To Nkoranza

Siobhan and Bronson were due in Akosombo on saturday. I was waiting at home the whole day, anxiously waiting for their call or for their line to go through. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get through to them the whole day. Weiliang called instead and shortly after that, I got a call to go out to the dressmaker's to try on my new dress. Sadly, it was way oversized. Fortunately, it was to be resized and ready for collection on Monday between 2 and 3 pm before we leave on the ferry. After getting home, Siobhan and Bronson called and all was well. We arranged to meet up at 11am on Sunday after church for canoeing and lunch at Aylo's Bay. A long awaited reuion!

Sunday was spent going to church in the morning and then Mr Kwakye sent me to Atimpoku to meet up with Siobhan and Bronson at the Benkum Motel before bringing us over to Aylo's Bay for canoeing. Now that was a joke. Obviously, we lacked quite a bit of 'connection' there, or it was simply cos we're just lousy at canoeing. Half of the time, we were going from one bank to another instead of going straight along the course of the riverflow. But we managed to get under the Adome Bridge linking Atimpoku to Ho and managed to get back in one piece, not having capsized at all, which was a miracle I think, having had us move about so much in the dug out canoe of sorts.
We had lunch after that and boy were Siobhan and Bronson excited at having non-Ghanian dishes as options again. I stuck to a Ghanian dish option. Still trying new things... Nyoma this time. Somewhat like a potato pumpkin stew... was nice... After lunch, we had to work it off and so, walked over the Adome bridge and voila! there was phone service!!! So Siobhan called to let Charles know we were fine. I managed to get on a tro tro and then a cab back home. Cost me only 10,000 instead of the usual 15,000. Yeah!

Monday morning was spent finishing up the stupid King book - Dreamcatcher... Went to the port to pay for our 312, 000 fare for first class cabin in the Yapei Queen and then it was off to the Volta Hotel to wait for my darlings... Siobhan and Bronson... So, more reading and getting bored by all the useless reports that repeat themselves over and over again the whole morning on Euronews. Siobhan and Bronson soon arrived and it was a long wait for 3pm... We had great hot chocolate and even better food... Yep, American chicken and chips again... the fifteen minutes before 3 was excruciating. I did not have Auntie Agatha's number and I didn't know if she was going to be there with my dress and I had her keys and we HAD to catch our ferry! Thankfully, she was there at 3 sharp and we managed to get a cab waiting just outside the hotel to take us to the port too...
Arriving there, we were early. We were told that the ferry would leave between 4-4.30pm but we didn't get on till after 5pm and had to pay an extra 5,000 each for our bags and got out hads stamped all blue.

On the ferry, all was well, the cabin was great and we had access to a locked loo... So it was rather luxurious... a 2 men cabin for 3. Bronson of course was the wonderful gentleman who took the floor... It wasn't bad. We had lots of time to read since the sun went down soon enough and soon proceeded to have cabin cooked spagetthi... Silly us didn't open the windows cos of the mossies and nearly died of the fumes. So we all had to end up feeding the mossies before we had our dinner. I'm not sure what happened soon after. I fell asleep at 9pm. Next morn, we got up at an alright time and spent the rest of the day walking around the deck, looking out at the lake, the trees all dead and bare and sticking out by the shore. Siobhan did wonderful watercolour paintings of the Kete Krachi stop and of the cabin. You have got to see it soon! I'll put it up on the blog when we get home. That's exactly 30 days more! Yeah, so the ferry ride was ok. Just rather disappointing when I realised that just one month ago, there was a Singaporean on board. Sigh. I'm not the first anymore.

Arriving in Yeji at around 10pm, Siobhan won the bet, beating me by 3 minutes. We were one of the last few to get off. It was super dark and it was horrid being hassled into getting into a cab and to the Volta Hotel for the night. We got hassled into one and soon found ourselves at the lousy hotel. Such a rip off at 70,000 a night for a room was poor lighting and a horrid fan and no net, no running water and well, horrid ok? for the price? What made it worse was that the next morn, we were conned into taking the lousy breakfast that was overpriced at 20,000 for tea and bread and this guy constantly trying to get me to change his Sing-dollar into cedis with me. Horrid reminder of the Singaporean who was here one month earlier.

The next morn was a nightmare trying to get to Nkoranza through Ejura being hassled by taxi drivers. We were out at 7.00am but only left Yeji for Ejura after 9am. The journey was long and bad. We ended up at Nkoranza all red and dusty. But we finally managed to find the Hand in Hand place and it was beautiful. I'll tell more in my next email. It's basically a school and home for mentally handicapped and disabled children that you guys should find out more about. It's not much to sponsor a child and you could make so much of a difference!

