Crisscross West Africa Travel

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Crisscross West Africa Travel
Ouagadougou or Ouaga, Burkina Faso, West Africa
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Andy of HoboTraveler.com

I received a five year multiple entry visa to Mali yesterday for 25,000 CFA or about 50 US Dollars. I applied at about 9:00 AM and at 11:00 AM, I received the Visa. I am from the USA and I am not sure what is going on, but this is now the second five year Visa I have received in Africa. I received a one year in Togo and then Burkina Faso Embassy in Ghana gave me a five-year visa for Burkina Faso. I can also enter at the border of Benin at the bottom and the top and get a 48-hour visa then immediately extend.

Crisscross Countries

I now can travel painlessly from Senegal to Togo, back and forth, up and down, meander, and wander West Africa.

This is now possible for ME, I do not know about YOU.

Governments of the world just lose the plot, many countries are clueless. There are various polices, and sadly countries tend to make Visa policy in childish ways.

The USA gives to the poorer countries a
“Prove you will leave Visa.”
Or an,
“Up the Ante Visa”

You must prove you are going to visit and leave the country, and the USA continually increase the Ante to guarantee the person leaves. If you ask a person in South America where they want to go, they do not say Yellowstone Park, they say Miami as they are not going to leave if they enter… hehehe

The Tourism departments of Governments of the planet are full of control freaks and anal people who do not want to work together with other countries. More or less they world from jealousy and a need to prove they have power.

90 percent of the problems are a Government or the Chief what seems logical, fair, open to other countries, then they turn over the right to give a Visa to person with a second grade education who is the brother in law to the President.

Ghana…. Ghana could triple the tourism in it country just buy giving Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Jealous boys Canada 30 days on arrival Visa. Then put a way in Southeast Asia to get a Visa, specifically put an Embassy or Consulate in Bangkok, Thailand.

The goal of Ghana is not tourism or to encourage business.

The normal phrase you hear is about reciprocity, the
“Reciprocity Visa” - I give you what you give me.

I have been listing the types as I think of them:

Quid pro quo Visa
Eye for an Eye Visa
Gouge Visa
Prove you will leave Visa
Up the Ante Visa
My Home is Your Home Visa
Encourage Bribes Visa
Your Country if full of Crooks Visa
What Country are you from Visa
Wave your Passport Visa
I am First World Also Visa
Special Status Visa
Get You Back what you have me Visa
Treat Me Equal Visa
Impossible to Perform Rule Visas
Keep the People Poor Visa
The Rich get Richer Visa
Visa on Arrival
Swim over, we will let you in

Overall, I must commend Burkina Faso and Mali for giving five year Visas and if across the board the policy is passed down and all the Embassies or Consulates do the same than life will get better in these countries. A businessperson visits for fun, then come back to do business…

I am now tempted to go by land to England, pick up my Solar Powered play toys, bypass the gouge you, the rich get richer import exports rules and be my own courier.

People tell me, get a Visa in your own country, the distance from Indiana to Washington DC or to New York, or the time it would take and the money it would take, I could fly around the planet. It is just not a good option, in fact, horrible to get Visa inside the USA, therefore making Africa about the last place on a persons list of places to go, tourism is encouraged by making it easy. All of Europe, I more or less just wave my passport at them and enter, I am not sure if I ever have to leave.

Crisscross West Africa Travel

Overlanding in Africa |

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Reader Submitted Comments | Deleted Comments (0)

Richard Trillo said on Friday September 14th, 2007 02:41:00 PM

Good idea, Andy. I reckon once you get to Dakar you could be in London in under two weeks overland. It's a good paved road the whole way now. No more sand (nearly). Bon voyage, Richardhttp://theroughguidetowestafrica.blogspot.com

Andy HoboTraveler.com said on Saturday September 15th, 2007 04:53:00 AM

Wow, if you say the road from Dakar, Senegal up to Europe is paved, this would make life wonderful.

Richard Trillo said on Thursday September 20th, 2007 06:48:00 AM

Yes, they completed the Nouakchott to Nouadhibou paved road a couple of years ago. So it's tarmac all the way from Dakar to Paris.