TravelStream™ news feed for member ericamoroney on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ericamoroney en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 21 Jul 2006 06:41:03 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1153476780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1153476780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1153476780/tpod.html Fri, 21 Jul 2006 06:41:03 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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TY, Lesotho

I am back in Lesotho now. I thought I should finish writing my blog to wrap up my trip. I have a week's worth of life in Ghana to write about, but I think I will make it short. I went to the other slave castle in Elmina. That one was pretty much the same as the Cape Coast Castle. It was originally built by the Portuguese but was in Dutch hands for 200 years and was their main place of slave exportation in Ghana. Structurally, it was better to tour since renovations and re-modeling hadn't been done over the years...it basically looks the same that it did in 1590 when it was built. That same day, I went to Kakum National Park. Hundreds of years ago, a rainforest stretched from Liberia to Nigeria along the coast. Most of it is gone today throughout most of those countries. Kakum is the only bit remaining in Ghana. Kakum is famous because of a canopy walk that was constructed in 1995. A suspension bridge was built 40 meters above the ground, on top of the rainforest. I will hopefully attach a picture so you can see what it was like. I am not a person afraid of heights, but I did not particularly enjoy the experience. It took me about 20 minutes to walk across the 7 bridges that made the whole thing. It was pretty cool being able to look down on the rainforest. On a side note, I was very lucky that I didn't have much rain while on my trip since I was there during the rainy season. Ironically, the most rain I had was when I went to the rainforest. But the gods were with me because it rained on my way to the national park. It stopped while I was walking on the canopy. And it rained again when I was in a taxi leaving.

I then went to a place called Kokrobite. It is about 30 kms west of Accra. It is a beach that is famous because of a music academy as well as its concentration of Rastafarians. I spent three days there, just relaxing and reading. This was the place where I ran into the biggest concentration of tourists. It was nice just talking to people and seeing what brought them to Ghana. I met a Canadian woman who had been in Ghana for 4 years and is returning with two adopted children. I met lots of British volunteers who were in Ghana for the summer. I met a woman from Oakland who went to UC Berkeley and has lived in Ghana since 1973. In fact, this woman hasn't left the continent of Africa since 1973.

I went back to Accra and stayed with Emma for my last two nights. Sunday, I had my hair done. I now have a huge respect for what African women go through when they get their hair done. First we had to buy hair to be weaved into my own hair. It was difficult finding hair to match my color, but we found some blond hair that was close. We went to the salon, called "Amazing Grace Beauty Salon." The woman first had to treat my bought hair. It took about 45 minutes for her to clean and nourish the fake hair. Then, they started braiding my hair. It took about 4 hours to get it done. I was so tired of sitting afterwards...you basically waste a whole day getting your hair done. I was warned that it would be painful. It wasn't painful when she was braiding my hair, but a few hours later, and the first night when I slept, that was when it hurt. For the first day, I thought I looked really weird, but now I am used to it and I like it. Everyone is talking about my hair, here in Lesotho and in Ghana. People like it. I don't know if I will get it done another time but it is fun right now.

Some observations...in Lesotho, no restaurant can make good French fries. This is a common discussion and annoyance amongst us here. In Ghana, they know how to make them. I am going to miss good French fries for a while. Everywhere in Ghana are American flags. They are painted on the sides of taxis, they are the designs on air fresheners that hang from the rear view mirror on cars, small shops are painted in the flag. Ghanaians tell me that they love America, but to me, it seems a bit excessive to see so many American flags in a country that is not America. In Lesotho, it is not appropriate to wear shorts. I wear them running and around my village, but will not go to any other place in shorts because of the negative attention I would get. If I had gone on vacation to Ghana without ever having lived in Lesotho, I would have been wearing shorts the entire time I was in Ghana. On this trip, I didn't wear shorts once. I was amazed at how acculturated I have become to Lesotho customs and how that has taken over the culture that I grew up with in America when it comes to appropriate and inappropriate clothes. Also surrounding clothing, I was amazed at how strongly I reacted seeing westerners at the beach in bikinis. My thoughts were 'why does she have to walk around half-naked? She should cover herself up.' Never has that thought ever crossed my mind at any other beach. But once again, I think it has to do with what I have gotten used to in Lesotho about what women should wear. And I don't think all of the cultural requirements women are expected to follow here are bad.

