tanishav's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member tanishav on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/tanishav en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 29 Mar 2006 17:08:03 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com Home at last... — Seattle, Washington, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134522000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134522000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134522000/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 17:08:03 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Seattle, Washington, United States

After several negotiations, I bartered my way onto a direct flight to Seattle. Although I was now bagless (they didn't ever arrive in Washington DC), smelly, and exhausted, I made it home.
From beginning to end, despite all the ups and downs, the entire trip was amazing and memorable. Words and pictures will never come close to describing the things I have seen and done. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. I hope to return again one day, sooner rather than later.
Its an inspirational place, that drove me to want to make a difference and I am forever changed.
For that I am thankful...
]]> Where am I and how did I get here? — Amsterdam, Netherlands http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134435480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134435480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134435480/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:57:43 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam, at last, so close, but yet so far...
Switching planes was a much more difficult task than I thought it would be, but I gave it my best. After I found the right place to check in, which was not in any sense easy, I realized that in order for me to actually make it through the line to the counter, I would need at least two hours, time that I did not have so I made the decision to go straight to the gate.
I arrived there with time to spare so I decided to do a little wandering. The airport was huge and actually one of the better ones I had ever been in. I enjoyed my time looking at small tourist trinkets in the numerous gift shops and returned to my gate in time to board.
When I got to the boarding counter, the woman working looked at me and my ticket voucher as if it was alien and proceeded to tell me she had no record of me on the flight. I told my sob story and begged for her help, and surprisingly, she did just that. She gave me a great seat and sent me on my way, with no guarantee that my bags would be on the flight.
I settled into my cozy seat and spent the next few hours watching as many movies as I could as KLM had the best movie selection I had ever seen aboard a flight. I had now been traveling home for 2 1/2 days and was still no where close. I did my best to keep my spirits up, and enjoyed the flight to DC where my next fate awaited me.
]]> Rome... bella bella — Rome, Italy http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134349020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134349020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134349020/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:45:08 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Rome, Italy

Not much to say as I stayed at the airport the whole time but I do love Rome, oh boy do I ever. I couldn't help but think... why couldn't they mess up my flight and have me stuck here for a few days? Believe me, I would not be complaining.
Amsterdam, here I come!
]]> Around the world in 72 hours... — Addis Ababa, Ethiopia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134348960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134348960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134348960/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:42:07 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Well, just my luck, all my plans went to hell when I arrived in Addis at 1am, an hour after the flight that was supposed to be waiting for me had already departed... so much for the "no problem, they'll wait for you" theory. Exhausted and worried, I negotiated with an airport staffer for a free room and a flight for the next day to Washington, DC without much trouble and headed to the hotel where I was promised several meals and a hassle-free stay.
Arriving at the hotel, I soon found out that I really was going to be taken care of, as I had been booked a room at a very nice hotel in a great location in the city. It was by far the nicest hotel I had stayed in the entire trip and I started to feel positive and look at the whole experince as a good one rather than bad. I would have one more day to explore Addis, a comfortable bed, good food, and it was all free.
I spent the next day eating well too much, wandering the city for the second time, watching a irb rugby sevens tournament taking place in south africa, napped, ate more, suntanned, and took a couple nice hot showers. By the time my shuttle came to pick me up that night, I felt I haad really made the most of my misfortune and was once again ready for my journey home.
I arrived at the airport ontime and everything was going smoothly until it was time to check in. Then, once again, things fell apart. There was a mistake in the booking of my flight the day before and it turned out there really wasn't a flight home that day, let alone that week.
I decided that enough was enough and I would take matters into my own hands. Along with several very patient booking agents in tow I made my way into the back rooms of the airport, the ones marked, "staff only" but in amharic, and got onto their computers in serach of a flight headed home.
After alot of searching, we found a flight on KLM that would take me accross Europe but eventually get me home.
Only a couple hours later I was on my way to Rome, then Amsterdam, and beyond...
]]> Time to go home already? — Accra, Ghana http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134176100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134176100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1134176100/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:20:50 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Accra, Ghana

