Into Africa

by Thomas P. Bingle 

Toledo was quite comfortable for me and the time home, 11 months, went smoothly and quickly.  Jim and I reconnected and discovered that neither of us had gotten rid of the travel bug.  So we started planning another Joint Adventure! This expedition involved one of the most challenging explorations of the backpacking world: the Overland Journey from Istanbul to Kathmandu. We decided that our rendezvous point would be in Cairo, Egypt.

Cairo was a natural meeting point as Jim was looking first to return to Europe and then to explore the Pyramids and venture along the Nile prior to Istanbul. I, on the other hand, felt I could journey my way through Africa by visiting two friends who embarked on two-year stints with the Peace Corps in western Africa.  Both Carl in Sierra Leone and Steve in Ghana had already been in their fascinating roles for some time and were excited about someone visiting them.     

 As the plane took off, I was full of apprehension, taking another BIG STEP, away from security and stability, to venture into the unknown, Africa! Yet, with the world of travel, there always seems to be some help, as my seatmate as we crossed the Atlantic was a Dutch girl crushed by a relationship crisis on her way back home.   Through our conversation, we lifted each other's spirits and confidence so that we both could face the unknown once on land!

Tom and Richard, Sierra Leone

To help my entry into Africa, I was hoping Carl could be at the airport, he could not make it, and after walking on the tarmac from the airplane to the airport, I got my first taste of the friendliness I would experience in Africa when Richard, a young man in Baggage Claim, with his kindness helped me through the chaotic Customs without any expectation of a tip.   In addition to a grateful Thank You, I only mentioned I would hope to see him upon my departure! 

The nighttime transfer into Freetown, Sierra Leone, was full of new scenes with children playing along the side of the road, mud huts, no streetlights, and mothers breastfeeding.  To make the arrival into Africa even more dramatic, you had to take a ferry to enter Freetown, so named as it was one of the first cities in Africa to welcome Freed Slaves, and so with the wind in my face on the top deck, a beer in hand, 110% humidity, and talking with locals, I entered Africa, land of the earliest humans, phenomenal nature and a world that few backpackers visit! 

I met Carl the next morning, and by walking the streets of Freetown, he introduced me to a dominant aspect of financial, cultural, and social life of Africa: The Market!!!  The Capital City featured fabulous markets selling nearly every type of vegetable and items from hairpieces to harmonicas!!! 

The next day, we were on a Mammy Wagon, an open-air mini truck replete with unpadded wooden benches, careless drivers, a great African cast of mothers with their market goods, men returning from the diamond fields, and school children all cramped in.  Our destination was the upcountry home of Carl, the small village of Sumbuya, a land of no electricity, bars, restaurants, or billboards.  His home was on one level, with a living room, storeroom, and bedroom, kitchen, and latrine out back.  From here, Carl would hop on his Honda 50 motorbike and visit 5-6 villages a day.  In the evening, we enjoyed visiting with neighbors on his porch lit only by a lantern.  A nightly ritual was the sound of the BBC radio providing an update on the outside world before getting some sleep, unless the African rains pounded on his zinc roofing! 

Mammy Wagon

What was fascinating was the role that both Carl and Steve were living while working for the Peace Corps. Situated up in the country, they were involved in establishing Health Committees in the villages by introducing elementary Western health care ways to the vital indigenous healers, local herbalists, and fetish priests of the region, who were very respected in the countryside.  As the African populations accept each health care system as viable, the goal was to have each tradition complement each other  As Carl noted, “one of the most unique Peace Corps programs, as there was great potential with its goals to solve being basic ones.” If only to stem the high rate, 50%, of infant mortality in Sierra Leone, but also at this time 50% of the world's population did not have access to a medical doctor.  I noticed that both Carl and Steve were respected in their villages.

Carl and Steve, were instrumental in another vital local function: securing well-diggers to increase the number of freshwater wells. Highly respected in the village, the well-digger amazed me in the way they could keep a perfect circle for nearly 40 feet underground. As Carl would go to brush his teeth or cook some vegetables out back, he would pass a recently dug well.

Tom's friend, Carl (l), and the village well-digger.

After two weeks with Carl in Sierra Leone, where due to reliable rains, there seemed an abundance of food sources and a lower population, I boarded a flight from Freetown, where I met up again, as hoped, with the friendly Richard, to Accra, Ghana.  Quite a difference between the calm of Sierra Leone and the hectic, dynamic, intense, and populated world of Ghana. Several negative sights on the ride in from the Accra airport revealed more evident problems with pollution, poverty, and sanitation. 

