I am now home! This gives me the luxury of filling you in on the last week using a real keyboard and not from my phone.
For our last weekend we headed to Cape Coast, the number one tourist destination in Ghana. Cape Coast is so popular because it has an incredibly well preserved fort, which was used as a port for the exportation of slaves. It was a really eery experience to creep around the dark cells used for keeping slaves before transportation. There was also an excellent museum which told us all about the slave trade and the freedom movement which subsequently emerged. It was a pleasure to have finally found a well run museum after the flops we found in Accra and Kumasi.
We stayed in the Paradise beach resort, which as the name suggests was located right on the beach and was also really lovely. Each room was its own huts, just like at Kokrobite, but the showers were outside so you could shower under the stars. We had a bit of an epic journey to get down to Cape Coast from Kumasi, with a mix up about where we were meeting the new bunch of students from New Zealand. The trotros then decided to break down about 3/4 of the way and we were asked to get out whilst a mechanic took the engine apart and using him mouth, blew some oil/petrol out of a part (we think using our expert mechanical knowledge it was the carbaretta, but it could well have been anything else which is covered in clear fluid).
Therefore everyone wanted to let off a bit of steam once we finally made it, and we had a wonderful time at the bar of the resort getting to know the kiwis and taking in the almost obligatory african drumming and dancing which accompanied each of our nights in the resort.Unfortunately at some point during the frivolities I had my phone stolen, which put a downer on the rest of the weekend. I had to go to the police station and fill out some forms. I then had to sit there for the best part of 2 days for someone to type up the report and get the chief to sign it. It was painfully slow and very frustrating, luckily I had the presence of mind to take a book with me, so it wasn't entirely painful.
I did however manage to slink off for a morning to the canopy walk at Kakum national park. It is a bizarre tourist attraction which, apart from being great because it offers you a chance to walk between trees around 40m off the ground, seemed a little pointless because we weren't deep enough into the rain forest to actually have any chance of seeing any animals. It did provide a terrific photo opportunity, and also much entertainment watching Louise, who is a little nervy about heights at the best of times, edging out onto the walk ways pretending to be calm. After the canopy walk we decided to drop in at the Hans Cottage Botel (yes that's right, it is a botel, apparantly a hotel on water should be called a botel) where the hotel is shared by around 60 crocodiles. For a small fee they allow you to get pictures with and even stroke the crocs, a weird experience which was definitely worth doing purely for the adrenaline rush everytime the docile crocodiles decided they'd had enough and started to move towards you.
After cape coast we headed back to Atibie and did a couple more days in the hospital before a final get together with all the docs and admin staff at the local bar/restaurant, Eastern Palace. Don't be drawn in by the name, there is nothing oriental about this place. They serve a wide variety of dishes: rice and chicken or rice and beef, but the bar is well stocked and it is situated just opposite the compound in which all the doctors live. It was really nice to get to know Dr Addei a bit, becasue although he was our clinical supervisor, he'd been away for 4 of our 8 weeks. It was pretty emotional finally packing up all our stuff and heading for the last time to the tro tros station in Nkawkaw. More emotional was saying good bye to Omar, who was flying out the night before the rest of us, and had been a delight to travel with. The rest of the stay went without much of a hitch, with the 5 hour wait in the airport flying by as we watched the live greece vs macedonia euro qualifier. Ems met me from the airport in manchester and I was a bit of a sleep deprived mess, I'd eaten far too much and watched too many films rather than sleep (a skill admirably demonstrated by Cat, who seemed to fall asleep as soon as she sat in her seat, well before take off).
I will try and get the photo slideshow working down the bottom, so you can have a look at my pictures. If not you can find them if you search for me, Richard Salisbury, on Picasa. Thank you all for reading, I hope it's been interesting for you as it has been for me, and that I have got across what a truly remarkable place Ghana is.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Elephant Fun
This weekend we headed north to mole national park, the largest and most tourist friendly game reserve in Ghana. Unfotunately it is also the furthest away national park and because it is so large, the entrance is in the middle of no where. Because of these 2 unfortunate facts we had the bright idea of chartering a trotros to take us all the way. This was however rather expensive, costing us around 25 pounds each (which is by far the most money we have spent on anything whilst we've been out here). We did however get a nice relatively new air conditioned one, with an engine and driver who took us at over twice the speed limit of 50 km/hr.7 hours and 30 minutes later we were pulling into mole motel situated in the middle of the national park.
As this is out first and only trip to the north it is worth mentioning the differences I have noticed between the north and the south. Perhaps the most syiking difference is in the change in religion to Islam. As we travelled north, at first every village we passed had a church at their centre, then a church and a mosque before finally only mosques. In the last two villages the mosques were made in the traditional mud and stick construction and were said to be the two oldest in Ghana. Another change we could see out the window, besides the change in clothes from ashante toga to Islamic smock and trousers, was the change from brick houses with metal roofs, to mud houses with thatched roofs, which were very similar to the houses in the villages of Morocco.
As we got furher north, the temperature also increased, to such an extent that we all struggled to sleep the first night we were in mole.
The next day we awoke with the sun rise and rushed out to the viewing platform overlooking 2 large watering holes, right next to the hotel. I got my trusty binocculares out and was treated to a great view of cobs (an antellope species) waking and heading down to drink. There were also a few males rutting to try and gain control of the herd of females. At 7 we headed off on a walking safari. Our guide abdula took us out into the bush and pointed out the different animals we saw. We actually managed to see almost all of the different animals in the park, 2 different antelope, the sociable cob and the solitary bush buck, the ground bound guinea fowl, some green monkeys and some crocodiles. It was great fun but we all agreed, what we really wanted to see were elephants.
With this in mind we booked a jeep to take us out that afternoon and spent the rest of the day sunning ourselves by the pool. At the designated time we headed to the information centre and found our jeep.4 of us were to ride inside the jeep and 4 of us on the roof. By the roof I don't mean some seats constructed on the roof, but a couple of planks which had been screwed onto the roof bars. The boys naturally went straight for the precarious root, whereas the girls decided they would see how we fairer before taking their turn later. With us all in position clinging for our lives on top, we headed off. It was actually quite safe, the bumps in the road were taken at a sedate pace and we were easily able to keep ourselves upright in the corners, but we did get a great view of the animals we saw, who rather than being frightened of the jeep seemed mesmerised, and would stop and turn to have a good look at us before running off after we'd all got some really nice pictures. We went on for an hour, heading further and further into the park and still no sign of the elusive elephants until suddenly their was a screech from below us. Cat had seen something grey in the trees. We all strained to see what was there, and I could see nothing until all of a sudden a long grey trunk shot out and grabbed a leaf. We all tumbled out of the jeep and crept closer. There was a massive male about 100m away. He seemed unconcerned by us and continued to munch on the trees and move slowly towards us. As he got closer we could see that he wasn't alone, behind him were 6 or 7 more, 2 females, 2 babies and 2 young men. They were all walking straight at us. We started to back away as our guide hissed at us to get onto the road. I must say as excited as I was I could see that if they started to charge we would have no chance of getting to the car in time as they were now very close. Thankfully they still looked unconcerned about us and wandered on now slightly away from our direction. They then came out of the trees and walked just in front of us across the road giving us a brilliant view of them before they headed off in the same direction on the other side of the road. By this point our guide had called the other jeeps and lots people were turning up, so we smuggly left them to it and headed back to the lodge. We had been incredibly lucky and congratulated ourselves all the way back.