Crossing two borders in one day and traveling through three countries, we made our way back to Accra, the last significant time spent in any town before I left for home. We enjoyed our time in the city and over the next few days it became quite familiar and we were able to make our way around easily.
We shopped, wandered, shopped, and wandered some more. We were able to see all the places we had missed on our first visit and really enjoy what the bustling city was like at a different pace.
We saw the extreme wealth of some who lived mostly on the outer edges of the city and the extreme poverty of others who lived in the tin shanty towns throughout the city and along the ocean.
We became regular faces to the young craftsmen that worked nearby our hotel and we became good friends with several of them. On my last day there, I left some of them clothing and nike shoes of mine that were appreciated more than I could have imagined and I was truly humbled.
Making my way to the airport, I reflected on all the wonderful things I had experienced and all the things I wished I could have seen had there been more time. Although I missed everyone at home, a trip like this is one that doesn't come too often, and I was thankful that it had happened at all.
I said my goodbye's to my dad, who was staying in Ghana a few more weeks and heading to a region in the north, and wished him safe and happy travels. I made my way to the gate and waited... and waited... and waited... I soon realized just how long I'd been waiting and started to worry about my connecting flight through Addis Ababa. I had a very short layover, less than an hour, and if I didnt make that connection I would be stuck in Ethiopia for a few days. I asked the airline staff about my connection and they assured me that the plane would wait. I nervously boarded the plane, close to 2 hours late, and departed for Ethiopia, and hopefully home.
]]> Benin and back... — Ouidah, Benin http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133916780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133916780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133916780/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:38:16 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Ouidah, Benin

Our visit to Benin was short and sweet. We only had a couple days so we made the decision to stay in one place, the township Ouidah, trying to see as much as we possibly could to get a feel for the country. We found a pleasant hotel to stay and settled in immediately.
Everyone seemed just as curious about us as we were about them, and as we walked through the town we were greeted with a friendly "bonjour" from almost everyone. The staff at the hotel was equally friendly and I was able to have some great french conversation, as well as get a few pointers as to where to go and what to see.
We set up our mosquito nets, which we had become quite skilled at over the span of our trip, and relaxed to a good book and an early night sleep. We soon found out that as the sun set, the voodoo culture awakened. All around us, we could here the spellbinding chants accompanied by a magical drum beat and other unique instruments. It was a very familiar sound and surprisingly, it reminded me of south american music I had heard before.
The next day, as planned, we woke up early to embark on our journey to the beach along le route des esclaves, a dirt road that had once served as the pathway walked by slaves to the beach where the ships awaited their human cargo. It was important that we leave and return early as the heat in the afternoon was close to 40'C (over 100'F), and the route was roughly 7km each direction, so we set on our journey around 8:30am, water in hand.
The walk served as a symbolic and memorable journey as we retraced the path that slaves were forced to walk, and we learned alot along the way as there were historical monuments that dotted the dirt road. We also noted how many voodoo statuettes, and white flags (a sign of voodoo, similar to the cross in christianity) were present and soon came to realize just how prominent it was in this country.
We arrived at the beach exhausted but fulfilled and explored the large monuments that stood on the oceans edge to commemorate those ancestors sent to the americas. We stood oceanside absorbing the experience and reflecting on what it meant to each of us. When it was time to go back, we were totally drained, but somehow managed to drag ourselves back to the hotel where we literally collapsed on the bed.
The rest of our time in Ouidah was spent relaxing, wandering the streets, meeting new friends, practicing my french, exploring the small markets, and visiting the museum that resided in an old slave/trade fort.
We finally left this strangely beautiful and magical place speeding on the back of mopeds, their version of a taxi, with all of our bags piled on us and the driver(a frightening experience)and waited roadside for a bushtaxi to take us back to the Togo border where we would return to Accra, Ghana.
]]> Togo for a day... — Lome, Togo http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133657520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133657520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133657520/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:00:09 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Lome, Togo

An early start the next day brought us to the Ghana/Togo border and across quite smoothly and onwards to our hotel by the beach just outside of Lome. It was quite rundown, without running water but relatively cheap and far enough away from the craziness of the city. We took the opportunity to do some much needed laundry using the buckets of water that the hotel staff brought to us when needed. As we were staying there for only one night the lack of water didnt effect us too much and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and taking a few long walks.
Since Togo and Benin are both former french colonies I had the rare opportunity to brush up on my francais with some friendly locals sharing wonderful stories of local legends while my dad stood by trying to catch a familiar word to make sense of the conversation.

Since Togo is only 45km in width, our trip to the Benin border was to be short and sweet or so we thought. Unfortunately we were stuffed into an extremely crowded and hot bush taxi which was supposed to seat 7 people but instead held 14. Luckily the crowded and uncomfortable ride didnt last too long and we made it to the Benin border without a hitch. Our stay in Togo was short but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Next on the agenda... Ouidah, Benin.
]]> The long ferry ride.... — Yeji, Ghana http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1165106700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1165106700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1165106700/tpod.html Wed, 15 Feb 2006 20:47:16 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Yeji, Ghana

