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Fondest memory: Polio is an infection caused by a virus which affects the neurone cells in the spinal cord. The symptoms are fever and headache, weakness in a group of muscles, then widespread paralysis. A vaccine can be taken agaist the virus.

Fondest memory: Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by the Hep A virus. The virus is picked up from contaminated food and water. The symptoms are a slight febrile disorder and loss of appetite. Almost all recovers within about 2 months. Precautions include immunization and avoiding salads, unpeeled fruit, sharing crockery and cutlery.

Fondest memory: Most areas of Africa has Yellow Fever. The infection is caused by a virus carried by monkeys, transmitted through mosquitos who carry the virus from the monkey to the human. The symptons are a short, mild fever often leading to jaundice, failure of the liver and kidneys and eventually death. The yellow fever vaccine is effective and valid for 10 years. A inoculation certificate is required if arriving from infected areas. Infants under 1 year old are exempt.

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Kenya:
Visa: Visa at the airport takes 10 minutes to get and costs 50 USD.
Mobil phone: Very good roaming. Can also buy cheaper, prepaid SIM cards.
ATM: Yes. Works good and gives normal rate.
Recommended language: English.
Infrastructure: Poor in the countryside. OK in the cities, but Nairobi has problems with the flow of water.
Friendliness by the people: Friendly, very interested, but sometimes a bit pushy.
Attention by Police/military: No bad experience.
Crime: High in the poor areas and Nairobi. Generally more theft than comparative African countries.
Rainy period: April, May, June.
Price level: Cheap, but more expensive than Ethiopia. White people usually pay more for the same service than Africans.
Airport departure tax: Nothing from NBO and MBA.

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Togo:
Visa: Visa on arrival when you cross the borders by land will be issued for 7 days stay. The price is 10000 CFA (15 USD). Beware that some immigration officers will ask for a dash bribe (1000-5000 CFA). Play stupid and tell them you don't understand, but be polite. They can make some hassle.
Mobil phone: Good roaming in Lome. Prepaid local SIM cards are very cheap.
ATM: Some ATM's in Lome.
Recommended language: French.
Infrastructure: Very poor.
Friendliness by the people: Normal West-African behavior. Friendly, but very poor.
Attention by Police/military: The police officers are very corrupt.
Crime: Togo is said to be a dangerous country. Don't flash with your money. The poverty is extreme, so be aware of walking alone in the streets at night or at the beach. However I didn't have any problems.
Rainy period: May, June and July. Then another from September to early October.
Price level: One of the cheapest West-African countries. The price level is about the same as Ethiopia if you want to stay in basic hotels and eat African food. Transportation is very cheap.
Airport departure tax: N/A.

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Under construction:
Visa: Visa on arrival at Accra Airport is possible, but some strict rules apply. An invitation letter must have been sent to the immigration office at the airport 72 hours before you enter the country. The price for visa on arrival is 150 USD. You can not get visa on arrival when crossing the border at any other places. Ordinary tourist visa at the embassies costs 100 USD. The immigration officer decide how long you can stay. F.ex: my tourist visa was for 30 days, but the officer gave me 60 days stay.
Mobil phone: Good roaming. Prepaid local SIM cards are very cheap.
ATM: Many ATM's in the cities. Skimming and scam is a problem.
Recommended language: English.
Infrastructure: Very poor except some few places in the cities.
Friendliness by the people: People are in general friendly and funny. But there are some agressive behavior towards tourists who flash with money, bargain too much or take pictures. Very loud voice production among Ghanesians.
Attention by Police/military: The police are corrupt. Especially around the airport area and towards taxi/tro-tro drivers. Beware of the police post in the parking area 300 meters away from the airport arrivals.
Crime: In general more safe than the neighboor countries, but the poverty in Ghana makes the country insecure in some places.
Rainy period: June, July and August.
Price level: Same pricelevel as f.ex Kenya. Hotel prices in Accra downtown/Osu are higher than the rest of the country, but you can live cheap if you want to stay at basic hotels and eat African food.
Airport departure tax: N/A.

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Benin:
Visa: Visa on arrival when you cross the borders by land will be issued for only 48 hours stay. There are some hassle to get the visa, and the process may take some time. This can be a problem if the bus have to wait for you at the border. The price is 12000 CFA (15 USD). Note that visa on arrival is not possible at the airport.
Mobil phone: Good roaming. Prepaid local SIM cards are very cheap.
ATM: Many ATM's in Cotonou. Skimming and scam can be a problem.
Recommended language: French.
Infrastructure: Very poor, but OK in the centre of Cotonou.
Friendliness by the people: Friendly, but little bit pushy behavior. High class people in Cotonou.
Attention by Police/military: The police are very corrupt. Roadblocks and bribes are the rule. Drivers must expect to pay 500-2000 CFA each time they are stopped by the police.
Crime: Benin is said to be a dangerous country. Many people are poor, so be aware of walking alone in the streets at night or at the beach. However I didn't have any problems.
Rainy period: Rainy season from May, June to July. Second smaller rainy season from September to early October.
Price level: More expensive than Togo. The price level is about the same as Ghana.
Airport departure tax: Airport tax is incl. in the air ticket. Nothing to pay at Cotonou airport.

Favorite thing: Antes de ir estuvimos dándole muchas vueltas al tema de como organizar nuestro viaje , si ir por nuestra cuenta o si contar con el apoyo de alguna agencia que conociera Africa .
Al final por diversos motivos tomamos la decisión de buscar ayuda de una agencia , pequeña , muy ágil , que conoce "in situ" perfectamente Africa y que nos permitió discutir con ellos para organizar y hacer el viaje que queríamos
La experiencia fue francamente buena , por lo que la recomendamos
La agencia es Cultura Africana ( www.cultura african.com ) y Javier es la persona que sueña con Africa y sabe como aconsejarte ( info@culturafricana.com )

Fondest memory: Before going to Africa we were giving it much thought about how to organize our trip, if to go on our own or if to have the support of an agency who knows Africa.
At the end for various reasons we decided to seek help from an agency, small, very agile, who knows "in situ" perfectly Africa and we discussed with them in order to organize and make the trip we wanted
The experience was really good, so we recommend it
The agency is African Culture (www.culturaafricana.com) and Javier is the person who dreams with Africa and knows how to advise (info@culturafricana.com)