Birthday Celebration

On the 12th of December we celebrated my birthday at Brasserie Höganäs and later on some of us went dancing. It was truly a great night, thank you all! Enjoy the photos...

Amanda

Förra helgen flög jag söderut, till vackra Skåne, för att för första gången träffa min systerdotter Amanda. Namnet betyder "den älskvärda" och det är hon med all säkerhet. Hon är en pärla. Under julhelgen får jag hålla henne igen, men jag misstänker att det lär bli konkurrens från hennes mormor och morfar!

Experiencing Morocco- Casablanca and Moulay Idriss

Morocco is fascinating. First stop was Casablanca. After being ripped off by the taxi driver, who to his defense gave us a bit of a tour while driving us to the hotel, we arrived at the hotel which is situated by the gorgeous Atlantic ocean. We went for a stroll along the boulevard and observed the people in the new environment. Already at this point the contrasts appeared foremost in the way people dressed; some use djillaba, others jeans and a top; some use a hijab, some do not. The other observation made was the way men and women behaved in public; according to our guide book one should not show affection in public which many times was the case, but on the other hand it was not uncommon to see (young) women putting their arm under their partners arm while the men kept their hands in their pockets. It was a sunny humid afternoon and it was refreshing with the cool breeze. We decided to try one of the national dishes; tajin. There are different versions but this particular one was with pieces of very tender meat (cow) in a sauce made of olive and argan oil (nutty flavoured oil, sometimes called the new olive oil), tomato sauce, plums, onions, garlic and who-knows-what-spices. Delicious. There are also versions with chicken or fish. Meat tajin became my favourite, especially the one with plums and almonds. Yum! The next morning we were served a nice breakfast (including freshly squeezed orange juice, yey!) on the terrace overlooking the Atlantic ocean, not a bad way at all to start the day... and which gave us a lot of energy for the train journey north, heading for a small place up in the mountains called Moulay Idriss.

After an amusing train ride of about three hours, including chats with a Moroccan woman living in Canada and a bunch of farmers who had a party on the train and invited us for a Coca Cola, we arrived in Meknes which is the fourth largest city in Morocco. From there we took a shared taxi, that is four people squeezed into the back seat and three in the front seat of a silver couloured Mercedes, to this magical place called Moulay Idriss. It is hard to pinpoint what makes this small village situated in the mountains special, but it is. Small streets. Food stalls. Plenty of donkeys carrying various things, including their owner. I figured out why donkeys are said to be stubborn while sitting looking out over the village one afternoon. The most staggering about this place, even though the landscape and the views from the hills are breathtaking, is the mosque. Unfortunately it is not allowed for non-muslims to visit this place, even if i respect this rule, but when entering the medina (old town) there are two places where one can get a glimpse of its glory; bright white walls, mosaic and fantastic architecture... A true pleasure for the eyes. We strolled around in the small medina, it is easy to get lost in them, we finally found a spot where we had a good view over this small town in the mountains. After taking photos and drank some water it was time for my cooking course; tajin with chicken was on the menu! The woman who prepared the meal did not speak any French so i simply had to observe, smell the spices, touch some of the ingredients and take notes! When the tajin was simmering, we were invited for an afternoon tea including the mandatory mint tea with four different cakes! Delicious. We were a bit concerned though that after stuffing ourselves, would there be space for the tajin? No worries, the tajin simmered for about three or four hours... Yes that chicken was teeeender... The next morning we were served breakfast on the terrace outside our room, from where we the previous day had experienced a celebration to a newly born baby in form of a traditional musical performance. After the breakfast we strolled around the town a bit, when Carles fell ill due to the heat. While he was resting i all of a sudden heard men singing what to me sounded like a mantra while walking across the mountain, it was a funeral. Amazing. When i turned around i saw the owner of the B&B splashing some liquid on Carles forehead which turned out to be orange blossom mixed with water which is said to be good for headaches. I got some too, just to try it, i smelled good afterwards! She was worried and kept speaking to him in French and all he wanted was to sleep. However, the owner was very kind and she let us stay about an hour or so on the terrace until Carles got better. When he had recovered a bit we packed our bag and got into a shared taxi heading for Meknes. What is the matter with the taxi drivers in Morocco? There are no words to describe their driving skills! Skills is perhaps not the right choice of word here though. Anyway let me just say we were VERY happy when we arrived in Meknes!

To be continued...

Valborg in Uppsala

Another Valborg has passed. Slightly chaotic as usual. Not from a personal perspective that is;) No no. I find the somewhat forced Valborg celebration to be a great opportunity to observe human behaviour. Alcohol seems to legitimize behaviour that otherwise isn't considered to be appropiate. This is of course not ground breaking news in any way, but interesting to acknowledge, and observe. Indeed, as my good friend Jenny would add. 

I had just left my apartment and entered the streets when a teenage kid says YO! and want me to put my fist towards his. I smiled. He commented: Fuck, you're boring. Interesting. Conclusion: I'm boring because i didn't do what he wanted me to do, quite likely because he was affected by alcohol. He probably wouldn't have greeted me, even looked at me, if not being under the influence of alcohol... At least no one has ever greeted me in that way before.

While having lunch in a café a considerably longer queue was built up in front of the toilet, they even opened the one for the staff. Non-customers paid to use it. Big business. 

The park behind Ekonomikum, three words: RAVE music, cramped, alcohol. Glad to have been there? Yes (with the exception of the beer someone dropped and part of which came on my shirt and wrist, but it was to be expected in this kind of environment). Do i have a need to go there next year? No, or maybe... 

It was then time for another old Uppsala University tradition: the putting on of student hats and the principal's speech. Right. The crowd in front of Carolina Rediviva waved their hats in the air, sun was shining... What? The speech is over? Did anyone hear what was said? Question: Why does the principal not use a microphone connected to some loudspeakers?

We then passed by Norrland's Nation where there was some dancing going on, two of the group members, Gabriel and Hele, joined in and i was accused of being paparazzi for a while! 

This beautiful day ended with a bbq at Vanda's house, we tried the garden, but brrrrrr it got too cold so we decided we were better off in the kitchen. Afterwards the group split up, some were tired and decided to go home, three went to a dance at the castle while six of us went to a pub/restaurant finishing the evening with a drink. 

Valborg is an interesting phenomenon, just like any holiday really, because on these days one is supposed to have fun. There is a certain pressure. Or? As one friend expressed it "i hate these kind of days, all i want to do is to crawl into bed and watch a film, and just forget about it."  I can't say i feel any pressure; each day is a gift and if i don't feel like doing what is to be expected of me by the social norms that particular day, i wont (i refer this reasoning to holiday celebrations alright...) But if i were to say i do feel pressure, would that be a valid excuse/lie to visit some other exciting place in the world? Ekonomicum park... Exotic destination... Ehmmm... 

