Traffic

Traffic was crawling again, slower than a snail with a limp (to quote a line penned by an author my wife was reading). On the right stood a lady with a tower of packets that reared up and balanced Buddha like on her head. The packets contained plantains, a potato type starch popular in Africa. These plantains were a rich mahogany in colour and I could only imagine the old oil as thick as sludge in which they had been deep fried. Only then to be sealed in plastic packets with the breath of desperation!

A loud clang rocked the car. I swivelled to the left in time to see a goat on steroids free his horn from its engagement with our car mirror. For an instant, it seemed like he gave our car the evil eye and was tempted to prove his superiority. His decision gladdened me as I had no doubt our car was no match for a monster beast with attitude. His two brothers trotted gaily after him, undeterred that their goat path was the middle lane of a highway.

Numerous billboards lined the road advertising things from Ethiopian Airlines to Prudential Bank. Two cows were chained to the latter’s support poles, both fat and grazing. They very presence inspiring the feeling that it is all a lot of bull. Not far off, two donkeys lounged at a robot, both obviously up to no good!

On my left, a car leapfrogged our car again. This time I took notice of its sign writing that screamed for attention. The car was an advert for a security and barbed wire fencing concern. One word was big and bold and stood out; ‘danger’! I wondered ludicrously if this was the only honest car in town.

I smiled as the three billy goats gruff trotted past our car again, this time sans collision. The smile faded as I saw two young boys squatting over an open channel next to the road. With a complete lack of modesty, they finished their business, upped their pants and ran off to join their friends.

Later, while feasting on a large fillet steak stuffed with Brie, at an upmarket restaurant in the Accra mall, I wondered about the extreme contrasts that flavour the continent of Africa.

Off to West Africa

Today was a rough day. It all started out well. On my way out to the sea for my Monday morning board meeting, I met up with the chap who put one and one together and got one. Perhaps you remember the piece that I wrote on me breaking my good mate’s board. I showed him that I was still riding and that it was doing fine. We both had a look at the repair and saw that it was far from well and that it needed some serious love and attention. Perhaps after my surf session, I thought.

I had a fine session! I got some moves right and had heaps of waves. Eventually I dragged myself out of the sea in order to have a quick shower, get dressed, pack, hop into the car and get dropped off at the airport. A quick trip to Ghana was in order.

My wife dropped me off well early as she had to get back to sort out the children. Just as well. On checking in, I discovered that my flight had been cancelled. After a whole heap of conferencing and typing, I was upgraded to business class on an earlier flight. Had I been on time to check in, I would not have made my connection to Accra.

Eight and a bit hours of flying and I found myself in Accra, Ghana. I have a self catering apartment which is OK. Ghana is two hours behind the good old SA. I must have plonked myself into bed well after 1am and then proceeded not to sleep until I did not wake up for my alarm. Today has been filled with Coke, hopefully it will get me through...

Accra in Photographs

I often do not see the nicest part of cities as my job requires me to visit some of the poorest out there, and make sure that they are drinking the right product - hmm (an ethical and moral dilema in there that I still need to sort out)!!

Here is a quick collage of a couple of interesting aspects of a shanty town built around a working railway line. These people were real friendly BUT I still took all of these pics as shots from the waist, so as not to offend!!



While drinking a Peroni at Rhapsodies in Accra and looking out of their big picture windows, I had this thought that the view was exactly the same as if I was in Rhapsodies in Centurion (Pretoria, capital city of South Africa) except for the fact that the cars were on the wrong side of the road!!! I was seiously impressed by this town!!