The next day we spent mainly by the pool, with omar and I heading out on a walking safari in the afternoon before the big fa cup clash between reading and man city, which we could watch in the bar. It was unfortunate to see reading knocked out in a game where they were the better team for most of it. Although they didn't have many chances I thought they were at least good enough to get a replay. Still after a few drinks in the bar and a look out at the magnificent views framing the hotel and things weren't quite so bad.
The next day we rose at 4 for the morning bus to tamale and the less said about the day probably the better, I think it will suffice to say we didn't get back home until 11 that evening and were all shattered.
As this is out first and only trip to the north it is worth mentioning the differences I have noticed between the north and the south. Perhaps the most syiking difference is in the change in religion to Islam. As we travelled north, at first every village we passed had a church at their centre, then a church and a mosque before finally only mosques. In the last two villages the mosques were made in the traditional mud and stick construction and were said to be the two oldest in Ghana. Another change we could see out the window, besides the change in clothes from ashante toga to Islamic smock and trousers, was the change from brick houses with metal roofs, to mud houses with thatched roofs, which were very similar to the houses in the villages of Morocco.
As we got furher north, the temperature also increased, to such an extent that we all struggled to sleep the first night we were in mole.
The next day we awoke with the sun rise and rushed out to the viewing platform overlooking 2 large watering holes, right next to the hotel. I got my trusty binocculares out and was treated to a great view of cobs (an antellope species) waking and heading down to drink. There were also a few males rutting to try and gain control of the herd of females. At 7 we headed off on a walking safari. Our guide abdula took us out into the bush and pointed out the different animals we saw. We actually managed to see almost all of the different animals in the park, 2 different antelope, the sociable cob and the solitary bush buck, the ground bound guinea fowl, some green monkeys and some crocodiles. It was great fun but we all agreed, what we really wanted to see were elephants.
With this in mind we booked a jeep to take us out that afternoon and spent the rest of the day sunning ourselves by the pool. At the designated time we headed to the information centre and found our jeep.4 of us were to ride inside the jeep and 4 of us on the roof. By the roof I don't mean some seats constructed on the roof, but a couple of planks which had been screwed onto the roof bars. The boys naturally went straight for the precarious root, whereas the girls decided they would see how we fairer before taking their turn later. With us all in position clinging for our lives on top, we headed off. It was actually quite safe, the bumps in the road were taken at a sedate pace and we were easily able to keep ourselves upright in the corners, but we did get a great view of the animals we saw, who rather than being frightened of the jeep seemed mesmerised, and would stop and turn to have a good look at us before running off after we'd all got some really nice pictures. We went on for an hour, heading further and further into the park and still no sign of the elusive elephants until suddenly their was a screech from below us. Cat had seen something grey in the trees. We all strained to see what was there, and I could see nothing until all of a sudden a long grey trunk shot out and grabbed a leaf. We all tumbled out of the jeep and crept closer. There was a massive male about 100m away. He seemed unconcerned by us and continued to munch on the trees and move slowly towards us. As he got closer we could see that he wasn't alone, behind him were 6 or 7 more, 2 females, 2 babies and 2 young men. They were all walking straight at us. We started to back away as our guide hissed at us to get onto the road. I must say as excited as I was I could see that if they started to charge we would have no chance of getting to the car in time as they were now very close. Thankfully they still looked unconcerned about us and wandered on now slightly away from our direction. They then came out of the trees and walked just in front of us across the road giving us a brilliant view of them before they headed off in the same direction on the other side of the road. By this point our guide had called the other jeeps and lots people were turning up, so we smuggly left them to it and headed back to the lodge. We had been incredibly lucky and congratulated ourselves all the way back.
The next day we spent mainly by the pool, with omar and I heading out on a walking safari in the afternoon before the big fa cup clash between reading and man city, which we could watch in the bar. It was unfortunate to see reading knocked out in a game where they were the better team for most of it. Although they didn't have many chances I thought they were at least good enough to get a replay. Still after a few drinks in the bar and a look out at the magnificent views framing the hotel and things weren't quite so bad.
The next day we rose at 4 for the morning bus to tamale and the less said about the day probably the better, I think it will suffice to say we didn't get back home until 11 that evening and were all shattered.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Accra and independence day
Again I seem to be languishing a week behind on my blog buy hopefully today as I sit basking in the sun by the pool at mole motel I will be able to make amends.
Last Sunday was Ghana's independence day and to celebrate this we decided to head to the capital Accra. Accra is the largest and busiest of the cities we have visited, and comes with some draw backs.2 drawbacks in particular come to mind, the terrible taxi drivers who never seemed to know where we wanted to go, and the pushy street sellers who would grab your arm and drag you kicking and screaming into their shops. Despite this it is a nice city, although there are few tourist attractions, we spent a great day at the mall, drinking in the air conditioning and took in a film at the excellent cinema. The nightlife is also great, and we discovered plenty of really cool bars and a nightclub which felt like a decent club from home rather than the dark hall we'd experienced in Kumasi.
On independence day we got picked up by sefa and headed to independence square, which we visited on our first day in Ghana. We arrived to find thousands of people already milling about in the stands, and the last of the school groups marching into the square. Once we found a seat we settled down to enjoy the independence Day celebrations. Several hundred school children from all the areas of Accra and a group from each of the armed forces marched around the parade ground accompanied by a military band. Then the president turned up surrounded by the presidential guard on horse back. The president then got out his limo and greeted the dignataries before getting into a pope mobile and touring round the assembled regiments of children. He then lit a massive flame and there was a fly by from 3 jets and a salute from a battery of artillery. This was all well and good but the real entertainment came from watching as the children, standing in the baking sun, started to faint. They were dropping like flies and with every one to fall there were st johns ambulance men sprinting out with stretchers to fetch them. It became a real case of survival, with some schools suffering heavier losses than other schools, some of which had thought far enough in advance to bring replacements who donned their white gloves and sprinted out to replace their class mates. All in all a very entertaining weekend.