Kakum National Park and Elmina Castle

On my second day in Cape Coast my buddy Kofi (the taxi driver) brought me to Kakum National Park. It's situated slightly less than an hour north of the Atlantic shores. I took the so called Canopy walk. With a group of about 20 persons we walked through thick forest, apparently two different kinds of forest because we were going uphill. We entered the rain forest. Beautiful. But it doesn't end there... After walking for another five or ten minutes (running one part because ants had decided to go for a stroll across the path and the guide said run run because you will never forget it if you are stung by those, apparently the ant crawl into places where it is difficult to reach, like around your waist, their bites are nasty)... anyways, we reached the highlight of the walk, or what can be best explained as terror for some; a 350 metres narrow bridge (think the size of ONE wooden board) with nets on both sides. That in itself may not sound so long, but now consider you are walking 40 metres above ground! People have turned around when seeing it, even though all went this time. Basically there are six bridges hanging in between seven massive beautiful trees. You are walking on boards where a grown up can just put two feet next to each other, if you for some odd reason would like to do that, i kept one in front of the other! There is beutiful forest beneath your feet, and you have trees over your head, in the distance. Gorgeous. But i have to admit that it was not very pleasant in the beginning...The guide asked if i wanted to go first. and i thought i might as well get it overwith... No don't get me wrong i wanted to do it, the landscape is amazing, but being up there i once again got it confirmed how small we humans are as well as vulnerable. It was not until the fourth bridge was crossed that i could relax. I had enjoyed the view from the tree platforms, but not from the wiggly bridges. I tried though, but realised i had better focus on the next platform. This was (another) test. I'm already aware i'm not a big fan of heights, but i'd seen the pictures and i thought i have to try. I did and i survived! What doesn't kill you make you stronger, right? I'm glad i did it, but i have no desire to do it again! At least not in the same place...
Afterwards we drove to Hans Botel; a lake with poles sticking up and there is a restaurant and hotel built upon it... In the lake there are crocodiles, the ones i saw were about two metres or so long, part from the babies then. Me and Kofi walk around the place when i see a crocodile laying about seven metres away from us, mouth open, he was resting. At first i thought it wasn't real, but Kofi confirmed it was. Nice. Seven metres. We turn around and sit down at a table together with some friends of his, one of them works there, she's responsible for the crocodiles. While sitting there trying to solve my camera issue i see a crocodile coming up from the water just a few metres ahead and it's walking right towards us. Right. "Eeeh, excuse me, there is a crocodile coming towards us". Now that's a sentence you don't say everyday! The woman responsible for these creatures tell him to stop, to lay down, which he to my surprise did! The crocodile now lays about three metres from our table. One of the men suggest i touch it. "Oh i'd love to, but i have got enough adrenalin kicks for today" and then i told him about the hanging bridges. Not listening. He suggested he would walk up to it first, and then i could touch it, when i saw it's alright. Sure. He walked up to the crocodile, but when bending forward the reptile swiftly turns around and face him. Wow. The man took a few steps back, towards the tail and then tried again. No. The crocodile didn't agree and once again turn to face the man. He came back to the table. I laughed and said "so now you want me to go up to him after you have aggrevated him?!" The crocodile then started to walk towards us, and the woman in charge picked up a long stick and hit him on the nose. She said he is hungry. Oh nice. Luckily he turned around and placed himself a full three metres away from us. Grumpy creature.
It was time for lunch and on today's menu, suggested by Kofi, consisted of bushmeat, or grasscutter as it is called locally. It is served in a spicy soup, tender meat, strong "wild" taste, tasty. I told him i have heard it is a kind of a rat, and he said westerners normally describe it as such but why would Africans eat rat? He added that everyone knows the Chinese do that, not the Africans... I find it very interesting to hear about peoples' prejudices. That said, i am aware i too have prejudices, even if i try hard to become aware; it's a work in progress. Kofi had bushmeat as well. When i started eating i caught him looking at me, smiling. It was tasty. He thought the soup would be too strong for me, i might get stomach problems... Since i was going to Elmina castle afterwards i decided to take his advice. All of a sudden i hear a crunching sound. I asked him if he was eating the bones? He gives me a big smile while saying yes. "I don't know why you westerners don't." I told him neither do i, we just don't. I had no bone in my piece, but he said it is very good, strong rich flavour. Crunch. Crunch.
In Ghana you wash your right hand before and after eating (you eat with your right hand only). They bring a bowl with water, liquid soap is normally already in a bottle on the table. We washed our hands, paid and left. The place we went to is called a chop bar, best described as a local eating place. Much cheaper than a regular restaurant. I paid five Cedis for both, in best cases you get a meal for one person for that price excluding drinks.
We then went to Elmina; a fishing and salt producing village situated about 8 km west of Cape Coast. Along the coast lay pirogues; colourful long canoe shaped fishing boats, in them sit the fishermen mending their nets... It's a pretty little village, a bit worn down though but it is after all about 700 years old. But as we all do it has a past, the first thing is it used to be the core of the west African gold trade (cocoa was for a very long time the prime export good for Ghana, but has quite recently been overtaken by gold). The second is the Elmina Castle, a slave castle built by the Portuguese in 1482, and is apparently the oldest extant colonial building in sub-saharan Africa. Even if it looks very different from its original design. Later it was taken over by the Dutch, who among others converted the Portuguese chapel to an auction hall for slaves. Today it's a museum focusing on local history rather than the slave trade. I found it difficult to understand the guide unfortunately. He seemed very upset. I thought this tour was less good than the one in Cape Coast. Outside the castle young men approached me, but Kofi was walking beside me so no worries. Even the parking guard said to me "do not under any circumstances speak to these men". They were trying to sell things like bracelets, but what they normally want is money, your number and/or your address. Nevertheless, i find it impossible not to be affected by a place like this. Awful past. May it never happen again.
Another day had passed in this beautiful part of Ghana. I was considering to stay there longer. I found it to be a more relaxed athmosphere and the majestic Atlantic ocean is close... Water is powerful.

Cape Coast Castle

After a night of hardly any sleep due to people singing halleluja and chanting around the corner of my hotel i was more than happy to leave Accra for Cape Coast. It is a beautiful area, think white beaches and palm trees... But it has a dark history. I found a cheap guesthouse just outside Cape Coast, away from the noise... I slept like a princess both nights. But first things first. After arriving i had a nice lunch and dozed off in a chair... Then i decided to go out. Whenever a guest has to go somewhere they call a taxi driver named Kofi (which means he was born on a Friday). He was a nice relaxed person, and a good driver! He brought me to an internet cafe and afterwards i went for a short walk to Cape Coast Castle. Today it is a World Heritage Site but once it is supposed to have been one of the largest slave-holding sites in the world during the colonial era. The Ashantes (ethnic group from the Kumasi region) traded Ghanaians to the British and in return they got alcohol and guns. The captives were placed in the castles' dungeons before they were placed on ships heading mainly to South America (Brazil in particular), but also North America to some extent. The Swedes constructed the original building in Cape Coast in 1653. However, it was made out of wood and they soon realised it wouldn't last in this climate, with the Atlantic at its doors... Today there is nothing left of the wooden building. Instead, there is a gigantic white and to me beautiful stone building. But knowing what has happened inside those walls sure removes the good feeling you may get when first laying an eye on the building. After the Swedes came the Danes, then the British in 1665. Before joining a guided tour i visited the museum where one can read about the origin and how the slave trade worked but also how it later inspired leaders such as Martin Luther King. Then it was time for the tour. It was... rich. Rich in information, rich in emotions and by just being in a place with such a dark past is overwhelming at times. It was approximately 15 persons in the group and i was the only white. As you know, being in Ghana has made me and my surroundings very aware of my skin colour. But the athmosphere walking around the castle, it got a bit difficult at times and i was close to tears several times. When we entered the last room, a dungeon, i saw the marks of the chains which the prisoners were attached to... The persons who had been placed in this dungeon would never get out of there alive. They were sentenced to death. No water. No food. The air in this small room (with only one small window facing the court yard) was very bad. Standing still. Today there was only one door to the room, but when the castle was in use for slave trade it had three doors. The air supply was in other words even worse then. And i was in there for less than five minutes... The guide was brilliant though. When standing in that room he suggested we all would take our neighbours' hands while taking 20 seconds to think about the people who had suffered in this place. Looking at the floor before closing my eyes i saw the chain marks.
We walked out, all taken by the tour. The guide finished the tour by stopping in front of a sign on the wall that in words recognise what has happened here in Cape Coast. He said: the castle is not here to create bad relations between people, it is here to remind us that we can never let such cruelty happen again. Ever. We thanked him.
I called Kofi the taxi driver and went outside to wait for him. I was approached by so many people, mostly young men and that is difficult as it is but after this tour it was too much. I came up with the brilliant idea to call Carles, and that did the trick. Kofi arrived and drove me back to the nice and comfortable guesthouse and i thought about my first day in Cape Coast.