 

Anyway. today was spent at the Kintampo falls and the Baobeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. It was a good day overall and boy are we looking forward to Techiman, Wenchi and Bui tomorrow! A lot of travel on the cards!

 

Take care everyone!

 

-Sheena

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Done with data collection and the President arrives in Akosombo...

Well, finally done with all the data collection.

Well, techincally, I was done with everything on Tuesday. Then I fiddled with the diskette on Wed and figured that things were going terribly wrong when I spent the whole Thursday trying to open up the files on it on over 8 computers from the dam studies division to the Surveyor's office to the internet cafe at Rosh Pinnah. It died. All my data and all the time spent entering 3 years of daily records on that useless blue diskette. No worries. I've fixed it today. Got it on a new diskette AND printed it all out on paper, the good old fashioned way. Just in case.

Took photos with the nice and helpful officers at the dam studies division and promised many people postcards from Singapore. Well, it's not difficult to remember their postal address. Everyone's got the same P.O. Box... just a matter of whose name u put on it. I just better remember to send the postcards when I get back.

I got a few emails from quite a few people about the blog address changing and so on... and I'm really heartened by the thought of having so many people wanting to find out how things are. Thanks. It was nice to be reminded that I still had friends back home who cared and were interested in how things were turning out... I just didn't expect it. Not after so many things that seemed to have happened over the last two years between London and Singapore... personal things. Guess I'm not going to be a hermit like last summer when I get back. Last year, the motto was if my friends wanted to look for me, they will... but this year, I'm going to make the active hello call! But please, if I don't get round to you for one reason or another (i.e. phone number changes) and you'll like to catch up, the phone numbers are still the same. So go check your RJ directory! Thanks Jianz. And to my housemates (now sadly ex...) I think I managed to unlock the comments thing. Anyone can leave comments. But I still dunno how to get the message board up. Someone help.

Thursday was market day. So are mondays. So I walked down the hill hailed a shared taxi for 2800 cedis and made my way to the market with auntie Agatha and her friend.

It's all muddy and something like the waterlogged mud at Mallorca when I had to go out for fieldwork... Nearly got stuck and had to be pulled out by someone. It's cos of the rains. It's finally arrived at Akosombo on Wednesday. It poured from about noon till about 3.30pm. BUt thankfully, the drains are well planned here and it didn't flood like in Accra. The papers showed the flood waters up to the height of the base of the window on a 4W drive. That's a lot of water.

So, the market was full of make-shift stores held up by poles and mats for roofs with the same things being sold by many different people. Tomatoes, Egg plant, peppers, salt, biscuits, sweets, milo and dry stuff, cassava, plantain and so on... There was hardly any meat left at that time of day... I bought some biscuits (9000 cedis for 2 packs) and some loo roll for the ferry trip and a piece of tie dye cloth from the market and sent it off to a seamstress to make a dress... cost me 170 000 cedis for the cloth (I have enough to make another skirt) and forgot to ask how much the sewing would cost. But it should be alright. And I'll get it on Sunday latest hopefully. We have to catch the ferry on Monday! I don't think I can meet Siobhan and Bronson come Sunday cos I've to wait for my dress... We had to visit like 6 seamstresses cos everyone had a lot of jobs to finish this weekend. But we finally found someone after all that hunting... Must have taken us an hour. I was all exhausted and lost after that. No idea why... but I just felt very lost and all in the market. Must be all that Twi... I've learnt a bit so far... Etisen, Eye, Medaase... not too bad... I'll survive...

Alright then... catch up with everyone again when we get to Tamale... then it'll be records of the ferry journey... the highlight!

I think some important guests just arrived at the Volta Hotel for some conference... more than 10 police cars just pulled up outside... whoa... who could that be? They say it's the President. Oh my! To think I was just at his country chalet last wednesday??? HE's actually here! ah!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to the hotel for lunch now... Hmmm... maybe I'll catch a glimpse...

My day just got exciting...

In Akosombo… week 2

Don’t remember where I left off here now…

It’s been a week. A long one. Seems like everything’s passed by rather slowly, rather easily, successfully. That’s good. Nothing too exciting, nothing too new, everything’s slow but yeah. I can finally say I’ve got everything I need to do here in Akosombo, academics-wise. Got my background data, statistics, history, rainfall, max, min temp, relative humidity, water elevation, emailed Dr. Disney… yeah… just got to wait to get back to Accra to visit the survey office. This Monday marks the start of my adventure. Ha! Yeah, we get on the Yapei Queen.

A brief report on what’s been happening:

Mon: I got to Akosombo. U read that before.

