The travel blog of Leks, Moose, Amitch, and Kai as we start the adventure of a lifetime-3 weeks in Ghana and 5 in South Africa for the World Cup. Hello World
Moose's post wrapped it up perfectly. The trip is now over, I am in Ghana chilling with my girlfriend, Kai is on the way back here after two weeks with his family in England, Mitch is in Portland, Moose is in San Diego. The trip is over, but what a trip it was.
There are too many memories and laughs to count, too many gorgeous sunsets, too many amazing landscapes, too many incredibly warm and hospitable people. South Africa has a very checkered and often dark history, but if the World Cup is any indicator, its future will be as bright as a Kruger sunrise. Thanks for sticking with us, your very flaky correspondents. Amitch is working on his book as we speak, and we'll keep you updated. I finally managed to put the Bungee video online, and hope you enjoy it as much as Moose, Kai, and AMitch. Much love to everyone.
Moose here, now that the African portion of the trip is over I can break my vow of silence on the blogspot. This whole journey has been one incredible adventure, traveling thousands and thousands of miles through time and one incredible continent of endless peaks and valleys. Pardon my lack of communication but I find it hard to reflect on something so great as it happens in real time. Its like appreciating the earth as it spins, or looking back on the first half of a roller coaster ride before its through. Now, as I lounge at my lovely aunt's apartment in Amsterdam it feels as though we have come a very long way.
From Big Leks picking us up at the airport in Ghana and promptly being pulled over within three blocks of the where we left, not for any particular offence, but so that we could give the cop a lift to the station; I knew this was not going to be an ordinary trip. Regardless I could never have imagined the incredible range of cultures and physical geography, friends and characters, sunsets and sunrises, and slow times and adventures that we would come across. To begin in Ghana with the Psychas family and have the chance to experience not only Ghana from a local perspective, but also to see the way that one of my best friends came to be the great person that he is was a magical way to start. Our adventures tripping through Ghana were culturally eye opening in a way that is just not possible in the Western World. To see a man beaten mercilessly by a market full of complete strangers with no idea why he deserves the beating was scary. Even stranger was that the man was saved (for all we know) by the same guy who originally identified him as the thief, the dude wrestled him from the crowd back onto the bus...where he continued to beat the hell out of the thief himself.
From the strangeness of our Ghanian adventures to the endless roadtrip that was South Africa I feel like Ive watched the entire world pass me by through the window. South Africa is one of the most rich and beautiful places that you could ever imagine. We drove so far and saw and did so much. The adventures are just too many to go through and my bloggin skills too poor to do them justice. The games, the nights, the laughs, the views, the climbs, the falls, the rides, the tastes, the feelings; they all blend together into this psychedelic sunset that you can appreciate but never fully understand. While all these moments seem to be mysteries in my memory, the things that truly stand clearly in my mind are the people that I have traveled with and that we have come across.
Its hard to get any tighter than me and Leks already are, but it was truly a privilege to fully acquaint myself with Kai, as well as to get to know Alex on another level. Kai is just the man. Period. The captain of the ship, master jack baller, and all around boss (not to mention one of the most talented facial hair growers around). Whenever we needed something, Kai´s already got it. Whenever we got to do something, Kai´s already started. Plus, there is absolutely no one I trust more behind the wheel of a car than this man. Masterclass motorist.
Alex on his first real trip outside the country got one hell of an introduction to world travelin. Even though his greenness showed from time to time the comedy that ensued was always well worth it. Although Ive known the Mitch Master for a cool minute, the depth of our understanding has gone onto another level. Ive always seen the wit and comedy, but I had no idea that he was one of the goofiest people alive. His antics and dance moves provided invaluable comedic relief (as long as he was awake).
The journey that weve been through has turned us into brothers of the road. Its a special bond, different from friendship, its more like an understanding. That were in it together, for eachother, forever. You cats are like my spirit brothers. Everytime I see you folks I see myself reflected in all the things we went through and how it has influenced all of us together.