Back in Accra

I arrived in Accra today after two days in Aburi. Since i have just written about my arrival in Aburi, i'll let you know what i did in the area. First thing i did after having breakfast, on the terrasse with the fantastic view, was to grab a taxi to Mampong, a village situated about 15 minutes from Aburi. There i went to see the first cocoa farm that was established in Ghana by a man named Tetteh Quarshie; a well travelled Ghanaian man from what is today called Accra. He returned to the Goald Coast (Ghana) with a plant he had smuggled from what today is called Equatorial Guinea. You follow me? I hope so. It was a great tour of the farm, the guide was great, i took so many notes and learnt a lot. I left this place with some Ghanaian equivalent of m&m and one african art sculpture... and many pictures. That reminds me, yesterday my charger burnt up!! I was sitting in my room and i smelled something, they had sprayed my room to kill mosquites so i thought, yeezz that stuff smells. All of a sudden i hear a crackling noise, i turn around and my charger and wire is on fire! Aaaah! It must have had some safety thing built in because the wire was shot from the actual charger, luckily, because otherwise my pictures could have been history... Parts from the ones saved on a disc that is!
Anyways, after the cocoa tour i went to the Botanical Gardens in Aburi and strolled around, it was alright. As i believe i have said before, this country is a Botanical garden to me, so it's a bit weird to visit a place which has a sign in front of it stating it... I had a nice lunch there, the owner and his friend from the UK started chatting away, it was nice. We spoke mostly about Ghana- past, present, future. Afterwards three things happened woth mentioning; I was walking around in the gardens when a small school kid approached me with the famous ubruni, he said he wanted to show me some trees. I thought to myself: i'm looking at them right now, but said: no thank you, knowing he wanted money, of course. The second, and probably the sadest and rudest experience so far was two children in their school uniforms who, of course, got my attention with "ubruni, ubruni". One of them walked up to me and said he wanted my water bottle, i had just bought it, and i was lucky becuase lack of small change can at times cause problems if you don't have it. I could for example not buy water at the restaurant where i had had a complete meal because they didn't have change. That's why i was very thankfl to find a place which had a small 50 cl bottles for which i did have change... I told the kid he couldn't have it, because i needed it. The other one joins in saying he wants me to give him money for food, i said i can not give him money, and believe me, this kid was not starving. They left me. Then i heard them giggling and one of the kids walked up to me, started commenting my breasts?! A ten-year-old or so, then i had had it. I looked him straight in the eyes and told him what i thought of him in that moment. He got it. They left me alone. I walked out, annoyed, to get a taxi to my hotel and the taxi driver totally tried to overcharge me, i told him i knew it only cost a third of what he requested. I said i'll walk then. He looked at me with big eyes saying "you'll walk there?". Oh yes man, i am, rather that than you ripping me off (i didn't say the last part). All said with a smile of course. The Ghanaian way. I walked. It was hot. I arrived at the hotel, sat down on the terrasse and had plenty of water and one Coca-Cola. Stubborn, yes. Ripped off, no.
I had a good cockroach free night and this morning i grabbed a taxi to Accra. Staying here tonight, and tomorrow i'm going to Cape Coast to relax on the beach (or not) and visit a slave fort named Elmina. Will be back in Accra on Monday. Jonas and Rasmus will be here then, they are going back to Sweden on Wednesday. Will be nice to hang with them when we aren't working. Now i'll try to find a charger, which i haven't succeeded in doing yet! Wish me luck, otherwise there wont be anymore pictures!
Many hugs to all of you dedicated readers:)

Aburi

The trip from Kumasi to Nsawam went fine and i was surprised to catch myself laughing while watching Nigerian films, during this trip they were entertaining, not aggrevating! Fighting with the key board in case you're wondering about missed out letters... However, the Nigerian fils...It's very simple plots (prince meets poor maid... that type of thing), it's sweet, not too much drama (meanig one doesn't have to sit watching a woman crying and screaming for ten minutes). An old man got on a while after Kumasi, wearing a traditional dress including a small hat (and is from what i can tell) worn by muslims. I caught him peeking at me a few times. I looked like he had laughed a lot in his life, but the eyes also revelaed something else i couldn't define. I would very much gave like to speak to him. There was somethng about him, with his tiny grey beard and expressful, though mysterious, eyes. I had asked the driver to stop in this tiny village, before Accra, and when i got off he got me a taxi. Because my trip continued to Aburi. The first part was asphalted, the other part, while going higher up in the mountains, were not. The landscape in this area is... there are no words to describe. The views are breathtaking. Small mud huts and houses in the villages, people sitting outside their houses looking at the ubruni in the taxi's backseat (who was trying hard not to scream "please slow down!!"). Chickens and goats running alongside the road. The driver might even have run over one chicken. He turned around to look. I didn't. Colourful small birds are flying by... It's beautiful. It's Africa.
Every turn when climbing the mountains, on sandy roads, the taxi driver was blowing the horn frenetically. I caught myself thinking i'm grateful we were closer to the protecting walls (and not to the slopes on the other). But then i thought of the risk of sand falling down due to the noice of the horn... I look up in the sky, which gave the impression like a storm was coming in... I decided to let my worries go. We found the hotel, after passing the village of Aburi. Wow. The hotel was very simple, but it had a fantastic view over a wodded valley from the terrasse. I sat there having dinner on my first night while the sun went down. It gets really dark here. But as it got darker the lights from Accra and Tema appeared on the other side of the mountains... Accra is only 35 km away, but due to the quality of the roads, the vehicles but above all due to the heavy traffic the guide says it takes anywhere in between 30 minutes to one hour (i now know it can take a lot longer, arrived in Accra after over two hours travelling in a taxi, in insane traffic)... Anyway, to continue my reflections that i wrote on Wednesday... I was very glad to be out of the city of Kumasi. I fell asleep to the sound of crickets (after having a very unpleasant meeting with a cockroach in the shower in the evening and later in the morning when it decided to fall on the chair placed right next to my bed, YAK!)... I liked it there in the mountains. Sitting on that terrasse looking out over the there-are-no-words-for-how-beautiful-it-is valley with a drink... It makes my mind slow down. I found a moment of peace in that place.