Tue: Think I got to meet Victoria, a Korean volunteer at the Korean computer school cum church… went on the net, had lunch and went to her place with her. They all though I was Korean and started conversing with me in Korean…

Anyway, the rest of the week went like that. Meet people in the morning at the office (Volta River Authority), the environment office, the surveyors and talked about Ghana, Singapore, London, the world, religion and everything… was nice. Ghanaians are very friendly. Akosombo’s a great quiet, peaceful, hot town… beautiful but difficult to move around without a vehicle… why can’t we drive???

The sights are amazing. I got to go the the President’s Country House at the top and on the other side of the gorge and looked down at the whole town. Silly me was so awestruck that I din take my camera out to snap shots of it. But it’s a nice place with cable tv and peas in white rice… nice place that reminds u of a condo showroom.. simple condo showroom in Singapore… a lot of wood.. so future ministers and so on… if u ever come to Ghana, u may well be invited to stay here!

All the other times, I’m at Mr Kwakye’s house, at the top of the hill, the management quarters… it’s a nice place. Very big and very quiet.

I’ve pounded fufu, tried banku and abolu… But I think my appetite’s not been good. Maybe I should go back to mineral water instead of local taps…

Was in church on Sunday with auntie and grace… pity I only understood half of what was happening. The other half was in twi…but the music and singing’s good.. not as wild as I expected it to be though…

Ok. Next update… Tamale… :)

to Akosombo.

1) Book 2 nights for 1 room at Aylo's Bay. Bronson's
got the number.

2) get tro tro aka car from TUDU station, Akosombo
booth. Where we went with the whole group last sunday.
Tell them... I want to go to Atimpoku, Aylo's Bay (Me
si Atimpoku, Aylo's Bay). It should cost between
13000-14000 for a seat. I din't have to pay for my
luggage. sit near ur bags.

3) Drop at Atimpoku and walk to Aylo's bay. there
should be signs. Or take a taxi... bargain!

4) I should meet u on sunday there if i can get a car
down. it's difficult to get cars out of akosombo,
worse on weekends. but it's easy to get into akosombo.
u can canoe there.

5) Monday, leave by noon to get to akosombo by car and
then change at the main station to a taxi to the
MARINE. ticket office. say you want to take the ferry.
tell them to go to the marine.

i will be there to meet u at ard noon. if i'm not
there, i'm at the maritime aka the wolta transport
club... chilling out... waiting for the ferry.

i'm paying for the ferry at 10am. don't worry.
it's 103 000 per person. give me 100 000 :) siobhan, i
still owe u 100 000 so it's cool. bronson, thanks!

we've 2 first class and 1 2nd class ticket. we'll all
squeeze in the cabin alright. no worries. read up on
yeji and makongo and tamale in the mean time!

sheena

new: http://sibbronosheenainghana.blogger.com
but still mail enteries to the same add.

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It is SO HOT in Cape Coast. I feel like I'm going to sweat away into
nothing. On the way down we passed an accident: 2 cars and a tro-tro -
which did not make me feel safe what with the driver hurtling past at
god-knows how many miles per hour! On my first day I stayed with
Christine after a little mix up with the accommodation - something I
envisage I'll have to get used to! It was a bit weird: her house is
perfexctly fine but in the middle of a slum, which is not where you'd
expect a university lecturer to be living. Now I'm staying on the UCC
campus which is really nice and green. I have my own chalet, which is
about twice the size of my terrible flat back in London, although it is
infested with little red ants, which are making me feel right at home:
just like good-old Finsbury Park.

The work is going well. Only started on Wednesday as on Tuesday Jeff
(the translator) turned up late - by about 8 hours! Visited the Coast
and can't say I was too impressed! The school where I'm working at is
called Esuekyir, and is on the outskirts of the city. I'm enjoying my
work there. The people have been really friendly - and I've found a
loophole to the whole children ethics problem - getting about 250 of
them to write a homework all about their lives for me - most clever if
I do say so myself. Anyhows 2mins left so Sheena i'm gonna try calling
tonight - but check your e-mail coz it's important. Catch up soon,
Siobhan

The road to Akosombo

13 June 2005

I was told to be ready between 7-7.30pm for Jeff to
bring me to Tudu station to catch my ‘car’ for
Akosombo. Unfortunately, I got really stressed all the
way in the morning without breakfast until he turned
up at around 9+. I was stressed out. So, there was a
long wait for the tro tro to Tudu so we decided to
take a cab instead. I was prepared to take a taxi
anyway!

So we were in the taxi with a free ride for a solider
who was waiting for tro tros to go in the same
direction. there has been a huge jam all the way to
the Nkrumah circle which is why the tro tros were
nearly always full or going in the opposite direction.

