Thank You

I have to give a huge thanks to everyone that helped make this entire journey possible, particularly Ghana. I can't express in words how overwhelming your support has been and how much it is appreciated. This has been an extraordinary learning experience for me both professionally and personally. Professionally I have gained firsthand knowledge working in a developing country and helping others. At this point I am not really sure how I will use this. Maybe I will pursue such a career, but at the very least everything I learned will be of use regardless of the path I choose. Personally, the gains go deep. It has been so refreshing and humbling to spend time with the people I got the opportunity to work with. To be able to give respect and get respect from people of a different culture was highly rewarding. Your thoughtfulness and kindness has gone a long ways. Thanks!

As I type this on the eve of my departure home, I can't help but think of this quote by the great Ed Abbey,

...a countryman has a place on earth that is his own, and as much as he may love to wander, as I myself do, he loves the wandering more because he has a place to return to, a place where he belongs.

See you all soon!

Bahariyya - Oasis in the Sahara

My final excursion in Egypt proved to be a delightful one. I headed west into what is ironically enough, called the Western Desert. I decided to go against the grain and didn't book any packaged trip deeper into the desert. Sure, I probably missed some stunning scenery and a night out in the desert under the stars. However, it was wonderful to watch all the other tourists get hurried out of the village in jeeps while I was left there pretty much on my own to immerse in the culture. That is the one thing I missed while in Dahab, and was hoping to find in the oasis, a closer look at the Egyptian culture. In many respects I succeeded. I was able to spend about a day and a half in the village of Bawiti wandering the streets and exploring the surrounding desert.

Bawiti is the main town in the Bahariyya Oasis which is one of a handful of oasis scattered across the desert between the Nile and Libya. The bus ride out there was great. Once past Cairo the landscape turned into a stark, desolate desert. I will never forget the glow of the golden sand dunes against the deep blue skies. I was really hoping the bus would break down for a couple of hours so that I could get off and run in the sand. But unfortunately, no breakdowns, so I had to settle with enjoying the dunes through the dirty window of the bus. The oasis is what it is because it is fed by several springs that provide the essential water to sustain life in the desert. Without that water, I can imagine life would be tough. The air was extremely dry and the sun's rays pretty harsh. I could hang my laundry out to dry and in about 5 minutes it was ready to wear. Sure beats the drying machine. The village itself was fascinating; a mix of old and new. Of course there were modern, concrete buildings but down many of the backstreets people were still living in old mud-brick houses. During the middle of the day everything would become very quiet. Shops and restaurants would shut down during the heat of the day and I guess everyone would go take a siesta. The town would come back alive in the evening.

Bawiti - the new

Bawiti - the old

The outskirts of the village

Besides exploring the village I was able to get out and wander in the surrounding, empty desert. No big sand dunes though, it was probably more comparable to the moon. There was more gravel than sand but there were several hills to climb to the top of and small, sandy-bottomed canyons to get lost in. The best part about it, I had it all to myself. All the other tourists were off elsewhere getting guided around and I can't see any reason why any of the locals would want to go out there.

Sahara bliss

Hello...or is it good-bye?

I am getting out of Egypt just in time. Today is the start of Ramadan, which means fasting during daylight hours. That is terrible news for a growing kid who enjoys eating. I can't wait until the sun sets, then I can get some real food!

Sinai - Beautiful Desert, Beautiful Sea

The past five days have been spent on the Sinai Peninsula in the small, but touristy, town of Dahab. The area has some spectacular scenery. The town sits smack dab between the Red Sea and the steep, rugged mountains of the peninsula. The sea itself is a wonderful turquoise and has abundant fish and coral life. Right off shore there are great reefs with a wide variety of colorful fish. Contrasting starkly with this is the dry and barren mountains. The mountains rise ruggedly to around 8,000 feet and despite a total lack of vegetation, they are beautiful. All of this combined makes for a truly amazing setting. My time has been split between soaking in the sea, snorkeling, exploring desert and canyons by jeep, and making a night hike to the top of Mt. Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments) to catch the sunrise. All wonderful trips but it would take too much to go into detail. Besides, I will be home soon. There is a lot of potential for adventure here, however my time is limited so I have been getting packaged up and rushed around to see the sights. By "packaged" I mean handing over the money to someone else and letting them get me there and showing me around. Not exactly the way I enjoy traveling, but as I am finding out, Egypt is that type of place. Tourism is the name of the game here so everything is pretty much handed to you. But on the bright side, if something goes wrong I can blame someone else! It is well worth it though, Egypt is an amazing country with some fascinating history. I will be itching for some time to return.

