Maurice Archibong
3-time winner, travel & tourism reporter of the year
mauricearchibongtravels @gmail.com
+2347030786447
For anything close to a proper understanding of any country, you need to see as much of that land as possible, first-hand. And, from personal experience, large towns and cities only represent a microcosm of any nation. Therefore, the most reliable picture comes from exploring a country's urban settlements alongside its rural areas.
While flying helps, the true troubadour knows that eating amid the locals and trekking with them as well as travelling by road, donkey or canoe, as ordinary people do, imbues the adventurer/explorer with invaluable insights. This is one reason the average travel-writer appears smug!
Having traversed Nigeria from the west to east, south to north and even diagonally, from Calabar to Sokoto; and Lagos to Maiduguri, I know my country better than most people. And, this is not an empty boast...
This aspect of the ways I have gone about unravelling Nigeria's people and places has also guided me over the last 20 years or so, that I have been exploring West Africa. For example, I have traversed Benin Republic, east to west and north to south. I have done the same as regards Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, et cetera.
Believe it or not, it is sometimes possible to see more through the darkness of night. This is where night-travel, alias Night Flight, among Nigerians comes in. Although night-time road travel has become very scary in Nigeria, I still treat myself to this adventure in neighbouring countries.
So, dear reader, I want to share with you, my experience of travelling from Accra, the capital of Ghana in the country's southern fringes; all the way to Bolgatanga, capital of Upper East Region. Upper East Region is one of the 10 regions that make up the old Gold Coast and, to soak everything in, we chose to make this latest trip by road and in the night.
From Accra, before reaching Bolgatanga; the journey will take the wayfarer through Kumasi, Kintempoe, Tamale et cetera. Since a distance of less than 1,200km separates Accra from Bolgatanga, one should ordinarilly make the journey in 12 hours, driving at average speed of 100km per hour.
However, this was not our experience. Our antique molue-like bus set out of the motor-park behind Neoplan Station in Accra at precisely 6pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013. But, we hit Bolgatanga 16 hours later: At 10am on Friday, March 29! The fare was 38Ghc per passenger. Thirty-eight Ghana cedi translates into roughly $19.
In other words, I paid the equivalent of about N3,000 only for travelling a distance comparable to going from Lagos to Katsina. In Nigeria, we cough out at least N5,000 to make this journey; in spite of lower fuel pump price in our land! Furthermore, I was one of 32 passengers in the huge mammy-wagon and it is worth point out that, in spite of the fact that Nigeria is by far richer than Ghana, there was nothing like Attachment in the bus I made my trip in.
Attachment, that sickening word, alludes to the presence of co-travellers that are squeezed like lower animals along the aisle of huge buses that Nigerians call Luxurious, but which are notorious for the discomforture decent travellers usually have to endure. Attachee is what a traveller squatting on the aisle of a bus is called. Usually, the bus departs after all seats have been occupied, but, a few minutes later, the driver will pull over to enable the bus conductor carry more travellers. Since all the seats were full, attachees sit on the floor of the bus' aisle and can sometimes travel in this inhumane condition for 6 to 12 hours! If the normal fare is N5,000 for example, the bus conductor in collusion with the driver and so-called escort, collect N3,000 from the attachee; thus breaking the law by exceeding maximum passenger capacity and causing avoidable discomfort to bona fide commuters.
But, let's return to Ghana; lest we digress too far. Interestingly, we were barely 60-minutes' drive out of Acrra, when our ancient bus developed an engine fault. Everyone had to disembark, while the mechanic that accompanied the vehicle tried to fix the problem. We thus ended up stranded by the roadside in the dark of night for roughly 70 minutes. Fortunately, the bus was eventually repaired and we soon resumed our journey.
It is worth pointing out, that the bus' breakdown so early in the journey must have left many passengers worried, especially as we were travelling in the night. However, the fear must have been assuaged somewhat by the presence of a mechanic that could be considered competent. In other words, since he successfully fixed the vehicle the last time, he would probably succeed the next, should the need arise.
However, fears of another breakdown would eventually evaporate completely because the old bus seemed to be going stronger as subsequent hours rolled by. Nonetheless, we would come upon another form of delay, which left us feeling that you sometimes see more in darkness than in daylight. This happened at 2.44am, when our bus pulled into a filling station at a town called Kintempoe.
Initially, our bus had parked inside the premises of a popular transport company, called STC Intercity. But after some 30 minutes, the driver pulled out again. We had thought our journey had resumed, but barely 5km down the road, the driver again turned into another petrol station, called Crown Filling Station.
