Heading to the DRC Embassy
Good day. Thursday, December 11th. Time to make it to the DRC Embassy and apply for the visa there.
An Unexpected Meeting
Well, I was in for a surprise. When I got there, there was another Land Rover sitting outside with Dutch license plates and a website on the side that read drivingforwealthtomorrow.nl. Three guys from the Netherlands were there doing the exact same thing I was—applying for a visa for the DRC.
They were on a very different schedule than I am. They had started their journey from the Netherlands on November 21st, which is absolutely amazing.
Of course, they have three drivers, so they don’t have to drive in the dark as much. But that also means they can’t stop and explore very often. They’ve given themselves about five weeks to get to South Africa, and by the sound of it, they might be two or three days behind schedule—though they could possibly make that up somewhere along the way.
Visa Delays and Coffee Breaks
It was really fun running into those guys. Since none of us could do anything beyond filling out our applications, we were all effectively held hostage until the next day, when we could pick up the visas at 3 p.m. That was after choosing the express option, which cost an extra $50 on top of the $250 we had already paid. Still, it seemed worth it to avoid waiting until Monday.
You end up paying for accommodation anyway, so you might as well keep moving. With time on our hands, we walked around the corner, found a good place for coffee, and talked about what each of us was doing. There was a lot of excitement in the air.
A Mission to South Africa
Their main mission is to get the vehicle to South Africa, where two of them have property interests. The plan is to leave the vehicle there, though how exactly that will work is still to be determined. First things first—they needed to get it there.
We exchanged information, and if all goes well, I probably won’t see them again—except maybe tomorrow. They should be well ahead of me, and I feel very privileged not to have to rush my journey as much.
The Insurance Maze
After that, it was time for me to nail down the insurance situation. I had made some progress already, but not with the result I was looking for. I headed to the ECOWAS office—the building it was supposedly in.
The office was on the second floor, but I wasn’t sure whether the main floor counted as the first floor or not. I went up one set of stairs, turned right as instructed, and found a completely vacant office.
That didn’t look promising, so I decided to try one more floor up. That turned out to be the right place.
Of course, they couldn’t help me either—but they did point me in the right direction. There was a Vanguard Assurance office not too far away.
When Things Finally Fall Into Place
Traffic was slow, but I made it there in time. And when things finally fall into place, it almost feels like nothing. I paid 170 cedis—roughly $15 to $20—and that got me covered with third-party insurance through December 28th.
This insurance is only valid through Nigeria and the countries in between. Once I get to Cameroon, I’ll need to find different coverage.
Rest, Recovery, and Looking Ahead
With that sorted, I made it back to Shannon and Robbie. Robbie wasn’t feeling all that great, so Shannon and I spent time talking and grabbing some food.
It felt really good to be able to stay in one place for four days—to pause, figure things out, and see what we can do next.
Time to regroup and see what tomorrow brings. Thanks so much for being along.
