meals - food cost me average 3.7 € per day. In Western Africa there is popular water in small welded plastic bags, sold in 500ml for 25 or 50 CFA. It is purified, but unfortunately, often with plastic or rubber taste. However, it is a cheap alternative to bottled water in 1.5-liter, typically costing more then 300 CFA. A tastiest drink we tried was refreshing “Pamplemus”, made from grapefruits.

internet – practically there is no problem with Internet access in major cities. On the provinces depend - often lack to public access, and usually is more expensive. Price range usually from 0.3 € to 0.8 € per hour. Overall, it was the cheapest in Ghana, and the most expensive in Mali. Skype was available in most tourist places, although call quality was often unacceptable.

weather – the best time to visit Western Africa is between November and February - cold and dry. After this period heat and humidity are strongly increasing. Also appears “harmattan” - a wind blowing from the desert, carrying dust and dirt (so no the best landscapes photographs are possible). From May to September there is a rainy season, the closer to ocean the heavier the clouds, which means the problems in traveling on the gravel roads. For us was easier to manage the considerable heat in Niger (45st) than the high humidity in Ghana.

money – we were still in the French postcolonial monetary union zone (CFA), which is in constant relation with Euro 665:1. This is in theory, in practice banks offer 650 CFA for Western African Franc (international code XOF) and 660 CFA for Central African Franc (international code XAF). That means there is a relation almost 1:1, but will be easier to exchange with no commission Western to Central Franc than vice versa. For a few months we had easier life – didn’t have to worry about exchanging currency at each border crossing, as well we had much quicker orientation in the cost situation in a new country. Western African Franc you can use in 8 countries (Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin and Niger), and Central African Franc you can use in 6 countries (Chad, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville and the Central African Republic).