These are bonds that dont break, completely resistant to time. Its the same bonds that we share with our other family of the road. Nick, Zuflaa, Johnny Katmandu, Ardy, and Lindsay especially feel like family, and I cant wait until we come across each other again and pick up where we left off (drinking heavily and playing terrible pool). The days we spent together were so fun and genuine that we might as well have known each other for years, rather than hours. These are the things that stand out. Sure bungee jumping, ostrich riding, and scoot scooting were dope, but nothing is more vivid in my memory than those hilarious evenings having dinner with Solvieg, Astri, Oliver, and Alan. Their hospitality and warmth were absolutely incredible and I am forever grateful and looking forward to repaying their generosity. Likewise for Astrid and Chris, they invited four strangers (strange strangers) into their home without any notice. I can only hope the time comes where I can repay them by hosting some complete strangers in my own home. I will cherish the memories of these people as long as I live and I feel like these will be the ones that last.
So thats whats good. An epic 9 weeks of travel. Thanks to all the folks out there who made it possible. Moms and Pops, the Psychas Clan, the world cup (I severely understated how much I loved every second of every game that I watched and went to), the car rental dude we bribed, the Tidaa that car is the shit! (put 5,800 miles on it in 6 weeks, thats enough to drive from SD to NYC and back), and everyone else I forgot. Jam and a Half is making a comeback when I get home so check it out. Jamandahalf.com
If you know me, you know that I am terrified of heights. Although it's getting better with age, I still get wobbly every time I get above about 20 feet. Being so tall, I see the irony in this, but it’s something I've been working on, as you will read below...
Ever since we landed in South Africa, we have heard about the world's tallest bungee jump, on the Garden Route in Southern SA. Moo, Kai, and Mitch were all super hyped on it since day 1, but I had always hoped in the back of mind that something would happen and we'd have to miss it. Don't tell the guys I said that haha...
We left from Buffalo Bay to Jeffrey's Bay and the jump is literally right under the road, which is the highest bridge in Africa and is right over the Bloukrans river gorge. On the way to Jbay we stopped at the Bungee jump to book our jump (which had to be 2 days later than we had hoped) and to watch people jumping. This is where I started to get very nervous. The bridge is designed with an under hanging under the actual road, where they have built the jump area. For about 30 minutes, we watched people fling themselves off this landing and drop for what felt like an eternity. The cocoons hatched into butterflies at this point.
Two days later we drove back to the jump in the pouring cold rain. After paying, getting into our harness, and listening to the pre-jump briefing, we trekked along a mesh bridge which ran along the bridge towards the jump zone. Being made out of mesh, we saw the river flowing way, way, way, way below us. I stared at Kai's back ahead of me and made it to launch zone. After getting another briefing, the head guy called out the first four jumpers, with the first three being Amitch, Moose, and Kai. The jump zone itself had workers moving non-stop, with a DJ kicking house and techno jams to keep a party atmosphere. Amitch was first up. Once you sit on the chair to get the knot tied around your feet, everything moves so fast. BAM, knot tied, BAM, Amitch is standing up with two guys holding him up, BAM he's standing on the edge, BAM Amitch is gone. There's something very, very, unsettling about seeing one of your best friends throw himself off the highest bridge of this continent. There are video cameras along the bridge and on land, and there's a TV screen which shows the action. One second Amitch is on the bridge, the next I see him on the TV screen soaring through the air, doing his best flying Bat Boy impression. Moose and Kai go up next, and each comes back alive, with huge grins on their faces and bloodshot eyes from hanging upside-down so long.
Our group of 20 people throw themselves off of the bridge one by one, and the jump zone becomes a mini dance party, with those who have jumped dancing from adrenaline, and those who haven't, dancing to ease nerves. As dreaded, I was the last to jump, and by this point I'm just ready to go. I sat down; the guy wraps the knot around the ankles and massive calves, and tells me about the knot and the amount of tons that it can hold. The specifics are lost forever; the butterflies had gone to my head at this point. I stand up and am shuffled to the edge by two short South African men. With my boys cheering me on, I take once last look down, and with my brain telling me in every language it knows to STOP STOP STOP, I dive into the unknown. I had always imagined that bungee jumping would be a peaceful experience, but this was anything but. The wind whips you on the way down, and you drop, and drop, and drop. The seemingly peaceful river below grows faster than you could imagine, and threatens to become a raging river that swallows you. And right when I felt like I was on a one way trip to an icy dip, I reach the end of the bungee cord, bounce up, pause in the air for a half-second, then drop. Repeat. I felt like I was a physics experiment in Mr. Walker’s 11th grade physics class, except instead of rubber bands there was bungee cord; instead of a non descript weight, there was me, instead of a science classroom in Eastside High there was the Bloukrans River Valley.