Dahab

Sinai sunset

Wandering through the White Canyon

Taking in the sunrise from atop the mountain

Besides the sites, I have certainly been enjoying the food (of course I have to mention food). Egyptian cuisine gets knocked on pretty hard when compared to other regional cuisines like Israeli and Lebanese, but I have never been to those countries, so my palette isn't ruined. I am finding the food here quite delightful. Falafel has been a staple in my diet. The falafel itself is deep-fried and stuffed into a pita with different sauces and topped with salad. Delicious and cheap...perfect. There are variations of this as well with essentially spiced refried beans or spiced ground meat instead of falafel. Tea is the favorite drink here, for the locals and me as well. It is done really well with a loose black tea, lots of sugar, and fresh mint; really tasty. Also, there is a refreshing drink of boiled, sweetened, and chilled hibiscus. After a hot slog through the streets of Cairo, this is especially a refreshing treat.

This was only the appetizer

So my days here are coming to close quickly. One more quick jaunt out to the western desert and then I will be finding myself on a plane home. I am excited to return to Missoula but of course will miss the freedom that comes with travel.

Cairo Life Continues

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind tour of Cairo and the surrounds. I am finding out that the combination of heat and congestion make this place exhausting. However, it is well worth it. I spent an entire day wandering the streets and riding the subway exploring various parts of the city. I visited Old Cairo which has amazing old churches connected by narrow cobbled alleyways. On the other end of the spectrum I visited what is called Islamic Cairo (not that any one part of Cairo is more Islamic than another). Here, there is a busy market amongst massive old mosques. Overall, the history and architecture of Cairo make it a fascinating city. In addition, the everyday life of the Egyptians is fascinating. The traffic is crazy and death defying. It is certainly not pedestrian friendly. Luckily I have mastered a technique for crossing the streets; get on the downside of an Egyptian also crossing and move when he/she moves, essentially using them as a shield from the oncoming traffic. It is has worked out flawlessly, so far. I am also finding that Cairo has some amazing cyclists. There are fellas on old rickety bikes that deliver pita bread. They carry huge flat crates filled with the bread on top of their heads and magically drift in and out of the traffic. It blows my mind that they stay on the bike, or keep the bread on their head for that matter.

The very impressive Al-Azhar Mosque

Streets of Coptic Cairo

Besides hanging out in the city proper, I have gotten out and seen two different pyramid sites. Much to my surprise, there are many more pyramids out in the desert than the famous Giza Pyramids. The desert runs right into the edge of Cairo and along this line there are several pyramids (maybe 20 – 30, but an archeologist might say otherwise), some more intact than others. I visited a sight called Saqqara which is said to have been a burial site for more than 3500 years. Here, there are several crumbling pyramids and underground tombs to explore. Of course, in addition to visiting this site, I went to gaze at the Pyramids of Giza. These structures are truly amazing and are even bigger than they appear in the photos. It is mindboggling that humans had the ability to put these things together over 4000 years ago. What more is there to say?

Still standing tall

Desert Honda...Desert Cadilac

So after a couple of chaotic days in the city I am ready to unwind a bit on some beaches, which is exactly what I am going to do.

Welcome to Egypt

Salam Alykum!

So after a couple of quick flights over the Sahara I have left behind the humid heat of Ghana and am now roasting in the dry heat of Cairo. This is an absolutely amazing place. For a person who doesn't necessarily enjoy city life, I am thrilled to be in another exotic mega-city. Much like Delhi or Mumbai, Cairo has its own pulse, but in an Islamic kind of way. As I sit here typing this, the streets below echo with the enchanting "call to prayer".

Cairo has an estimated population of around 18 million, mega indeed. Everything about this place is stunning. From the towering minarets of the numerous mosques to the relaxed feel along the banks of the Nile. The traffic is crazy, the smells overwhelming, and the chaos strangly enjoyable. I haven't had too much time to soak it all in yet, I arrived only hours ago, but I am looking forward to a day wandering the streets and discovering what else the city beholds. Of course I plan on visiting the Pyramids of Giza but other than that I am keeping my plans flexible. I may head to the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea and maybe head into the interior and explore the oases in the desert. There is so much to see here and unfortunately the two weeks I have will not be enough to fully explore the country. But I should get a good sampling and I am sure there is going to be some excitement, as I am already feeling like there is that potential. So I will leave it at that for now until I fully dive in. Here are a few pictures I took today around the neighborhood. Hope you enjoy!