Morning in the market place

This morning the guys wanted to see the market in Kumasi and so when they asked me if i wanted to join them i didn't hesitate. We got stuck in the traffic going there. Hot. Eventually we arrived there. Watch out! Big trolley trying to squeeze in between the car and you, who at times are balancing to not fall into a gutter. Crowds of people. Everywhere you look there is people and vehicles. We enter the market and see cloth in beautiful colours and patterns. A woman approaches me and i decide on a piece, a lot cheaper (like 10 times...) than on a street outside of the market. Rasmus decide to buy one too. When i start looking, and touching other pieces of cloth, a woman start shouting at me "what are you doing? Don't do that!"... I apologised and we decided to leave, it was not a nice athmosphere. People complaining about a lack of change and not taking photos while standing in a constant moving crowd of people. Busy. Hot. We continued further into the market, cloth, kitchen utensils, schampoo, soap, vegetables, meat, chicken, machetes, baby clothes, knives, underwear, matches, you name it they got it! Jonas, the photographer, once again started taking pictures and this is really not popular with the sellers, in fact they got aggressive; the women were shouting and screaming. They sometimes looked at me as if please tell him not to take pictures. I told him, even if he already got it. Dilemma. For him. I didn't take out my camera until we had walked for a while and i always asked, but they don't want you to take their picture. So i took pictures above people's heads, and at the goods... You have to respect their wishes. People asked us several times where we came from and said "Germany or USA?", when i answered Sweden, some people looked confused while others went "aha". After less than an hour all three of us felt we had seen enough, it was intense. We got out of there, took a taxi and the taxi's engine kept dying... No breeze, no AC. Sweaty. But then the traffic started moving, we drove through town and i took some pictures and after a while we were back at the hotel. The guys checked out and now we are at the internet cafe, after lunch they'll go south to Takoradi, a town situated by the coast, while i'll stay another night in Kumasi. Tomorrow morning i head south east with the aim to visit another cocoa farm. This one is situated in a small village named Mampong where the first cocoa plant is to be found. In the same area, in another village is a botanical garden that i'm planning on visiting and possibly some water falls in that region. If nothing unexpected happends i will probably go back to Sweden next week! Crazy. Four weeks have then passed already. But i have material. Much more expensive than i expected it to be here. Don't know when i will be able to write next time, probably when i'm back in Accra... Take care and please keep your fingers crossed everything will go fine on my trips ahead.

Adanwomase- another cocoa farm and Kente cloth

This morning i was half asleep when i felt something falling on my belly, i sat up and what do i see? A giant cockroach crawling towards my feet! YAK! I was out of bed in two seconds after the bug had had a catapult ride out of my bed:)
After breakfast a taxi driver, who had been recommended by the hotel, picked me up and we drove to a small peaceful village called Adanwomase which is situated about 45 minutes north of Kumasi. This village is one of the five Kente stools (it's cloth, but more info on this below) founded by Denkyira exiles, after their land was conquered by King Osei Tutu in 1701. Today it is easier to visit this place due to Peace Corps and NCRC. I decided to take the "combined tour", starting at the Visitor's Centre. If you ever go to Ghana i can highly recommend this place. The guide is very good at his job; he has a lot of knowledge and he also checked every now and then if i was alright or had any questions. Very considerate. So what did i see then? The tour started by going through the steps in making "Kente", cloth which Ghana is famous for, especially the Ashanti region i am in. It is a rather thick cloth and comes in different colour combinations. But because it is made out of cotton, it is said not to be too warm for this climate. It is trully beautiful. It is art. We started out by looking at different threads from the region made by cotton (very soft and quite thick) but also a metallic thread, the latter used occasionally, but only in female clothing. We continued our walk through the village and i saw how men put the threads on rolls. They were sitting in the shade, under a roof made out of palm tree leaves slightly leaning over the machines. Threads in different colours were stretched out several metres in front of them. Pictures were taken, yes... We continued our walk. The guide showed how the thread is strained between two spots, several metres in between the poles. The guide used three threads, two blue and one yellow, and started walking between the two points. Back and forward. Back and forward. Then i got to try it out! I did well apparently. Probably people do this work in early morning or late in the evening, when the sun is not high in the sky. I then got to see the weavers in action. Wow. I learned that you have a single (one colour), double (two colours) or triple (yep, you got it, three or more colours combined in a pattern) weaving. They didn't mind me taking pictures. Some of them were extremely quick in moving the the threads into place, fascinating to watch. People were very humble and laid back. No hassle at all.
We then went to the cocoa farm! ...and i had the luck of meeting the caretaker of the land, his nickname was Scorpio:) They told me about cocoa, most of it i knew already, but some news too. For example: Cocoa trees start with a small seed found inside the cocoa fruit, the actual cocoa bean. Every bean is placed in small pots individually and is then watered every morning and evening. All the plants to be are protected from the sun by a roof made of palm tree leaves. The bean splits into two halves when the new plant appear. Beauty of nature. I also learnt that when the cocoa pods have been opened to remove the seeds, the pods can be put into palm tree oil and then transforms into "Nigerian soap", a mixture which is said to have a healing effect on wounds and scars.
The it was time to visit the house of the village chief.Unfortunately he was not there. Twelve people, three of them women, meet every 4o days to discuss the future of the village; development and so forth. The guide showed me where they have their meetings, as well as where the chief's private weaver sits to make new clothes and the chair (which looked more like a canoe dressed in cloth) with three handles on each side of it. The reason is that whenever the chief has to go somewhere, six men carry him there. Makes me wonder if he wasn't around after all, probably peeking at the Ubruni walking around...
We then continued to the house of the healer. He was not there. Three women were sitting in the homestead, which consisted of four walls of which two were a part of two houses, the third wall was the base for one roof covered terrasse and there was a cooking/storage area situated opposite the terrass. Clothes were drying in the yard in between the walls. The guide informed that the people in this homestead is considered to be royalty. Not to forget the small space in between one of the houses and the terrasse where the healer does his work. It was not larger than 2x1 metres. People go to this man when they come across problems; disease or dilemmas and so forth. This is not something you can learn, you are born with it. I understood from the guide that there is a great respect for the healer's knowledge and the people living in this homestead. They are royalty and the healer has powers unknown to the majority of us, simply because we are not born with it. Fascinating.
We finished our walk by visiting five different shops where Kente cloth is sold. It is very expensive! A woman would normally buy cloth that comes in three pieces (one top, one skirt and one piece which you tie around your waist). However, you can buy them separately, each piece costs 100 Cedi. I'm not sure what it is in relation to the dollar at this point in time, but roughly it is the same value $1=1 Cedi. I bought a small bag, and two pieces of Kente cloth that can be used as scarves, table decorations, or around your neck or as a head decoration. Women here are so beautiful when they use them for this purpose.
Me and Samuel the taxi driver left Adanwomase passing Bonwire, a town also known for its Kente cloth, but also for hassling tourists. I knew from my fantastic guide book that Adanwomase has signed up to a charter which prevents locals from hassling or overcharging tourists, but guarantees them 40% of the profits of the scheme to invest in community projects in return. I wish more places would apply this too.
Tonight Rasmus and Jonas are coming back from their trip to western Ghana. Will be nice with company for dinner! We went out for a beer on Saturday night and listened to a live band playing highlife, a traditional Ghanaian music style. I can best describe it as upbeat reggae. Give it a try!

