Interview: Backpacking to the World Cup

Author: Matt Preston Become a contributor

What made you decide to take on this impressive itinerary?

We were living in Berlin and we wanted to go to the World Cup. We thought and we’d see more if we travelled overland and it seemed like everybody travelled Africa overland through the East so we thought we’d try the West. We thought if we’re going to try the West let’s make it interesting and since there’s nothing written about backpacking it, we’ll write it.

We wanted to show that Africa is not just for old people on a Safari and that you can backpack it big time. We wanted to prove it’s accessible to anyone, I mean we don’t speak any French, don’t have much of a budget and didn’t know a thing about the countries we were going to before we left. 11 countries and 11,000km later we’re still going strong.

In the end we decided to backpack Africa to break down barriers, challenge misconceptions, find inspiring projects and to showcase the real Africa to a new audience to encourage others to do the same.

What has been the most memorable moment on your journey so far?

It’s hard to pinpoint one, although when you possess no musical talents whatsoever like the two of us anytime you get the chance to feel like a rockstar – it’s pretty special. We experienced exactly that, arriving to screaming fans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The crowd may have been made up of 90 school children all 8 years or younger, but that’s beside the point – it was unforgettable.

As for other memories so far – we’ve battled Saharan sandstorms, ridden in empty iron ore train carriages, travelled on car rooftops, saddled horse drawn carts, been in a couple of car accidents and we’ve been to Timbuktu and back. We’ll also mention we’ve hallucinated in the heat, bashed bongos on beaches, hand fed live crocodiles, toured Togo, mixed it UN officials on dance floors, visited the home of Voodoo in Benin, followed the slave trade in Ghana,  rocked it at reggae raves and bounced to the African beats. Yep – we love it here in West Africa.

Where are you now? What have you done there and what do you plan to do next?

We’re currently in Nigeria counting down the days until we can get out.  We’ve spent most of our time here battling with authorities, answering questions and paying ‘additional fees’ for imaginary issues. Aside from that, we came, saw but didn’t quite conquer Lagos, it’s the biggest city in West Africa and we’d dare to say probably the most chaotic.

That said, Nigeria sits on it’s own as the only place we wouldn’t recommend. It’s incredibly expensive you’ll definitely have problems at any border crossing and in many places it’s dangerous to travel as a westerner. Did someone say corruption?

Calabar is probably the best place to chill in the country which is precisely where we are right now, preparing to take on one of the most treacherous and well renowned ferry crossings in the World to reach Cameroon. We’re pretty sure this will be our last tough travel day, but we’ve said that many times before this trip so we can’t make any promises.

What advice would you give to people thinking of doing the same as you?

If you’ve ever thought of travelling Africa or wondered what it might be like you should 100% book it, do it and experience it. We can’t recommend West Africa highly enough. There are things you can do and see here that you could only imagine elsewhere. It’s for the most part dirt cheap, none of your friends have been and you won’t be bombarded by other tourists.

We reckon it would have to be one of the only parts of the world that’s still truly original and authentic which makes it both challenging and pretty special. Everybody thinks of South Africa and safaris when it comes to travel in Africa but we’re trying to change that and if you ask us – the West is the best.

We should also say, make sure you check travel warnings, although we ignored all 3, at least we were informed. The biggest tip we can offer is don’t take advice from those who haven’t been – we heard every horror story under the sun from the arm chair experts but on continent we’ve had the time of our lives.

Have you come across any difficulties or had to change any plans yet?

When you start a website with a name like Amateurs in Africa it’s inevitable with poor planning , preparation, a low budget and lack of language skills there were going to be problems.

We were thrown out of Senegal at the Rossio border crossing and sent back to Nouakchott the capital of Mauritania. The Senegalese embassy promised us a visa in 2 days. 4 days later we finally made it into the country. Needless to say in the middle of summer travelling an extra 600km in plus 40 degree temperatures didn’t bring a smile to our face nor did the wasted coin.

A few weeks down the track we made it to Ghana with our passports pumping. They’d been pumping so hard there was no more pages left meaning a trip to the Australian Embassy and an additional week or so waiting. This would also lead to further problems with border police – predominately when we reached Nigeria and basically broke our banks.

I guess the biggest disappointment in change of plans was in Benin. It’s an amazing place but at the border we were only issued a 48hr visa which meant we’d have to miss a planned Safari in the north of the country – it’s not only said to be one of the best on the continent but it’s also one of the cheapest. We couldn’t afford the visa extension.

Apart from the world cup finals what are you most looking forward to?

When we started the trip we were most looking forward to West Africa, mostly because there is so little written about it. In particular we wanted to be on the World’s longest train – Iron Ore train ride in Mauritania, make it to Timbuktu and back, chill on the beaches of Ghana, check out the mystery of Voodoo in Benin and make it north to a safari park.

We also were looking forward to meeting people from every country and getting involved with as many grassroots projects as possible. With that in mind we still have 3 or 4 projects lined up in the east of Africa which we cannot wait to check out.

That said we’re still hanging out for a wildlife safari and with tickets to a couple of Australia’s matches we’re looking forward to some mass celebrations. We’ve followed the football fever through 11 African countries so far and judging from what we’ve seen if any African team makes it far in the finals we’re looking forward to watching that at a local venue – it’ll be insane.

And lastly, can you describe how travelling makes each of you feel personally?

We’ve both finished Uni and we’ve studied most of our lives and we both agree travelling is the best way to learn. There’s nothing like getting hands on and getting involved with the local people and places.

For us, travelling this part of the world feels pretty, well in a word – epic. We love it. No one else we know has been here so we’re one up on our mates back home and in terms of coolness is there anything that beats a hi-five? From The Gambia to Burkina Faso if we had to estimate we’d say we’ve dished out a couple of hundred hi-fives amongst the children and kicked around on the  dusty football pitches of about 5 different countries.

There’s nothing cooler then backpacking the west, the people and the places and the smiles on the faces. It’s a hard feeling to describe because in West Africa everything’s possible and it’s unreal to travel but it’s also a place where you if you want to get involved you can make a real difference in the lives of the locals.

Follow Benny & Harty on their amazing journey at www.amateursinafrica.com

You can also follow them on twitter at @amateursAfrica

If you would like to be interviewed about your amazing adventure then contact us.