Bridging The Continents

Location: Buea to Douala, Cameroon Summary: My morning in Buea started with an early breakfast at the incredible Ricochet's Villa with Marek, who was heading to Yaoundé. After he left, I discovered a nail in my right rear tire—the first flat of my entire journey. With help from the hotel staff, I changed it on level ground. Since it was Sunday, getting it repaired would have to wait. I had arrange...

Location: Buea to Douala, Cameroon Summary: Boxing Day turned into one of the longest days of my journey. I met Marek, a fellow traveler on a BMW 450 with Swedish and Estonian passports, at the hotel. What should have been a simple morning departure turned into an all-day wait at the police station and gendarmerie. We spent hours registering our passports and waiting for convoy vehicles to arrive,...

Location Ekok, Cameroon Summary Boxing Day 2025 started calmly—I slept well, which already felt like a win. The policeman who had helped me the night before said he’d come back in the morning to help me exchange my remaining naira, since once I moved on, Nigerian currency would be useless. I knew I wouldn’t be able to access any “real” money in Cameroon right away, so getting that exchange done wa...

Location Calabar, Nigeria → Ekok, Cameroon (border region) Summary Christmas Day 2025 turned into a long but memorable travel day. I started out well prepared, carrying plenty of cash exchanged into naira, which meant dealing with a literal stack of small bills. Fuel was the next concern, but despite the holiday, most stations were open, and I filled both tanks with diesel before setting off. From...

Location Calabar, Nigeria Summary December 24th—Christmas Eve. With plans to leave Calabar on Christmas Day and head toward Ekok in Cameroon for the convoy on Saturday, I decided this was a good day to slow down and walk the city. I headed toward Marina Beach, which isn’t really a beach at all but sits along the water. The walk itself was pleasant, with well-maintained roads and stretches that fel...

Location Calabar, Nigeria Summary I left early again at 7:00 a.m., determined to reach Calabar to get the Cameroon visa sticker in my passport. The ride took about four hours, made better by an older couple heading to a religious conference—they were great company and even stood up to a few police shakedown attempts on my behalf. The road was intense, packed with massive trucks and constant detour...

Location From outside Benin City to Warri, ending the day in Aba, Nigeria Summary December 22nd started earlier than planned, about 35 kilometers before Benin City, after realizing the previous day’s delays had put me well behind schedule. I set off around 7:00 a.m., still unsuccessfully hunting for a proper cup of coffee — something that turns out to be surprisingly rare around here. The plan was...

Location En route to Benin City, Nigeria — overnight stop in Okorpon Summary December 21st turned into one of those days where progress is measured in truck lengths instead of kilometers. What should have been multiple lanes of traffic slowly collapsed into a single drivable lane due to roadwork far ahead, creating hours of stop-and-go congestion packed with heavy lorries. On a Sunday, no less. Po...

Location Cotonou, Benin → Lagos & Ikorodu, Nigeria Blog Summary December 20th started with a reminder to stay alert. The last turn into Kirk’s Guest House is full of deep open drains where wastewater and rainwater are supposed to go, many of them missing covers entirely. I’ve seen cars stuck in those ditches, and once you’re in, getting out is no small task. It’s just as dangerous for pedestri...

Location Cotonou, Benin Blog Summary December 19th was a day for exploring a bit further. I set out to see more of the town and quickly found myself moving through some rough neighborhoods where the roads simply aren’t finished. Getting around meant weaving through deep holes and broken stretches. It’s the dry season, which helps, but it still makes every short trip feel like an exercise in patien...

Location Cotonou, Benin Blog Summary December 18th was a big day. I picked up my Nigerian visa, and that alone felt like a small victory worth pausing for. I’d heard too many stories about people being denied an E-visa, which is exactly why I chose to do this in person. With visa rules constantly shifting, it felt good to walk out successful—especially knowing some applicants were asked for a Beni...

Location Grand Popo, Togo → Cotonou, Benin Blog Summary Good day. December 17th. It was time to head into Benin—another new country on the route. The drive followed the coast, and once again it delivered: beautiful stretches of shoreline and an easy rhythm on the road. The border crossing at Hilacondji was a bit unusual. Everything—exiting one country and entering the next—happened in pretty much...