Last Sunday was Ghana's independence day and to celebrate this we decided to head to the capital Accra. Accra is the largest and busiest of the cities we have visited, and comes with some draw backs.2 drawbacks in particular come to mind, the terrible taxi drivers who never seemed to know where we wanted to go, and the pushy street sellers who would grab your arm and drag you kicking and screaming into their shops. Despite this it is a nice city, although there are few tourist attractions, we spent a great day at the mall, drinking in the air conditioning and took in a film at the excellent cinema. The nightlife is also great, and we discovered plenty of really cool bars and a nightclub which felt like a decent club from home rather than the dark hall we'd experienced in Kumasi.
On independence day we got picked up by sefa and headed to independence square, which we visited on our first day in Ghana. We arrived to find thousands of people already milling about in the stands, and the last of the school groups marching into the square. Once we found a seat we settled down to enjoy the independence Day celebrations. Several hundred school children from all the areas of Accra and a group from each of the armed forces marched around the parade ground accompanied by a military band. Then the president turned up surrounded by the presidential guard on horse back. The president then got out his limo and greeted the dignataries before getting into a pope mobile and touring round the assembled regiments of children. He then lit a massive flame and there was a fly by from 3 jets and a salute from a battery of artillery. This was all well and good but the real entertainment came from watching as the children, standing in the baking sun, started to faint. They were dropping like flies and with every one to fall there were st johns ambulance men sprinting out with stretchers to fetch them. It became a real case of survival, with some schools suffering heavier losses than other schools, some of which had thought far enough in advance to bring replacements who donned their white gloves and sprinted out to replace their class mates. All in all a very entertaining weekend.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Monday, 7 March 2011
Back to the Hospital
After two weeks stumbling through the generic symptoms of community clinics, we are now back at kwahu general.
It makes a nice change and I definitely feel more confident now on ward rounds which has resulted in me asking the questions I want to and getting stuck in examining patients with signs. As a result I'm getting much mote out of my days. We've had some really interesting patients in this week, someone with Stevens Johnson syndrome, where your skin dies and starts to peel off, another with a herbal enema induced collitis which has led to bowel obstruction and a case of unknown weight loss and cachexia. This last case is really interesting because with the limited tests available it is very difficult to locate a cause, although it is almost certainly due to a cancer somewhere in the body.
I've also been into surgery and watched a very exciting operation where a lady had presented with an ectopic pregnancy. When she was opened up, the entire abdomen was filled with blood. It was pretty scarry to see them suction out about 2 litres straight away, and seemingly from my angle still not be able to see the cause of the bleeding. Luckily that didn't matter as one of the doctors reached into the pool of blood and managed to pull out the fallopian tube with the ectopic pregnancy clearly visible. Around the ectopic you could see.the tell tale squirting of an arterial bleed. They calmly clamped off the ends of the tube and resected the ectopic, and by doing so stopped the bleed. It was great to see someone's life being saved, especially from some quick thinking and expertise from the surgeon (all doctors at the hospital are general physicians as well as general surgeons).
Apart from ward rounds I've also been in casualty, which is very much like the community clinic apart from there are many more tests and medications to use, and had a tour round the lab, where we saw malaria parasites and got informed about which machines they have. All in all a rather good week!
It makes a nice change and I definitely feel more confident now on ward rounds which has resulted in me asking the questions I want to and getting stuck in examining patients with signs. As a result I'm getting much mote out of my days. We've had some really interesting patients in this week, someone with Stevens Johnson syndrome, where your skin dies and starts to peel off, another with a herbal enema induced collitis which has led to bowel obstruction and a case of unknown weight loss and cachexia. This last case is really interesting because with the limited tests available it is very difficult to locate a cause, although it is almost certainly due to a cancer somewhere in the body.
I've also been into surgery and watched a very exciting operation where a lady had presented with an ectopic pregnancy. When she was opened up, the entire abdomen was filled with blood. It was pretty scarry to see them suction out about 2 litres straight away, and seemingly from my angle still not be able to see the cause of the bleeding. Luckily that didn't matter as one of the doctors reached into the pool of blood and managed to pull out the fallopian tube with the ectopic pregnancy clearly visible. Around the ectopic you could see.the tell tale squirting of an arterial bleed. They calmly clamped off the ends of the tube and resected the ectopic, and by doing so stopped the bleed. It was great to see someone's life being saved, especially from some quick thinking and expertise from the surgeon (all doctors at the hospital are general physicians as well as general surgeons).
Apart from ward rounds I've also been in casualty, which is very much like the community clinic apart from there are many more tests and medications to use, and had a tour round the lab, where we saw malaria parasites and got informed about which machines they have. All in all a rather good week!
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
The gang
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Friday, 4 March 2011
Aburi and the lake voltage dam
Sorry for the late update, confusingly this post is about last weekend. When we scored a mighty victory against the French in the six nations , which was made all the sweeter by sharing the news with a Frenchman we were with at the time.
Last weekend started late because it began raining just as we were about to leave and we don't trust the roads (or the driving) in the wet. So it was Saturday before we headed off to the akosumba dam which is responsible for creating the largest man made lake in the world.
Seeing the dam was not as simple we could have hoped. In order to approach the dam we had to get a pass first from round the back of a bank in a tiny unmarked office, which then had to be stamped by a man in the adjacent room and then return to the same woman to give her our address and phone numbers. Goodness knows why, but it ended up that we then needed to get a lift with a stranger who happened to have some empty spaces in his car up to the dam itself.
The dam was constructed in the 80s I think and seems to provide the entire electricity for Ghana as well as be able to export to 3 of the neighbouring countries. It is as you may imagine a very impressive structure. We were told it is a terraced dam. Whatever that may be, and is constructed from stone cut from the hills either side of the dam. It is only about 20 meters high and I must say I thought it was going to be taller. Our tour guide took us (as well as 2 parties of school kids) onto the dam from where we could appreciate the power house where the turbines are held and the many cables taking away the power to different areas. Unfortunately we were not allowed to go inside the dam, so the tour was quite brief. This was probably a good thing as we were starting to worry that we would not be able to reach aburi that evening. We shared this predicament with the nice Frenchman who had given us a lift to the dam and he said he was heading in our direction so would give us a lift. What a nice chap! We made it to aburi in no time, and discovered that our new French friend was working out in Ghana for john west fishing for tuna. He told us of the politics and corruption of the fishing industry and the racial tension which existed between the Korean and Ghanaian crew members.