Improving my skills on bargaining and setting boundaries

Rasmus and Jonas have arrived, two really nice guys and i sure enjoy the company! I picked them up yesterday at the bus station, the bus was supposed between 16.30-17.30, it arrived 18.10 or so, not too bad. It's surprising how fast one adapt to new situations, sure there are days when patience is lacking, but all in all, what can you do but accpet the situation? After negotiating about the price with a taxi driver who was totally trying to overcharge us, three ubrunis, who can blame him?! But no mister, i've been around, and i know it shouldn't cost more than 3 Cedis, not 5, and knowing we could easily find another taxi driver to take us to the hotel he finally agreed. I am getting good at bargaining! Even managed to get the guys a good deal at the hotel, no way they could have found this standard for that price. They had paid this amount for a youth hostel in Accra...
We decided to ask the hotel staff to find someone to take us to a cocoa farm, and splitting the costs. This is also what happened! At 8.45 the three of us got into a taxi, with a (for once sensible) driver and a guide and headed south. After about one hour we reached the first village. We met a family and the husband, a cocoa farmer who own his own land, showed us around the farm. We even used the machetes to help him clearing the ground. His comment was "the lady is very soft...", so i'd suggested i'd do children's work and pick up the cocoa fruit from the ground instead and he laughed! The guys did better, but i tried at least. I watched when he used a wooden stick with a hook at the end of it to get the ripe cocoa fruit down. We asked many questions and it surprised me how wiling he was to talk. I discovered that an anthropologist's work is not so easy... I have to keep a conversation going, writing it down while taking the most amazing pictures. It's hard work. Luckily i have some knowledge of the cocoa business, so all wasn't new to me. He even brought us to his children's scool, we met the teachers, collected some addresses and phone numbers, took lots of pictures...
We then went to a second cocoa farm! My lucky day. We strolled around on his land. This cocoa farmer had bought the land and the family, man, wife and their five children took care of it. The kids were quite greedy i have to say; after not succeding in me giving them a pen they turned to Rasmus and they convinced him to give them a pen (after he told them that no, you can not have my camera, i need it). It was all about "give me, i want"... When one of the girls was about to put her hand in my bag i had it with her and told her she had to calm down because i had to work. Jessica the hardass!
We went for a stroll through the village, with the wife of the cocoa farmer and our guide (and body guard according to himself). We visited the place where all the cocoa is being weighed, and packed in bags to be sent off to Takoradi, a city situated on the coast, then exported. In this tiny and extremely hot little room, maybe five-six square metres, we met the chief of the town. He is a cocoa farmer in his 60s (i'd guess) who owns his own land, a very nice and humble man. We then met a woman who i suspect is the chief's wife, because she was presented as an important person in the village and our guide even told me we should greet her, which we did. The driver had parked the car close by, we walk towards the car when i see that our guide put his arm around Jonas the photographer as if he wanted to say something in confidence to him. When i see Jonas fumbling with his wallet i confront him and he said the guide wanted money, so he could give some money to the people in the village. The guide runs off to change into smaller notes. I wonder why he turned to Jonas? Anyway, this behaviour is getting to me. I accept, and agree with giving some money to the wife of the cocoa farmer since she had been walking with us showing us her farm and the village. But i really don't see why our guide think it is suitable to hand out money to strangers? Maybe i will ask him the next time i see him, just to see what his answer is. We say goodbye to people and squeeze into the car, happy to be on the road and feel the breeze again!
The guide said he wanted to drive by Bekwai, his city, and leave some money to his wife and he want to show us his home. So we do. Then we continue and stop a while later by a place where the driver and the guide wanted to eat, he showed us to a house behind the food place, where it turns out his mother-in-law with the extended family is living. So after we had taken some pictures we sat on a wooden bench waiting for them to finish their lunch. We don't have to wait long before we were back on the road. Before approaching Kumasi the guide start asking about the payment, which was much higher than agreed on. I put my foot down because by now i had really had it. I said to him we had agreed on a price this morning, and we had paid for their lunch (which we all doubted they would have had to pay for since his inlaws were living right next to the place...) so i twisted his words and said we'll give you your requested price but we will deduct the 10 Cedis we already gave you for dinner (and anyhow, there is no way they would have paid 10 for that lunch). I don't know what was going through his head, but he accepted the money when we got out of the car and when i met him later that evening he smiled, he may not have been thrilled, but this man knew that the price he asked for wasn't right.
In the evening the guys went to a meeting while i stayed in my hotel room. When they came back we looked at all the pictures taken during the day and they will burn a back up cd with all the pics i have taken so far! That's a relief.
I got a lot of data this day and i was really happy that we went out the three of us. It's interesting to see how different it is to not travel alone; more peaceful. And it's cheaper too:)
I made another deal with the hotel i'm staying at today, i'll stay there until Wednesday morning when i'll go south. Probably south east to a cocoa farm which is open to the public, it has the first cocoa plant that was brought to Ghana by a betravelled man named Tetteh Quarshie. I would also like to visit some water falls in the region that is said to beautiful as well as a botanical garden. That's the plan.