It was really sad leaving Ghana. I had a great time there and I met some wonderful people. Emma and I were both crying when she left me at the airport. I was so happy that she and I became such good friends and that she just wasn't taking me around because I am a friend to her brother. It was also hard leaving a female friend my own age because I don't have those here in Lesotho. I forgot how nice it is to have female friends just to talk with and cook with and go shopping with. When I was sitting in the airport in Jo'burg waiting for my flight to Maseru, I was thinking how I have carved out a pretty cool life for myself. I have friends all over the world. I have lived all over the world and have had experiences that very few people can say that they have had. I don't know where my life is taking me and where I will end up, but I am enjoying life right now.

It is nice being back in Lesotho, but IT IS COLD. I miss my Ghanaian summer. I am happy to be back in my village and see my friends here. I think it will take a couple of days to get used to 'this' Africa again. It seems so foreign to me. Boys riding on donkeys, people wearing blankets...I am expecting to see the ocean and palm trees everywhere and eat fresh fish, but Lesotho is my home now and it is good to be home.

I am glad that this blog was successful and I will hopefully do it for subsequent trips.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1152567120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1152567120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1152567120/tpod.html Mon, 10 Jul 2006 14:12:49 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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Butre and Cape Coast, Ghana

I am back to the world of electricity and the internet. I spent the last four days in paradise. The beaches here really are gorgeous. Fine white sand with palm trees lining the beach. I had a six hour bus ride to Takoradi from Kumasi. It was nice enough. There was a TV on it. We watched a three part Nigerian movie. I have been exposed to Nigerian movies in Lesotho through my Nigerian friends and after about 15 minutes, I usually walk out of the room because the acting is so bad. I couldn't do that this time. The volume was so loud that I couldn't even drown it out with my mp3 player. I then had a 30 minute taxi ride to some place else. There I changed taxis again. Waiting for this taxi to Butre was the worst and only bad taxi experience I have had thus far. I have been really lucky. I haven't had to wait longer than 10 minutes for any form of transportation. I didn't know that public transportation in Africa could be so efficient!!! For this taxi, I had to wait two hours for it to leave, which is reasonable since only about 100 people live in the village I was going to. When we finally were ready to leave, it took 45 minutes for the taxi to start. The battery was in the middle of the van right next to the seats...no where near the engine. Wires were hanging out everywhere. Once the taxi started, you could take the key out of the ignition and it would still run. I have seen some pretty bad taxis in Lesotho, but this one definetly goes at the top. After arriving at the village, I had to take a canoe ride across the lagoon and then I finally arrived at my lodge. About 3kms away, is a village that has become a beach tourist destination. but this is the only lodge at this village. There were only 4-8 people at the guesthouse on any given night I was there. The food was excellent. I had fresh shrimp, casssava fish, and baracuda fish that was caught right in front of my eyes by the villagers there. It was fascinating to see how these subsistence fishermen catch their fish. The staff was really friendly. I had a great time. Unfortuneatly, it was overcast most of the time. I know my mother will not believe me, but I did not go swimming the whole time I was there. I went for a run on the beach the first morning i was there and then proceeded to come down with a cold. So I decided not to swim and risk getting even more sick. But don't worry, I will be back at a beach in a few days, so I will swim no matter what!!

I have had the following conversation with almost every Ghanian I have met:

Ghanian: How old are you?
Erica: 27
G: Are you married?
E: No
G: Do you have a boyfriend?
E: No
G: Have you born any children?
E: No
G: How can such a beautiful woman like yourself not have a man?
E: I don't know....it is nice to be alone sometimes.
G: You are old enough to get married.
E: I know.
G: Do you sleep with women?
E: (the answer depends on my mood)

I have had this conversation with four year olds and forty year olds. In Lesotho, when I have this conversation, it is the men trying to figure out if they can become my husband. Here, there is nothing like that. It is just curiousity and confusion that i am not married. I feel old....All of the travelers I have met are 21 or 22. I didn't think being in your late 20s would make one feel so much older than those in their early 20s but it seems so obvious with those I have encountered on my travels.

