On high alert in West Africa

In 2023, Jean Cooper and De Witt Oosthuizen rode their motorcycles from Pretoria to Madrid. In this instalment, they're deep in West Africa, slogging their way through Benin, Togo, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Guinea.

- JEAN COOPER

A storm broke out just as we were about to leave Cotonou, a harbour city in Benin. It was late in October 2023 and day 45 of our adventure. We chatted with a woman called Yasmina, who ran the local motorcycle club, as we waited for the rain to abate.

Yasmina told us about how Benin and Togo were supposed to be one country, but they were split during the colonial era. In some places the border goes right through people's houses! She told us about a guy who uses his house as a border post: You walk in from Togo at the back door, pay your border fees, and walk out the front door into Benin.

When we departed, Yasmina and two other riders from the club took us to a 30m-high bronze statue celebrating the so-called Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment that existed here from the 17th century until the late 19th century.

From there, De Witt and I rode west to Lomé (160 km), the capital of Togo.

After the rain, everything smelt fresh and the streets were clean. Even the border crossing was a refreshing experience. We walked into a well-maintained building and handed over our passports to the Benin officer who stamped us out. He handed the passports to the Togolese officer next to him, who gave us forms to fill in, and then stamped us in. Two border posts in one!

Our good luck continued. Apparently, there was a motorbike workshop in the main street in Lomé. Imagine if we could get the bikes serviced, too? We searched and found the place. A man called John welcomed us, wearing a yellow T-shirt and a quiet smile. Yes, he could change the oil. Yes, he could do it today. We were in the hands of one of those capable, down-to-earth people who hold the world together.

The next morning, it was only 500 m from our hotel to the border with Ghana. Outside the border building, money changers and self-proclaimed "border helpers" swarmed the bikes. "Sir, I can see you're a good person, please let me help you through the border!"