Aburi is a town unlike any we had been to before, it is situated ontop of q hill which provided spectacular views out over the capital Accra. It had narrow one way roads and everywhere was green rather than the red dust which seeps through in drier areas. We enjoyed an excellent meal that night and headed to bed early as tomorrow we were going to go mountain biking.
Mountain biking for anyone like me who hasn't done it before is a mixture of great fun, hard work and being absolutely petrified. Thankfully the bikes we hired had good brakes so we were ok going embarrassingly slowly down the hills. We stopped along the way for our guide to point out plants and demonstrate how they were made into food. We also had a look round a local house, which was fascinating. We enjoyed a great morning of exercise and headed to Pete's pizza place for lunch. Pete is a rasta who gave up his job fishing in Italy to create a tiny 4 person restaurant which looks like his living room. It is the kind of restaurant which would be perfectly normal if at glastonburry festival and q real delight to find. After lunch we had a wonder around the botanical gardens which houses a large range of different plants, and then headed home.
Last weekend started late because it began raining just as we were about to leave and we don't trust the roads (or the driving) in the wet. So it was Saturday before we headed off to the akosumba dam which is responsible for creating the largest man made lake in the world.
Seeing the dam was not as simple we could have hoped. In order to approach the dam we had to get a pass first from round the back of a bank in a tiny unmarked office, which then had to be stamped by a man in the adjacent room and then return to the same woman to give her our address and phone numbers. Goodness knows why, but it ended up that we then needed to get a lift with a stranger who happened to have some empty spaces in his car up to the dam itself.
The dam was constructed in the 80s I think and seems to provide the entire electricity for Ghana as well as be able to export to 3 of the neighbouring countries. It is as you may imagine a very impressive structure. We were told it is a terraced dam. Whatever that may be, and is constructed from stone cut from the hills either side of the dam. It is only about 20 meters high and I must say I thought it was going to be taller. Our tour guide took us (as well as 2 parties of school kids) onto the dam from where we could appreciate the power house where the turbines are held and the many cables taking away the power to different areas. Unfortunately we were not allowed to go inside the dam, so the tour was quite brief. This was probably a good thing as we were starting to worry that we would not be able to reach aburi that evening. We shared this predicament with the nice Frenchman who had given us a lift to the dam and he said he was heading in our direction so would give us a lift. What a nice chap! We made it to aburi in no time, and discovered that our new French friend was working out in Ghana for john west fishing for tuna. He told us of the politics and corruption of the fishing industry and the racial tension which existed between the Korean and Ghanaian crew members.
Aburi is a town unlike any we had been to before, it is situated ontop of q hill which provided spectacular views out over the capital Accra. It had narrow one way roads and everywhere was green rather than the red dust which seeps through in drier areas. We enjoyed an excellent meal that night and headed to bed early as tomorrow we were going to go mountain biking.
Mountain biking for anyone like me who hasn't done it before is a mixture of great fun, hard work and being absolutely petrified. Thankfully the bikes we hired had good brakes so we were ok going embarrassingly slowly down the hills. We stopped along the way for our guide to point out plants and demonstrate how they were made into food. We also had a look round a local house, which was fascinating. We enjoyed a great morning of exercise and headed to Pete's pizza place for lunch. Pete is a rasta who gave up his job fishing in Italy to create a tiny 4 person restaurant which looks like his living room. It is the kind of restaurant which would be perfectly normal if at glastonburry festival and q real delight to find. After lunch we had a wonder around the botanical gardens which houses a large range of different plants, and then headed home.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Aburi and the lake voltage dam
Sorry for the late update, confusingly this post is about last weekend. When we scored a mighty victory against the French in the six nations , which was made all the sweeter by sharing the news with a Frenchman we were with at the time.
Last weekend started late because it began raining just as we were about to leave and we don't trust the roads (or the driving) in the wet. So it was Saturday before we headed off to the akosumba dam which is responsible for creating the largest man made lake in the world.
Seeing the dam was not as simple we could have hoped. In order to approach the dam we had to get a pass first from round the back of a bank in a tiny unmarked office, which then had to be stamped by a man in the adjacent room and then return to the same woman to give her our address and phone numbers. Goodness knows why, but it ended up that we then needed to get a lift with a stranger who happened to have some empty spaces in his car up to the dam itself.
The dam was constructed in the 80s I think and seems to provide the entire electricity for Ghana as well as be able to export to 3 of the neighbouring countries. It is as you may imagine a very impressive structure. We were told it is a terraced dam. Whatever that may be, and is constructed from stone cut from the hills either side of the dam. It is only about 20 meters high and I must say I thought it was going to be taller. Our tour guide took us (as well as 2 parties of school kids) onto the dam from where we could appreciate the power house where the turbines are held and the many cables taking away the power to different areas. Unfortunately we were not allowed to go inside the dam, so the tour was quite brief. This was probably a good thing as we were starting to worry that we would not be able to reach aburi that evening. We shared this predicament with the nice Frenchman who had given us a lift to the dam and he said he was heading in our direction so would give us a lift. What a nice chap! We made it to aburi in no time, and discovered that our new French friend was working out in Ghana for john west fishing for tuna. He told us of the politics and corruption of the fishing industry and the racial tension which existed between the Korean and Ghanaian crew members.
Aburi is a town unlike any we had been to before, it is situated ontop of q hill which provided spectacular views out over the capital Accra. It had narrow one way roads and everywhere was green rather than the red dust which seeps through in drier areas. We enjoyed an excellent meal that night and headed to bed early as tomorrow we were going to go mountain biking.
Mountain biking for anyone like me who hasn't done it before is a mixture of great fun, hard work and being absolutely petrified. Thankfully the bikes we hired had good brakes so we were ok going embarrassingly slowly down the hills. We stopped along the way for our guide to point out plants and demonstrate how they were made into food. We also had a look round a local house, which was fascinating. We enjoyed a great morning of exercise and headed to Pete's pizza place for lunch. Pete is a rasta who gave up his job fishing in Italy to create a tiny 4 person restaurant which looks like his living room. It is the kind of restaurant which would be perfectly normal if at glastonburry festival and q real delight to find. After lunch we had a wonder around the botanical gardens which houses a large range of different plants, and then headed home.
Last weekend started late because it began raining just as we were about to leave and we don't trust the roads (or the driving) in the wet. So it was Saturday before we headed off to the akosumba dam which is responsible for creating the largest man made lake in the world.
