Cloudmanjaro!?
Ghana's sky has to offer the most beautiful shades of red in the evenings, cloud formations as well as impressive lightning and thunder.
Some time last week I asked 2 of my library helpers, Daniel and Hephod whether I could join them on their lunch break. I usually bring my own nibbles but that day I felt brave. They were quite excited actually. We walked through Akoasi village to the food 'joint' of their choice. A small wooden hut, that looks like it has seen better days. But then, so do most establishments over here. Looking closer, it even has 'fast food' written on the front.
A woman was preparing food in front of the hut. On walking in to sit at a table I spotted a pile of raw chicken lying there in the sun, surrounded by flies and waiting to be cooked. I made a mental note, not to go for the chicken. The guys ordered food and after a while we got a big bowl with layers of plain boiled rice, rice mixed with beans (similar to baked beans), pasta, bits of salad, 2 small fishes cut in halves and the usual red, spicy sauce. Luckily we were given a spoon each. It's quite common to eat with your hands otherwise. I ate around the salad and didn't taste the fish but had a few spoon full of everything else and it was actually quite tasty.
What an experience to be sitting and eating there. Moments like these make me truly realise and appreciate the fact I'm in Africa. It feels surreal at times. I'm still shy to take pictures in the village, hence I didn't bring the camera. I want people to get more used to me before I walk about with a lens in their faces. I'll make sure to take snaps of that place when I do.
I'm getting to know my temporary new home village - New Abirem. Did a bit of a cycle around the place on Tuesday. It's nowhere as charming as Akoasi, which is something like 150 years old as I've been told. New Abirem is developing and growing at fast speed. People that come to New Abirem are hoping for big money and jobs because of the presence of the Obruni and the Gold Mine in construction. Every village has market days on Tuesdays and Fridays. Stalls more or less sell the same stuff. If you look closely, you might find some of your old, donated clothes being sold here. Could of sworn I've seen that pair of adidas runners before ;) Bought myself a tasty looking pineapple after a day of baking in the sun near the pool. Life ain't that bad.
Until Tuesday that was. I've not been right since. Got a cold and I seem very attached to the facilities these days. Not unexpected, though a bit surprised it took my body 3 weeks to give out. Would have expected this on my first week.
Hoping to be fighting fit again before the weekend as we're finally heading down to Accra this Saturday where I'm hoping to be reunited with Suzi. Hopefully I'll remember how to reinstall that front wheel. Daniel and Robert, you better have your phones handy :) Only kidding. What I am actually more worried about is, whether all the screws and bits and bobs are still there. The guys in Shannon who built the crate were the ones who took the front wheel off. I wasn't there when it happened. I guess, when I left her behind that day I had to accept it's out of my hands and trust that all will be good. Sure, I will find out soon, won't I.
This reminds me of a book I have been reading. 'Going Postal' by Nathan Millward. It's about this English guy who decides to ride an Australian Post bike from Sydney to London - with 2 days of preparation for the trip. The guy didn't seem to know much more about bikes than I do. An inspiring read for me in a way. This is the link to the blog he kept during his journey: http://www.thepostman.org.uk/
Can't believe it's been a month since I've touched down on Ghanaian soil. On this note...To Gudi: Happy 11.11.2011 :)
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