The river Nile

The streets of Cairo

One of many minarets shooting into the sky

So long Ghana

One journey ends but another begins...

Next stop...

One Unforgettable Journey - Part 3

So the saga continues, but unfortunately all the excitement is over.

So down the road we go, probably another 2-3 hours more to Mole N.P. We managed to make it there without any more major catastrophes, only one near miss. The driver at one point lost control (I think he fell asleep or something)and drove right into the bushes and nearly rolled the van. Half of us dove out while the others leaned way over to the other side to prevent the van from rolling on its side. I was pretty sure the van was finished with and we were going to have to spend another night in the bush, but we got it back aligned on the road and were off again. Later in the day we finally made it to the park, exhausted, dirty, and hungry.

Mole (pronounced mole-ay) is certainly the gem of all of Ghana's national parks. The highlight is it's wildlife, especially elephants. The place is abundant with wildlife, including several species of antelope, deer, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, and probably countless birds and insects. Rumor has it that lions exist somewhere in the park. Several of these species have become pretty habituated to humans so at times it could feel more like a zoo. The hotel in the park had baboons and warthogs right out the door and elephants weren't too far away. Despite this though, it was fun to sneak out and wander around in the bush to observe the animals in a more natural setting.

Mole was the ultimate destination for this journey so from here I shot back south to Cape Coast. The journey back went smoothly, much to my relief. Even though this leg was less eventful than the journey up, there is still that excitement that exists from just being in a foreign place. It is a real joy for me traveling exclusively by public transport. It is not necessarily comfortable but fascinating. There is so much to see, from sitting at a crowded, noisy, and dirty bus station anticipating the next bus, to watching the country go by through the window. There is a lot for the senses to process and that is what makes travel so wonderful.

Safety first

Ancient Mosque in nearby Larabanga

Savanna sunset

One Unforgettable Journey - Part 2

Continuing where I left off last time...

Tamale is a major town in the Northern Region of the country. The environment changes pretty drastically from the south. I have heard many say that northern Ghana is Africa while the south is the Caribbean. I believe it. It is drier and feels very vast. The dense, tall forests are replaced with savanna that is dominated by open grassland peppered with small trees. This part of Ghana is also predominately Muslim whereas the south is Christian. So it is a new Africa to me and very exciting.

After the boat rides I hooked up with a great English couple who were on the same itinerary as me. We arrived in Tamale late in the afternoon and were hoping to make the 5 hour journey to Mole N.P. that evening. However, we missed the last bus. Luckily though there was a group of folks from Belgium wanting to get there as well. There was enough of us to justify hiring a van off the street. We found a driver who was willing to take us in on the notoriously bumpy and dusty road. So we all piled in along with the mate (driver's assistant) and a small boy off the street who just felt like going for a ride. Off we go.

The road to Mole was indeed rough going. It is a pretty remote dirt road with a few villages scattered around. Maybe about an hour and a half down the road, for some unknown reason I decide to stick my head out the window and check the tires. Sure enough, we have a flat. Turns out the driver doesn't have a spare. We all start walking while he limps the van into the nearest village. There is little concern, village people are crafty so they should certainly be able to fix a tire, right? Nope. Plan B, the driver finds a motorcycle in the village and piles on with a villager and off they go back down the road to the junction with the highway where he should be able to fix the tire. The sun is getting low on the horizon by now.

In the meantime, the village kids are on to us. It must have been quite the ordeal for them. They see so many white people driving by on a daily basis, but to have some actually out of the car and physically there, must have been a dream. It was a joy playing with them. It was fascinating to observe the differences in them as well. Supposedly there were three separate tribes living in the village. The children had different markings on their faces identifying their tribe. Some had painted purple dots, black tattooed around their eyes, and others had scars cut into different patterns. There was very little interaction with the adults of the village. The village itself was the idyllic African village; mud and grass huts, no electricity, and goats and chickens running around.