Seeing the dam was not as simple we could have hoped. In order to approach the dam we had to get a pass first from round the back of a bank in a tiny unmarked office, which then had to be stamped by a man in the adjacent room and then return to the same woman to give her our address and phone numbers. Goodness knows why, but it ended up that we then needed to get a lift with a stranger who happened to have some empty spaces in his car up to the dam itself.
The dam was constructed in the 80s I think and seems to provide the entire electricity for Ghana as well as be able to export to 3 of the neighbouring countries. It is as you may imagine a very impressive structure. We were told it is a terraced dam. Whatever that may be, and is constructed from stone cut from the hills either side of the dam. It is only about 20 meters high and I must say I thought it was going to be taller. Our tour guide took us (as well as 2 parties of school kids) onto the dam from where we could appreciate the power house where the turbines are held and the many cables taking away the power to different areas. Unfortunately we were not allowed to go inside the dam, so the tour was quite brief. This was probably a good thing as we were starting to worry that we would not be able to reach aburi that evening. We shared this predicament with the nice Frenchman who had given us a lift to the dam and he said he was heading in our direction so would give us a lift. What a nice chap! We made it to aburi in no time, and discovered that our new French friend was working out in Ghana for john west fishing for tuna. He told us of the politics and corruption of the fishing industry and the racial tension which existed between the Korean and Ghanaian crew members.
Aburi is a town unlike any we had been to before, it is situated ontop of q hill which provided spectacular views out over the capital Accra. It had narrow one way roads and everywhere was green rather than the red dust which seeps through in drier areas. We enjoyed an excellent meal that night and headed to bed early as tomorrow we were going to go mountain biking.
Mountain biking for anyone like me who hasn't done it before is a mixture of great fun, hard work and being absolutely petrified. Thankfully the bikes we hired had good brakes so we were ok going embarrassingly slowly down the hills. We stopped along the way for our guide to point out plants and demonstrate how they were made into food. We also had a look round a local house, which was fascinating. We enjoyed a great morning of exercise and headed to Pete's pizza place for lunch. Pete is a rasta who gave up his job fishing in Italy to create a tiny 4 person restaurant which looks like his living room. It is the kind of restaurant which would be perfectly normal if at glastonburry festival and q real delight to find. After lunch we had a wonder around the botanical gardens which houses a large range of different plants, and then headed home.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Friday, 25 February 2011
Last day at the clinic
Today I finish my time in the community, and it is a bit of a shame. I've found that it's been really useful. I am now getting to grips with the peculiar symptoms that everybody seems to have, such as waist pains (low back pain), general body aches (seems to accompany any fever and is usually treated with anti malarials). Another symptom that has been particularly problematic is numbness. It does not mean that they have altered sensation, but could mean anything from cramp pain to paraesthesia. Trying to distinguish between these is particularly frustrating as the interpreter often just translates it as numbness despite persistent questioning. Then when you ask them what that means they look at you as if you're stupid and make the somewhat ubiquitous symbol for numbness, grabbing a calf and making an anguished face.
As I have come to understand these symptoms however I have become increasingly frustrated by the very limited range of drugs on offer. Many conditions that are quite common simply can not be treated. Despite this it has been great to feel that for the first time I am actually treating patients and hopefully more often than not helping them to get better. On 3 of the days this week the medical assistant in charge of the clinic has disappeared leaving me to see all the patients. It is really great to feel that if I wasn't here that they wouldn't be seen. Although on the other hand it terrifies me that no one else will see them and correct any of my mistakes...
As I have come to understand these symptoms however I have become increasingly frustrated by the very limited range of drugs on offer. Many conditions that are quite common simply can not be treated. Despite this it has been great to feel that for the first time I am actually treating patients and hopefully more often than not helping them to get better. On 3 of the days this week the medical assistant in charge of the clinic has disappeared leaving me to see all the patients. It is really great to feel that if I wasn't here that they wouldn't be seen. Although on the other hand it terrifies me that no one else will see them and correct any of my mistakes...
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Monday, 21 February 2011
Kumasi
This weekend we headed to the 2nd city of ghana, Kumasi. We arrived at rush hour and there was traffic everywhere. On roads made for 2 lanes of traffic there were three and every car on the road seemed to be changing lane at once. It was mental and made getting to the station take forever. Still when we got to our guest house it was definitely worth it. Ensuite shower, a twin bed and air conditioning. We got dinner then headed to a club we had been recommended by Dr addie. We paid our exorbatant entrance fee to get in only to find about 2 guys sitting in a dark room with a dj playing. We were not impressed at all. It was already 12 30 as we had been having a few bevies at the hotel. We decided to go in search for another drinking hole and come back later. Luckily there was one just down the road selling shots of gin for about 20p (the standard price in Ghana). We sat down at the table and suddenly he music was turned off and after a pause changed to 80s power ballads. Interestingly this is the second time this has happened to us. We must just give off an 80s vine or something. After a happy hour or wo we decided to head back to the club and it was now rammed! So if you're ever on a night out in Ghana you should remember noy to head to a club until 2!
The club was for some reason really dark but the hip life tunes were blasting out so we had a bit of a boogie (there are 2 main genres of pop music in Ghana, high life, a fusion of traditional African music and reggae, and hip life, a mix between high life and r'n'b). It turns out that ghanaian men are all amazing dancers, and dance with pretty much anyone indiscriminately whereas the women found a man she liked then stood in front of him wiggling her bum.
Next day we were all feeling rather fragile but ventured out to see the old fort which has been turned into a military museum. Ghanaian museums certainly leave much to be desired when approached in the same way as English museums. They are more a jumble of collected items thrown together into groups and not seemingly related to the other exhibits. In this case it was mainly a show of all the weapons ghanaian soldiers had captured, grouped by the country from whom they had been taken. Luckily we had a guide who whisked us through the exhibits at a tremendous speed explaining each cabinet with a single sentence before walking off to the next. It was great fun trying to keep up with what he was telling us whilst trying to get q good look at the previous items. My favourite object was a photo of the dozen or so brits who were trapped in the fort when the asante tribe decided to revolt against the British. There were about 3 or 4 soldiers looking like they were out of zulu then about 4 women and an assortment of men who looked as if they had no purpose at all of being stuck in a fort in the middle of Ghana in 1900. If only the picture could talk it would have been fascinating to find out their stories.
