FYI: My Blackberry phone 781-799-7888 has been suspended/disconnected and I now have a local number here. I can receive texts but currently I can not respond - not sure what the problem is and hope it's figured out soon!
Feel free to call: 233 205 696 770 . Ghana is 5 hours ahead of EST
I've now been in Ghana for one week. In many ways it is as expected and in other ways there are surprises at every corner. I am in Kpando staying in a family compound of a man named Peter, approx 60 yrs old, who owns a plot of land with 8 small, rustic "houses". These are filled with extended family and 2 rooms are for volunteers who are involved with the Hardthaven Orphanage or have come to work at the hospital through a non-profit ( IE me via A Broader View). Volunteers stay here because Peter's son, Edem, approx 40, is a community activist and in addition to being the founder of the orphanage, he is involved in many charitable efforts here as well.
Given that I am living in a pretty large community of 15k people, the living conditions are worse than I expected. Things look bad mostly because everything is always dirty.Because it is so hot and dry year round, there is no grass and very little flora/fauna so everything is dirt. Since water is scarce it is always dry and the red dirt blows everywhere! Everything I touch is covered with a layer of dirt: the floors, table tops, chairs, shelves, tables, my bed, the sink, my suitcase and me! Most homes are made of clay and have corrugated tin as roofs. There is trash everywhere and it is the norm to litter. It s actually a difficult challenge to find trash barrels anywhere in public!
I share an "apartment" with a (approx) 23 yr old Canadian woman, Taylor. Our apt. consists of 1 room which opens up to a shared covered porch/deck area. We have 2 beds, a card table, a very small sink attached to the wall (no faucet/water, just the sink fixture), one overhead light and an overhead fan in our room.
A 19 yr old male from RI lives in the "apt" next door, and in town there are 4 other white women from Denmark - that's it for white peeps in all of Kpando!
The area that I live in is a highly populated village maybe 3 or 4 miles miles from the center of Kpando. I live on the main street and therefore there are always lots of people, animals, mopeds, cars, taxis and tro tros everywhere. There are stalls/shacks selling just about everything lining each side of the street. The area is bustling all of the time. Kids and adults stare all of the time nd often yell out yvoo (white person)!
It is hot all of the time! Days are sunny and usually around 110 or so with a good amount of humidity. My thermometer in our room registers about 90 during the day and drops to a comfortable 87 or so at night!!
As for a bathroom/shower? There is an outhouse about 25yards away in the back of the family compound, which is shared by all. This is probably the part that I dislike the most here. It doesn't exactly have a toilet...it's, more or less, a permanent structure but no actual toilet and therefore hovering is a must!! There is also an outdoor space for a "shower". Again, no running water so this outdoor structure has 4 walls, no roof and no light.So you take your bucket of water to this area and do your best! At certain times during the day, the city turns on the water and those who have tapped into the line (like us) attach a hose and fill two 55 gallon drums. At some point the line goes dry and you need to wait until the city sends more the next day. Our situation is unique, I think perhaps wealthy by Ghana standards, as most families walk a distance to fill containers at the city well. Each night I watch the pilgramage of women and children walking to/from the well with buckets on their heads.
As expected very few people have electricity. Again we are very lucky/fortunate that our compound has some electricity which is used for a little light at night. The internet cafe is not very far away and is very inexpensive, albeit slow! But that is a big win for me and keeps me sane!
Next log in I'll share how I pass my time.....which, needless to say, is sloooooooowly!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sayonara Tanzania
After 21 days in Tanzania, Emily and I will be saying our farewells today as I continue onto Ghana and she heads home. All in all, Tanzania was much as I expected. Our game viewing on the safari was awesome! We met some great people in our group and our guides showed us not only incredible animals but we had some very real experiences with the people of Tanzania. We visited a Masai boma as well as a local primary school, two experiences which were very far outside the realm of our American living. Primitive and poor with minimal resources are daily aspects of their lives. Kids holding out their little hands asking for money is a norm, but what is more heart wrenching is that they appear starved for love and attention. They approach us with more confidence than I expected and are eager to speak English and play with our cameras. Some of the kids slipped notes to us with their address on it hoping for continued communication/money...
