Mole National Park

A few weeks ago we took a week off from running our workshop and travelled north to the largest national park in Ghana.

  

We boarded the bus in Accra which thankfully was similar to a western school coach with air conditioning.  Oddly the seats were still covered with plastic wrapping which proved incredibly sweaty despite the powerful AC.  We boarded the bus and watched all the seats fill up, then on came some huge sacks of flour, rice and other dried goods.  Finally 12 small plastic stools were placed in the aisle for 12 very unfortunate (paying) Ghanaians.   The road north out of Accra was not really a road; it was an incredibly bumpy, pothole filled, wide dirt track that we crawled along. We had some completely hilarious Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood) movies to entertain us, but after about half an hour the aggressive shouting style started to grate a bit. 17 hours later we arrived at our destination, 700km from our start point!

When we arrived we were greeted by Toby, Mark and Stuart,  a family of three warthogs that roamed freely around the grounds of the hotel.

(edit -from Tim-: none of the animals had names, they are wild animals in a 5,000km squared nature reserve. However the hot season is upon us and Lydia is behaving a little odd, and thus, for the rest of this blog all animals will appear to be our close friends...)

After a disappointing safari (we saw nothing) on the first afternoon we went on an early morning walking safari on the second day.  Where we met our guide, we also met this little fellow, Jim:

After an hour of walking in the sun, the elephants were winning the game of hide and seek. All we had found were a couple of footprints:

 Much to our delight, ten minutes later we caught up with Henry:

He was much larger and darker in colour than I had imagined.  It was amazing to be so close, just watching him in the wild.

After Henry retreated in amongst the trees, our guide began telling us about the elephants.  Within a few minutes George and Simon, along with 6 other friends sat down nearby to listen:

At the end of the walking tour we spotted Nigel taking a bath in the lake:

After the safari it was time for lunch in a small village.  Here the ladies are preparing fufu, a local food made from mashed yam.  Toby was back looking for scraps (edit: that is not Toby).

The next morning Tim arranged a motorbike trip to a local village.  After assuring the guides that we were all competent motorbike riders, he gave our friends, and complete novice riders, a quick lesson:

Soon we were ready to go:

When we arrived at the village, Larabanga, we were given a tour.  First we were shown to the Mosque, the oldest extant building in Ghana:

Then we were shown around the village:

We climbed up a traditional ladder, carved from one tree trunk, to look over the village and to see the veg and spices they were drying on the roofs.

There are lots of bicycles and motorbikes up North compared with where we live in the South.  In fact, there were no cars in Larabanga.  In pidgeon English bicycles are knowns as iron horses.

Throughout the village there were plenty of children who loved having their pictures taken:

The following day we travelled south to spend a day in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest town and the capital of the Ashanti region.  The traffic was horrendous on the narrow roads with huge traffic jams everywhere; we thought it was bad in Accra, but this was far worse.  We visited an Ashanti museum and then a craft market.  Here you can see some of the carpenters hard at work:

These are typical Ashanti stools.  Similar to those sat on by members of the Ashanti Royal Family.

After the stools have been carved the are polished:

This was on of the many stalls selling the wooden carved items.  It would definitely not have passed western building regulations.

Also in Kumasi, there were plenty of children who were ready to smile for the camera:

So that was our little holiday.  All in all it was a really fun week and the 30 hours on buses was definitely worth it, to see Henry :-)

Love Tim and Lyd xx

Updates from the Gold Coast

Expansion

As always, we continue to grow. Grace and Lydia have joined the batikers, and Salomey, Diana and Mary swell the ranks of seamstresses. 

                                                                    Grace

                                                                  Lydia

                                                                   Mary

                                               Salomey       &                     Diana

We have outgrown our current buildings now and are looking for a large place in the local area to expand into. We’re also exploring the option of buying a 40’ container and decking it out as a new sewing centre. This would be practical as we could relocate it to any new site when we need to move again.

Turtles return
Our front door continues to be an attractive egg laying location for sea turtles, with a female coming in on the tide last night. She was smaller than the ones we’ve seen previously, but in good health, and was back out at sea by morning.

