Back in Accra

Thought to add the bits of 21kilos which disappeared with the power failure, but find the blog is completely mad, so not doing anything to it until I have an expert to help me. Methinks I blame the tool too much.........

So just a quick reminder that I am still in Ghana and have been continuing on the life of leisure which seems to suit me no end.

Here is a bit of what happened in the North.

I had taken the ferry from South to North of Lake Volta 3pm to 10.30pm the following day. Linked up with a lovely girl from USA who had been living in a village with a family and decided to take two of the boys from there to the North as a treat. We continued after the ferry. That day it was a taxi. It had lost its exhaust the previous night taking us to the hotel and had to have a tyre inflated before we could go to get the boat across the river to the North bank. This was about 40ft long and we counted about 100 souls and innumerable goods. Miraculously, there was suddenly space as we left, for a boy to start bailing out the rapidly rising water.... Then it was a bus after 2 hours' wait. Again, how anybody could think of fitting in a mouse, was not a question as more and more people filled every space. Then, in Tamale, we transferred to a trotro minibus. Our stop for the night meant a two-mile walk, so I borrowed a bicycle and its owner borrowed another bike. He returned with both bikes to fetch Kim and then the same for the boys. Next day we visited the Witches' Camp and found another town with an Hotel. I began to feel dizzy.

MALARIA!!!!!!!..........????????

Hoist on my own petard????
Despite taking all the necessary precautions like covering my body with clothes and various ungents and taking plenty of vitamin B and using my mosquito net whenever the buzzes where about, it seemed like I had been hit. No doubt the mossies have developed a secret V2-type silent rocket (patent pending?) with which to hit people like me. I collapsed in the room and the electricity went off. With it the air-conditioning. So every few minutes I would stagger to the shower to cool off. Staff and Kim had decided that it was malaria and Kim gave me the stuff she normally took and next day the staff bought more for me. But during the night I had quite a drama as I must have fallen, slipped or fainted at the shower and inadvertently knocked off a bit of plumbing (not a problem in Ghana) which connected to the mains water supply. Water came pouring out at an alarming rate and in the dark I managed to find a bucket. As soon as I turned my back to try and find a torch, the bucket would be overflowing and I would empty it into the shower, then stagger back to the dark room, bumping into TV, chair, table, settee, bedhead whilst slipping and sliding in the ever increasing floor covered in water. Finally the bright idea to call for Kim, occured. She had meant to share the room with me, but had kindly joined the boys to give me peace. She came with a torch and then roused the staff who turned off the mains. I collapsed again and the next morning it was reassuring to see the book which I had been reading but put in a plastic bag as the pages were loose, serenely floating in the water surrounding my bed.
Kim and the boys had to return and I indulged in a few days of pampering. By this time, despite the dizziness, I was sure that it was just heatstroke. I'd had it before in India and Mali and now know that I need to be more careful about water intake. Coming from the sub-tropics into the savannah and sahel had made me lax and I just did not realize that I had become dehydrated.
To ensure that it was not malaria (as the Hotel staff still insisted), I joined the 3-weekly local clinic. Two Doctors and three assistants deal with up to 600 patients in a morning. I asked for no favours and spent 6 hours there. After taking my name and blood pressure, I was weighed. I am currently the thinnest I will ever be, despite the batwings on my arms and the flabby handles on my waist. This is because I have not been eating dairy products or sweets/chocolate. All meals are very healthy and fresh and I do not eat in-between. Have also had good exercise. So when my weight turned out to be 79kilos, I was surprised and will just have to accept the fact that my large and heavy bones mean that I will never be the waif we all aspire to be. Lunchtime came and went and the administrator then told me that my name-card was lost and that I should have been tested before the Lab. closed for the day. He then ran around and, after all had had a break, I was taken to the Lab. and my finger pricked for a blood sample. Finally results confirmed that it was not malaria. But for those 6 hours of silent waiting, I had the most inspiring (?) view of the sad side of poverty and disease. People silently just waited their turn and suffered without complaint. Quite a few were really at death's door, but the need to get to a doctor, despite these signs, is very strong. After the clinic had closed for the day, a man and his brother arrived and I chatted to them. They had travelled for two days. The brother was in visible pain which was etched on his face. This had been going on for 6 months. He showed me the egg-sized growths on his legs around the groin area. I could not believe what I saw, but they had only just collected the means to travel to the clinic. And then arrived too late! Nowhere to stay and wait for the next session two days later...... Fortunately a doctor was kind enough to say he will see them soon. I often wonder about the outcome....
I returned to the Hotel with a swapped detective book from the doctors. All about clean death by bullet or slashed thoat on the beautiful Oregon coastline. No suffering there.