Zanzibar has been .....different than I expected. We stayed in Stone Town for 2 nights and wondered around on our own. Tiny passage ways with lots of little stores, create a maize easily getting us lost around every corner. No street signs, but lots of chickens, people, and mopeds occupy these tiny alleys. Although the port town has a good amount of charm, buildings have not been kept up, there is much dirt and garbage everywhere, and people spend their days just hanging out on street corners or on store stairs.
After Stone Town we ventured about an hour north to the Nungwe beach area and this is has been wonderful! Our hotel is modern, with flat screen TV's attached to each bed, mini-fridge in the room, an infiniti pool and even ice! And great Internet access.
Off to Ghana today where life will be much slower and communication more difficult. Hope to be in touch soon - miss you all!
Zanzibar has been .....different than I expected. We stayed in Stone Town for 2 nights and wondered around on our own. Tiny passage ways with lots of little stores, create a maize easily getting us lost around every corner. No street signs, but lots of chickens, people, and mopeds occupy these tiny alleys. Although the port town has a good amount of charm, buildings have not been kept up, there is much dirt and garbage everywhere, and people spend their days just hanging out on street corners or on store stairs.
After Stone Town we ventured about an hour north to the Nungwe beach area and this is has been wonderful! Our hotel is modern, with flat screen TV's attached to each bed, mini-fridge in the room, an infiniti pool and even ice! And great Internet access.
Off to Ghana today where life will be much slower and communication more difficult. Hope to be in touch soon - miss you all!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Final Safari Days
Jambo! (Hello!)
We've returned to civilization after 4 incredible days in the Serengeti. Never mind the Big 5, we conquered the Big 9 - lions, elephants, Cape Buffalo, leopard, and rhino (big 5) plus cheetah, zebra, giraffe and hippo. We stayed in the bush in the Serengeti in fancy mobile tents. The area, set up for the 15 of us and 7 staff, was run on solar power - we had lights, showers and flushing toilets in our tents, along with amazing home cooked meals every day. In addition, the crew moves the tents etc as is needed based upon where the animals are migrating too - so you're never very far away! Nights were a little harrowing as we could here hyenas calling through the nights along with a lion or two.
Each day we went out on 2 game drives, one ion the early morning and one in the late afternoon. In addition to many lions, elephants, zebras, wildebeasts, waterbucks, reedbucks, gazelles, impalas, topis, hyenas, jackel, monkeys, baboons, cheetahs, leopards, rhino, and tons of birds, we also saw what occurs after lio0ns take down it's prey.It's an amazing display that took place as the lions eat the zebra while other lions, hyenas and jackals approach in an attempt to get some meat. On one occasion, the kill occurred where buffalo were grazing and to watch the territorial dance between the lions and the buffalo was incredible!
On our 3rd morning, Emily and I took a balloon ride with 4 others in our group over the Serengeti plains. Pretty neat to see all of the animals from that viewpoint! It was followed by a fabulous champagne brunch. Life doesn't get much better than that!
This morning we went to visit a primary school which teaches kids 7-14 years. It had approx. 5 classrooms, 600 kids, 15 teachers, minimal supplies and no electricity. Lunch is provided every day - porridge and beans which is made over a campfire. The kids all appear very happy however it's very sad to witness the poverty - their clothes are extremely dirty and tattered. But is was great to see their excitement throughout our visit - they loved our cameras. At first they kept jumping in front of one another wanting us to take their pictures. Later they fought over taking the pictures themselves - they were thrilled to be taking pictures of us! It was almost impossible to get my camera back.
Today is our last day with our safari group. We'll have a farewell dinner tonight and the other 13 will fly back to the US tomorrow while Emily and I head off to Zanzibar island for a week of r & r on the beach.
Somewhere along the way, I'm hoping to find faster Internet so that I can post some pictures. Still loving Africa and thrilled to be here!
We've returned to civilization after 4 incredible days in the Serengeti. Never mind the Big 5, we conquered the Big 9 - lions, elephants, Cape Buffalo, leopard, and rhino (big 5) plus cheetah, zebra, giraffe and hippo. We stayed in the bush in the Serengeti in fancy mobile tents. The area, set up for the 15 of us and 7 staff, was run on solar power - we had lights, showers and flushing toilets in our tents, along with amazing home cooked meals every day. In addition, the crew moves the tents etc as is needed based upon where the animals are migrating too - so you're never very far away! Nights were a little harrowing as we could here hyenas calling through the nights along with a lion or two.