I end up spinning at the bottom of the line, and the view from the bottom was actually really pretty. Mountains to one side, ocean to the other. A man zips down another line to save me, and I reach the jump zone to hugs and high fives. Would I do it again? ehh.. Glad I did it? Yea. I was suckered into buying the jump video, as we all were, and I can't wait to show yall that the Big Tree can fly, at least for a couple of seconds.
First update from me since we’ve gotten here. Had pretty much no internet access, and running around north-east South Africa for our games has been hectic, but at the same time incredible. Here’s a recap so far:
Thursday: Arrived in the Joburg airport 2.5 hours late after the airline we were flying with (Air Namibia) had their computer system crash and had to check everyone in by hand and paper. Landed in a brand new terminal and immediately saw people from everywhere, already waving flags and playing vuvuzelas. Around the same time that we landed arrived planes from Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, and Mexico, and the medley created an awesome energy. Picked up our rent-a-car (less than $10 a person a day) and right away drove to somewhere that has become very familiar here in SA: the mall, a fixture of life down here. Bought a tent and some other essentials then drove out to Pilanesburg national park, about 2.5 hours north-west of Joburg. Also found out two shining lights to our stay here so far from a guy that worked in the outdoor store: Carling Black Label Beer is the “beer of the people” and should only be bought in its 750ml manly form, and that brandy in SA is cheap and delicious. This was huge news to Moo and I, two of the biggest fans of the legendary Christian Brother’s brandy (after my granddad bequeathed a bottle to us that he had meant to use as “cough medicine”).
Friday was spent out on safari. After a night shivering in my sleeping bag that I bought in Accra (note to self, never buy a sleeping bag in a country that never has gotten below 85 degrees) we woke up before dawn and were the second ones into the park at 6:30. Pilanesberg is an old volcano crater that blew up millions of years ago, and now is a series of hills and valleys. Would be gorgeous by itself, but the wild animals turn it into a paradise. With Kai fearlessly driving, the three of us played a day long game of I-Spy, with Moodawg winning. We had some great luck, and saw 5 rhinos, including a family of three, about 20 elephants, three lions (including a male crunching on a zebra), and lots of giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, antelope. At four we returned to the camp and watched the US-Slovenia game on a big screen in their conference room, I heard about crime being a problem in South Africa, and Team USA experienced it firsthand. They got robbed.
Saturday we woke up early again and made one last quick trek into the park, then drove to Rustenburg, a pretty rinky dink town an hour south of the park. We checked into our campsite and immediately started driving to the stadium to watch Ghana-Australia. There are park and rides set up in the towns hosting the games, but the one in Rustenburg was a failure, and we ended up driving 2 hours in traffic then were 10 minutes in the shuttle. The whole way though we were waving our Ghanaian flags getting honks non-stop from people driving past us. South Africans seem to be supporting Bafana Bafana first, then whichever African team is playing second, with a lot of love for Ghana especially. The game itself wasn’t the best. Ghana should have won, especially being up a man most of the game, but the atmosphere of the game was incredible. Silhouetted by a red sunset and hills in the background, the stadium itself was really pretty. And lucky for us we had tickets right in the main Ghana section and danced the entire game to a trumpet and drum player. Being the only white people decked out head to toe in our Ghana gear, people all game asked us for pictures, and Moo dubbed us the “light skin Black Stars.” Black Stars stay shining.
Sunday we drove back to Joburg to catch Cote d'Ivoire-Brazil. If you asked me if we've been robbed while here in SA, the answer would be yes, by Brown Sugar Backpackers. Literally the only place in town with availability, the hostel charged us 350 ($50) rand per person per night to CAMP! I understand making some money during this time, but that bordered on exploitation. Caught the park and ride to the Stadium, the amazing Soccer City behemoth. Built like a South African basket, the stadium itself is gorgeous. The four of us cheered our best for Les Elephantes, but Luis Fabiano was too good, and Drogba's late goal was little consolidation. After the game we all danced with the Brazilian band that had been playing the whole game and about a hundred Brazilians. Even if we weren’t cheering for the Brazilians, it’s hard not to celebrate when they win.