Eunice

One of our sewing team leaders, Eunice swallowed a fish bone two weeks ago, and it became lodged in her throat. After two days of pain she went to hospital for an X-ray, and returned the following day for surgery to have it removed.

Unfortunately despite it coming out cleanly she’s still in significant pain in the neck and chest area, and struggling to eat. We’re hopeful that she will recover soon and Lydia is going to drop of some 'Hall's Soothers' tomorrow to see if a few western meds can't ease the pain.

Lyd's mum visits

Lyd's mum and Brian visited us last week.  We had a great time with a trip to the Volta River, a few days in Cape Coast, and a gruelling but enlightening trip to Makola - one of the biggest markets in West Africa.  We will never forget the windowless taxi ride along the coast in a huge storm.  Who knew umbrellas could be so useful inside a taxi!

Gator hunting

“Boss boss, come quick” shouted Teye our day guard, as the staff poured out of the workshop to see what the commotion was about. Outside our dogs had been barking at a new addition to the animals on the site. To go with the goats, sheep and the odd chicken, there was now a man-sized alligator crawling along the banks of the lake on our land.

Aside from being an obvious health and safety risk, alligator makes good eating out here, and it didn’t take long to grab the shotgun from our bedroom. Unfortunately the noise from twenty alarmed workers had scared the beast back into the lake. We’ve been hunting him for two days since, but to no avail.

I'm still hopeful... 

Granny's Birthday

Finally a big Happy Birthday to Granny Jean, who turned 80 this week! We’re sorry we couldn’t be there for the celebrations Granny, but it sounds like you had a wonderful time with friends and family.

All our love, Tim & Lyd x

Accra 10Km

On Sunday Tim and I took part in the 10K race of the Accra International Marathon along with 6 friends. 'Took part' is a generous term for Tim, who drove support car from the start line to the finish line, but like he kept saying, 'someone had to do it'.

We got up at 4.30am to make sure we arrived at the start line in plenty of time for the 6.30am start.  As we arrived the sun was starting to rise. 

At 6.30 we were all called together by the race organiser,  the announcement went something like this:

"Welcome all... Now this is a running only race, there is to be no walking"

"NOOOO!"... cried the team of donut lovers in the crowd, "We were told we could walk it!".

"And also, the race is delayed to 7am"

An interesting introduction for an 'international' marathon, excited and burning nervous energy they delay was not ideal.  Of course it was too much to expect that something in Ghana would actually start on time!

By 7am it was starting to get hot as we lined up on the start line.
 
 
 
I couldn't help but notice the footwear of the girl standing next me.

"OK the race is about to begin" cries the race organiser. "Now we have decided this will be a walking only race"

  

WHAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!!!! Uproar for about 30 seconds.

  

"OK! we have decided this will be an walking and a running race, some will walk and some will run".

   

Well I'm glad we cleared that up.

   

Soon enough the race was underway.  

It was hilly and hot.  Some of the race was on tarmac roads, the rest was on potholed dirt roads, which was a nightmare for the wheelchair racers.

The last 5 km was along the side of a busy road where it was necessary to keep an eye on the large number of tro-tros that regularly pulled in just in front of you!  It was hard work but I made it in 1hr2mins J  The girl in the flip flops beat me!

As an après run treat we went to a hotel for breakfast and spent the day hanging out by the pool with our friends.  It was a good day but I think it will be a while before I run for an hour in the Ghanaian heat again!

Love Tim and Lyd x

Back in Ghana

We have been back in Ghana for 2 weeks now.  I have been snapping photos with my new camera.  Here are a few of my favourites;

Last Monday, after work, we had a BBQ with all our workers.  They love to pose for the camera.

Christy did most of the cooking, whilst Be prepared the peppe – a blend of onion, tomato, and green and red chillies – spicy!

Obu and Senke are turning into the scary guard dogs that we hoped they would become;

  

Every evening we take the dogs for a walk along the beach.  I love this part of the day.  We rarely see anyone else on the beach that stretches for miles.  