When I was visiting Amanda in Togo, she had a copy of Roots by Alex Haley. I had never read it so I asked if i could take it. I started reading it on the beach in Butre and finished it there yesterday. There was something so eerie and poignant about reading that book here in Ghana. I unintentionally chose a 'good' location to start reading it as directly behind the village are the remnants of an old British slave fort. Even though the African part of Roots takes place in Gambia, it didn't matter that I was in Ghana reading it. I could picture the slave capture and journey to the west so easily. i would stop reading every once and a while and look out at the fishing canoes, which are the same style that have been used for centuries, and just imagined slaves coming from the fort above me and taking those fishermen's canoes out to the ships in the ocean waiting for them. I don't know why I had never read the book before, but it is amazing. I cried the last 10 pages of it...it was much more emotional reading it here than i think it would have been back in the US.

I am in Cape Coast now. Cape Coast was the British administrative capital for the Gulf of Guinea for 100 years. There is a castle/fort here, a UNESCO world heritage sight. It was built in 1653 by the Swedish and changed hands for 150 years before becoming British. This was one of the main forts in Ghana where slaves were held before going to the new world. I toured the castle an hour ago. We went into the dungeons where slaves were held. There were 1500 slaves there at any one time. The holding quarters were big rooms with one or two 'windows', about 1 foot by 1 foot, for light and ventilation. The slaves were kept there for about 6 weeks before leaving on the ships. They were never allowed out and the rooms served as their bedroom, dining room, and bathroom. Appalling conditions....Tomorrow I am going to the other main slave fort in Ghana. Supposedly, that one is better than the one here in terms of tourism and history...and I thought this one was pretty atrocious.

I only have 10 minutes left and I want to get a couple of pictures put on...Will write more tomorrow hopefully.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1152137220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1152137220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1152137220/tpod.html Wed, 05 Jul 2006 12:47:06 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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Kumasi, Ghana

I am in Kumasi now, which is the home of the Ashantis, one of the major kingdoms in West Africa from the 1500s. This is by far the most chaotic and crowded African city I have ever been in. In Accra, there is order in the taxi ranks and in the middle of town. The city center of Jo'burg is pretty bad (not a place I would want to hang around in), but Kumasi is even worse. I feel totally safe, but the amount of people and cars going in every direction is insane. Kumasi is the 2nd biggest city in Ghana. The market here is the biggest market in all of West Africa...I would be curious to know where the biggest one is, maybe Nairobi, because I have never seen anything like this market in southern Africa. Kumasi has more people than all of Lesotho, which I find difficult to comprehend. But the greatest thing about Ghana, which I would not say about South Africa, is that in a big city where it is obvious that I am a foreigner, I can ask anybody for help and I do not feel unsafe and I do not worry about becoming a target. In Lesotho, if I need help, I will almost always ask a woman for help. It is rare that I will ask a man just because there is a good chance that the women will be honest and the most helpful. But here, I can ask anyone and I have always gotten help for what I needed plus pure friendliness.

