It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas…

Just as Bob and his crew heralded the coming of Christmas with their ‘let them know it’s Christmas time again’, as if on cue Accra burst into Christmas fever with great aplomb.

So just in case anyone is concerned that west Africa is too overwhelmed with fear of death and fear to remember about Christmas, here is a little update to let you know that preparations are well underway!

Count down is on!

Christmas Trees

Christmas trees are everywhere! Well, no real trees apart from palm trees pretending to be fir trees. The supermarkets have at least one each, while street sellers line the roads with trees, glitzy tinsel and all number of decorations.

Santa

Even Santa has a strong following in Accra, with night time hawkers selling Santa hats with flashing lights, just like the ones I saw in Poundland… But you don’t even have to leave your car to make the purchase (a great option after braving the queues of Brixton Poundland a week or so ago, where a very British argument broke out over queue jumpers)!

I even got to meet Santa!

Secret Santa

And if there is Santa, there must be secret Santa right? So I can’t say I totally get Ghanaian humour – my present from secret Santa was a pair of men’s boxer shorts emblazoned with Barcelona motifs, and other presents included sanitary pads, condoms, a doll and some old food…

Xavier has received a food gift from his office – 25 kilos of rice, 5 litres of soya oil and a frozen chicken! To be honest, we are still trying to figure out what to do with the oil and the rice – anyone hungry?

Office Christmas Parties

The crowning moment of the Christmas preparations has to be the office Christmas party, which hands down beats any office party I’ve been to in the UK. Beach, volleyball, jet skiing, pedalos, swimming and board games. Christmas in the sun certainly has some benefits. I wonder if that’s what the Band Aid 30 crew were thinking of while they were singing of west Africa?

 Competitive inter-team volleyball

 Jet skiing

Pedalos

PS. Here is a succinct article on what is wrong with the Band Aid lyrics. Ebola is a horrific diseases, affecting many communities in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Please do think of them this Christmas and consider donating to an organisation working on the ground. But let’s not condemn a whole region with misconceptions – Ghanaians certainly know it’s Christmas! 

Togo: Riots, croissants and speedwork

Togo – tiny country, full of voodoo, supposed haven of French colonial cuisine and the closest boarder for cooped in expats from Accra to add another stamp to the passport.  So for the Eid bank holiday weekend we found ourselves piling into a trotro and heading west, across the wetlands of coastal Ghana to the seedy looking border town of Aflao.  A quick check of our vaccination books, a lengthy check of our passports on both sides and three or four new stamps added we were into Togo.

Or so we thought.  What had been explained as a few burning tyres by the Togolese officials was actually a group of angry rioting young men, indeed burning tyres, but also lobbing stones at the police and running around with scarves tied round their heads, as the crowd of hawkers and travellers pressed against the closed border gates to get a better look.  Soon the gendarmerie were on hand, shooting tear gas canisters into the rioters (and the crowds by the gates) as well as rubber pellets.  A few sniffs of tear gas were enough to send me running back to the border crossing to buy some peanuts and wait it out.  In typical Francophone fashion, as lunchtime drew near the interest of the rioters waned and, shooting a few more canisters for good measure, the police roared away in their riot vans.  Welcome to Togo!

After the excitement of the riots a cold local beer and our hotel were a welcome sight, and with the sound of the police shoots ringing in our ears, Tour de France on the TV and a group of French guys chain smoking with their espressos, we felt sufficiently away from Accra.  The French influence was everywhere and the difference with Anglophone Ghana stark – motorbikes outnumber cars on every street, women selling baguettes on the street corners and wide tree-lined boulevards.  Oh and some delicious French meals (typically with very few vegetarian options).

 

 

A friend of a friend, Kofi, showed us around some of Lome’s main attractions, including the old national stadium which was probably a highlight of the tour.  Astroturf and some cool weather made for a great opportunity to have a few sprint races against Xavier.  Let’s just say the competition was tough!

Lome's independence square

 

After a stroll through Lome, accompanied by a pain au chocolat, West Africa’s rainy season showed her true colours and our umbrella was little protection from the downpour.  As all the museums were closed (another hangover from the French colonial period) our only option was to spend all morning drinking café au lait and eating croissants watching the motorbikes zoom by with brightly dressed families dressed for church hanging onto the back.