Monday we drove 4 hours south to Bloemfontein in Free State to catch South Africa-France, after stopping by the moving and incredibly well put together Apartheid Museum. We arrived late and set up camp in a funky lodge outside of town that had old German train cars you could sleep in. The game in Bloemfontein was incredible. Unlike Rustenburg and Soccer City, the stadium was right in the middle of the city, and after catching a ride into town with two extremely friendly South Africans, we walked to the Stadium decked out in our Bafana Bafana gear. The atmosphere was electric and the vuvuzelas were louder than ever. South Africa played great, beating the French 2-1. Not only were we happy that the South Africans had won, the French, who cheated to squeak their way in, rightfully lost. Wear it France. Although they didn't make the next round, South Africans celebrated regardless, and we joined them after having dinner with an old family friend, Dave.
Wednesday we woke up early and drove back to Joburg, checked into our hotel, and were relaxing when we heard a knock on the door. A German guy wearing the national team jersey looked around the room. I asked him if everything was alright, and he said that him and 2 friends had gone out to lunch and returned to a completely empty room. While they were gone someone came in and took every bag they had. Definitely sounded like an inside job and the four of us were spooked. After locking our bags to the bed frame, we set off back to Soccer City. The light skinned Black Stars were in full force once again, meeting people from all over Ghana who had come to the game. The real Black Stars played great, but seem to be afflicted with a disease that has struck all African teams: Cantfinishitis. This is the second disease that we have diagnosed on this trip. The first: Carcolepsy-a strange virus which makes Amitch fall asleep instantly upon entering a car, no matter how bumpy a car may be.
Thursday we had the day free, and spent the first part, no surprise, in a mall. After watching the incredible US-Algeria game on Wednesday, we knew there was no way that the US could play Ghana without us watching it. We went to the FIFA ticketing office to try and buy reasonably priced tickets, and waited for 3 hours for our trusty Category 3 tickets to pop up. They did, once, but when we went to buy them they had disappeared from the system. Eventually we caved and bought the more expensive tickets. FIFA in some ways is the biggest drug dealer in the world. They hook you on a product (the games) and then start charging more and more the better the games get. But once you’re hooked, it’s hard to stop wanting to go to games, and the reasons/excuses to go just get more and more ridiculous. Greedy bastards. After getting the tickets to the Game, we walked on air back to our cars and headed to Soweto, taking a walking tour around the area where the famous student riots where a young child, Hector Petersen, was killed, sparking international outrage, and what some would say was the beginning of the end of the regime. The self guided walking tour also takes you past the former house of Mandela and the current house of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Talk about great neighbors. We met a very sweet lady, from Soweto, who was taking her out-of-town grandchildren on a tour of her neighborhood. She told us all about the neighborhood, and her son who was a member of the student uprising, went into exile, and eventually was nicknamed after the first president of Russia. Great day of history and South African warmth.
Today we drove to Pretoria, about 40 minutes north of the hotel, and are staying with a friend of my aunt’s. Incredibly hospitable people, they welcomed us in, and have been too kind. I hope one day to return the favor to all nephews of my friends haha…
Off to Rustenburg for the US-Ghana game. Talk about torn loyalties. On one side have my home country, the other, the country that has adopted me in some ways. If the US wins, some pockets (although now larger) will go wild. If Ghana wins, the entire country will go nuts. We’ve gone to the last two Ghana games, and repped them as hard as possible. So I’m not going to feel too bad repping the US this game, although with two Ghana wrist bands. Let’s just say that no matter what happens I’ll be happy…
This is the last time I’ll write such a behemoth of an update. So much has happened the last week, and this is quickly reaching the length of my senior thesis. Miss all of yall, and if you never want to chat, call at 27-787398134.
Finally a minute to write something down. We are posted up in a hotel in Joburg, our first night of indoor sleeping since arriving here. We were looking forward to the security of having our things in a locked room, until we ran into a guy staying in the next room. He had checked in half an hour before us, and gone to get lunch, came back about 30 minutes later to find his room completely cleaned out, everything stolen (world cup tickets and passports included). So I suppose we will rethink this a little bit.