Night comes and no sign of our driver. Concern starts setting in. Eventually we see a single headlight bumping down the road and sure enough it is the motorcycle. No driver, no fixed tire. Turns out the driver decided go back to Tamale and would return sometime the next day. Suddenly we are faced with sleeping in the bush. We have little food and water, and the village certainly doesn't have a provisions store. The small boy, Jason, that jumped in with us back in Tamale springs into action and hunts down the village chief and gets permission for us to sleep in the village. The chief cleaned out a small room that would fit 6 of us while the rest would have to sleep outside. A women brought us some dinner which we happily accepted. I can't tell you exactly what it was but it filled the void. So we settled in for the night. I slept outside the hut under an amazing starry night. Throughout the night I woke to find a goat standing over me, watching, maybe protecting, I don't know what it's intentions were. My wake-up call was the release of the chickens from the coop who found my head a nice place to stand. The mosquitoes were happy too. They had an all you can eat feast despite wrapping myself in my mosquito net. So much of a feast that they couldn't stop and burst leaving the net dotted with blood splotches. But I was alive, I didn't get eaten buy some fierce African predator. The same woman brought us breakfast (again, I don't know what it was) as we sat by the road waiting for a ride. Eventually our driver appeared in the back of a truck with a shiny new tire. Problem solved. The bumpy journey continues...

Even though the entire experience doesn't sound too appealing, it was absolutely amazing. The kindness of the villagers was overwhelming and it was a wonderful opportunity to experience traditional African village life. I found it very refreshing to see people happily living off the grid with very few material possessions. It is particularily amazing, especially after thinking of life back home, that people still live in this manner. It was such a blessing to get that flat tire.

Not quite a five-star hotel

In good company

No caption needed

Our driver and tire returns

One Unforgettable Journey - Part 1

So what is it that makes for a good adventure? I have certainly had some adventures both at home and abroad but the ones that stick out the most are the ones when the unexpected happened. And that is exactly what happened over the last week as I traveled the country. As you can tell by the title there is going to be more than one part to this story, there is too much to cover in a single sitting, so I will spoil you over the course of the week. Where to start...

I took the week off to explore some of the Northern Region of Ghana. I had read in the guide book about a ferry that runs up the Volta River/Reservoir. The boat runs up the river once a week to bring yams down from the upper reaches of the river. The information I was getting was a little vague, as that is the nature of this boat, and accounts I have heard from others described the ride as being quite miserable. But that is all relative, miserable to one may be a joy to another. So I arrived at the boat excited to get on the water and begin this leg of the journey. Much to my surprise there were several other foreigners taking advantage of this cheap transport to the North which was a bit reassuring. Very much in line with the Ghanaian norm, the boat left late. Off to a good start. The sleeping arrangements on the boat were basic, actually nonexistent. There was a dining room, where the options were to sleep on the tables, wooden benches, or floor. It was pretty cramped in there so I decided to sleep on a bench on the upper deck. It wasn't the most comfortable wooden bench in the world but it worked and I did manage to catch a couple of hours of sleep. We were scheduled to arrive in the first port sometime late the next morning and the final destination later in the evening. But the first port didn't appear until later in the afternoon, several hours late. Turns out the boat lost an engine early on and was now just limping around, quite slowly. That was OK though, I was ready for another night on the boat and the scenery was great. The ferry started near the Ghana highlands and as it progressed North the land flattened and started to give way to savanna. It was nice to laze around on the boat, watch the villages go by, and go on deck and observe the activity as the boat made numerous stops.

Night came again and rumor had it that we would arrive in Yeji (the final stop) sometime around 2:00 in the morning. Just wonderful! I would have preferred the boat slowed down so that I could spend the entire night on the boat instead of getting off in the middle of the night in a strange place. But that was out of my hands. At this point most of the foreigners were mildly concerned about our impending fate and we banded together and schemed. What to do when we arrive? Sure enough the boat arrived around 1:30 and we were booted off. So the rest of the night was spent sitting up, trying to sleep on another bench at the Yeji port. Again, I managed a couple hours of sleep.

The kind-of reliable Yepei Queen

Gathering more villagers and stuff

The next morning it was time to catch a canoe ride back across the Volta to catch transport on to the next destination. As planned, the canoe came cruising in early in morning. Turns out though that it was market day on the other side, so there were a lot of villagers with a lot of stuff needing to get across. We managed to get on the boat, which was a relief because it appeared that there was more people and stuff trying to get across than there was room in the boat. Or was there? The boat kept filling up. More and more people and more and more huge sacks getting piled high. It was amazing how cramped and uncomfortable the boat was getting. Finally the boat departed for the hour long ride. The first red flag that things were sketchy came as the boatmen began rapidly bailing water. I began to inspect the boat and sure enough it is leaking. It was just like the cartoons. There were holes with water spraying in and villagers trying to plug those holes with their fingers, with little effect. The water seemed to creep closer and closer to the edge of the boat and I was certain we were going swimming. I heard a Ghanaian behind me very upset that the boatmen had disregarded our lives. Not too reassuring. Miraculously though the boat made it. What a relief, once again. So after two cramped and dusty tro-tro rides we successfully made it to the town of Tamale.