The next segement of our trip brought us to a small village that sat on the edge of Lake Volta, the world's largest man-made lake. We planned to catch a ferry travelling south on the lake which would bring us to a Akosombo, a town close to the Togo border. The ferry ride itself made several stops along the way at small villages and took 2 1/2 days.
As we arrived in Yeji, we were greeted by a small boy. It turned out that for this overnite ride, there were only 2 cabins that could be rented out, one of which was already spoken for. After an anxious 3 hour wait we were able to beat the so called "rush" and reserve the other cabin. As the boat was to be our accomodation for the next few days we were happy to have the air conditioned quaters to stow our bags and rest our heads at night.
Throughout the ride we were able to witness the seasonal yam harvest and see a different side of the country, one of which was more isolated, but just as pleasant. We met wonderful people on the boat from both Ghana and beyond and were able to learn quite a bit about the country from a friendly engineer who worked on the boat named Goodwin.
On the second day of our trip he took me into one of the small villages. Unlike ferries I was used to, there were no docks so we had to wade through waist high water to reach the shore.
Venturing into the village I was able to get a closer look at small markets and the yam harvest. I also had the pleasure of meeting the curious village children who were as interested in me as I was them. They followed me at a close distance wherever I went calling out NBRUNI, a name that means white person, which was confusing to me since I think im a little more on the brown side but I soon found out it was a name that applied to anyone who didnt closely resemble them. They were adorable and applauded everytime I showed them their pictures on the screen of my digital camera. I was also lucky enough to meet the chief of the village and a few others who were just as memorable.
We continued our travel by boat until we reached the terminal at Akosombo. We then made our way to the neighboring village Atimpoku where we stayed the night enjoying nice warm showers and a powerful storm that came just as quicky as it left.
The next stop... a quick visit to Togo and Benin....
]]> Kumasi and beyond... — Kumasi, Ghana http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133481720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133481720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133481720/tpod.html Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:25:39 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Kumasi, Ghana

Kumasi proved to be exactly what had been descibed to us. Centrally located in Ghana, it was a place where all artists converged to sell a multitude of crafts, everything from paintings and carvings to precious cloths called kente, and jewellery. My dad and I took this opportunity to load up on as much as we could carry (I think my Dad got a little more carried away than I did) from the local teens selling art on the corner outside our hotel. We were also able to visit a nearby arts center to watch some of the crafts being made. This center also happened to be neighbor to a colony of thousands of fruit bats that swarmed at all hours of the day... quite a sight to see.
The city was bustling and chaotic and this far along in our travels, nothing had prepared us for the craziness we were to encounter at the tro tro station (fyi: a tro tro is a small bus/van that is packed beyond comprehension and makes small trips to villages and within towns... for most locals they are the cheapest and most used form of transportation).
In preparation for a trip up north to a small village called Yeji we journeyed to the station in hopes of finding our transportation a day in advance. We were planning to catch a weekly ferry that left from Yeji and travelled southward leading us closer to our next destinations in neighboring Togo and Benin. Little did we know that not only was it next to impossible to find the correct tro tro as there were hundreds of them in no particular place or order, but we couldn't speak the local language so we couldn't ask for help without receiving puzzling looks and bad directions while at the same time trying to avoid being hit by an unaware driver. Luckily we met a young man named Patrick who not only helped us find the correct tro tro but walked us there and upon our leaving the next day, met us while we were boarding the small bus to give each of us a necklace as a gift. We are forever gratefull to Patrick and he is face I will never forget.
We made our way north squished in the back of the van for hours on end making our way to the small village of Yeji awaiting our next big adventure... the ferry ride.
]]> Ghanian adventures continue.... — Cape Coast, Ghana http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133478600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133478600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tanishav/africa_2005/1133478600/tpod.html Mon, 16 Jan 2006 22:36:36 -0500 From rainy seattle to the cradle of life... A trip to remember...
Cape Coast, Ghana

After calculating the places we had left to visit and the remaining days we decided we'd better get a move on. First stop on the adventure was a modest yet memorable coastal town called Cape Coast, named after an old slave fort located just steps away from the town center.
The monstrous white walls of this fortress stood out against the colorful liveliness of the town and its people, serving as a daily reminder of a haunting past that must never be forgotton. Nearby on the outlying hills stood 2 other forts that also shared the same history, yet serving somewhat different purposes as watch towers to opposing slave and gold traders rather than holding cells.
We only had a couple of days in Cape Coast before moving on to Kumasi so we made the most of our time exploring the markets and visiting the fort.
The visit to the fort, one of the oldest of many that remain dotted along the Ghanian coastline, provoked a feeling sadness and hope for those ancestors lost not so long ago, and those who remain and prosper in light of such tragedy. Millions of Africans died being brought to the Americas and Europe but as I walked through the dungeons listening to our tourguide recount tales of the atrocities that took place there, I knew that their spirits would never be lost in our hearts.
Next stop ... Kumasi, the arts and crafts center in Ghana...
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