Last Sunday our boss, Renae, and her family came to visit for the day.  This is her 2 year old son, Ben;

         

We all had a marvellous day, hanging out on the beach, kayaking in the sea and eating BBQ-ed burgers. 

Tim even took the dogs for a ride in the Kayak!

Some local boys performed some acrobatics for us on the beach;

This week, the biggest festival of the year is taking place in Prampram.  Homowo, is the festival to punish hunger.   Everyone in the town cooks large bowls of palm nut soup with fish or goat meat and invites their friends and family to dine with them.  This ensures that everyone in the town gets food and hence does not go hungry.

We were invited to join our friends Isaac and Helen, who own the bar which we visit regularly.  The food was delicious.  The street was packed with people whilst music was blasted from massive speakers.  A procession of carnival floats drove up and down the street.  These ‘floats’ consisted of  taxis with women sitting on the bonnet, roof and hanging from the window, whilst drinking liquor straight from the bottle!

This man was selling hats at the festival!

On Saturday, as part of this festival we are going to watch “Miss Prampram”; the annual beauty pageant.  I will be sure to share some photos of this with you J




Lyd xx

Ghanaian Wedding

The wedding we attended last weekend led to our most embarrassing moment since arriving. It was also the most exciting day of the year.

14 days to go
Whilst attending an ‘adoring’ for a local newborn baby, Lydia, Amy (Lydia’s sister) and I are invited by a local seamstress to attend her wedding ceremony in two weeks time.

10 days to go
The three of us purchase cloth and take it to a local seamstress (actually the bride to be) and a local tailor to be made into ‘Ghanaian wedding attire’ suitable for the occasion.


9.30am morning of the wedding
To our delight it’s a slightly overcast day – the sweating will be kept to a minimum. On time, the three of us turn up to the church looking dapper.

  
The church, (the Dangme East, Evangelical Baptist Church) is actually one of two school classrooms, very long and thin with perhaps 200 chairs set up for the ceremony. Blue and Purple fabric hang in drapes from the ceiling, and a ‘floating’ archway of balloons sits as a central feature where the bride and groom will stand. It looks just like a wedding venue would look in England, except that it’s deserted. A lone pastor approaches us and explains that things are running late. We should come back in two hours.

We get in the car and go home.


11.30am
Bingo, other people. The same pastor guides us inside and we sit down to watch the preparations continue. There are about twenty guests so far.


11.45am
‘The Angelic Singers’ with their accompaniment begin to warm up just as the amp arrives and is plugged into the six enormous speakers. True to form the speakers are ‘blown out’ (broken) but turned up to full volume anyway. It’s frustrating because warming up the singers were actually quite good. The noise is almost unbearable.


12.00pm
In a somewhat casual beginning, the pastor welcomes the (still relatively small) congregation, and we begin to pray for the couple with the Angelic Singers in the ‘background’. Praying is taken very seriously here, and after a short introduction from the pastor the prayers are said individually, heads bowed, speaking with fire and passion and really willing god to look after the couple to be. The congregation grows.


12.30pm
The bride arrives and, just as at home, walks down the aisle to much admiration from the guests. She greets her husband to be and they sit under the arch at the front of the church. The pastor introduces the special guests at the wedding, including a surprise welcome to ‘Mr and Mrs Addison’ – which turns out to be us. Being a ‘special guest’ at a Ghanaian event is never as innocent as it sounds, as we were to find out later. 


The hymns begin. 

1.00pm
The vows are said, with much cheering and whooping from the guests after each section. The pastor is dismayed as this ‘serious’ section of the ceremony is repeatedly interrupted, but the congregation won’t be quiet and the ushers are positively encouraging the noise. People continually dance down to the front, round the couple and back to their seats. Everyone is on their feet cheering and the band can’t resist striking up. The couple love it, and before long they are formally married.

Singing and Dancing (Video)

1.30pm
After another hymn and a collection for the church, a pastor steps forward with a large plastic bucket, and over the background music states that he wants 20 people to come forward and put 100,000 cedis (10 cedis in new money) in the collection for the new couple. 

This is awkward.