I left Accra Monday morning. I didn't get on a bus until 12:30. It took 5.5 hours to get up here. It is supposed to take only four. I was on an air-conditioned bus with a bathroom, something that is quite rare in my experience. I was actually cold with the air conditioning. When we stopped at a rest stop, I was relieved to go outside into the humidity. I have forgotten how tired humidity can make you. I keep having to remind myself to take it easy; otherwise if I don't, I get really exhausted. Anyways, I arrived here at 6:30 Monday night, took a taxi to where I was staying, ate and went to bed. Tuesday morning, I had to run some errands....then in the afternoon, I went to the national cultural center. As soon as I arrived, a man came up to me and put his arm through my arm. I think most American women would push a man away who did that to him, but I am used to men pushing physical boundaries with me in Lesotho, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him talk to me. His name is Frimpong. He is a musician and was at the Kumasi branch of the musician's union. We started talking and he took me around the cultural center. I went to a museum where they have relics of the Ashanti kingdom and where they display objects that are used in the everyday life of the kings so visitors can see all of the customs and rituals that the kings go thru. The cultural center has many artisans who make their crafts right there so you can see how they do it. I watched a man making Kente cloth, which is the traditional cloth that most people associate with Ghana, men making wood carvings, and women doing their traditional batiks. I ended up going to a late lunch with Frimpong and a couple of other people. Finding apples is quite difficult in Ghana. All of the apples are imported from South Africa and they are expensive. During lunch, we kept trying to find apples...Frimpong and Peter started composing various songs about looking for apples in different styles of Ghanian music...I don't think I will ever think of apples the same. I should have recorded their renditions of songs dedicated to me and apples. Anyways, I left them in the evening, went to dinner, and watched the world cup game.

Tonight France is playing. Everyone in Ghana is cheering for France because they are so happy that they defeated Brazil who had defeated Ghana. This morning, Frimpong picked me up and we went to three villages where they make traditional crafts. The first village, Bonwire, is the home of Kente, and it ironically is Frimpong's home. He took me into his family's homes, so I got to see traditional ghanaian villages homes. There is one entrance, but all of the rooms are centered around a courtyard. We also went to several places where they were weaving the cloth. It is only men who do the actual weaving. The women collect the cotton for the thread and dye it. The women also sets up the particular pattern of the design on the loom, but the actual weaving is done by men. On a side note, in the market today, I was in the seamstress section. About half of the 'seamstresses' were men. I have noticed that there are not strict gender roles in this country in the way that you normally think of and witness in other African countries. I see men carrying things on their heads all the time...only women do that in S Africa and Lesotho. Men are often carrying young children, which you never see in Lesotho. Anyways, the patterns are absolutly gorgeous, but the kente is very expensive. I bought some in Accra, but it is not the high quality stuff they make here. We then went to the next village, Ntonso, where they make another type of cloth that is traditionally worn at funerals. There weren't many artisans out, so I didn't see much of the actual process. The third village, Ahwiaa, is where they make wood carvings. We walked around there, watched the men carve various things, and I bought some jewelry. My mother would have been proud of my bargaining skills with this man!! It was so nice to have a local going around with me. I wasn't nearly as bored and plus I got insight into things that I would not have gotten if I was on my own. I don't know why it is so easy to trust people here. Maybe it is truly because they are good people. I would not feel nearly as free and open with strangers in Lesotho or South Africa they way that I feel with them here.

I was reflecting on how I am enjoying this trip and the satisfaction I am getting from it. I know I mentioned this in an email I wrote when I was in Vietnam, but the longer I live abroad and get to know a culture, the less satisfied I am when I do traditional touring. I want to understand the lives of the people of the country I am visiting and you don't get that by going from city to city. Africa, especially Africa, is about the people. Except for viewing game, there is not a lot of history in terms of architecture and museums to see...you go to Africa to understand the lives of the people that live here, at least in my opinion. So going to cities, such as Kumasi, is not fulfilling my needs to get to know Ghana. I am glad that I spent some time with Frimpong. I am glad that I have Saeed's sisters and their families in Accra to get to know about family life. But people in African cities are not representative of people in the villages, which is most people in this country. That was why visiting Amanda in Togo was so fulfilling. I got to see how locals live in a village and could get the perspective of an American on that life. I am enjoying my trip here. I didn't have any expectations for Ghana. I just wanted to experience West Africa, which I am. I just think I am becoming a picky traveller because I have had so many unique travelling experiences.