Today, Saturday, I left the village I had been staying in with Peace's family. Yesterday, Peace, my hostess, told me that a child from the house behind us, had been taken to hospital with suspected cholera. At about 3am I was woken by disturbance from the house and I realised that the increasing wailing could only mean that the little girl had died. It seems that it was probably jaundice, and, as she was a child, the funeral was held there and then. All morning mourners arrived, the house was draped in black cloth and there was a silence which seemed unnatural in this normal village of loud communication. Ironically, Peace and I had walked to the river's edge the previous day. We went through the grounds of a local clinic set up by Italian priests. Peace knew the cook at one of the doctor's bungalows and we went to say hello. Then the doctor stepped off the deck where he had been reading Proust (I sneaked a look) and we chatted. He is German and was just coming to the end of his 2-month Locum. As a paediatrician, he only worked with children, whilst his colleague was overworked. He guiltily said that he had hardly anything to do. This is a fee-paying clinic and the other, cheaper Govt. Hospital, is only a mile away. Seems so ironic. Money might have saved that child's life.

Saturdays are big funeral days in Ghana. They really are big business and there are many stalls on the side of roads with coffins displayed or wreaths cluttered under a shelter. People are dressed in attractive black outfits and the whole thing is a very social occasion. Driving back to Accra today, we passed quite a few large gatherings where the drums were already preparing for a good send-off. Yesterday there were various convoys following the hearse when the deceased was being taken to the relevant church.

Talking of Churches, the past few days I have been writing down the names of some as we passed them. In the area around the village I left today, there are apparantly 70 different ones. The brother of Peace started one a few years ago and even went to Europe for funding. He is now quite prosperous and has about 4 churches. If you can persuade people that you have the answer and can promise them riches and a good life, you bring in the crowds. On Sundays the villages resound with singing, drumbeating and dancing. Near my Hotel in Accra I was walking through a taxi area and heard the most earpiercing screaming and megaphone shouting. I walked towards it and came across a makeshift Muslim Mosque where men were silently praying. Right next to them is a large hall in which a great crowd (this was an ordinary week-day) was doing the evangelical bit. Arms waving and bodies dancing. What a contrast!

Anyway, here are some of the names of churches I managed to write down when driving past(ignoring the usual RC, Methodist, Pentecostal and other ones--Peace and her husband, Hope, are Jehovah's Witnesses):

Winners' Chapel (home of signs and wonders)
Calvary Church of the Lord
The Light of Life Gospel Mission
The Lighthouse Chapel Inc.
Hour of Gethsemany
Church of Christ
Open Fountain Bible Church
Full Gospel Church International
International Central Gospel Church
The Lord's Mission Church
Bible Faith Contenders Church
Assemblies of God Church
Church of Israel
Humour Church
God is King Healing Ministry
Kingdom of Christ
Divine Healers Church
Dominion Assemblies of God
The way of Salvation.


Which brings me to Taxis or Trotros as they are known in Ghana.

Somebody had the bright idea to design and sell lettering which you can fix to your front or back vehicle window. This is usually in yellow and you obviously pay per letter. Most taxis or trotros have some kind of slogan on the window and I also decided to write down a few of them. As you can see, most have a religious theme, but you do not need to read them all! Just to get a flavour:
Good Sister!
God is great
All for God
Uncle Ben
Good Boy
Don't rush
Good Brothers
Wonders to People
Great Provider
Judgement DAy
God First
Christ the King
I believe in God
Trust in God
Summer Holidays
No Fight
Lucky Boy
Jomo!
Rest in God
Pastor Zora
Prince Conda
Social Living
Pastor Jesus (Thank You)
Very good at once
Brother Gyan
Mr. Silver
God Speak
With God
Wonders to people (front window)...... But not wonders to God (back window)
Still Peace
By his Grace
Good provider
Good Bye Boy
Who Knows
Good Master
The last two next time
God's Gift - the Boy
Jesus is Grace
It is Jesus!
Only Jesus
Serious
I told you
Darling boy
The Living God
Good Day (God is around you)
Shalom
Emmanuel
German Boy
Praise God
Destiny
Confidence
God's power
God is with us
Jesus
God Bless you
Be Serious
More Time
Over All
Still Verify
Pray for Life
The Lord is my Shepherd
Good Master
Free Man
The Lord is great
Will God

Enough for today-----time for the FIFA Cup Final match...... having enthusiastically supported the Black Stars, I might as well keep the rythmn going.....