A few people (perhaps 5) go up straight away. The pastor keeps talking as they return to their seats. Slowly one or two more make their way forward, deposit the 10 cedis and return. Two or three minutes have now passed, and we’re only at about 10 deposits. 10 cedis is a lot of money for the average Ghanaian, even one with a good job. The pastor continues to talk about the couple’s small children, the cost of the wedding and the money they need for a house.


This is really awkward.


Lyd, Amy and I had planned to give a 45 cedi gift between us, in an envelope, with a card. Even writing this number down knowing that you’re reading it makes me uncomfortable. Standing up in a wedding, marching down the aisle as the only white people and proudly displaying to everyone “we’re rich, we can afford this” would be horrific. So we sit tight, still planning to give the money privately at the end.


After five minutes the money still was not raised, and an usher came forward, took the bowl and replaced it with a new one.


“Five cedis, everyone who can give five cedis come forward now”. Dear God no. This time more people stand up, parade down to the front, deposit the money and sit. Again there are five minutes of songs, with the pastor laying on the emotional blackmail, and one at a time more people make their way to the front.


The usher reappears, with another empty bowl. It's clear he's going all the way. “Two or one cedi”. Just about everyone in the congregation has now given something. We sit there, shame faced, feeling eyes burn into the back of our heads. We can’t stand up now and give two cedis, we’d look ridiculously tight. Half of our workforce from the sewing centre are here, and we’re horribly embarrassed. 


Finally the bowls disappear and we crack on with another hymn. 


2.30pm
“The first dance” announces the pastor. Unexpectedly soon, we’re still mid ceremony. But there’s a catch. “Anyone who wants to dance with the couple must pay 5 cedis”. It’s never going to end.


3.00pm
The ceremony finishes and we pile outside for photographs. Lyd, Amy and I are starving, we’ve not had lunch and we try to sneak off quickly for some yam. Too late, caught in the act by the bride we’re pulled into the (second) wedding photograph with the lucky couple. Well, we are distinguished guests.

3.15pm
After our sneaky bite to eat we return to the venue expecting to stand around chatting while the photos finish, but they’ve all been taken, and everyone’s back in the church sitting down. 


Round 2.


A sermon from the ‘guest’ pastor from Tema is the lead up to some serious praying for the couple from the congregation. 

Next ‘all the single people’ (read single ladies, there were only about 10 men in the church) are invited to stand up, parade up to the front, round the lectern and back to their seats, in the hope of finding a partner. The music picks up and, to much cheering and encouragement, the ladies line up and bop down the aisle, African style, with their bums shaking. Everyone is smiling. The ladies return to their seats.


“Mr and Mrs. Addison, you are invited to come forward and dance”. 


We’re stone cold sober. We’ve barely got over the morning’s ‘fundraising’. And now we’re going to dance for 200 Ghanaians.  It’s moments like this you never forget.


Not wanting to let our countrymen down, Lyd and I lead the charge up the aisle with a slightly reluctant Amy following close behind. As the music begins we swing our hips, put our hands in the air and give it everything we’ve got. Why not; they seem to love it. For the first time in my life I understand what it must be like to perform at a concert, I could get a taste for this. It’s a long song, and we’re soon joined by every member of the Global Mamas team at the wedding, ‘looking out’ for their bosses. Soon enough, we return to our seats.


A final round of fundraising, paying 1 cedi to pop one of the few hundred balloons in the floating arch begins, and the guests, slowly at first, begin to make their way out of the church. It seems a little rude, the bride and groom are right there at the front looking over the congregation and people are just leaving. After 15 minutes we join them outside, drop off our present and mingle in the fresh air.


5pm
Assuming it’s over we head for the car, but are told that as special guests we’ve been invited to a sit-down meal at the couple’s uncle’s house. A short ride through PramPram and we arrive at a house that would give a Californian mansion a run for it’s money. It’s a lovely place with a huge flat-screen TV, high ceilings and a sofa that could easily seat 30.

After a tasty rice and chicken we say our thanks to the bride and groom, and to our team for rescuing us, and retreat to the car.


What a day.
Love Tim, Lyd and Amy x