Home » Togo Niger Ghana » Africa, spring 1999 part IV

Journal of African trips

Africa, spring 1999 part IV

Agelasto
2004-05-21 18:30:15

Displayed times (last time: )

nightly right in the middle of the bus lanes. My guide finds the Agnibilekrou bus,
helps me buy the ticket (#31) and load the rucksack. I give him whatever change is left
over, about US $.50. He is embarrassed; not being in the habit of tipping, I have
apparently overtipped to an extraordinary degree. He hugs me, startled by his
appreciation. My eyes start to tear, perhaps from sentimentality or perhaps from the
funnel cloud of dirt that has arisen to see me off.

In contrast to what happens in the anglophone countries, this bus is scheduled to depart on
the hour, whether the tickets have been sold out or not. I take my assigned seat #31,
anticipating the trip to take 4-5 hours (the ticket cost US $5). Right on the hour, the
driver gets aboard. Actually, he?s not the driver who will take us to Agnibilekrou. He?s
the man who will maneuver us out of the parking spot. Getting out of the parking spaces
in the Adjame gare are jobs for specialists (just like ocean liners are guided in and out of
port by skilled port pilots). I had wondered how the bus would ever extract itself form its
lodgings, for no more than a few centimeters of space exist between us and the adjacent
busses, and the lane ahead is crammed not only with pedestrians and baggage carts but
also busses. The driver pulls forward a few meters, then backs up at a slight angle,
lessening the gap between the next busses to millimeters. Then forward again, back again,
about a dozen times as our angle steadily increases. Almost as if on cue, several busses
that were blocking the lane remove themselves, leaving more space for our driver to
maneuver. Another dozen ups and backs and we are now, fifteen minutes later,
perpendicular to where we had parked. The specialist dismounts and our new driver
comes aboard.

Leaving the station takes another ten minutes. The road, ...