 

A final French breakfast of coffee, fresh orange juice and toast and a walk along the wind swept beach, we were back pilling through the border and back into a trotro for the return leg, full of French food, squelching in our drenched shoes and eager to tell our stories of being tear gassed.

Toilet Troubles

Last weekend disaster struck our small apartment – the water pump broke down leaving us with no running water for 3 days.  Xavier refused to bathe, instead only having a swimming pool shower – stinky boy!  Hair washing became a low priority, floors went unwashed and there was a strict toilet flushing system.  Numerous annoyed phone calls to the landlord, many bucket loads of water carried up the stairs and a botch job consisting of a new pump and the wrong size pipe, water was flowing again.  Xav finally washed, the washing machine was back on and peace on our little slice of earth was restored. 

But it got me thinking, the very fact that I have a tap inside my house and that I turn it on with the expectation of water running out means that I am among the very fortunate here in Ghana.  It may not be safe to drink from it (a luxury that I took for granted in the UK), but I can conduct my day to day activities without having to worry where and when my next bucket of water will be.  I am among the 12% of the population who have water piped onto their premises, and just 3% of people living in rural areas have this level of access.

According to Oxfam:

‘Only 50 percent of the rural population in Ghana has access to water. Access to sanitation can be as low as 42 percent in urban areas and 11 percent rural areas.’

Additionally WaterAid provides this information:

‘80% of all diseases in Ghana are caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation and more than three million people don't have access to safe drinking water. Only around 14% of the population have access to adequate sanitation facilities.’

Almost one fifth of the population (19%) has no access to toilet facilities, which rises to one third in rural areas.  As this graph from the World Health Organisation shows, there has been little improvement in reaching the most deprived people with sanitation facilities since 1990.  In urban areas, such as the Old Fadama illegal settlement, people openly do their business in the street.  In rural areas, such as the Eastern region where I was travelling last week, a cassava field offers slightly more privacy.

Now our water is running again, I have been counting my blessings when I jump in the shower.  Maybe the next time you make that toilet trip, be grateful you’re not out on the streets of Accra.

The streets of Old Fadama offer little privacy for toilet breaks

Ghana Triathlon Take Two

 After the first triathlon organised back in February we have had a little more time to get used to the heat and humidity, time to borrow some mountain bikes and most importantly go for a few little runs.  This time I lost my team mate to go it alone.  As expected it was hot, sweaty and a lot of fun, all rounded off by a marathon of eating and drinking at the BBQ (although I think I was too tired to take any photos of that part - sorry!)

 

Everyone loves triathlon!

 

OK I am still getting used to this mountain biking - where are the nice smooth roads?

 

On the home straight!

 We made it - time for a beer

5 Months In - What is Ghana?

Just today I got a WhatsApp message asking me 'How is life in Ghana?'  This is a question I get asked a lot by friends and family back home.  But ‘how is life in Ghana’ is a question I am still grappling with myself.  Beyond the wide range and rollercoaster of emotions you can go through in one day (from being deliriously happy at making a new friend or learning some Twi, to feeling like crying at your desk when nothing quite goes to plan, or often spectacularly off plan...) But it is just hard to sum up how life is on a daily basis, what do you see, who do you speak to, what are the challenges, what makes you laugh.  So here is a selection of photos from the past month to give some Ghanaian flavour!

 Ghanaian signs are great!  After climbing the largest hill around (it was sweaty) we were greeted by a sign at the top informing us all we needed to get fit was some pineapple and watermelon juice.  Duh!  We have been doing it wrong all this time...

 

Although apparently cat and goat are also a good combination, as offered at the chop bar near my office.  Don't be confused, chop bars have nothing to do with chops...

 

 

On the topic of food - COCKROACHES.  They love our apartment block, and they really really love our neighbour's kitchen.  After seeing around 100 of the little blighters in on his floor we decided to get the full exterminator kit out (improvisation with tea towels) and blitz the place.  I still think the cockroaches might have one over us though.

Cycling fashion has hit Accra!  Who knew you could pick up such a stylish piece of kit.  Surrey hills watch out.

 And the style continues in the office - Xavier's birthday present was a local made shirt for traditional Friday.  When in Africa!

 

Ghana can be full of surprises - some of them good ones such as a guy selling cinnamon croissants on the beach - yummy!  And yes, life in Accra means being an hour away from some beautiful beaches, bonus!