Anyways, the trip this far has been absolutely amazing. We left Accra (Ghana) at 1130 p.m. after a two and half hour delay, and having been issued hand-written boarding passes…I don’t think we even needed the tickets. This is Africa, as they say. Landed in Johannesburg to find a very different Africa. South Africa seems almost European. We rented a car for the first six days originally, but after realizing the convenience, and relative inexpensiveness as compared to bussing place to place, we have extended the booking for the rest of our time here.We spent the first couple of hours in Joburg taking care of some errands, mainly buying a tent and getting grub. We then headed to Pilanesburg, a national park/game reserve set in the crated of an old volcano. By far the best way to start this trip. We arrived on a Thursday night, and woke up at six to get in the park right when it opened. We spent nine hours driving around the park, seeing some of the most amazing and beautiful sights I have ever seen. We managed to see rhinos, elephants, a male lion eating a zebra, zebras, some female lions, giraffes, gazelle, antelope, wildebeests, hippos, and the list goes on and on. It was so cool, and never-endingly entertaining.
We then headed to Rustenburg for theGhana vs. Australia game, which was amazing. The stadium was set in the middle of a bunch of mountains, and the sun set beautifully above the colorful crowd. We were lucky enough to land seats in the middle of the very small but rowdy Ghanian contingent, so it was loads of fun. We slept (camped) that night at the Hodge Podge lodge, which was a nice little joint. We woke up early the next day to head to Joburg, where we paid an absurd fifty dollars each to camp (200 bucks a spot). We went and watched Ivory Coast vs. Brazil in a great game at Soccer City stadium. It was loads of fun, and I managed to meet up with a good friend from Gainesville to go to the game, Julie H. It was a great time.
Next morning we went to the Apartheid museum, which was really moving and well put together. From there we headed to Blomfontein for the South Africavs.France game, which was loads of fun. Everyone here is so friendly and proud to be hosting the Cup. We hitched a ride into town from the place we were camping with two friendly South Africans, who were just very grateful for us being there and being comfortable in their country. It was an excellent experience the game was amazing, and the crowds and vuvu zelas were amazing. After the game we went to dinner with a friend of Aleksis’ dad, which was really nice, and then we hit the bars for some South African entertainment, which turned out to be great.
This morning we woke up and took the 4 hour drive back up to Joburg, and checked into the hotel. Luckily at this point (the end of our first night), nothing has been stolen from our room! After checking in we hit the mall to watch to US game, which they won in the 91st minute, to great celebration. We then went back to the hotel, locked up our stuff, and headed to the stadium with some rum in tow. The game was great, and although Ghana did not win, it was a win-win, with both Germany and Ghana making it on to the next round. The game was fantastic though, and the crowds were loads of fun. After the game we hitched a cheap ride back to the hotel.
The games have been so amazing to actually attend. The crowds are so much fun and we have all caught the World Cup bug all over again. Today we went and got round 16 tickets to see the USA vs Ghana game, and we also have Germany vs England coming up soon as well. More to come soon. Pictures too hopefully!
Well Mitch did a great job summing up our mini adventure before the adventure…Think its safe to say we all had a great time, figured out things to bring to SA and stuff to do, and now all appreciate the joys of just kicking back with family a little more…So for this post, I’m just going to ramble a little bit before we take off tomorrow.
One thing that travelling throughout Ghana taught us was things to bring on an African adventure. Unfortunate we forgot most of these things. Next time you embark on a trip through Ghana remember to bring:
- Insect Repellant. Must have. Amitch and my feet and legs were destroyed by sand ticks. What started off as a few bites quickly spread and covered both of feet and started crawling up our legs. I haven’t seen anything move so fast since the BP oil spill. Luckily antihistamine cream is a miracle worker.
-Shampoo. Soap is great. Makes you feel clean and smell fresh. However, soap only goes so far when it comes to hair, and does nothing for getting out leftover beach sand. Day 4 after leaving the beach I was still getting sand under my fingernails after scratching my head.
-Peanut butter and jelly. Still after 22 years, I stupidly still doubt my mom’s advice. So when she recommended taking a big thing of peanut butter and jelly, I almost immediately thought it was a bad idea. Moose, luckily, agreed to lug it, and by the second day the pb&j was a godsend. We even converted Kai (a long time peanut butter hater) to the gospel of pb-he even made a peanut butter sandwich, by itself, the other day. Count it.
Since we got back, we have moved very, very, little. With the World Cup starting up, and the “freezer” providing us with a perfect spot to watch game after game, the three of us have managed to watch all the games so far, except for today’s New Zealand-Slovakia game. A couple things have struck me. One, as much as I love the game, and appreciate its intricies and ebbs and flows, the first set of the group stage makes it so clear why the casual American viewer will never really get into footie. Other than the Germany-Australia blowout, no team has scored more than 2 goals. Today’s highly anticipated Cote D’Ivoire-Portugal battle ended 0-0. While its understandable that no one wants to lose their first game, the dearth of goals has been painful. Hopefully teams start picking up their pace. Goals are fun.