From Tamale a new adventure begins, but I am going to have to save that for next time.

The canoe continues to fill up

Patiently waiting to further overload the canoe

Winding Down

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe that I have been in Ghana for nearly two months, it has certainly flown by. My projects are beginning to wind down. I thought I would give you all an update on where the projects are currently at...

Of course there is the fishing village project in the village of Ahwiado. This project moved along nicely for awhile but it has really come to a screeching halt. After our initial visit we worked to develop an itinerary and a script of sorts for our guide Robert. After several visits with Robert we were able to get a lot of interesting stories and facts about the village. The tour is essentially ready for a trial run but I am doubtful whether or not that will happen while I am still here. The guide has been out of town a lot lately and after heavy rains that flooded many of the low-lying villages around here, I imagine that Ahwiado suffered some damage as well. So factors out of my hands have prevented this project from being completed.

Another project involved redesigning a class developed by the World Bank. This class covered the creation of business plans, financial statements, and the loan process. Its primary aim is to get the women's businesses more organized and help them get a loan so that they can expand their business. After some research around local banks and government organizations, credit here is not cheap. A bank rate on a small business loan was upwards of 35%! However, there is a couple of government initiatives that offer loans from 10% - 20% which is a little bit more attainable for the women. We went through the World Bank material and recreated the class so that it would be more relevant to the women of Global Mamas. We ran a trial run with two of the organizations most organized and business savvy women. The class went relatively well and the women seemed to learn a lot that they will actually apply in their businesses, however it still needs some tweaking. So now the format of the class is getting revamped and additional material being added in. Unfortunately, I will not have enough time to see another class through but some new volunteers will be arriving soon to pick up where we left off so I least we will be able to pass the torch on.

Then there is One Stone. This has certainly been my pet project and the one I have probably enjoyed the most. Since it is my pet project there has been a lot of ups and downs. Besides doing some general business consulting of their operations, I have nearly become a business partner. I have spent a lot of time marketing their drums and trying to make contacts for Sam. After an initial mass email to drumming orgs, universities, and percussion retailers we managed to make one valuable contact which looked like it could be fruitful. But after a couple weeks of correspondence now it is looking like a business relationship with One Stone might not blossom. It is really too bad, but given the nature of trying to conduct business on the other side of the world, it really doesn't come as a shocking blow. Sam and his Rasta faith has been refreshing though, everyday is a new day, so we will see what it brings. At the moment I am attempting to sell some of his furniture on EBay. This is all through my account because Sam, being from Ghana, is not recognized by PayPal. There is too much fraud that occurs in this region of the world so it is nearly impossible for him to get approved for anything like that. It is a huge hurdle. Another hurdle is shipping. It is not easy getting a hand-carved, several hundred pound bed frame from Africa to the US. The charges are astronomical for a single item, but becomes much more reasonable if an entire container is filled up. So the EBay thing is a bit of a challenge. The items that will be showing up on there soon have a hefty price tag reflecting the shipping charges. But we are hopeful the right the person will come along. But if not, tomorrow is a new day.

I am off all next week to travel the country. Should be a good little adventure taking me up the Volta on a yam barge, through the drier north, and eventually to a national park complete with the common African wildlife. There should be some good stories, I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Kumasi and beyond

This weekend I took a little voyage to Ghana's second largest city and the city of the great Ashanti kings, Kumasi. The main draw to the city is its large open air market, supposedly the largest in all of West Africa. Over the course of my travels I have certainly fallen in love with the chaotic, fragrant, and thrilling open air markets. The Kumasi market (called Kenjetia), without a doubt, is the most superb market I have witnessed yet. This place has its own pulse. I would compare the encounter to the deep end of the swimming pool when you are a little kid. It is something that entices you but at first you are a bit intimidated. You stand on the edge looking in, wondering if it is safe to jump in. You finally get the nerve and jump in. You quickly paddle back the edge and crawl out. You are thrilled that you just did that and have the urge to do it again. This time you jump in and swim around a little bit before going back to the edge. It is so great. You finally decide it is time to swim across the pool. You jump in again and swim across the pool and as you crawl back out you are so pleased of what you just accomplished. That is the Kenjetia market. Of course, the water is the market, crawling with people, and the edge is the street that offers a little bit of refuge from the chaos of the market. The market was intimidating at first, but once I got into it, it was a feast for the eyes. There are people from all over West Africa, selling all sorts of stuff, from clothes, to spices, to meat, fish, shoes, to juju and medicinal tribal goods. There is a lot of stuff for sale, and a lot of it I had no idea what it is used for. It is certainly not a tourist market, there were no carved elephants or decorative drums. It was quite the experience.