Blog Title Palm Trees, Strong Surf, and a Quiet Night in Grand Popo Location Lomé → Grand Popo, Togo Blog Summary Good day for December 16th. It was already time to leave Lomé. I’m not spending long stretches in many places, and a lot of that comes down to visas. They’re nerve-wracking, and border crossings can be too, but you just trust that things will work out. I left Lomé at a reasonable hour,...

Location Tegbi & Keta, Ghana → Lomé, Togo Blog Summary Good day. December 15th. It was time to leave Tegbi with Julius—but not before he showed me a bit of his world. We walked down to the end of his road and watched fishermen lined up along the shore, chanting in rhythm as they hauled in nets set out in the sea. I didn’t film it out of respect, but seeing it unfold was powerful—quietly fascin...

Location Treehouse Bed & Breakfast → Keita / Tegbi, Coastal Ghana Blog Summary Good day. December 14th. It was time to leave the Treehouse. As much as I enjoyed the place, when you’re traveling like this, you have to keep moving. Thankfully, Yao had arranged a connection for me in Keita, a coastal town still within Ghana, which gave me a clear next destination. The day started on a high note w...

Location Treehouse Bed & Breakfast, north of Accra, Ghana Blog Summary Good day. Saturday, December 13th. I took the morning to catch up on some recordings and then spent a bit of time walking around the neighborhood, getting a better sense of how things work here. It’s always interesting to slow down and really observe a place once the initial arrival buzz fades. After Joe returned from Accra...

Location Accra, Ghana → Treehouse Bed & Breakfast (north of Accra) Blog Summary: Good day. Friday, December 12. I realized I had left out an interesting encounter from the day before—one of those moments that ends up subtly changing your plans. After stopping at an ATM to withdraw some cash using my wife’s card, I returned to find my car blocked by someone trying to take photos of it. That som...

Location Accra, Ghana Blog Summary Good day. Thursday, December 11th. I set out thinking this would be a straightforward trip to the DRC Embassy to apply for my visa—but travel has a way of surprising you. Sitting outside the embassy was another Land Rover, this one with Dutch plates, belonging to three guys from the Netherlands who were on an ambitious mission of their own: driving from Europe al...

Location: Accra, Ghana Blog Summary: December 10th was a day of slow but meaningful progress in Accra. I picked up my Congo visa, started untangling the complexities of ECOWAS car insurance, and accepted that some things would have to wait until tomorrow. Even with offices closing early and addresses that led nowhere, the day ended on a high note with a simple, delicious tilapia dinner and good co...

Location: Accra, Ghana Blog Summary My Tuesday in Accra was all about connections and momentum. Between a visa application at the Congo Embassy, a long-awaited in-person meeting with Aaron from Bern Design Lab, and catching up with the Reliant guys fresh off a BBC interview, the day was a reminder that flexibility, patience, and good people are what really keep a journey moving forward.

Location: Accra, Ghana Blog Summary My Monday in Accra was all about reconnecting through old travel threads, settling into a safe and welcoming place to stay, and beginning the practical work of planning visas and next destinations. Between navigating Accra’s unique traffic logic and wandering through Accra Mall and its surrounding street vendors, the city slowly started to make sense.

Location: Elmina Beach → Accra, Ghana Blog Summary On a slow, traffic-filled Sunday drive from Elmina to Accra, I took my time, met strangers who quickly felt like friends, picked up an unexpected travel companion, and finally arrived at the capital feeling equal parts exhausted and amazed. One of those days that reminds me why I travel this way.

Location Elmina & Cape Coast area, Ghana Summary Good day, December 6th. After a comfortable night at Yes Lord Guest House, I continued west toward Accra, deciding to stretch the journey with one more overnight stop. Road construction slowed things down, but it also gave me time to stay curious and flexible. Instead of pushing on to Cape Coast, I stopped early in Elmina and checked into a beac...

Location Ivory Coast → Ghana (road trip, border crossing day) Good day, December 5th. This episode is about the quiet math of travel—sandwiches versus boat tours, patience versus speed, and the real cost of crossing borders. I talk through leaving Ivory Coast, navigating an unmarked and time-heavy border process, a brief run-in with border photography rules, and finally entering Ghana. Along the w...

Location Abidjan → Assini Mafia, Côte d’Ivoire Podcast Summary It’s December 4th, and this is finally the day I’ve been waiting for. I walk through what I thought would be a simple Ghana visa pickup that nearly turned into another delay, thanks to equipment issues at the embassy. While waiting, I explore Abidjan one last time—checking out of my hotel, navigating the massive Treichville market, and...