After watching the Ghana-Serbia game near Accra’s downtown area, and celebrating on Oxford Street with most of Accra, I began thinking. If the US had beaten England (a historic upset), small pockets of fans in the US would have celebrated. After Ghana won 1-0, men, women, teenagers, kids all flooded Accra’s streets to celebrate their Black Stars. With so much doubt about the team before the game hampering optimism, most of Ghana quickly hopped on the bandwagon after the win, but the magnitude of Asamoah Gyan’s ball making it past the Serbian goalie into the goal is fascininating. Because the goalie jumped to his left instead of his right, because Gyan hit it true, because he didn’t slip, or choke, or hit it wide, the ball went into the net and Ghana went up 1-0. Not only did the entire floor of the bar we were in go mad, but all of Ghana celebrated. Soon the streets of Accra were jampacked, music blaring, vuvuzelas buzzing. Not only did the victory give Ghana hope in its team, I feel that it goes beyond that. A single victory can really boost the confidence of Ghana in Ghana. No single US victory can today achieve the same affect. While some people’s emotional state ride pretty parallel with the successes and failures of their favorite teams, and while a city can be boosted by championships, the rest of the world’s relationship with soccer is something on a different level, and its incredible to see.
Speaking of the Cup, other than German team, I haven’t been too impressed with any squad. A couple observations: South Africa played with a ton of heart and could very well advance from its group, I think Argentina could be very dangerous; Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana are the continent’s only hopes; and someone should become a hero by throwing a vuvuzela on the field, getting them banned forever. I think this image pretty much wraps up my hate for the zelas, but I hope I change my mind soon. I still have Spain winning the whole thing, hope they put on a clinic against the Swiss tomorrow.
That’s it, that’s all, check back for actual updates. We leave to South Africa at 9pm tomorrow. The adventure begins…
I wrote this post for the CMC Forum, who knows when it will actually be posted. So here it is, a review, adding to Kai's words, with some pics.
I am in Africa, Ghana to be exact, somewhere around Kumasi to be more exact. Though I feel like I feel like Africa sums it up. I am currently sitting at the back of a disgustingly hot bus, sweating profusely, cramped behind a woman's seat that must be broken - she's nearly in my lap. My companions, the miserable men sitting to the right of me are Moose Halpern, Aleksis Psychas, and Kai Moreb. This summer we set out on an adventure that began in Accra and will end in South Africa, at the world cup. If you aren't jealous then stop reading. I only wish to provoke titillating hatred by those sitting at their desks in DC, or New York, enter whatever 9-5 internship you snagged. At least it will look good on the resume, right? I hope Riggio’s leadership book is enthralling. Are you there yet? Sufficiently pissed? Me too, see, it’s this fucking bus.
We’re on the way to Accra, the capital of Ghana, from Tamale. It is hour five of our thirteen hour trip. Tamale is one of the most Northern cities in Ghana, a calm region that is a bit different than the rest of the nation. Our local homie Razak told us it is about 55 percent Muslims, a statement echoed by the prayers booming from the mosques 5 times daily. The market at the center of the city is similar to the ones we’ve seen thus far: full of second hand American apparel (not your $35 sparkly unitard - instead it's the 1998 Hall and Oates revival tank top your dad gave away 7 years ago) and more fresh fruit than your salivary glands can handle. However it is the same in the sense that as white travelers (Obrunis as Ghanians say), we are perpetually being hustled. Which is fair enough, I could probably start a successful business here with a dollar amount equivalent to last year’s 16 meal plan. My Nikes shout, “I am governed to pay twice as much for this taxi ride.” Luckily we’re traveling with Big Leks, the ultimate bargainer. Cold hearted some would say, but he’s used to it. See the whole reason we are even in Ghana is because his family lives in Accra. They’ve graciously let us destroy the contents of their cupboards and spoil their toilets with ample amounts of travelers diarrhea – an unfortunate inevitability. I knew the fish looked funky.