Besides going to the market, I headed to a nearby lake that was supposedly created by a meteor impact. The main draw to the lake for me was to take a hike along the banks and stroll through semi-remote villages. It was wonderful walking and the villages were pleasant. The people hardly took notice of me, which is how I prefer it. Of course the kids wanted their photos taken or a pen, but for the most part the villagers continued about their business. Another great experience, in totally an opposite way than the market.

Standing on the edge looking in

Juju and medicine

Will work for crayons

Fishing for something

Festival Time in Elmina

Yesterday I got the opportunity to attend the biggest festival of the year in Elmina. People flooded the streets and the banks of the lagoon to take part in and witness the Bakatue festival. This festival starts on the first Tuesday of July, will run through the week and wrap up on Saturday. I heard varying purposes for the festival, from being a celebration from colonial dependence (despite Ghana's independence day is in March) to being a celebration to ring in the new fishing season. I figure it is probably a combination of many things. Nonetheless a fun festival to witness.

Sam (from One Stone) escorted me around the town and made sure I saw all of the appropriate sites. Most people dress up for the festival and me included. Judith sewed up a quite colorful traditional African shirt for me to where around. It was odd though, most of the Africans seemed to dress up more in Western clothes while me, a white man, was dressed up in African clothing! The festival was supposed to be an all day event, but unfortunately due to heavy rains in the morning it didn't kick off til the afternoon. A parade, consisting of several area chiefs, started from the Elmina chief's palace. They slowly marched through the streets carrying the chiefs while drumming and dancing. The parade ended at the fishing lagoon where all sorts of boating spectacles took place. There were several fishing boats in the water performing various stunts. To me, it looked like they were just goofing around. They would rock these big boats from side to side trying to get as far over as possible without flipping the boats. With each rock of the boat people would go flying off into the water. Additionally there were other boats, each sponsored by a company, with several women just singing and dancing on board. In between these acts there would be boat races where two boats would line up, each with about 10 people in them, and they would paddle their boat down the lagoon. There was so much going on and never a dull moment. It was quite amazing how many people were lining the shores and cheering the various boats. For a Montana boy who sure does enjoy the wide open spaces, it was actually a joy to join the crowds, rub shoulders with the locals, and take part in a fascinating festival.

The chief of Elmina

A poor swimmer who forgot it was festival day

Crowded banks of the lagoon

The Hood

At this point I have been in Ghana for over one month, how time flies! It has been wonderful to stay put in one place for an entire month and have the opportunity to fully adjust to my surroundings. Particularly, it has been a joy getting to know the neighbors and chatting with them nearly every day.

So first the house. The house isn't actually in the town of Cape Coast and is nearer the smaller town of Elmina. Elmina is about a 10 minute walk down the street whereas Cape Coast is about a 20 minute taxi ride. Elmina is a fascinating little village with several large old churches and an old slave castle. Maybe that will be another posting. Rumor has it that the old, concrete house was a brothel at one point. However, I try to avoid thinking about this as I come home for the evening. We are lucky enough to have two locals living with us. Ellen, actually lives in the house and takes care of stuff during the day. She will do the dishes, clean, and even do our laundry for a small fee. We share the kitchen so it is often interesting to smell and see what African cuisine she is cooking up. Appiah is our nightwatchman. He is older and has a family of his own in Elmina. Despite this he tends to hang out at the house a lot during the day as well. He has a small shack in the backyard where he lives and I believe he sleeps on the porch during the night. He has a small plot of corn he farms in the yard and maintains the coconut and banana trees. Additionally, we have several chickens that run around the yard, however I am still unclear of their purpose, they don't lay eggs! (that or Appiah is eating them all).

The neighborhood itself is pretty quiet, with the exception of the Silver Cup in front of the house. This seems to be a pretty popular local hangout where there is alcohol, food, and a fella who grills fish along the road. The music is blaring all evening and it is hit or miss whether it is pleasing music or not. Although, last night we were spoiled with endless Bob Marley. Across the street is the Elmina Beach Resort (should be "Beach"), a resort that caters to the wealthier. The next couple of weeks are going to busy around there, I understand that Obama's crew is starting to pour in there. And of course, there is Eli, who lives down the street and cooks us dinner every night. She is an amazing cook who can cook up anything perfectly from grilled cheese to mac and cheese, to local dishes like fufu and red red. There are so many others that make the hood the hood, like the banana girl and of course One Stone, but I have to stop somewhere.

