It's been more than a year since I took a road trip that actually started from Abuja, Nigeria and ended in Dakar, Senegal. I had planned to write a blog or record a vlog about my experience but one year later I haven't gotten to it. I have decided to do a Twitter thread instead.
I read and watched tons of stuff before my trip which is why I wanted to also put my experience and tips out there. An incredibly long Twitter thread will have to do for now! So this will be a summary of my experience and the incredible people I met along the way. #TravelAfrica
My biggest concern about this trip was that I'd be a woman traveling alone but I'd gotten tired of waiting for significant others' schedules to align with mine or being restricted by their passports. I wasn't going to stop being a woman anytime soon so had to get on with it. 3/n
My concern was valid and I addressed it by doing tons of research on the trip before I started. I found bus routes, called bus companies to confirm prices and that they were operational. Used @Couchsurfing to find hosts in all the cities. Tried to prepare for eventualities. 4/n
This was my route: Abuja - Lagos - Cotonou (Benin) - Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) - Bobo Dioulasso (BF) - Bamako (Mali) - Dakar (Senegal). I used the website @rome2rio to find info on routes and buses. Read recent blogs to figure out how things were at the borders at that time. 5/n
Let's go! Yes, I was going on a tough road trip but packed a massive bag 🤦🏾♀️(was to live in Senegal for three months). Travel light guys! Abuja to Lagos was uneventful and I mostly did it to get into the road trip mood. I actually like road trips which is why I considered this 6/n 
Lagos to Cotonou was alright. The road was awful towards the Seme border (between Nigeria and Benin) and the trip took twice the time it should've. All of a sudden I started seeing good roads then realised we had entered Benin lol. It was also otherwise uneventful. 7/n
People! In Cotonou I stayed in a flat with 3 American Peace Corps guys and they were great! They took me around the city, took me out for drinks, explained Béninois culture to me. One of them got mad drunk at a party we went to, took off his shirt etc. It was very dramatic. 8/n
I only spent one night with them, politely declined an invitation to someone's bed, went to church with them in the morning then got on my way to Ouaga that evening. I also found out that I could get a straight bus to Dakar and got tempted but decided to stick to the plan 9/n
I found this bus company called TCV and used them for most of this trip. They had a great website and appeared to be the most reliable. I couldn't buy tickets online but always bought my ticket for the next leg as soon as I arrived in a city (to make sure I got a seat) 10/n
Cotonou to Ouaga was an interesting route. There were still quite a number of Nigerians in the bus. This Béninois guy struck up conversation with me while we were waiting and we sat together. Kept me company the entire trip and even shared his hotspot with me. Make a friend! 11/n
I bought sim cards at each new city and also bought a massive power bank to ensure that I never got stranded without a way to call for help. My personal safety was really important to me. In Cotonou I was told "Tu es très courageuse" but I tried to prepare for stuff. 12/n
The country that had given me the most concern was Mali bt I was warned in Cotonou that Burkina Faso was getting really bad. And truly, there were a lot of checkpoints. I wasn't too worried though. I told people, "I'm from the Boko Haram country, Burkina is learning work 😎" 13/n
Haha well, I finally got to Ouaga and got picked from the park by my kind host, Abder. He came with his fiancée Aida and we went to have chicken and beer that night. I had a great time! Aida was hilarious 😍. Abder was a medical doctor and was doing loads of research. 14/n
Ouaga was hot! It's the hottest place I've ever experienced till date. I walked around the neighborhood a bit but this was the outskirts. The city was more vibrant and glamorous but I don't have clear photos. That evening I got on a bus to Bobo, another city in BF. 15/m
On the bus ride to Bobo, I finally felt like I was deep in francophone West Africa. The bus was filled with market women (Bobo is more tropical with better weather and fruits) and I was the only Nigerian I think. Waited for a while at the park in Bobo for my bus to Bamako 16/n
As you can see from the photos, it wasn't the cleanest station haha. Not very comfortable but I adapted fast and we eventually left for Bamako. I met this Togolese Minusma (UN Peacekeeping soldier) at the station and he kept me company the entire ride. Really, make a friend! 17/n
He was given special treatment at checkpoints and was saluted and allowed to stay on the bus whenever everyone else had to get off. He told the soldiers I was with him so I stayed on too 😅😎. We had really great conversation and he told me "Je te trouve très cool" haha 18/n
