am
a planner and an organised person which I believe you have to be when you are a
traveller, especially to certain parts of the world. So with that said and the power of positive
thinking still in play, I looked on the Australian Embassy web site and it can
take up to 10 working days for a new passport to be issued in the UK. I am only in the UK for 10 working days and
if I had hoped to at least get my Senegal visa I wouldn’t be able to do
both. So I rang the embassy here in
Nairobi on Thursday last week and got all the information I needed, the office
hours, the cost and the length of time and decided to just bite the bullet and
get my new passport issued here in Kenya.
As in Australia, you can get the normal passport of 32 pages or you can
get pay extra for the frequent traveller passport of 64 pages and it was a no
brainer on which one I was going to get.
So on the Friday with my passport sized photos I had taken when I was in
Australia 3 years ago, the correct amount of schillings, I got Driver Steven to
take me to the Australian Embassy the very next day. Apparently it takes 10 working days here in Nairobi
for the new issue and I have 15 days before I leave for London, so I have T.I.K
(this is Kenya) time up my sleeve should I need.
The Australian Embassy is a 40 minute drive from my house
and I arrived with no hassles and after signing in and leaving my mobile phone,
my IPod and my camera at the security entrance, bag screened and getting body
frisked I was through a door and officially on Australian soil. It was actually a little emotional to see the
massive Australian coat of arms on the building as you approached it and then
to see a life sized bronze emu and kangaroo at the entrance to the building it
was all very surreal I guess. There was
no-one else in being served when I entered and went up to the passport renewal
window and was served by a very friendly lady and very helpful. As my passport had not yet expired, after
giving a few security details a pre filled form was printed and I just had to
add my email address and phone number and sign the back of the photo and I was
done. I was prepared for my current
passport to be defaced, like they do back in Australia, but after I had filled
in and signed the form my passport was given back to me, so this was less
concerning of I didn’t get my new passport in time for my London trip, but then
it would defeat the purpose as I needed to get the visas in the new passport
and not the old. Oh yes this travel gig
can be quite confusing and stressful at times that is for sure. I had to pay at a second window which also
only took a few minutes and no word of a lie, passing back through security to
collect my gadgets I was in and out within 20 minutes. I reconfirmed with the lady that it was 10
working days, she agreed 10 working days and I would be called when my passport
was ready. Well, all that seemed a
little too easy and we will see if it is an Australian 10 days or a Kenyan 10
days in well, hopefully 10 days’ time.
So what countries will I be going to and where will I get
my visas?
Ghana- to be done online or (hopefully) London
Togo- can be obtained on arrival
Benin-can be obtained in Nairobi
Ivory Coast-can be obtained in Nairobi
Guinea-will be obtained on route (this one looks tough if
not done on the road)
Sierra Leone-can be obtained in Nairobi
Guinea Bissau-can be obtained on route (another tricky
one otherwise)
Senegal- hoping I can get an extended one in London, if
not then Ethiopia
The Gambia-not required!!!! WHAT!!!!!! I don’t believe it, the smallest African
country does not require an Australian to obtain a visa for their country-well
there’s a small reprieve in the most least likely country.
***I HATE OBTAINING VISAS*** A LOT*** but a necessity of
the traveller and there is nothing we can do about it except work out where and
when to get them and be as nice as possible to each Embassy as they hold the
golden ticket to their countries and if you piss them off they can make life
very difficult.
So West Africa is now guaranteed and there is still a lot
of work to be done. BUT it is great to
know the trip is definitely going ahead and I know where I am going to be from
the 8th September through to the 17th November. This tour just isn’t any old tour. It is an overland trip. I will be visiting a part of the world where
only a few tour companies operate and is also a primitive part of the
world. This epic and challenging trip
takes you right the way through some truly off the beaten track destinations. As well as including the highlights of
Senegal and Gambia we also delve into the lesser visited countries of Guinea
Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire. Unlike their more visited
neighbours these countries are 'hidden gems' and are still unspoilt by tourism;
they boast a huge arts and craft scene, are packed with colourful and vibrant
markets and provide the adventurer with a rare opportunity to experience a more
traditional way of life. Yes it is a
trip of a lifetime that is for sure.
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