The rainy season seems to be in full swing here, it seems like nearly forever since I have seen the sun. The good thing is that it has cooled off some, I managed to survive an entire night without the fan on! I hope everyone is doing well. Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Our simple, not drafty enough house

Our nearby slice of ocean front heaven (I am not being entirely sarcastic, it is interesting)

The all too rare sunset

Weekend football match in Elmina

A weekend in the Volta

This weekend finally brought about the opportunity for me to get out and do what I love to do, explore. A small group of us broke out of our sheltered lives here in Cape Coast and headed to the Volta Region. The Volta is claimed to be the largest man made lake on earth and lies in Ghana’s mountainous region (mountainous being about 3,000 feet at the highest). However, despite the fact that I have turned into a mountain snob (thanks alot Nepal!), I found these small Ghanaian mountains to be very impressive and beautiful. They were much more rugged than I was expecting, thickly forested down low with open green pastures around the tops. Our journey took us to the highest waterfall in the country, Wli Falls (pronounced Vlee). We decided to take a hike up to the upper part of the falls, which turned into a pretty grueling and sweaty hike due to the steep terrain and humidity. Ghana apparently doesn’t incorporate switchbacks into their trails like we are spoiled with back home. But it was well worth the hike, not only for the falls but also for the various strange insects and the superb views of the valleys and villages below. The highlight of the entire falls though was at the lower section where we were able to swim out underneath the falling water. What an amazing feeling to have water crashing down on you from 150 feet above, so much power and intensity.

Besides the natural environment that the falls and the mountains provided, another wonderful part of the region is the people. We spent the night in small village near the falls, also called Wli. I found a lot of joy in just strolling around the simple village and interacting with the young kids and other villagers. What was most appealing about these people was their warmth. Unlike Cape Coast, where a common greeting to a white person is to yell “obruni“(white man), everyone in the village would say “welcome”. And it truly felt sincere which made it that much more enjoyable to walk around.

So from Wli we headed over to Volta Lake itself for a night and stayed at what I thought was a pretty swanky hotel right on the lake. I say swanky because my hotel room budget is generally between $2 and 6$. But a room here was $30, but fortunately I only had to pay $15 since I shared a room with Paul. But the place did have wonderful swimming in the lake and a rope swing, so that eased my expensive room tension.

Before I finish this off, there was one more African moment that was pretty interesting. During the tro-tro ride to the region we made a pit stop in a village. As the van pulled in to park it was ambushed by probably 25 women all selling something different from the tops of their heads. They literally slammed into the van with their bodies and rocked it. They were selling everything from bread, yams, eggs, crawfish, smoked fish, and a lot of unidentifiable food products. It is common for Ghanaians to carry stuff atop their heads and is downright amazing how they are able to balance it all in often crowded situations. But these women ran to the vehicle in a large compact mass, were able to keep all of their goods balanced on their heads, were able to grab what was needed from their head, and receive payment, without dropping anything to the ground. It was a very impressive sight.

So at the very least, this little weekend getaway opened my eyes to what the rest of Ghana has to offer. I have certainly been inflicted with some wanderlust so I am looking forward to getting out and experiencing more of the country.

Fishing the Volta

The local Wli characters

"Really? It's safe to go in there?"

Wli village and the surrounding mountains

The stone that the builders rejected

Continuing with a glimpse into the projects that I am working on, I will introduce you to One Stone. One Stone, owned by Sam and his wife Judith, is a wonderful handicraft shop. They sell a wide variety of goods from jewelry, to wooden masks, clothing, and their main items, carved furniture and Djembe drums. Sam creates wonderful carved furniture, from beds to coffee tables to chairs. From what I understand, the furniture is constructed of mahogany and he carves wonderful African scenes. In addition to the furniture, he also carves drums. The drum bodies themselves he buys from a supplier but he carves the design and hands the building of the drum to his "brother" Lamin. Of course, they are not the only ones producing these drums (or any of their products for that matter), they do have a workshop in Accra where he has employees turning out drums as well. My time spent with the entire One Stone family has been great. More times than not, work around there turns into a round of drumming. Lamin is a wonderful drummer and he has certainly been showing me a thing or two. Sam (aka RastaSam) is a great guy to work with and is never lacking a good Bob Marley quote. Judith essentially holds the group together and has been touted as the best saleswomen on earth. She is also responsible for giving me my first taste of goat. I will just say that I will not be replacing elk with goat in my diet anytime soon. There is also young Marcus Garvey, their son, running around terrorizing the shop. Oh yeah, can't forget about their dog George Bush. So that is the crew that ensures there is never a dull moment when working on this project.