I am off to the beach tomorrow (which is not at all about Ghanian people!!) I have another six hour bus ride, but then I will sit on the beach for several days doing nothing, which is what I want right now. I don't think I will have email access there so it might be awhile before I post something new. But don't worry...I will be enjoying myself immensely.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151868720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151868720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151868720/tpod.html Sun, 02 Jul 2006 13:21:41 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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Accra, Ghana

I have returned to Ghana. I have been sitting on a three different taxis for 7 hours and have been in 3 countries today. I must admit that so far, I have nothing to complain about when it comes to public transportation. I have had very good connections and have not had to wait any longer than 15 minutes for a taxi to leave. I am sure that since I have written that, tomorrow when I have another 4 hour taxi ride, there will be lots of problems.

I spent most of my time on the taxis today analyzing my thoughts on West Africa and what I have experienced. My most prominent thought is that I miss my Africa. This is not my Africa. I know I am not doing a good job describing how different things are here, but they are. I am sure if I had never been to southern AFrica before, I would not have these thoughts. But I have lived in southern Africa for 4 years now (can you believe it is that long?) and I know it well. I think part of it has to do with familiarity. I know the system of transportation and I know what people mean when they speak English compared to here where I haven't quite figured out what Ghanian English implies in certain situations. I have to admit that Ghanians are incredibly friendly and helpful. I can't complain about that.

I hate it, and I am sure most Europeans do also, when Americans go to a country there where English is not the first language and they complain about people not understanding them. Not everyone is supposed to know English. So it may have come across that that was how I was feeling when talking about my experiences in Togo. I don't think I have ever been to a country where 1) I was the only tourist so I couldn't talk to others about their experiences and suggestions; 2) I didn't know the language or 3) people didn't know English. My mother put it well when she told me that my feelings are natural because not being able to communicate is a very isolating experience. I have to admit that I was instantly relieved when I crossed back into Ghana today because I knew there would be people who would be friendly towards me and could speak English. The moral of the story...: 1) Don't go out and learn every language. (There are multiple morals) 2) Be friendly with people and they will find someone who can help you. 3) It is normal to be afraid and nervous at one's inability to communicate, but you can have a good time and still communicate in other ways besides words.

A tangential thought from what I wrote yesterday....I was talking about African French being sexy. You know what else is sexy? The chests of all of the men here. This is not just a purely carnal thought. I am amazed at how good of shape ALL of the men are. I have seen many men in my week and a half with their shirts off. ALL of them have such well defined chests and stomach muscles. It has to be genetic. Even 10 year old boys have the outlines of what will be very attractive bodies. I have never seen a collective group of people, besides body builders, whose chests I enjoy looking at.

As I was driving through Lome, I was watching the beach. Togo has amazing beaches but the tides are incredibly strong. Almost no one swims there because it is so dangerous. So I was curious what people would do on a sunday at the beach. They do laundry. There were scores of women washing their clothes on the beach and laying them out to dry. I wish I had had time to get my camera out. It was quite a scene.

In southern Africa, most women put their money in the bra. I do that also when I have large bills. It is just safer that way because you are not going to be pick pocketed there, at least one hopes. I asked Emma if women do that in Ghana. She said that they used to, but a few years ago, the government ran a big ad campaign urging women not to put their money there because it will lead to breast cancer. So now women fold their money in their skirts, which leaves the money in horrible shape. Trust me, this money is very ratty. I am going to assume that I am not going to get breast cancer and I will continue to put my money in my bra.

I am going to try to upload some more pictures now...Hopefully I will have time to get them on the web before my time runs out.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151789400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151789400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151789400/tpod.html Sat, 01 Jul 2006 18:53:40 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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Cotonou, Benin