After the museum we headed to the hospital which was epic in proportion, being one of the 3 teaching hospitals in Ghana. From here we headed the market, said to be the largest in west africa. It was absolute chaos. People pushing past you in both directions whilst you were being shouted at by the people in the market stalls. It's like being in an incredibly stressful department store as the market was divided up into different sections which were packed full of loads of stalls all selling exactly the same thing for exactly the same price. It was madness, especially as far as I could see, the range of goods was no greater than what we have in our local market in mpraeso.
That night we were tired so we didn't go out and decided to have a lie in the next morning before heading to the palace to see the asantehene (the king of the asante people) we were very lucky to be about for this as every 6 weeks there is a festival where all the chiefs from all the different clans gather to say hi to the king. It was really interesting to see all the traditional dress (togas) and to see the king. We were also lucky enough to see the former president of Ghana who popped in to say hi.
After this we headed home and I'm back out in the community again this week although we've all changed round. I'll let you know about the new clinic later on this week.
The club was for some reason really dark but the hip life tunes were blasting out so we had a bit of a boogie (there are 2 main genres of pop music in Ghana, high life, a fusion of traditional African music and reggae, and hip life, a mix between high life and r'n'b). It turns out that ghanaian men are all amazing dancers, and dance with pretty much anyone indiscriminately whereas the women found a man she liked then stood in front of him wiggling her bum.
Next day we were all feeling rather fragile but ventured out to see the old fort which has been turned into a military museum. Ghanaian museums certainly leave much to be desired when approached in the same way as English museums. They are more a jumble of collected items thrown together into groups and not seemingly related to the other exhibits. In this case it was mainly a show of all the weapons ghanaian soldiers had captured, grouped by the country from whom they had been taken. Luckily we had a guide who whisked us through the exhibits at a tremendous speed explaining each cabinet with a single sentence before walking off to the next. It was great fun trying to keep up with what he was telling us whilst trying to get q good look at the previous items. My favourite object was a photo of the dozen or so brits who were trapped in the fort when the asante tribe decided to revolt against the British. There were about 3 or 4 soldiers looking like they were out of zulu then about 4 women and an assortment of men who looked as if they had no purpose at all of being stuck in a fort in the middle of Ghana in 1900. If only the picture could talk it would have been fascinating to find out their stories.
After the museum we headed to the hospital which was epic in proportion, being one of the 3 teaching hospitals in Ghana. From here we headed the market, said to be the largest in west africa. It was absolute chaos. People pushing past you in both directions whilst you were being shouted at by the people in the market stalls. It's like being in an incredibly stressful department store as the market was divided up into different sections which were packed full of loads of stalls all selling exactly the same thing for exactly the same price. It was madness, especially as far as I could see, the range of goods was no greater than what we have in our local market in mpraeso.
That night we were tired so we didn't go out and decided to have a lie in the next morning before heading to the palace to see the asantehene (the king of the asante people) we were very lucky to be about for this as every 6 weeks there is a festival where all the chiefs from all the different clans gather to say hi to the king. It was really interesting to see all the traditional dress (togas) and to see the king. We were also lucky enough to see the former president of Ghana who popped in to say hi.
After this we headed home and I'm back out in the community again this week although we've all changed round. I'll let you know about the new clinic later on this week.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Community Clinic
This week when we eventually got back, we have been sent into the community. I have been placed in a clinic in near by obo. The community clinic works like a gp in England although it has less of a role in chronic disease management. Patients (called clients for some reason) visit the clinic when they feel like it. This is great for them but somewhat inconvenient if you're trying to fill a whole clinic. It had results in a lot of sitting reading for me (which is not necessarily a bad thing as the clinic has a lovely veranda under which to sit) waiting for patients to appear, and then suddenly its really busy and the nurse feels she should take over and stop translating. It can get quite frustrating.
The medicine practised is also unlike a gp because there are no investigations. Everything is done on history with a limited clinical exam if deemed necessary. Patients come in, get a diagnosis and leave with a bag full of drugs. Everyone gets all of these, which is hard to believe since no suspicions are confirmed by tests and the drug formulary is really limited. I suppose this in a way answers Mr Boles' question. I think more diseases are treated on less evidence rather than increased clinical expertise. I'm not saying that the level of the doctors here is any worse than at home, just that they have a much harder job. It's easy to sit in clinic questioning why everyone is being over treated but without the back up of hard evidence to the contrary on pretty much most diseases you can't be too hard on them for treating just in case.
The medicine practised is also unlike a gp because there are no investigations. Everything is done on history with a limited clinical exam if deemed necessary. Patients come in, get a diagnosis and leave with a bag full of drugs. Everyone gets all of these, which is hard to believe since no suspicions are confirmed by tests and the drug formulary is really limited. I suppose this in a way answers Mr Boles' question. I think more diseases are treated on less evidence rather than increased clinical expertise. I'm not saying that the level of the doctors here is any worse than at home, just that they have a much harder job. It's easy to sit in clinic questioning why everyone is being over treated but without the back up of hard evidence to the contrary on pretty much most diseases you can't be too hard on them for treating just in case.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Monday, 14 February 2011
Agumatsu and the rest of the Volta region
We have finally made it home! After leaving on Wednesday night it has been a long weekend. In fact that means we have spent exactly the same number of days travelling as we have in hospital. This is all about to change though as we start community this week. I'll keep you posted.
This weekend has been great but also tiring and frustrating. We travelled to korforidia on the Wednesday night (which I think I have written about) where we dined in a fantastic 5 star hotel (the food wasn't 5 star but it was western), travelled to the boti falls and visited the bead market before a massive storm set in and we took shelter in a near by spot bar. This was great fun, and allowed us to try both the local gin and local cuisine, fufu and banko. Both of which were pretty horrible, gooey yam mashed to a pulp then either fermented (banko) and drowned in a spicy soup. Although fufu was slightly better (not fermented and nicer sauce) it was still pretty horrid.
Once the storm had died down we headed to Ho. Another nice town which thankfully offered up the traditional rice and chicken. Unfortunately we didn't have a great amount of luck in our excursions out of Ho. First we went to a national park which the guide book promised us had water buffalo and cobs but by the time apparently it was too hot and all the animals were hiding from it. We saw what the guide says was a cob in the distance, but it was really disappointing, especially as we were told there would have been hundreds of them milling around a couple of hours earlier. We then tried to get to xofe ecovillage. But when we got there we were told that it had shut down! Nice one guide book! All in all a poor day.