My role there has essentially been consulting the business and finding ways to bring them more business. Unfortunately, they do not have the best location. There are a couple of nice "beach" resorts nearby but the people visiting places like these do not get out and explore their surroundings. Many of the tourists pass in a car and never take the time to stop and take a look around. So we are looking to increase their sales through the internet and marketing to specific drumming groups and organizations. Initially we are concentrating on moving more drums but will eventually try to sell more of his furniture. It is great to be working with them because they are thrilled to have the help and are passionate about their business. So if you are in the market for a new bed or table and chairs, I know a great place to start looking!

Sam's fine furniture and Djembe drums

Drums built and ready to be shaved and tuned

Marcus ensuring that I do not lose my place while reading the sign

Smiley Lamin and the shop

A bit about the fellow volunteers

By request, I will briefly write about the volunteers I am spending so much time with and roughly what projects they are working on. I am not entirely familiar with the other projects (or with name spellings for that matter) but I am going to give it my best shot. This should bring some additional clarity on what Global Mamas does.

The biggest bunch (8) of common volunteers come from West Point. They are here for about 3 weeks and have been working on various projects including Fair Trade certifications and follow ups, marketing aimed at recruiting volunteers, and business consulting. Katelyn, whom I am working with on the fishing village project, comes from Notre Dame and is also working on a project that involves creating a workbook that teaches the women basic computer skills. Ina, from Duke, seems to be mostly working on fashion and design. In order to make the clothing produced marketable, the women must have up to date designs. Then there is Emi. She has been here for over a year now and is a volunteering with the Japanese equivalent of the Peace Corp. She is also designing. The only other longer term male here is Paul. He is also coming from the UM and I will be working on two projects with him doing business consulting and teaching business management. In addition he is working on the computer workbook. We are all managed (or maybe mothered) by Alice. She was a volunteer last summer and got hired on in December. Prior to this she was working as a designer in New York. In addition to the Cape Coast volunteers, there are several volunteers in Accra, and a Peace Corp volunteer in a village northeast of here called Krobo. Krobo has women that are producing beads made of recycled glass. There is also another Peace Corp volunteer living near Cape Coast that we do see occasionally and is loosley associated with Global Mamas.

So that is the scoop on the diverse, happy, and sweaty group.

Village Excursion

Forgive me if it feels like I am skipping important aspects of this trip, particularly Cape Coast, the people, and life as a Women in Progress volunteer. I feel like these should come before anything else but I am still learning about the culture here and I would like to do it all justice when I do post. With that said...

I have been assigned three projects while I am here. I have begun working on all of them and I intend to share with you each project at beginning and end. One project involves creating a village excursion for tourists. The village is a small clustering of huts on the beach East of Cape Coast. Its not an old village, I believe it was established around 60 years ago. It was established as a fishing village and people could join the community and operate as a kind of co-operative. Currently there is around 200 people that are part of the village, however all 200 aren't there at any one time. The village's primary income comes from the sale of smoked fish in the surrounding towns. There are two rivers that flow into the ocean near the village that the people fish with nets. And of course there is the ocean itself. They tie long nets onto palms and send them out to sea with boats. I am not sure how long the nets are, but they seem to disappear on the horizon, so they are pretty darn long. After the nets have sat for awhile a group of men will pull them in. Unfortunately, now isn't a good time to fish because of rough seas so I was unable to observe the process.

I am working on the project with Kate, a student from Pennsylvania, so I am not alone on this one. Our plan thus far is to have visitors come to the village, experience the fish smoking process, pull in the nets, take a canoe ride along the river, enjoy a freshly plucked coconut as a refreshment, and experience African village life. A majority of the fee that they pay will go towards the village and help the people improve their facilities. As I am finding out, traditional African life is disappearing rapidly as the world is becoming more globalized and westernized. So it is important that villages like these are able to continue operating so that the culture doesn't become lost. On that same line, it is important to design this excursion in such a way that the western influence is minimized. So this is certainly going to be challenging project and has already turned out to be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to spending time in the village and interacting with the villagers.

Of course there is so much more to this village but that should give you pretty good overview. Hope you are all doing well!

Within the village

Gathering the appropriate refreshments

I love my job