Inter-city landscape wasn't very different so I didn't take photos but we bought some tea during the stops. We eventually got to Bamako where he stayed with me until I was picked up by my host from the station! My host was a former daredevil turned devt. worker with the FAO 19/n
Bamako had an interesting energy. For some reason, it reminded me of Lagos. A lot of traffic, a lot of bikes. There was something about it. Explored the city during the day then left for the last and longest leg of my trip that evening: Bamako - Dakar. 30 hours+ on the road. 20/n
Gosh, this was the hardest leg! I think I died like three times in that bus. Just see my face in this photo. I was a dead woman sitting 😂. My preferred snack on road trips is grilled meat and I've never had tummy problems with this. It's delicious and I recommend! 21/n
I was supposd to have another companion on this leg but I cld barely understnd the accented French of the man that introduced himself to me. He still helped me with my bag and stuff and was really nice. Then we finally finally got to Dakar 😭🥳. I was so happy and exhausted! 22/n
But my troubles weren't over! My AirBnB went AWOL and I was stranded for the first couple of hours in Dakar. The taxi driver I picked from the station took me to his house (so stupid and dangerous of me) then I begged him to please take me to a restaurant. No cash, no phone 23/n
because we arrived early in the morning and no one was selling SIMs. My bank card wasn't working. I was luckily able to use the internet in the restaurant and eventually got hold of my AirBnB hours later but they told me I no longer had a room 😰. What to do? New city! 24/n
People were trying to push strange accommodation alternatives on me and I was confused. I turned back to @Couchsurfing and in no time, I was picked up by the driver of my Turkish host. He literally saved me in Dakar that morning and I found another AirBnB the next day. 25/n
The next morning, my host took me to N'Gor Island where we spent the entire Sunday. He was so nice! I found a really colourful crab and pointed it out to them. They called someone and when I asked what they were doing, they said they wanted to catch it for me. I said no thanks 😰
These men were 100% polite to me until I left them. He even sent his driver to check out my new AirBnB befr I moved in. They didn't ask anything in return for their kindness but apparently my host was obsessed with Aya Nakamura and saw me as a proxy for her. Thanks Aya lol! 27/n
Stuff happened like they were supposed to because I met the best people at my new AirBnB. Can't imagine what my stay would have been like without them. Merci Marta et Jason ! Jason - being a social animal lol - dragged me to a lot of social events in Dakar. We had fun! 28/n
I also met the best people through work (WATHI)! My incredible boss, Gilles, and my colleagues were the best! They suffered through my terrible French and taught me about Senegalese culture. Shared their food with me etc. Also Pelumi, my Naija sis! I truly loved Senegal 😍. 29/n
Food - To be honest I didn't like Senegalese jollof (Thieb) the first time I tried it but fell in love with it afterwards. Jason showed me a really cheap place that had delicious Thieb. He also cooked a lot of delicious French food. You also have Mafe, Yassa etc. Delicious! 30/n
Drinks - There's this delicious popular Boabab fruit drink. Also, you can buy delicious street tea (Ataya) almost everywhere. Beaches - There were lots, and they were beautiful 😍. I lived just 5 mins from Plage des Mamelles and my colleagues would often work from there 😎 31/n
I won't lie, the road trip was tough but I would probably do it again. I passed through so many borders and checkpoints, often had to pay some money (less because I could speak French). Sitting in the buses for so long really tested me. The entire road trip took one week. 32/n
I've tried to be as transparent as possible for other women that may consider this trip. I traveled alone but I was almost never alone. I had A LOT of help along the way. I chose @Couchsurfing hosts that worked in my field - development, for some added security. 33/n
Sexual harassment - I tried to avoid getting into difficult situations. Always checked for cab companies in each city and made sure to have enough cash for a hotel. Heard of CS hosts that kicked solo women travelers out in the middle of the night if they rejected advances. 34/n
Personal Safety - I traveled with big buses as they were more secure. Paired up with other travelers to avoid becoming a target. I just tried to use my sense and blended in quite well with my little French. You don't want to draw attention to yourself while on the road. 35/n
Knowing at least some French helps. I cautiously avoided any behaviour that could be construed as flirting. French sockets, carry adapters! Maps.me was really useful as it's the best for Africa travel and has great offline maps. Helped find stations etc. 36/n
A lot missing but this is already too long! Glad this trip is now documentd even as I plan to start anothr African adventure. #TravelAfrica guys! Closing with this video of me saying thank you to Jason befr I left Dakar. Thank you to everyone that helped me on this trip ❤️! 37/37