Meeting the cocoa farmers

Surreal. Overwhelming. Fantastic. Arriving in the village after about one hour or so (another mad, slightly terrifying at times) drive out of Kumasi we turned left on to a red sandy road... Small villages popped up by the road in the otherwise thick vegetation, the landscape was beautiful and i am sorry to say the camera does not capture the full beauty of it. We picked up a woman who was walking beside the road with bags, on her way home to her community after buying food at the market. She didn't speak any English but Erica, the Kuapa Kokoo representative, chatted away in Twi, the local language. Along the way Erica greeted people from the car. People looking curiously at the Ubruni in the backseat. Finally we stop, we have arrived in a village with houses , some more looking like sheds on both sides of the road. Right next to us, cocoa beans are drying on mats on a table. Goats and chickens stand in the shade underneath it. We join a group of people sitting on wooden benches under a tree and two plastic red chairs are pulled out for me and Erica. The driver disappeared, i think he went to the church, where i later on found out it was a service. A catholic church. According to Erica Ghanaians have a lot of faith, by that i mean both in religious terms as well as staying positive about the future. After a while i started asking my questions and since most of them didn't speak any/poor English Erica was kind enough to translate into Twi. In the middle of my questions the chief of the village turn up, we shake hands. Erica ask me to asked him a direct question so i did. It turns out he is a rich man, and that he therefore can afford two wives, and he could even afford a third, so what did i have to say about it? The people sitting under the tree laughed so hard i thought they were going to fall of the benches! I smiled too, shaking my head saying no no no, i have a man in Sweden. This is the kind of thing you read about, surely the first time i got the offer to be someones third wife! I fisnished my questions and they wanted to ask me some questions; am i a student? working? married? do i have children? how old am i? I enjoyed being there. People were very kind and uncomplicated.
While Erica participated in a PTA meeting i went with some ten people to a cocoa farm. We drove for a few minutes, stopped by the side of the road, pulled out the machetes and just walked into the bush. All of a sudden one of the men stop and say: this is a cocoa tree. We had entered the farm. Basically it's like being in a forest. I learned what they look like when they are ripe (they turn yellow), and we came to a big pile full of cocoa fruit. They gave me one to show people in Sweden! Afterwards we picked oranges, i learned that here they use the machetes to peel the orange, and they suck the juice out with the mouth, and don't really eat the orange. They took a picture of me doing this, while laughing... Then one of the men told me to bring him a camera the next time i came! ...and that they would very much like to open a shop where they could sell fruit, maybe i could help save up money for this? I told them i am a student, but once i have a full time job i will do my best to help them accomplish this.
We drove back to the community, and i visited the school where Erica was. Kuapa Kokoo has built this school consisting of two buildings and today 500 students are attending classes there... From four years and up. But Erica told me that the cocoa farmers leave even younger children there, knowing that the teachers don't mind. A British woman was working in this community for two years as a teacher, she only left in December last year! In one of the rooms the students had an exam so i couldn't enter, but i was welcome to enter the other one together with the principle. Wow. 40 or so students stood up to greet me "Good afternoon madam, how are you?" I replied and when asking how they were doing, i was met by a mutual "we are fine, madam, thank you". Disciplined students, to say the least. Erica said there is a lot of respect for teachers. I believed her. When i came out i was met by a staring group of young children, maybe between two and seven years old... I waved at them, smiling and they did the same. Waving and smiling. Waving and smiling. I just wanted to give them a big hug, they were adorable! Instead i pulled out my camera and took a picture, that when i later showed it to them, ended up with them giggling and pointing. Pure happiness.
After dropping of the chief's first wife (who i found out has ten children) and the farmer whose cocoa farm i had visited at two different communities we drove back to Kumasi. I enjoyed a delicious, spicy guinea fowl with rice at a restaurant with Erica. For some reason the driver sat at another table, Erica thought he didn't feel comfortable sitting with us. Let's just say he wasn't the most charming, nor talkative, man in the world. And not a very good driver neither.
Erica then picked up an outfit at a place for a funeral this weekend. She told me Ghanaians spend a fortune on funerals, that they enjoy funerals too much. The thing is you have to have a new outfit for every funeral. Some people attend funerals even though they don't know the deceased. They enjoy the ceremony apparently; with its free food and free drinks... Like wedding crashers in the west i suppose.
My reflections on yesterday turned into 13 A5 pages... I tried to keep it short here. I would just like to add one thing that Erica told me in the car on the way back to Kumasi. She said Africans are normally put forward as poor, and yes there is a lot of poverty here in Africa. But people are happy. Content with what they do have. Above all they tend to keep a positive state of mind. The people i met today may not have had a lot when it comes to financial means and material things, attributes many aim for in the west, but they were happy. Content. I am very grateful to have met them and to be on this journey. What a day.

Times are changing

Last night i got some good news: i am going to visit a cocoa farm tomorrow! I will leave Kumasi tomorrow morning, still waiting for information on where we will go, with a representative from Kuapa Kokoo and a driver. I am really looking forward to this! Finally i get to meet the people i have wanted to see for so long and already have written two essays about. This morning i prepared the questions...
I then decided to go to Kumasi Fort, which i have been meaning to do for a while, but just did not get around to it. It is said to be the oldest building in the city, parts of it is from 1820. The fort as it looks like today is from 1897 though. The British transported material from the coast up to Kumasi. In 1900 there was a rebellion by the Ashanti, an ethnic group from this region, which resulted in that 31 British were trapped inside the walls for many weeks before they escaped. The leader of the Ashanti, a woman, was put in prison (at the fort) for a week before she was sent to the Seychelles, where she later died. They let us go into the cells, which was basically a tiny room meant for ten women and another one meant for 20 men. We were six going in in the women's department, and we could fit, but i dont see how another four would have fit in there. Prisoners were sent to this place, and they would not come out alive. It does not end there. Ten women were sent in. No food or water were given to them. No air circulation, part from a small hole in the door. When one died, they did not remove that person. When all were dead, they were removed... Same thing in the male department, but there they were 20, not ten people. Inside the fort is a Armed Forces Museum, and so i got to see that too. I had no idea Ghanaians had participated in wars all over Africa and even in Asia; Libya, Rwanda, Cambodia... In fact, the fort has also worked as a training ground for Ghanaian soldiers. The British tought them how to become good soldiers, fighting alongside the British... But they were not allowed to wear boots... Until some leader decided it was ok for the Ghanaians to wear boots on Mondays and Fridays that is. Being the only Ubruni during the tour, i sometimes felt awkward.
They wanted me to pay if i wanted to take pictures so i decided not to, i thought i could take some from the outside, but when a man started annoying me, wanting to talk to me, giving me lectures about the Ghanaian way i thought it was better to get out of there. Not the moment to pull out a camera. I did not get good vibes. A taxi driver even interrupted, trying to "rescue me", from this guy who obviously was after my money after having guided me. With or without my conscent.
I also saw a part of the famous Kejetia market, which supposedly is the largest market in West Africa. I had no desire to enter it. One should enter that place with a guide, it's huge!
It's been a good day. And i found chocolate yesterday, yum!! ..and peanuts, really tasty. Time to eat i think, there is a place next to where i am staying, called something like The Bulldog, how could i resisit that place?:)
Oh and the journalist and the reporter are on their way to Accra! Probably i'll hear from them tonight when they have landed.
I'll let you know later how things went at the cocoa farm!

Back in Kumasi

Hope you had a nice weekend! I spent the weekend relaxing at the bed and breakfast in a village outside of Kumasi. I saw films, took pictures in the garden, had nice chats with the owners Chris and Charity and the guests from Germany and Canada. Did a lot of thinking, seems that is what i do most these days. This morning i said goodbye and took a taxi back to the city and to another hotel... Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. I tried to call the woman i had a meeting with last week today, but she had turned her phone off. Not knowing is starting to get to me. Just give me a freaking date, preferably more, for the trip to the village so i can plan a bit ahead. I am not much of a planner, but since i do not wish to travel between Accra and Kumasi more than necessary i would be very happy to have had this info asap. Yes i am annoyed with the situation! I spend all this money on accomodoation and food... Whether i like it or not i have noticed my patience level is decreasing. Every night staying in... But tonight i will see if i at least can find some chocolate!! Have only had chocolate twice since i came here... Ok sorry this starts to get really unintersting!
Well the weekend was alright, and if all goes well i hope to get hold of the rep from Kuapa Kokoo today and she will give me a date for the trip/s and maybe the Swedes turn up on Wednesday...

