Bolgatanga - end of the road

There were times when we thought we wouldn't, but on Monday we reached our final destination - Bolgatanga, Ghana. We'd driven more than 4,000 miles, endured an ever-changing landscape, extremes of climate, political instability and mechanical breakdowns. But we made it intact. The last day was not without incident. We'd bade a tearful farewell to Malvena on the Friday night - it was strange not having her in the car and we all missed her. But Philip Hancock and Dave Brown, whom we picked up in Ouaga for the final leg of the trip, soon established themselves as entertaining travelling companions. We travelled on Sunday to Nazinga Game Park in Burkina Faso which boasted several hundred elephants. Whether they were all hiding or had been shot I'll never know but we saw not one of the long-nosed bastards. On the Monday morning we made our way to the Ghana border where, guess what, Beast 2 wouldn't start. We'd had a problem with the battery and so when a mechanic came it was easy for him to spot the problem and cure it at least temporarily. I was pleased because the idea of being towed into Bolga would have been humiliating to say the least. When we did finally arrive in mid-afternoon we received a warm welcome and a couple of bottles of bubbly. It had been an unbelievable trip. We learnt a lot about the countries we visited, a considerable amount about diesel engines and car electronics, and more importantly something about ourselves. I'd like to add my personal thanks to all those who followed our progress and who offered their support both moral and financial. Without you it would not have been possible to realise this crazy idea. But achieve it we did.
Thanks also to my family for putting up with my long absence, and to Ben, Nick and Malvena for all the fun we had. It was unforgettable and I believe we've left the Ghana health service with two fine vehicles especially the one with the roof rack! .