At the station, Jeff got very worried that he was
going to lose me in the crowd and held on tight to me
all the way and made sure i got on the right bus with
my backpack and only left when the 'car' left the
station.

on the way, took some pictures now that my camera was
alright. it was fuzzy before. and shared sweets with
my new friends on the bus. on the way out of accra,
there was a protest on the streets against child
labour by children in yellow shirts.

yeah... so that's about it...

patrick sent someone to pick me up from the station
and i met him at his office before he sent me off for
lunch and then back to his house where i'm staying
now... yep... with his wife and daughter of 13 yrs...
Grace is turning 13 tomorrow... I've to get a gift
from town later.

I've pretty much got all the information I can
possibly lay my hands on... some graphs, data on the
lake.. levels, vegetation summary and so on from them
this morning and well, have to go through one of their
reports to see if there's anything else that i can
glean from it.

i doubt i can get rainfall and temperature records.
sorry mat. but i will go to the survery office in
accra to get some helpful maps on topography and
vegetation and so on if possible in my last week
seeing that i'm now saving on accomodation for the
next 2 wks. Mr. Kwakye refuses to let me pay him for
that. But of course, i shall be contributing to food
expenses. I feel so blessed all the way.. Thanks Nana!

Yeah, Ghana is one very religious country with many
shops bearing names related to the faith... "God works
wonders furniture store", "Mary Mother Phone Booth",
"Luke:13 Fashion" and so on... it's interesting...

Now I've to try to find out whether Bronson and
Siobhan can stay with me and the Kwakye family when
they get here. Which is when??? Bronson! Siobhan!
Confirmation please? and we'll try to sort out the
Yapei Queen biz tonight too... You both have Mr.
Kwakye's home numbers! 251 20553 Ring me in the late
afternoon or evenings!

Help someone tell me what else I can do here for the
rest of my research stay!!!

Oh well, there's always field survey...

Ok then... I shd be going soon... internet is much
slower in akosombo than in accra... so there!

lots of love and take care of urselves!

sheena.

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Last day in Accra

12 June 2005
I’m staying in today and reading in preparation for
Akosombo. It’s a Sunday and Siobhan has left with
Charles and the others to Wineeba this afternoon after
we got orientated with my bus and route for tomorrow.
Charles came in the morning and woke us up to talk
about facilitating Bronson and Siobhan’s research and
traveling. They are very helpful and Charles felt as
if it was his responsibility to take good care of us.
It’s great.

I’m not very adventurous today and felt like it was a
stay in day. So Bronson left for town on his own to
settle his accommodation things, got lunch and so on.
He has to get written confirmation as a researcher
from the British Embassy to interview government
officials. Also, he might have some cash flow problems
now that we realized that the ATMs here only take plus
and electron and not maestro like in the UK.

I managed to call Mr. Patrick Kwakye and will meet him
tomorrow in Akosombo in the Mobil filling station.

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Day 1 in Ghana

We got up one hour early this morning (11 June)cos I
forgot to put the time back by an hr. Last night
should have been spentpacking and planning and
exchanging insurance details but it just didn't quite
turn out as well. First, out miniscule plane (6 seats
per row) was badly delayed and we did not get into
Kotoka airport till 9+pm instead of the original
7.30pm. Luckily, Christine was still there to meet us.
We got in a white pick-up and got delivered to our
accomodation for the next 3 nights. We're at the
University of Cape Coast Guesthouse in Tesano, Accra.
I left London in a bad shape. The day before at Alton
Towers didn't help and the flight was just horrid for
me. All queasy and not feeling good at all. Siobhan
and Bronson were fine though. They did all the
necessary reading, I just drifted in and out of sleep.
Now I've to catch up tonight. We had eggs with rice
for 18000 cedis or about US$1.80 for dinner and slept
well through the night except for when it started
raining and the ceiling started dripping water on me.
We shifted the bed and slept well that night.
Breakfast was a porridge that resembles more of baby
food (puree kind) and thick slices of bread,
coffee/tea and egg and oranges. The kind u get in
Tanzania.

Charles Denkyi's number is wrong. Siobhan's emailing
him and we might have to change plans if she can't get
him and hence their translators. If we do, we'll go to
Akosombo together, spend 2 wks there, travelup to Yeji
and round Kumasi back to Accra spend ourlast 2 wks
there for Bronson and Siobhan's research. This might
actually be a better plan after all! We'll get to
travel together. But it's best to stick to original
plans.

Earlier this morn, we had to get into Town but nearly
got lost in the Taxi. This means we have to get in
early when we're leaving for Akosombo.

Nice place overall. Just the heat's killing us. It's
far worse than in Singapore I think. No wind, just
humidity.

Alright. Will write again soon.

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