Each day we went out on 2 game drives, one ion the early morning and one in the late afternoon. In addition to many lions, elephants, zebras, wildebeasts, waterbucks, reedbucks, gazelles, impalas, topis, hyenas, jackel, monkeys, baboons, cheetahs, leopards, rhino, and tons of birds, we also saw what occurs after lio0ns take down it's prey.It's an amazing display that took place as the lions eat the zebra while other lions, hyenas and jackals approach in an attempt to get some meat. On one occasion, the kill occurred where buffalo were grazing and to watch the territorial dance between the lions and the buffalo was incredible!
On our 3rd morning, Emily and I took a balloon ride with 4 others in our group over the Serengeti plains. Pretty neat to see all of the animals from that viewpoint! It was followed by a fabulous champagne brunch. Life doesn't get much better than that!
This morning we went to visit a primary school which teaches kids 7-14 years. It had approx. 5 classrooms, 600 kids, 15 teachers, minimal supplies and no electricity. Lunch is provided every day - porridge and beans which is made over a campfire. The kids all appear very happy however it's very sad to witness the poverty - their clothes are extremely dirty and tattered. But is was great to see their excitement throughout our visit - they loved our cameras. At first they kept jumping in front of one another wanting us to take their pictures. Later they fought over taking the pictures themselves - they were thrilled to be taking pictures of us! It was almost impossible to get my camera back.
Today is our last day with our safari group. We'll have a farewell dinner tonight and the other 13 will fly back to the US tomorrow while Emily and I head off to Zanzibar island for a week of r & r on the beach.
Somewhere along the way, I'm hoping to find faster Internet so that I can post some pictures. Still loving Africa and thrilled to be here!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
First Days in Tanzania
Boston to London to Dar Es Salaam to Kilimanjaro to Arusha, Tanzania 40 hours later and finally we've arrived at our Safari kick-off location! Arusha, perhaps the largest city in the country, is well...a wee bit backwards. The downtown area is comprised of lots of very run down store fronts with tin corrugated roofs, plywood walls, open fronts, with piles of dirt/sand and trash all in front. There are no sidewalks, just dirt lining the barely paved roadway which is shared by people, goats, chickens and lots of workers ferrying fruits etc in large wheelbarrows. These all share space with grain, fruit, veggies etc sold from a blanket on the ground. And people are everywhere! Throughout the day they hang around street corners, in the streets, on the street, in front of stores..everywhere! It's crazy chaos everywhere.
Our accommodations have been fantastic! Rooms are spacious and the beds are elegantly draped with mosquito netting. Thus far we have stayed at 3 places - 1) Olasiti Lodge in Arusha - modern lodge, nice pool, with most of the food being grown on the property 2) Lake Burunge Permanent tents - these were lakeside, self contained (had showers and bathrooms etc) cabins and were fantastic. A beautiful restaurant overlooking the water, again with all local grown food and 3) tonight we are at the Tolomoa Mountain lodge and this is unbelievable. We are on the edge of the Ngorogoro Crater and this property is filled with amazing flora and fauna. Flowers in full bloom everywhere and of course a garden where they grown all of their fruits and veggies. And lets not forget the pool!
Everywhere we've been the food has been excellent - lots of fruits and veggies at every meal. Thus far all meals have been a buffet consisting of a few platters of different sliced fruit, 5 or so platters of veggies cooked in a different style and then usually 2 types of meats - lamb, chicken, pork or beef. I'm not a fan of beans/lentils etc but I've been devouring their preparation daily! Many of the dishes have an African flare which generally means it's seasoned with local spices.
As for the animals, unbelievable! The pics we all see in books do not begin to compare to the real thing! We have spent 2 days on game drives in Tarangire National Park and have seen elephants, zebras, giraffes, cape buffalos, antelopes, small monkeys, big baboons, impalas, and tons of birds. Only 2 of the big 5 so far but we're hoping for the rest in the Serengeti. What is most amazing is that these animals function like our LandCruisers do not exist. They continue on their paths coming withing 10 feet of us!