I am in Cotonou, the unofficial capital of Benin. I am at an internet cafe that is using french keyboards, so there are probably going to be a lot of mistakes in this since there are about 10 letters in different positions fro, the keyboards i am used to. I will start with my morning in Lome. i hated it. People were rude to me. I got yelled at. Nobody spoke English. A taxi driver made me cry. I got lost. And that was all in the space of 2 hours. I was feeling very insecure about my lack of French to begin with and the lack of helpfulness from the togolese did not make the situation any better. In lome, there are many motorbikes. There are some cars, but most of the transportation is by motos. alot of the intersections do not have lights and there are many sand roads. The capital is very run down and would not be a place that i would want to live in. Lome and Cotonou are much bigger than maseru, but maseru is much more modern. both of these capitals are what i have always stereotypically imagined an african capital to look like. the night that i spent in lome, i had dinner with a few peace corps volunteers and the country director for togo. it was interesting to see how different peace corps togo is from lesotho. i saw three other tourists in lome. needless to say, i got out of lome very quickly since i saw nothing positive in it.

I went to a town called vogan, about an hour outside of the capital, and met amanda, a PC volunteer posted there. i had a wonderful time there. We walked around her village and then hired motos to take us out to the outlying villages so i could see the traditional togolese villages and way of life. i fetched water in one of the villages. the women use hollowed out gourds and haul water from a well over 100 feet deep. my arms hurt after doing it one time. i am glad that i dont have to collect my water that way. Amanda explained that the reason i was probably treated poorly in lome was not because of my lack of french, but because i am a woman. she told me countless stories of how poorly she has been treated in a myriad of situations just because she is a woman. it doesnt make the situations any better, but at least it made me feel a bit better about not knowing french. last year, togo had corrupt elections and violence around that time. since then, togo has gone down hill. when amanda went to her site, the internet was there and so was a big supermarket. now both of those are gone. togo doesnt have full diplomatic relations with either the us or eu. there is a very small expat community. in addition to the peqce corps, the french and germans are the only ones in togo. i didnt think it was possible to find a country that has less to do and less tourist infrastructure than lesotho, but i have. as sad as it is to say, there is nothing to see anymore in togo. i am glad i went, but i would not recommend spending 20 dollars for a visa.

I crossed into benin on the 30th. Right away, i felt much more comfortable. The taxi drivers quoted me the correct prices for taxis and didnt try to cheat me like they constantly did in togo. People speak 'small small' english here. and in general, the are just a lot more friendly. in togo, if someone couldnt help me, they would just walk away. Here, if someone doesnt understand me, they will find someone who does and go out of there way to do that.

I spent the night in Ouidah last night. Ouidah is the home of voodoo and is also the place where slaves entered the ships headed to the americas. there were french and portguese forts in ouidah where the slaves were held after being captured by the dahomey. they then walked a four kms walk to what is now called the point of no return. i stayed at a hotel right at that point. it is a beautiful beach lined with palm trees and white sand. it was difficult for me to even imagine lying on that beach where such atrocious things happened 300 and 400 years ago. I was the only guest at this hotel. i did see 5 other tourists in Ouidah.

This morning, I came to Cotonou. It is a big city that seems full of chaos. Everyone is on motos. There are no street lights so everyone just goes into an intersection hoping not to hit anyone else. i have not seen such chaos in driving since china. almost hit another moto today, but i am still alive. i went to ganvie, a village outside of the city today. it is a village in the middle of a lake. all of the houses are built on stilts. 300 years ago, the people escaped battles by fleeing to the middle of the lake. 30,000 people live there today and they are all fisherman. THis place is the main attraction in Benin, and once again, I was the only tourist. Benin has history that can draw tourists here, so maybe it has a bit more to see than Lesotho, but not much more. There are some nature areas in the north, but i am not going to sit on a bush taxi for 12 hours just to do some hiking. Most of the taxis here are toyota tercels, circa 1985, and Peugots, circa 1975. They put 2 people in the passenger seat and four people in the back seat. Thankfully, people are not obese like they are in Lesotho. Otherwise the journeys would be hell. I think I am going back to ghana tomorrow. I have enjoyed myself here, but it is expensive and it is difficult travelling here on your own and without french.

i apologize for any problems in this letter, either spelling or it just not flowing. This keyboard is so annoying. I have always said that i don't like the french language, but there is something sexy about how it is spoken here. it could just be my affinity for africa that makes it sound different, but i like listening to it. it is a different french though than european french. amanda was fluent in french before coming to togo and now she is appalled at the things she says and how much her french has changed.

anyways, i must finish this. it has takes me almost an hour to type. UGH. Also, i have to watch the world cup.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151532120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151532120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151532120/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:26:57 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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Lome, Togo

I have arrived in Togo. I wish I spoke French. That was my first thought when I arrived and two hours later, after getting lost, it is still the most prominent thought in my mind!! I want to write more about Ghana before Togo though.