Next we headed to Ho-hoe and from there the agamatsu falls. These were spectacular. There were several different falls which cascades down from the hill which lies right on the togalese border. We trekked up to the top falls and went for a swim under the falls. It was a terrific day. Unfortunately it was so good we spent a bit too long there because we had to head back over the volta lake (the largest man made lake in the world) but by the time we got there it was too late and all the boats had stopped. Still we thought that's ok we can stay here and just head back early tomorrow. Little did we know when we got up the next day that there was in fact only one ferry that day and it wasn't until half 1! So we waited and turned up really early and were first on the boat. All going well so far (ish). When we got to the other side, because we were the first on, we were the last off. So by the time we got off the boat the one bus which was waiting for ppl was full and leaving. We thought that's ok another will turn up soon so we waited. And we waited. And we waited. Finally the same bus turned up again but it was clear this was the last bus of the day and we stopped for everyone! It was so slow that by the time we got to the next change point, donkorkrom, it was getting dark and was increasingly clear we weren't going to make it back tonight. So we stayed in donkorkrom and thankfully the next day we are now home. What a nightmare of a journey. Still Mr tiddei who organises our community placements seems to be fine with us not being back. It was v embarrassing though.
This weekend has been great but also tiring and frustrating. We travelled to korforidia on the Wednesday night (which I think I have written about) where we dined in a fantastic 5 star hotel (the food wasn't 5 star but it was western), travelled to the boti falls and visited the bead market before a massive storm set in and we took shelter in a near by spot bar. This was great fun, and allowed us to try both the local gin and local cuisine, fufu and banko. Both of which were pretty horrible, gooey yam mashed to a pulp then either fermented (banko) and drowned in a spicy soup. Although fufu was slightly better (not fermented and nicer sauce) it was still pretty horrid.
Once the storm had died down we headed to Ho. Another nice town which thankfully offered up the traditional rice and chicken. Unfortunately we didn't have a great amount of luck in our excursions out of Ho. First we went to a national park which the guide book promised us had water buffalo and cobs but by the time apparently it was too hot and all the animals were hiding from it. We saw what the guide says was a cob in the distance, but it was really disappointing, especially as we were told there would have been hundreds of them milling around a couple of hours earlier. We then tried to get to xofe ecovillage. But when we got there we were told that it had shut down! Nice one guide book! All in all a poor day.
Next we headed to Ho-hoe and from there the agamatsu falls. These were spectacular. There were several different falls which cascades down from the hill which lies right on the togalese border. We trekked up to the top falls and went for a swim under the falls. It was a terrific day. Unfortunately it was so good we spent a bit too long there because we had to head back over the volta lake (the largest man made lake in the world) but by the time we got there it was too late and all the boats had stopped. Still we thought that's ok we can stay here and just head back early tomorrow. Little did we know when we got up the next day that there was in fact only one ferry that day and it wasn't until half 1! So we waited and turned up really early and were first on the boat. All going well so far (ish). When we got to the other side, because we were the first on, we were the last off. So by the time we got off the boat the one bus which was waiting for ppl was full and leaving. We thought that's ok another will turn up soon so we waited. And we waited. And we waited. Finally the same bus turned up again but it was clear this was the last bus of the day and we stopped for everyone! It was so slow that by the time we got to the next change point, donkorkrom, it was getting dark and was increasingly clear we weren't going to make it back tonight. So we stayed in donkorkrom and thankfully the next day we are now home. What a nightmare of a journey. Still Mr tiddei who organises our community placements seems to be fine with us not being back. It was v embarrassing though.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Battle of the tro tros
Today we managed to get the day off (4 day weekend!) And headed to korforidua. We went to a really nice waterfall about 45 mins out of town (where we found the cocoa). All was going well until we got on a tro tros (basically a mini bus) going back to town. Soon after we got on we stopped pretty sharply to pick up another couple of passengers. Unfortunately another tro tros was following close behind and had to stop quickly. Something the driver wasn't so pleased about and let us all know by shouting as he drove past, slowing up so we could catch them and emergency stopping himself. Very mature. We then had a bit of a drag race where the other tro tros almost pushed us off the road! This really annoyed our driver and one of the passengers. So much so, that when we both next stopped they went and started throwing punches at the other bus driver. Not cool. The rucus died down after one driver had been hit in the face with a bag of water and the other a handful of sand.
It certainly made the journey more exciting! Less so when we made it back to the depot and it all started again. We made a swift exit and went to the bead market before the storm, which had been brewing during the journey hit (pathetic falacy?)
It certainly made the journey more exciting! Less so when we made it back to the depot and it all started again. We made a swift exit and went to the bead market before the storm, which had been brewing during the journey hit (pathetic falacy?)
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Cocoa Pod
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
A Tough Day
A couple of days ago I had a particularly tough day. I watched a patient die after having a relatively straight forward procedure performed on them. It's the first time I've really noticed the inadequacies of the resources and procedures. The lack of resuscitation equipment almost certainly cost this poor lady her life.
I don't want to dwell on something quite so depressing, but we do take so many things for granted in the uk, like being able to call a crash team if someone deteriorates. Or even the simple availability of the most basic mask to deliver oxygen.
I think this event has opened my eyes because since then I've seen patients who have been denied life saving anti hiv meds because they did not meet the strict criteria and a patient who has to decide whether or not to pay for really expensive anti hepatitis b drugs which may or may not prevent him from developing cirrhosis in years to come. These are also patients who have the ghanaian health insurance. What chance do those who don't have? No wonder there is still such a popularity for traditional herbalists and quacks. Rant over.
I don't want to dwell on something quite so depressing, but we do take so many things for granted in the uk, like being able to call a crash team if someone deteriorates. Or even the simple availability of the most basic mask to deliver oxygen.
I think this event has opened my eyes because since then I've seen patients who have been denied life saving anti hiv meds because they did not meet the strict criteria and a patient who has to decide whether or not to pay for really expensive anti hepatitis b drugs which may or may not prevent him from developing cirrhosis in years to come. These are also patients who have the ghanaian health insurance. What chance do those who don't have? No wonder there is still such a popularity for traditional herbalists and quacks. Rant over.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Kockrabite
This weekend we've jetted off to the beach. We've rented a hut in a resort set just back from the beach so that you can hear the gentle swell of the Atlantic as I write. The room is great and has a shower where water runs from a tap rather than from the bucket you pour over your head, which we have been thus far accustomed to.
Yesterday morning we went to a monkey sanctuary where we spent a couple of hours wondering about not seeing anything, until just as we were about to leave 3 monkeys came out and started grabbing the bananas we had left for them. My new binocculares worked like a dream.
Once we got back we organised a ghanaian drumming lesson, which was great fun. Based on a similar rhythm to Cuban drumming we were taught how to create a tone and a bass sound using a bongo type drum as well as treated to an in promptu concert. Today we head back to atibie, hopefully the roads will be less busy than yesterday.