Our Safari Group, OAT, has done a great job mixing game drives with culture. Today we spent the afternoon at the family compound of a Masaii warrior. This is the dominant tribe in this area who live very primitively. They live in thatched roof huts, without electricity, running water etc. The are farming nomads who move as their crops and water sources require. The men are polygamists and so we met the tribal leader today, his 5 wives and numerous children. He offered 85 cows for a couple of us if we would stay to be wife number 6 and 7! They performed a number of ceremonies for our visit including one which is saved for only their most special occasions. Rated R info here....they hold a cow perfectly still and tie a noose around it's neck to engorge the jugular vein. The tribal chief then shoots a sharpened metal tipped bow into the jugular and catches the blood in a jug as it spurts. This blood is offered too all present to drink. Yikes!
Onto the Serengeti tomorrow for 4 nights where we will stay in mobile camps. These are fancy tents with bathrooms that move where ever the animals are migrating at that time. We will be out in the bush and other travelers have said that it is very common to hear elephants etc passing right by your tent at night.
I'm loving Africa so far. It has been eye opening to see how other cultures live with so little. The people are happy and are so welcoming everywhere we go. This includes the men who yell hello from across the street and the kids who chase our safari vehicles.
Miss you all!
Our accommodations have been fantastic! Rooms are spacious and the beds are elegantly draped with mosquito netting. Thus far we have stayed at 3 places - 1) Olasiti Lodge in Arusha - modern lodge, nice pool, with most of the food being grown on the property 2) Lake Burunge Permanent tents - these were lakeside, self contained (had showers and bathrooms etc) cabins and were fantastic. A beautiful restaurant overlooking the water, again with all local grown food and 3) tonight we are at the Tolomoa Mountain lodge and this is unbelievable. We are on the edge of the Ngorogoro Crater and this property is filled with amazing flora and fauna. Flowers in full bloom everywhere and of course a garden where they grown all of their fruits and veggies. And lets not forget the pool!
Everywhere we've been the food has been excellent - lots of fruits and veggies at every meal. Thus far all meals have been a buffet consisting of a few platters of different sliced fruit, 5 or so platters of veggies cooked in a different style and then usually 2 types of meats - lamb, chicken, pork or beef. I'm not a fan of beans/lentils etc but I've been devouring their preparation daily! Many of the dishes have an African flare which generally means it's seasoned with local spices.
As for the animals, unbelievable! The pics we all see in books do not begin to compare to the real thing! We have spent 2 days on game drives in Tarangire National Park and have seen elephants, zebras, giraffes, cape buffalos, antelopes, small monkeys, big baboons, impalas, and tons of birds. Only 2 of the big 5 so far but we're hoping for the rest in the Serengeti. What is most amazing is that these animals function like our LandCruisers do not exist. They continue on their paths coming withing 10 feet of us!
Our Safari Group, OAT, has done a great job mixing game drives with culture. Today we spent the afternoon at the family compound of a Masaii warrior. This is the dominant tribe in this area who live very primitively. They live in thatched roof huts, without electricity, running water etc. The are farming nomads who move as their crops and water sources require. The men are polygamists and so we met the tribal leader today, his 5 wives and numerous children. He offered 85 cows for a couple of us if we would stay to be wife number 6 and 7! They performed a number of ceremonies for our visit including one which is saved for only their most special occasions. Rated R info here....they hold a cow perfectly still and tie a noose around it's neck to engorge the jugular vein. The tribal chief then shoots a sharpened metal tipped bow into the jugular and catches the blood in a jug as it spurts. This blood is offered too all present to drink. Yikes!
Onto the Serengeti tomorrow for 4 nights where we will stay in mobile camps. These are fancy tents with bathrooms that move where ever the animals are migrating at that time. We will be out in the bush and other travelers have said that it is very common to hear elephants etc passing right by your tent at night.
I'm loving Africa so far. It has been eye opening to see how other cultures live with so little. The people are happy and are so welcoming everywhere we go. This includes the men who yell hello from across the street and the kids who chase our safari vehicles.
Miss you all!
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