From the view through our bus' windows, we observed there were dozens of other buses, trucks and sundry vehicles parked along the road as well as inside the gas station by the time we got there. The reason for the wait, we gathered, was fear of highway robbers! Yes, highway marauders operate even in Ghana, too.
Not knowing how long we were going to wait, all passengers disembarked and mingled with travellers from other parked vehicles. Fortunately, many traders and hawkers were still awake, which made it possible for one to get some snack. Sauntering over to the other end of the filling station's premises to help our muscles unwind, I spotted a roadside tea seller.
Promptly, we walked over and sat on one of the man's rickety benches. We ordered a cup of coffee and a huge slice of bread. The steaming hot coffee offered welcome relief from the chilly pre-dawn winds. Although some passengers had since returned to their seats inside various vehicles, with many fast asleep; like most of the other travellers, we simply strolled around some more. At last, many drivers were back behind their steering wheels and hooting the horns signaling that the journey was about to continue. In any case, by the time our journey resumed at 4.04am, we had spent roughly 90 minutes at Crown Filling Station.
At 5.10am, we were crossing a bridge over some river, whose name we could not tell. But for the pothole-infested axis between Tamale and Sankpagla, one would have described the Accra to Bolgatanga route as very good. Nonetheless, it is worth pointing out, that the state of roads across Ghana, generally considered, is heart-warming.
It was already daybreak, 6.30am on Friday, March 29; by the time we sighted settlements on the southern fringes of Tamale. Seven minutes later, our driver made a brief stop at Lamashegu, a Tamale suburb, where a United Nations' Human Security outpost is located; to allow some passengers get off.
About 6.50, after more Tamale-bound travellers had disembarked, we were again on our way. By 8.55am, our bus had traversed Wulugu in Walewale. And, at 10am; after crossing an antique steel bridge over some wetlands, we came to a toll gate on whose surroundings stood numerous signposts. And, finally; much to my relief; one of the signboards carried the inscription: Welcome to Bolgatanga.
However, it would take another hour before our bus finally hit the Bolgatanga Motor Park. Haleluja! I almost cried out. Wow! We had travelled more than 16 hours to get here. So, what is Bolgatanga like? Fondly called Bolga, this Ghanaian settlement stands barely 40km to Burkina Faso. In fact, from Bolga, countless tourists frequently cross the Ghanaian border at Paga into Dakola on the Burkinabe side.
As earlier mentioned, Bolga is seat of the Upper East Region Government. Aside from its role of regional administrative centre, Bolga is also capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal District. Located roughly 160km north of Tamale, Bolga's population is less than 70,000, going by a 2012 estimate.
Bolgatanga, which stands within the Red Volta River Valley vicinal to the White Volta River; was an important terminal on the austral parts of the Trans-Saharan Trade Route. Bolga is endowed with numerous tourist attractions. This is Bolga, home of one of Ghana's most popular tourist attractions, called Naa Gbewaa Shrine or Tomb of Naa Gbewaa.
But, is it possible to have a tomb for someone that was never buried? According to legend, Naa Gbewaa, founder of the Dagomba ethnic group, simply disappeared in the heat of a battle. Whatever the case, Naa Gbewaa Shrine, believed to have been built more than 600 years ago, has evolved into an important spiritual landmark for countless Ghanaians.
The town's location near The Voltas, an important migratory route for elephants, also attracts many wild-life buffs. Moreover, Bolga is a celebrated crafts' centre patronised by indigenes and foreigners that wash in to buy traditional textile, leather-wares, straw baskets, fans, hats and jewellery. Bolga is a museum town and boasts a state-of-the-art library, but most visitors end up at its famous market for sundry handicraft. Centuries ago, these items were bartered for salt or even kola-nut; but, not any more. These days, you need the dollar, euro, pounds or Ghana cedi et cetera.
And, last but not the least; Bolga is near Paga, the frontier settlement leading to Burkina Faso, earlier mentioned. So, what's special about Paga? Paga is where many tourists go to play with crocodiles! Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) pamphlets say Paga's Sacred Crocodile Ponds hold the friendliest such reptiles in that country!
The crocodiles in Paga's sacred ponds are said to be harmless because these are not run of the mill amphibians. These crocodiles are repositories for the souls of departed members of Paga royalty, Travels gathered. Welcome to Bolga...
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Via: Sun News Online