Mud on my face, a big disgrace

Seems I've disappeared without a trace....




Here I am bathing in the healing mud of the dead sea!

Actually I've been to Beirut and Jordan too. Wow. No time to post today, but I promise profound observations of the beauty of the Middle East!!!

5 hours of Ghanaian roadside...life as art through the window screen

Whenever we make the westward drive down Ghana’s coast, I am reminded of one of my favourite childhood books – Where the Wild Things Are. Not because there are wild things (though certain things you see along that road could be considered quite wild), but because we pass through long stretches of thick rainforest. The wall of trees makes me feel like Max in the wolf costume, watching the imaginary forest grow, and I expect the huge yellow-eyed monsters to come lumbering through the branches…

I am always jolted back to reality when the forest is broken by a village, straddling the road, goats, chicken, children, women in rollers and men in ill-fitted suits… a slice of rural life, cut through by the rushing 4x4 we inhabit.



This weekend, after a presentation in Takoradi to the Oil and Gas sector (in my pseudo professional capacity), we headed further along the coast. Our destination: Lou Moon Lodge near Axim. It’s a wonderful oasis among the chaos that is Ghana. It’s run by a Belgian couple who have worked out perfectly how to take the best of the quaint village (using traditional thatch structures and local rock formations), and mix it with the sophistication and calm of a European spa. With no electricity in the area, they run all modern amenities completely on generator. They have also lucked out with a great little corner of Ghana’s mostly rough coastline. The 11 room hotel is built on a tiny, calm bay where you can swim without fear of the undercurrent sucking you along with it. Anyone visiting Ghana should make the 5 hour drive from the capital Accra – it’s worth the headaches in traffic and the increasing police roadblocks cum extortion points…

What always strikes me on these trips are the massive contrasts; the (not always peaceful) meeting of two worlds. The modern meets the ancient, the haves meet the have-nots, or more accurately, the haves pass swiftly by the have-nots on the roadside.




As we left the resort after 24 hours of pure rest and relaxation, I noticed a young guy from the sea side village next door, standing at the top of the unpaved hill. He was maneuvering himself to get cell phone coverage, which is intermittent at best... It dawned on me as we bumped along further in 4 wheel drive, that there is no electricity for miles. How do they charge mobile phones?? This is a village that is bathed only in moonlight from 6pm each evening. Where traditional drums are used for ceremonies and for calling villagers to attention. Yet he had a cellphone. Contrast! Ghana...

Below, a snapshot of the Ghana we drove through, to and from the resort.

Beautiful regal trees, tower above everything - remnants of the thick massive rainforest of the past...

But in some places, too much human waste is winning the battle against nature...

Sometimes the colours of the village are like a live painting - vibrant and beautiful and almost defying description.

There is always an array of snacks to buy - this lady sells roasted plantain and in the characterstic blue plastic bags - fante kenkey - a dish famous in the western and central regions - it is a firm maize porridge, fermented and wrapped in plantain leaves and then sold in the blue bags. No less than 100 ladies tout these pyramids along the coast.


Another fante kenkey seller, Ama Adoma, where we bought two bags on special request from a Ghanaian colleague back in Accra. (Many of the ladies name their stand after themselves, or a suitably hopeful religious quote).

Closer to Accra some strong armed boys sell yams.

At one of the tollbooths (which charge a mere 10 pesewas (equivalent to 10 cents US and seemingly hardly worth employing staff...), I saw this sign... WTF??!!! I can't even guess what the name is supposed to signify..HUNGBARK...?!!

I couldn't resist this one - it's an advertisement for a school... in case it's too blurry, it's called: Peculiar Child Academy. There was another one quite near it called Virgin Kids and Secondary School... How can they be sure? And why the word AND? Ghana does have it's mysteries...

All of this and so much more on a business trip/holiday weekend drive! I'm a lucky girl with the opportunity to see so much life around me to be in the place of others, observing, learning, growing...

Istanbul, not Constantinople

Things I used to associate with the country Turkey:

1. This silly song, that is very catchy by The Four Lads - originally released in 1953, covered by They Might Be Giants in the early nineties...



2. Turkish delight (a disgusting jelly like candy sold in squares, dusted with icing sugar) comes from there.

3. The country's name is synonymous with the festive food (read dead bird) centerpiece at Christmas and Thanksgiving

4. The country's name can be used as an insult, by calling someone 'a turkey' - implying stupidity and simpleness...

5. They made it into the International news for wars, violence and corruption over the years..

That's about it really.

THINGS I NOW KNOW ABOUT TURKEY:

1. Turkey is bordered by 8 countries! Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria (and even Cyprus if you count that...)




2. It is divided into 81 provinces and is very different geographically and culturally across the provinces

3. Turkish is a completely unique language - unlike Arabic or the European languages

4. Turkey is a Muslim country but in the cities it is rare to see women covered up, and drinking is completely accepted

5. Turkey has amazing tourist areas, and even an area called the Turkish Riviera that is made up of a series of south facing bays, that are tourist magnets every summer - complete with great beaches, restaurants and nightclubs (some of the best in the world - Ibiza has nothing on the southern Turkey nightclubs!)



6. Istanbul was the capital city of the Roman, Latin and Ottoman Empires

7. St. Nicolas (later known as Santa Claus) was born in Patara, Turkey

8. Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents!

9. Abraham (of biblical fame), Aesop and Homer were all from Turkey

10. 70% of the world's hazelnuts come from Turkey

11. It is illegal in Turkey to make fun of Turkishness (can you imagine?)

12. Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, who founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923 is the country's hero, and his image is displayed EVERYWHERE - homes, boardwalks, businesses, bars - everywhere.

13. Turks have a long standing rivalry with the Greeks

14. The island of Rhodes in Greece is closer to Turkey than to the Greek mainland

15. Parts of Turkey are absolutely beautiful - mountainous, warm, lakes, lagoons, beaches, and numerous famous ruins dot the countryside.

Last but not least - I recommend a visit by all!

Olu Deniz - a little piece of paradise

Excuse my silence, but places like this inspire awe, and silence. And for the past three weeks, these are the types of scenes that I've awoken to - in Dubai, around the south of Turkey and on Rhodes Island, Greece.

And now I'm back in Ghana - back to reality. Reviews from the holiday to follow - but for now - soak this in!