Yesterday morning we went to a monkey sanctuary where we spent a couple of hours wondering about not seeing anything, until just as we were about to leave 3 monkeys came out and started grabbing the bananas we had left for them. My new binocculares worked like a dream.
Once we got back we organised a ghanaian drumming lesson, which was great fun. Based on a similar rhythm to Cuban drumming we were taught how to create a tone and a bass sound using a bongo type drum as well as treated to an in promptu concert. Today we head back to atibie, hopefully the roads will be less busy than yesterday.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Friday, 4 February 2011
Thursday, 3 February 2011
2nd Annual General Meeting of Kwahu District Health Services
Today we had were really lucky and got to see the general meeting of the hospital and community services. It was really interesting to see what the roles of all the different services are and how they prioritise these. The nurses seemed to be particularly focussed on the wearing of correct uniform and also complained about the lack of night cup (whatever that may be, although it apparently is a great source of moral) and 8 years of no new uniform. Other interesting things I learnt were that the 5 electricians and plummers managed to fix 83% of the things asked of them throughout the year. Still we got a free lunch so it was worth it.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Settling In
I've now had 3 days in Atibie, and feel I am settling in to some extent into the pace of life and am feeling more comfortable wondering down the street to buy groceries. It is weird having so many people look at you and call out hello when you walk past, although everyone we've met is really nice, it can be a little intimidating when all you want to do is buy some carrots. I feel I have also started to settle into hospital, it has been pretty boring so far due to being placed with a doctor who does not seem to like talking to people. He did not offer anything spontaneously today, apart from when we first asked questions. Hopefully I'll not have too many more days like that. More excitingly I am on casualty this afternoon and will be looking forward to talking to a patient for the first time!
Despite the disappointment with the hospital, it has been wonderful relaxing with a book in the afternoon sitting out the front in the shade. I really enjoyed watching the sun go down yesterday, something I can't remember doing for quite some time.
Despite the disappointment with the hospital, it has been wonderful relaxing with a book in the afternoon sitting out the front in the shade. I really enjoyed watching the sun go down yesterday, something I can't remember doing for quite some time.
Monday, 31 January 2011
Day 1 in Hospital
After an early start we got to the hospital to spend 2 hours waiting for the doctor to finish his ward round. This gave us time to have a look around and meet some of the staff who will be looking after us. The hospital is quite small, but only has 4 doctors to cover all the wards, look after the maternity unit and do emergency and elective surgery.
We met Dr Addie and he explained that there are going to only be 2 doctors for the first week and then 3 after that. A little unfortunate now that there are 6 medical students. Still, after this morning where we saw about 5 patients, all of whom only spoke Twe, I'm not sure it would make a whole lot of difference if there were less of us. I think it was a bit unfortunate to start on out patient department, as all the other things will hopefully be more interesting.
Still, all in all it's great to be out here, we met 3 of the other students, one from Manchester, one from Sheffield and one from Australia. The house we are staying in is lovely, with real toilets, a tv, dvd player and mobile internet. Should get internet on my phone too later today so will be able to keep in contact more easily.
We met Dr Addie and he explained that there are going to only be 2 doctors for the first week and then 3 after that. A little unfortunate now that there are 6 medical students. Still, after this morning where we saw about 5 patients, all of whom only spoke Twe, I'm not sure it would make a whole lot of difference if there were less of us. I think it was a bit unfortunate to start on out patient department, as all the other things will hopefully be more interesting.
Still, all in all it's great to be out here, we met 3 of the other students, one from Manchester, one from Sheffield and one from Australia. The house we are staying in is lovely, with real toilets, a tv, dvd player and mobile internet. Should get internet on my phone too later today so will be able to keep in contact more easily.
Accra and beyond
I made it safely to Ghana! Hurray.
Got picked up by Sefa at the airport, and headed to a guest house for the night. The journey was pretty simple and largely painless due to the abundance of animated films available but was tarnished by the annoying kid sitting next to me who decided to kick me periodically to keep me awake. No manners.
Accra was big and sprawling, it was very difficult to orientate yourself around the endless winding streets. Luckily Sefa was driving so we were fine. We managed to go and see independence square and the national museum but it will be good to go back and explore the rest of the capital when we have a bit more time.
From Accra we headed north on a very plush coach (with air conditioning!) to Nkawkaw and from there up a very steep hill to Atibie. Atibie is a small villiage made of a few mansions on the outskirts and mainly dirt roads with small houses on either side. There is a main street which is lined with shops which somewhat bizarely all seem to sell the same things. Everyone is very nice, and we are welcomed by everyone several times a day.
Got picked up by Sefa at the airport, and headed to a guest house for the night. The journey was pretty simple and largely painless due to the abundance of animated films available but was tarnished by the annoying kid sitting next to me who decided to kick me periodically to keep me awake. No manners.
Accra was big and sprawling, it was very difficult to orientate yourself around the endless winding streets. Luckily Sefa was driving so we were fine. We managed to go and see independence square and the national museum but it will be good to go back and explore the rest of the capital when we have a bit more time.
From Accra we headed north on a very plush coach (with air conditioning!) to Nkawkaw and from there up a very steep hill to Atibie. Atibie is a small villiage made of a few mansions on the outskirts and mainly dirt roads with small houses on either side. There is a main street which is lined with shops which somewhat bizarely all seem to sell the same things. Everyone is very nice, and we are welcomed by everyone several times a day.
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Last cup of tea
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Picasa pictures
Ok, so all my pictures are going to be uploaded to the Picasa website, which I have got a slide show running below. Also I will put the really good ones/interesting enough to talk about ones as a part of the text.
Update from my phone
Just checking i can blog from my phone if need be.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6
Before The Off
Hello to you all,
Just checking that this is working. Testing testing 123...
Right, so this is going to be my blog for the next 2 months as I head off on elective to Ghana! I know you're as excited as I am and I'll try to keep it updated as I go with plenty of pictures and info about my travels. I don't know whether this is going to be easier than emailing you all individually about what I've been up to, we'll have to see whether you can sign up to get email updates whenever I post here. I'll have a play and tell you if this is possible.
Just checking that this is working. Testing testing 123...
Right, so this is going to be my blog for the next 2 months as I head off on elective to Ghana! I know you're as excited as I am and I'll try to keep it updated as I go with plenty of pictures and info about my travels. I don't know whether this is going to be easier than emailing you all individually about what I've been up to, we'll have to see whether you can sign up to get email updates whenever I post here. I'll have a play and tell you if this is possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)