Ghana lost the soccer game yesterday. It was very sad, because anyone who saw it, knows that Ghana was the better team and the officiating was atrocious. Yesterday in Accra was crazy. You could feel the tension in the city before the game. I was in town to shop and to get my Benin visa. Emma, Saeed's sister, lives in a suburb outside of town. We left at 2pm, giving ourselves an hour to get home for the start of the game. People were driving fast, of course. The traffic was worse than normal. But surprisingly, taxis were taking shortcuts and not going on normal routes (therefore they couldn't pick up passengers to make money) in order to get people home in time. That really surprised me because in Lesotho, taxi drivers will do anything for their money and I cannot picture them looking out for their passengers' soccer desires at the expense of their pockets. Speaking of taxis, the customs of the taxis here and the behavior of the drivers is a lot more civilized than in Lesotho. They still scream and shout to get passengers and drive like crazy, but they follow the rules, such as wearing seatbelts all the time and ensuring that the passengers in the front seat wear theirs. They also don't squish many people into the seats. In Lesotho, where they would put four people, possibly five, in Ghana, they only put three. It definitely makes for a more comfortable journey. Back to soccer....Ghana has so much to be proud of. Their team beat the #2 and #4 countries in the world and sadly lost to the #1 country. This was only their first time in the World Cup and performed wonderfully. After the game, the streets were filled with people singing and dancing. I think their reaction to their defeat was a perfect example of the African spirit- When confronted with hardship and sadness, smile and move on. I know there will be a huge homecoming when the team arrives in Accra.

I am amazed at the level of English Ghanians have. Their English is so good. Saeed's niece is 5. She speaks better English than some of my Form E students who are 20. Emma's son is almost 2. He understands English and can say a few words. Yesterday after the soccer game, the reporters were interviewing random people on the street. The reporter spoke to all of them in English and they all replied in English. Of every person that I have spoken to in the last 5 days, there was only one who could not carry a conversation with me in English. The Ghanian education system is definitely doing something right.

I am jumping to Lesotho now. I flew out of Maseru. The plane flew right over my village. I could see my mountain. I could see the road and the local taxis on it. I could see my school and I could see my house. I thought that was very cool. I followed the main road from Maseru and I was able to identify every village we passed over until Kolonyama, where we crossed into South Africa. I have never had that experience where I could identify things when in a plane. Just wanted to share that.

One of the more interesting of my observations over the last few days is how all of my Ghanian and Nigerian friends in Lesotho have spoken the truth about how different West Africa is from Lesotho. There is such a social atmosphere here. It is very relaxed and you feel like there aren't many worries in the world. You can do what you want and be who you want to be without being judged. (I guess I should say this is from the urban Ghanian view point.) I am still amazed at the lack of harassment I have gotten. West Africans in Lesotho complain about the lack of traditional food in Lesotho. There, it is papa (maize meal) and moroho (cabbage). The only spice is salt. Here, there are so many more food options. They coof banku, which is maize meal, but it is fermented for three days. There is fufu, which is cassava and maize meal. People eat fish, chicken, beef, goat,eggs....Food is spicy and has flavor. Granted, I have not been a big fan of a lot of the traditional food I have eaten, but at least there are options.

I left Accra today for Aflao, the border town. I was the last person on the taxi, so it left as soon as I got on it. It took about 2.5 hours to get to the border. We were unintentionally playing chicken on the road for about a good hour as all the cars were trying to dodge potholes at 80 kph. Was interesting, if not a bit scary to say the least. I crossed the border with no problems. I don't know why every single border town I have been to is awful. But this one is no exception. The border is right on the beach. It is a pretty cool setting.