A needed break from life in the city

Last night i discovered blisters on my feet due to all the walking around the campus, which made me decide not going hiking... But i needed to get out of the city, and so i managed to find a very nice bed and breakfast outside of town that is highly recommended by the excellent guide book i carry with me wherever i go here. It is a really cosy place, i have a big room with a big bed, AC (person that came up with this idea is a genius!!), free dvd:s, own bathroom with bath tub, water closet (another genious idea...), and the breakfasts are supposed to be fantastic. The place is owned by a Canadian-Ghanaian couple, and so they mix the best of both worlds... Looking forward to those pancakes, and the fresh fruit, and the home made bread, and the home made jam! I just hope my body agrees, i think i have lost weight here.
Anyway, had another crazy taxi ride today. If they dont know where the place im asking for is, why dont they say so, instead of driving around, parking the car a number of times by the road while cars drive pass in one heck of a speed... Doesnt help either when he gets annoyed and start shouting at other drivers, blaming hotel staff for not writing down how he should find it... Ah well, its easier tolet some things go, like water on a goose.
One thing i have noticed is that children come up to me quite often, waving at me from buses or cars while shouting Ubruni (white person or foreigner)! Sometimes they just come to introduce themselves by their first names, after the appropiate greeting of course which is Hello, good morning. After that you can speak about what you want. Greetings are very important here. You are considered rude otherwise. Yesterday some kids on their way home from school came running after me, asking if they could walk with me, and we had a chat, it was really nice. Kajsa told me that there is a belief that if a Ghanaian sees a white person, they dont need to go to church on Sunday, which the majority claim they do. The reason being that if you have seen an Ubruni, you have seen an angel, this would explain why so many people look so happy when they see me.
I am enjoying the break from the city, i will stay here until Monday, when i go back to the city of Kumasi. The reporter and the photographer from Sweden might arrive in Kumasi on Wednesday! This will be interesting.
Have a nice weekend everyone!

Botanical garden

The other day i read that Kumasi is called the Garden of Ghana, this region is truly beautiful if considering the landscape. The city is not that impressive, to me. However, today i went to the University of Kumasi, which focuses on science and technology. They also have a botanical garden. To me, this country is a botanical garden so it was funny to see a fenced area with a big sign that stated: Botanical Garden... Before i went there i went for a walk through one part of the campus, and while i was sitting waiting for my lunch (fried rice and chicken, yum!) and observing two hawks gliding over the land an older woman, Maggie a retired teacher, sat down with me and started chatting. She was very nice, i think she felt sorry for me sitting there all by myself, the cantine was empty! So we had a chat, i bought her a cake (first time we both tried this cake! But she had been told by others it is very good.) and then she made sure to put me in a taxi that would take me to the botanical garden. She was really sweet Maggie. I went for a stroll in the botanical garden and i heard people singing, oh how nice i thought, walking with my camera taking pictures of magnificent trees and flowers. All of a sudden i realised this place is not only a botanical garden, but a place where sacred happenings take place, people singing halleluja and when i saw a group of men in the distance performing some sort of exorcising on a woman, touching her forehead, she falling backwards, in the arms of the men i turned around. I thought i shouldn't really be there. So i left and went for a long walk to another part of the campus and then i took a taxi back to the city, bought a recording device for my excursion that i hope will take place next week.
I went for a stroll in the city, had a look at the cathedral again... Once again it hit me that I am very grateful to be able to make this trip, and also for what i have in my life. It is said that it is through the other that we see ourselves.
Then something funny happened, all of a sudden i here someone shouting at me and i look up and who is there but the taxi driver who drove me to the university?! In the second largest city in Ghana this happened... We discovered we share an interest in music so we had a enjoyable ride out, part from the moment when a tro-tro (small bus) almost backed into is, in a crossing... He drove me to my area, and i tipped him a bit extra for being so great and he was all smiles!
Now it's time to go back to the hotel, have a drink and a shower and plan for tomorrow. I hope to be able to leave the city and go hiking by a lake that is said to be situated in a very beautiful area.
Have a nice weekend!

Kumasi

Kumasi calling! I have learnt yet another thing: before you get on the bus, check with the DRIVER that the bus is actually heading for the destination it says on the ticket and even if there is only one bus leaving at that time... Otherwise you risk end up at another destination, say Cape Coast (which was gorgeous with it's sandy white beaches and palm trees...) instead of Kumasi. More concrete: i spent 12 hours on the bus that day, a ride that should have taken 4-5 hours... And on the second (luckily the right) bus i was aggrevatingly listening to some (they managed to squezze in three!!) Nigerian films. For those of you who have never seen any one of these productions, a word of advice, don't. Drama drama screaming drama. On top of it, the bus driver was insane, i was seriously wondering if i would make it. Terrified. At one point i thought the bus would tip over. Normal people would slow down when meeting people or other vehicles, not this one... Hit the accelerator, yihaaaa!!! No need to say, if the same man is driving back, i'm not getting on that bus. Once i arrived in Kumasi, two very sweet receptionists welcomed me and showed me my room where i have stayed for two nights. Yesterday i took a taxi around town, lots of traffic, lots of people, low houses, beautiful cathedral... I wanted out. So after an errand in the city i took another taxi to the National Cultural Centre. I strolled around, bought beautiful african art and a leather bag i couldn't resist, which the nice receptionist at the hotel both approved on:) Good leather apparently. I then went to the internet cafe but after the electricity went out twice i decided to go back to the hotel.
Today i had a meeting in the late morning with a representative from Kuapa Kokoo, the cocoa cooperative! She was very nice and she gave me the history of the cooperative, i asked questions and i found out i can only visit the farms with reps from Kuapa Kokoo. She will look at my questions and get back to me. Hopefully we'll go out next week. But maybe we'll only go once... That came as a surprise. But maybe that's it. I'd like to visit a farm in the south as well that i know is open for tourists. So maybe, good friends, i'll come back earlier than expected. But one thing at the time. This gives me time to see more of this beautiful country.
I have now found a new hotel where i'll be staying tonight. Tomorrow i'd like to go the Univeristy of Kumasi. They have a botanical garden and an archeological site that i think can be worth a visit. Unless i go south again, but i think need more time before i get on that bus again...
I'll tell you of a, to me, odd phenomenon as well. Several people approach me here "wanting to be my friend", at first it was only young men, but yesterday a young and very cute school girl sat down next to me while having lunch. Basically they ask for your phone number, and then they call you. And they call you. And they call you. This morning someone called me at six?! I ignore these phone calls, part from the girl that is. I have learnt my lesson.
This morning i met a very chatty american family from New York in the breakfast room, it was nice though to speak to them about their experiences! For example how we all had woken up early by what appear to have been some christian equivalent to the muslim morning prayer... I woke up at 4.45 by the singing followed by an aggressive speech and then some more singing, they were still going at it by 7.30, when i gave up the attempts of trying to get some more sleep...
I'll see what happends in the next couple of days... Hopefully i'll visit the cocoa farmers soon...
Take care and many hugs!

Next stop: Kumasi

Hellooo, all well i hope!
Today i booked a bus ticket to Kumasi. The bus leaves at 6.30 tomorrow morning. I have to check in at 5.30, urrrrgh. Good thing is i´ll leave before the sun is high in the sky and i arrive during daylight. I have even booked two nights at a hotel so i don´t have to run around with my backpack, but can jump into a taxi and go straight to the hotel!
I´ve seen there is a internet café closeby so i should be able to keep you updated before i head out on the countryside. I may get some company there by a Swedish journalist and a photographer who is writing a piece on the situation of cocoa farmers. But that will probably be in about a fortnight or so. The journalist found out through MFS-staff that i´ll be there and thought it could be a good idea to tag along. We´ll see about that. I´ve agreed to a lunch and we´ll take it from there. They want to interview me and join me to a plantation.
I´m sorry about not being able to put pictures up. If i can sort it out in Kumasi, you´ll notice, but here in Tema it wasn´t possible.
Today i spent the day alone, as alone as you can be here because people are very friendly and helpful. I took a taxi on my own, went to buy bus tickets, booked a hotel in Kumasi, spent the afternoon in a hotel having lunch and reading about Ghana while being served an enormous pot of tea, probably because i got the numbers wrong and overtipped the waiter:) It was by his reaction that i discovered it. Not that it was a fortune in any way, but more than he expected. Obviously.
Today was probably the first day i got homesick, badly. I didn´t want to be here anymore. At all. I called Carles, thank you for your support!! I probably got a bit scared when Kajsa left, knowing i had to leave the house alone... Or should i blame it on the Lariam? But as you know it all went well, and that makes me feel better too, i can do this.
Hugs and kisses to you!