Easter Road Trip

4 days, 5 hours queuing, one ferry, one waterfall, one ‘mountain’, beach, lagoon, hundreds of pot holes (and quite a few pot heads), 12 litres of water downed, countless beers and one police 'fine'.

Stage 1 – Accra to Senchi

One of only two bridges crossing the Volta river in Ghana has been closed for repairs, being replaced by a pontoon to cater for the majority of vehicles trying to reach the eastern most region of Ghana, Volta region.  We thought how bad can it be?  We’ll get up early.  No one will be travelling on Good Friday, surely everyone will be in church.  Oh how wrong we were!

Entertainment provided by an overloaded bus

Two hours in and attempting a nap

 5 hours later, crossing the Volta!

Stage 2 – Senchi to Peki

After the pontoon, the next challenge was the bumpiest road experienced in Ghana.  Yet again another improvement project behind schedule, leaving one of the main roads in the region only one lane wide in places and incredibly pot-holed.

We arrived at Roots Lodge just in time for the heavens to open – so the only solution was to have a beer and wait out the storm, before putting up our tent in the muddy garden.  It was a wonderful place to spend two nights – vegan food, a very friendly kitten, a fantastic morning views across the valley.

 Biblical rainstorm!

Stage 3 – Wli Waterfalls
 

Wli, apparently the highest waterfalls in West Africa, were our destination for day two.  Back on the bumpy road heading north to Hohoe, and then a dirt road towards the border with Togo, led us to a small village with the sound of the falls in the background.  Like true adventurers we decided to aim high and go for the trek to the upper falls.  Our guide was in flip flops, but we needed trainers, walking sticks and 3 litres of water to get us to the top and back down.  Our efforts were totally rewarded with fantastic views of the falls and the valley below, as well as a refreshing dip under the falls at the bottom.

 View of the Upper Falls from the path

 Sweaty hiker!

 Swimming at the Lower Falls

Stage 4 – Hike to the top of Ghana

Volta region is also home to Ghana’s highest point, Mount Afadjato, 885 metres high.  Nothing too high here (although at the top we encountered a young Ghanaian announcing he would be off to conquer Everest next!).  With only a few hours of daylight left we raced up to the top to be welcomed by a glimpse of Lake Volta in the distance, and disappointingly a higher hill next door in Togo. 

Stage 5 – Peki to Keta

Sunday was a long day in the car, but with so much to see!  We took a long dirt road down from the town of Ho to the banks of the Volta river, through lots of small villages and around hills appearing from nowhere.  The national park turned out to be something of a disappointment (the ‘wildest’ animals we spotted were some cows with rather large horns), some kites above us and a few suicidal goats trying to cross the road.

After 5 hours bumping around in Bertha, we finally arrived at our destination, Emancipation Beach, Keta.  Shade, water and some yam chips was all that we needed, and I have to say we didn’t move for the next couple of hours, despite being plagued by two dogs and a drunk (all three were pretty friendly).  

Once the temperature had dropped low enough for us to come out of hibernation, we took an evening stroll along the beach.  Fishing boats, sunset and the waves would have provided a romantic setting, apart from the men squatting for a poo at the water’s edge.  We made a quick retreat back to our shade for a beer, the dogs and some new traveller friends.

Stage 6: Keta to Home

Monday morning arrived, which meant time to wrap up our holiday with a final dip in the sea, a lazy breakfast on the beach and a quick look around the sights of Keta that we had been too hot and sweaty to visit the day before.  The main attractions, apart from the beach, include a light house which looked like it should belong in a Doctor Who episode and the lagoon, where fishermen were busy bringing in their catch of the day.  After a coconut stop and Bertha almost getting stuck in the sand it was time to hit the road and head back to Accra, with our new friends also on-board.

Fish drying at the side of the lagoon

 

Of course, after such a fantastic weekend, there had to be one fly in the suncream – police stop!  After a frantic hunt for our driving licence (finally located in a ‘safe’ place), an inspection of our fire extinguisher, first aid kit and triangle, we were fined for driving in flip flops and asked for a heavy bribe…  So with our wallet lighter and our hearts heavier we trudged back to the city, reflecting that life in Ghana really is a rollercoaster.

 Overloaded bus!