I had expected that by this point life would have settled down and I would have started to write about some aspects of day to day life in Ghana but at the moment there are far too many things going on to do that.

Last Tuesday the Municipal Assembly was visited by small group from Rochester, NY near the Great Lakes. One of their number was a Ghanaian who had lived in the States since the '70s and was now keen to set up some partnerships in the Koforidua area. I was fortunate enough to join the group for lunch and a trip out to the Akosombo Dam, to the north east of town, at the foot of Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake in the world. We were taken on a brief tour.

At the weekend I visited three volunteers in the Central Region. I took the tro tro to Asikuma where Behi lives. Unfortunately the mobile phone transmitter failed at a crucial moment andI spent half an hor chasing sightings of Behi around town assisted by three Cubans. Once I found her, we discovered the hotel was full and I spent the night in a very basic lodging house, but there were no bugs. On Saturday we met up with Virgil (Phillipino) and Sulliman (Ugandan) in Cape Coast. We had lunch overlooking the ocean and then spent the remainder of the afternoon on the high walkways 100 metres above the rainforest floor in Kakum National Park. After a night with Sulliman we visited Cape Coast Castle on Sunday morning. This was a British fort used as the last holding point for thousands of slaves before they were transported to the new world. It was last used for that purpose in 1807. The guide was excellent and sensitively dealt with all the issues. After lunch it was tro-tros home, except thant on reaching Swedru with Virgil, I found the connecting service dod not run on Sunday afternoons. I spent the night at Virgil's house and left for Koforidua in the morning.

It feels as if the rainy seasaon is noe coming to an end. I havenot felt rain properly since Saturday afternoon.

On Tuesday next week I leave for Tamale for the end of our introductory training. This will involve a night in Accra and and all day coach to the north. I hope to see some of the wildlife up there, but it may be a fortnight beofre I can post about it.

Kumasi

Lightning on Friday knocked out our power supply. (It is still out on Monday morning) Fortunately Krishma and I had already decided to spend the weekend in Kumasi, Ghana's second city and a four hour tro tro ride from Koforidua. We were on the road by 8:15. Kumasi has one of, if not, the biggest markets in West Africa. It has 10,000 traders -rather bigger than Skipton Market but without the flourescent jackets. It was also ridiculously busy with people constantly on the move. We found a Lonely Planet recommended hotel near the centre at the top of an office/business block. It had hot water, TV and soft sheets. We visited the Cultural Centre which had a range of very tasteful locally produced craft work. It stayed dry, but in the evening it rained heavily and we were glad of the restaurant in the same complex as the hotel. Although there were a few white people about we felt less conspicuous here than in Koforidua. People were just too busy to be bothered with us. On Sunday morning a man explained to us about the medical properties of the elepant bone his friend was sawing up. We peered through the gates of the Ashanti king's palace and then took the tro tro home again.

Pictures!

Just a couple to catch up. A better way of leaving Accra than school bus, Boti Falls and our house in Koforidua. Sorry I feature so prominently but at least it proves I'm here!

Last Wednesday I travelled to Accra with the other Koforidua volunteers by tro-tro. The journey of less than 40 miles took two hours forty minutes partly because of the circuitous rout, but mainly because of the horrendous traffic in Accra. Tro-tros have a tendency to leave the main roads and take to rutty lanes when things get bad. We went to a VSO meeting on disabilities. Hot running water and a swimming pool at the hotel were welcome, the mosquito I shared my room with on the first night was not. The meeting was good for the three new volunteers. We got a good insight into the projects the established volunteers are working on, ranging for street children in Accra, mental heath care, disability issues in schools and sanitation facilities for disabled people.

Dan, Behi and I left the hotel on Saturday morning and spent that night with another volunteer, Steve based in Accra. On Saturday evening we watched England beat France in the Rugby World Cup semi-final at a sports bar. It was touch and go with the satellite equipment but it kept going.

Monday was a public holiday to mark the end of Ramadan. It was a rather dull day with nothing to do. Over the last couple of days we have had a tremendous amount of rain. On Wednesday the thunder sounded like a bomb explosion. I later discovered that a shop I used only that lunch time had been struck by lightning and there was stock everywhere. Unfortunately, though the rain is plentiful we only have water from the taps, one day a week at present. The good news is that the power crisis here is over and the only interruptions we currently have are the storms.

Culinary success this week has been yam, ochre and garden egg soup, which tasted quite leek and potatoey and looked quite glossy.

Bad computer day. This is my second attempt to post this blog as the first posting vanished at the crucial moment.

My time has now run out. So try again next week!

Boti Falls

Fortunately, I have found an internet cafe with a better connection rate. It's closer to the office and slightly cheaper - half a Ghana cedi an hour - about 25 pence.

At the weekend, Tom another short term volunteer, who Krishma had met when she arrived, came to stay from Accra. He is working with a national agency that deals in micro credit for small businesses and was fortunate to get a lift to Koforidua via the agencies local office. We had a meal out on Friday. The biggest difference to a British restaurant was that it closed at 8:30. By 8:50 when we left all the staff were watching us.

On Saturday, Krishma had arranged use of one of placement's cars and drivers. We were joined by Dan another of the local VSOs and were driven to Boti Falls, the local tourist attraction. We took up the offer of a guide on arrival and walked for three hours through the local jungly vegetation. Half way around we stopped to admire the views from Umbrella Rock and buy coconuts from a conveniently placed seller. The walk ended at the falls. The rain we have had over the last few weeks meant the falls were an impressive sight and I find it hard to imagine they could be any better.

Tomorrow I shall be going to Accra by tro-tro for a two day VSO meeting on disabilities.

Other than that our culinary highlight of the week has been corned beef hash using yam as potatoes are imported and therefore rare and expensive. I am currently experimenting with lunch time snacks -today it was a very close approximation to a Cornish pasty!

Koforidua calling

After Sun Lodge, internet cafes with slow connections do not have the same appeal. No pictures and I reckon weekly updates for the time being at least.
It is almost exactly a week since I arrived here. I am sure I will provide more details on life in Koforidua in the coming weeks but for the time being -
The house is beautiful, clean, tidy, currently mosquito free so not using nets and only lets in the occasional dead or dying cockroach.
I share it with Krishma a short term volunteer from the UK. She is a fashion designer helping a garment factory. She leaves at Christmas.
The power supply is only interupted briefly by the regular thunder storms. The water is more off than on. There is a decent sized water tank we share with immediate neighbours during the dry spells but it did run dry on Sunday. We then rely on the well where Krishma works. The staff there are very accommodating. We had piped water for the first time yesterday. There is no hot water so showers and bucket baths are bracing. We had a problem with the gas cylinder for cooking but this is now fixed.
I started work on Monday. It will take some time to get used to local government Ghana style but some things are very familiar. Busy with the strategic plan at the moment.
We have equipped the house with a wok, iron, toaster and a huge quantity of blue plastic bowls mainly used to carry around various grades of water. World Service comes through loud and clear. I hear that mysterious sculptures are appearing in Kilburn gardens...