After Accra, we went up to Steve’s house in the small area of Techiman, Ghana, which was similar to Carl's Sumbuya but with a little more creature comforts.  Again, friendliness was experienced everywhere, as when walking in his village, it seemed that you were returning hellos to everyone, and if you ever said a word or phrase in Twi, which Steve often did, the local language, you were celebrated!!!

Techiman and the surrounding area were enthused with Steve's meetings focusing on the coordination of Western medical techniques with the health care of the indigenous traditional healers in an attempt to create a collegial, cooperative link. One day, Steve and I went to nearly 10 traditional healers to discuss their daily lives of helping to heal many different situations involving medical ailments, but also daily life predicaments. Fetishes, which are inanimate objects that followers believed to be capable of supernatural powers, were present in all shrines. On several visits we were fortunate to witness the traditional healer or fetish priest presenting the potential healing power and the revealing element of fetishes mixed in with some modern medical wisdom!

Ghana, not to be outdone, has one of the largest markets in all of Africa, as Steve mentioned that there are up to 10,000 vendors at the Kumasi Market. What a world, so many vendors selling the same items, but still all making a living. A vital world for the women of Africa, as the daily time allows for socialization, so precious for their livelihood, as in the upcountry throughout Africa, the woman is the backbone of the culture, family, and values from early morning to late evening!!!  Thieves are not welcome!

I truly enjoyed and was honored for the perspective that Carl and Steve provided about the strength of these West African cultures, as seeing the upcountry in depth was very unusual for travelers. These lands and peoples were bombarded back then with an onslaught of Western and Modern thinking, ways, and values.  There was a tension in all countries over how to incorporate these movements without losing or discarding the respected and entrenched African traditions and cultures.  Carl and Steve respected the native traditions and cultures, which helped them to move people closer to modern medical and adaptable insights.

Tom's friend Steve, Peace Corps volunteer. Ghana

Steve and I hitchhiked back down to Accra and then, on a whim, climbed a nearby mountain for a final moment together in Ghana.

Then it was onto East Africa, last stop before Cairo, via a wonderful flight pattern to Lagos, Nigeria, Yaoundé, Cameroon, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and eventually Nairobi, Kenya!

It was quite a contrast to West Africa, as Kenya presented a land of modern skyscrapers, fancy restaurants, working systems, and a National Game Park just fifteen minutes away. 

Kenya presented a chance to experience the amazing wildlife and diverse landscape for a budget, short-term (four-day) safari!!  Loaded into one minivan, three other German backpackers and I headed out, expecting that we would encounter face-to-face, man-eating beasts!  The views were outstanding as Mount Kilimanjaro never disappeared, and the abundance of birds made you a Birder, no matter what!!

It seemed like the true residents of Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks, however, headed indoors, and I felt like I was a caged animal in the mini-van.  I thought I almost heard the one tattered lion, the three elephants and one hippo whisper to one another, saying: "New Model of Toyota: Not Bad!" 

Also, on the safari, we met the famous locals, the Masai of Kenya, and very impressive in their lands, but I did stop in my tracks when hearing that visiting their rustic village would cost was $25US per person. Seemed a bit commercialized out in the Bush, but could fully understand their motives!

Could not help myself, as for a final stop out to the Indian Ocean communities of Mombasa, Malindi, and Lamu, I hitchhiked by pounding the back of my left hand into the palm of my right hand, and a lorry picked me up. A true mixture of nationalities out on the Indian Ocean, with Indians from India imported by the British Empire to run shops, businesses, and railroads, along with Muslims who have been trading for nearly two millennia from the Middle East due to the favorable trade winds, and finally, the African Kenyans living their lives.

In all, a great introduction to a different world, and I felt so blessed to experience Africa through various lenses. But in all lands, there seemed to be one characteristic that surfaced always: Friendliness!  

Onto Cairo, to meet back up with Jim.  Back in the States, we had planned on the date and time we would meet up at the airport.  But in the world of backpacking, plans can change for any number of reasons.  What would I do if Jim weren’t there?

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That was Then. Click on the video for Jim's interview with Tom about his Now reflections on his journey into Africa.

Next Post/Video: Tom interviews Jim about what happened between Paris and Cairo.

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