Akosombo by the Volta River

On Sunday me, Kajsa and Isaac drove to Akusumbo, a town situated by the Volta lake. This lake is the largest constructed lake in the world. While driving from Tema situated on the coast to this area, the landscape changed pretty dramatically. Akusumbo region is much more green and hilly, we passed what was called the Shai hills, which seems more like mountains to me! Apparently people are still living in these "hills", alongside with baboons and other monkeys. Kajsa saw a baboon sitting among the trees, on the ground when we passed by. Isaac said that when he was a child before the road was asphalted, there used to be a lot of baboons and antilopes to be seen in this area.
In the car we were listening to, according to Isaac, a Ghanaian music genre called highlife, i found it really nice. He was translating the lyrics as all wasn´t in English. He said all songs have a message, "to be good". I found the stories very nicely put. They reminded me of the stories told in the Gambia.
We were stopped by the police going there and this female police officer comes up to me, with a big gun hanging on her chest, she called me Ubruni (foreigner or white person) and started asking questions about where we were going etc. Unpleasant, well frankly she scared the crap out of me, her attitude was tough and i didn't know what she wanted from me. And that's just it, Isaac told me, they want something. In this case only information. I was calm and smiled, answering her questions. I've been stopped twice now in a week. I hope this was the last time.
The stay in Akusumbo was fantastic though, beautiful scenery, plenty of pictures were taken of it (bringing the camera, i behave well!), and then we stopped for lunch at this place right by the river where they also had animals. I had a tasty dish, fresh fish from the Volta! I took pictures... Only have six minutes left on the computer though, so wont go into details, i'm at an internet cafe...
And while enjoying our lunch outdoors, two metres from the water, i experienced an african storm... Powerful. These are the moments when you feel pretty small. We sat holding our glasses filled with the beer brand Star (produced by Guinness for Ghana i believe), delicious! But then the rain started and we had to run to the restaurant... Beautiful!
Time to finish off, will write more soon and once again, thank you for your e-mails! Hugs!

6th of March- Independence Day of Ghana

After all the experiences since i arrived in Ghana, it was nice to have a relaxed start on my third day. Kajsa and her husband slept in and then we had a long breakfast. In honour of what happened 52 years ago on this day, 6th of March is Ghana´s Indepence Day, Kajsa made a beautiful fruit sallad consisting of papaya, melon and starfruit (carambole). Mind these colours are the same as the Ghanaian flag (red, yellow and green with a black star in the centre)! The starfruit represented the star, though yellow, not black (luckily)! She took a picture of her creation, it was not only beautiful to look at, but tasty as well!
Isaac (her husband), Kajsa and me then went for a swim in a pool at a hotel situated by the ocean. Once again the presence of the sacred appeared; at the entrance was a statue of a saint in human size. The place is apparently called Ave Maria. Yes i have taken pictures, but i have to find a way of transfering them since the memory is full on Kajsa´s mac. It was beautiful there, i have never been swimming in a pool filled with salt water before... Sitting on a terrass afterwards, at the hotel, the Atlantic right beneath you... What can i say? I don´t think i need to, you get it.
On the way to Isaac´s mother´s place i took some pictures of the place in the harbour where the cocoa beans are being stored...
I met Isaacs parents when they visited Uppsala in December. They spent Christmas and New Years on Gotland with Kajsas´s family! I was genuinely happy to see his mother again, i simply like this woman. She had prepared food for us, and it was delicious! Yes... I´ll describe what i ate... You know me... I appreciate good food, a lot!:) The dish is called fufu. You start out by boiling cassava and plantain (matbanan) without water, so it becomes a dough. But the dough needs to be firmer so you put it in a bowl, and this part is quite something to see (which i did later that evening in another house when we went for a walk through the community), one woman sits with a long pole in her hand moving it up and down and while it´s up the other one quickly move the dough around. Really hard work, and risky if you´re not focused. When it´s a firm dough it´s ready to be served. But it´s not ready yet. On top of this you put a delicious and slightly spicy red soup. His mother also put three pieces of smoked fish in it. You then eat it by scooping some dough up with your hand, grabbing some fish... Yummy! You finish the soup with a spoon. I found out this dish is very popular where i´m going next week, think it´s going to be a lot of fufu on my part! ...and the mother of Isaac and Kajsa were impressed by my skills of eating with my hands, apparently some westerners refuse doing so and for some it takes a bit of time to learn. I have always liked eating with my hands, but being Swedish one doesn´t get the chance to do so on a daily basis really.
After the meal me and Kajsa watched Isaac´s mother bathing her grandson, only five weeks old. She put the boy on her lap, placing the feet in a baby shower and started wiping the boy. It was obvious she had done that a few times before. We then went outside, some kids were dancing and singing in the street. I took a picture of them and they all came running towards me, wanting to see it. Then they continued their dancing and singing. Seeing them made me very emotional, it was pure happiness that was appearing in front of me and it was transfered to me. We then went to pick up Isaac who had gone to see a friend, and on our way there in the narrow streets with no lights, many people greeted us and smiled. At one point all these women and children gathered around us, touching my arm, shaking hands and asking who we were. Kajsa said they never did that before, maybe it was because we were two that they approached us? When Kajsa told them she was visiting Isaac´s mother, that Isaac is her husband, they started laughing and clapping their hands. I believe they liked us being there!
We never went to the beach because by the time we left it was dark, Isaac was tired, Kajsa had been drinking a bit of wine and didn´t want to drive, and so had i. But even if i hadn´t been drinking two glasses of wine i wouldn´t have driven. i´m not ready to drive here just yet. It´s intense. So we stayed at home relaxing instead.
This morning me and Kajsa went to Accra to attend a string bead course provided by a friend of Kajsa, a canadian woman named Trish Graham. She is making her living by giving courses and selling her creations, which are really beautiful! Only me and Kajsa participated in the end, and we both had a great time. She is talented this woman. So now i´m sitting here with a necklace and bracelet, created by me, with some help from Trish the artist. There are pictures available of us at her beautiful house!
Afterwards we had lunch, smoothies and sandwich at a modern place in downtown Accra. We both felt tired so after grocery shopping (some products are very expensive!! One bottle of orange juice was almost USD 14... One better look careful before) we went back to the house and have been relaxing, chatting, drinking orange juice (of a slightly cheaper brand)... It´s been a good day, again!
Tonight we will probably go out for dinner. I hope you are all well and thank you so much for writing me, it means a lot to me! Many hugs from a happy, and sweaty, Jessica:)