I got a taxi to the Peace Corps office. I am going to a volunteer's site tomorrow. She knows Mary Lu, a PCV in Lesotho, so I am connected with her that way. I met a few volunteers and they told me where to stay here. I got lost finding the guest house and walked 20 minutes through Lome trying to ask directions to people who don't speak English. I finally decided to go back to the PC office to get help when I saw the signs that I was looking for. So, I am back at the office now. There isn't a transit house in the capital here so volunteers stay at one of two places close to the office. One guy is staying there, so I am going to dinner with him and the country director of PC Togo. I will explore Lome tomorrow and then head to the village where Amanda is.

Mosquitoes...I am being eaten alive. Strangely, the mosquitoes here are small and I have never seen one and most people don't see them. Also, the bites on my body are really small...they look like pimples; not the normal way bites look from my experience.

I am off to have drinks with Americans who speak ENGLISH!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151326860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151326860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ericamoroney/w_africa_2006/1151326860/tpod.html Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:01:40 -0400 My journey to what many people call 'real Africa'

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Accra, Ghana

Hello from Ghana....it is hot and I am already sunburned. But I guess that is the price I pay for spending a very enjoyable day at the beach yesterday. I have made my first mistake of the trip just now and i am quite annoyed at myself. I have no way of getting money. None of the atms in this country will accept either my Lesotho or American atm cards because atms here only accept visa. I pride myself on being so organized and I have planned for this trip for months, and yet I overlooked this one mistake. Oh well. I will find a way.

I arrived here Friday night. My plane made a stop in Ivory Coast. I realized that within one week, I will have visited three of the five African countries that are in this year's world cup: Ghana, Togo, and Ivory Coast (even though I didn't leave the plane). It is crazy here with the World Cup. Every single radio station is talking about the World Cup and analyzing Tuesday's game against Brazil. You literally can't find a radio station that is playing music. TV stations are repeating the same interviews after the win over America. The streets are jammed with people selling ghana hats, shirts, flags. Every 5th car has a Ghana flag on it somewhere. I bought a SIM card today. I received a free Ghana hat that I will wear proudly tomorrow. Every time someone finds out I am from America, they do not hesitate in reminding me that they beat the US. I don't spoil their fun by telling them that I actually wanted Ghana to win...I let them think that I am disappointed America lost. I went to the most popular public beach in Accra yesterday. In the water while playing in the waves, a group of guys spontaneously started singing world cup/soccer songs for about 20 minutes. People just joined them and I found myself in the middle of a group listening to 15 people sing about how Ghana beat USA. It was pretty cool.

I have been treated wonderfully so far. Saeed, the Ghanaian teacher at my school, is having his family take care of me. They picked me up at the airport and I have been staying with two of his sisters. Saturday, we went an hour north of Accra into the mountains to the botanical gardens. Yesterday was the beach. And today Emma and I are shopping. I am busy buying jewelry and fabric. The women here have the most beautiful clothes...there are 50 times as many traditional patterns on fabric here than in Lesotho/South Africa. It has been very overwhelming to choose the patterns I want.

I have to go back to the Togo Embassy to pick up my visa and then off to the Benin Embassy to get my visa. I will leave here for Togo on Wednesday and then be back in Ghana a couple of weeks later to do the rest of my touring.

Ghana (and I assume this part of West Africa) is SSSSOOOOOO different than the Africa I know (southern Africa). It is so lush here. I feel like I am on a south Pacific island. It is humid and hot...at 6am, it is 80s. But the locals think that is cold. We didn't go to the beach until 1pm because we needed it to warm up!!! If it was me, I would have been at the beach at 7am because of the weather. The people here are truly warm and welcoming. I have been harassed a little by men, but NOTHING compared to what we get in Lesotho. I have been really shocked by that because I am so used to constant harrassment.

I must go. My time on the internet is almost over. I must figure out how to get money!
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