But this bus… this is just one bus, the last bus. Our first bus took us comfortably to Cape Coast, home of an interesting yet disturbing attraction: the Cape Coast Slave Castle. This place was built sometime in the 1400’s I think, maybe earlier, or later, I’m not really sure when but I don't care it is a slave castle and it is spooky. We walked into the slave dungeons and stood among the stones of unforgiving humanity, imagining the horror of which time has still not redeemed. Though I would say the Door of No Return affected me the most. It is where the slaves were slung into American and European ships, never to see their home or families again. Goodbye Momma Africa, freedom, hello cotton plantation. Forget a textbook, send a sixth grader to a slave castle and they'll never forget the sensation of heartbreak.
When we were adequately freaked out and sad, we left the spirits of the castle and jumped in a taxi headed for the jungle. Yes the jungle, like panthers and fat spiders, and so much humidity my glasses fogged up like your Saturday night memory. Our purpose was to accomplish the canopy walk: A series of swaying bridges connected to the treetops. Yeah, “what the shit” is what I was thinking too, but when we got up there, along with an elementary school full of screaming children, I found it to be pretty amazing. Caught in the fog, we swayed our way across rope bridges like Indiana Jones. Maybe less swiftly, especially Leks, dude is top heavy with a feet the width of the bridge itself.
In the three days following our deep jungle excursion we hit up the Green Turtle, an environmentally friendly beach resort that is just a Corona commercial away from paradise. Actually it was soap and mosquito repelent away from paradise. If malaria has ever entered my bloodstream it was at the Green Turtle. Thank the holy lord for Doxycycline, my Malaria / Chlamydia / Syphilis / any-infection-you-might-ever-get pill. Despite the itching bites, we found happiness in a five cedi ($3.50) liter of gin, and the unexpected entertainment of a Jenga set. Pull, assign drink, pull, assign drink, make it fall- take a shot. Egyptians had it down, architecture is fun.
We left the Green Turtle just in time to catch our 12pm bus to Kumasi - the land of entertainment. Just kidding, Kumasi is lame. We ate fake Chinese food and hung in a parking lot with this chief Jamal trying to sell us Kumasi Kush. We may or may not have been convinced. I don't know, Kumasi more or less evades my memory.
The next morning we hopped another bus, this one 7 hours to Tamale. Leks’ pops is working on a campaign to fight malaria in more rural areas of Ghana, and that’s where we were heading, to one of those rural villages outside of Tamale. We had to change transportation to get to the village - you’ve never seen more people crammed in one rickety van (a tro-tro). I counted 24, including the nipple-latched infant feeding next to Kai. We were fine until the hood flew up and gave the windshield a proper spider-web look. Leks was in the front and I thank science his face wasn’t shredded with the harsh shards of automotive oversight. Though in spite of the scare, we made it to the village unscathed, wet from the shoulder sweat of our neighbors, a consequence of doubling the recommended number of passengers.
The village was like every African charity commercial you see on TV, minus the cleft pallets and ballooned bellies. So it wasn't really, I guess just the mud huts and nearly naked children, chilling out maxing, relaxing all cool.The kids were ecstatic to see a camera and posed for us while we got our fill of culture to show the rest of the world what awesome travelers we are. I was there! For the malaria spray, the huts were emptied and shot with a pesticide which supposedly lasts a year. When mosquitoes land on the walls they die immediately, like they deserve. Naughty disease spreaders. The spray was interesting, but the village culture was by far the best part. Upon our departure we were given a guinea fowl by the chief linguist, a lovely offering we kindly accepted, though we later gave it away to more adequately trained fowl chefs.
The trip north was incredible. Yet now I am cursing my life, minutes away from going mad. It is dark and the shine of my book light on the flow of my pen is the only thing keeping me sane, just barely. The potholes in the dirt road are not assisting my legibility and I may stab this lady in front of me screaming, "I am six foot three, you are four eleven, do you realize how little space I have!" I won't though. I'll sit here with my noise canceling headphones relaying silence from the dead iPod in my pocket, thinking of all the amazing aspects of this trip I didn't touch on. There's more to come though, on South Africa, the cup and such. I mean, if you care, the eight dollars Carl pays me per article isn't quite a driving force. Just saying.
Hey all, this is a short little catch up on our first week or so here. My name is Kai, and I have known Leks since middle school, back in Gainesville, FL. We have been talking about taking this trip for at least four years now, so its amazing that it is actually coming together. Hope you enjoy the blog.
Ada Foah
So, I think I am going to start doing something new. I will post a song that I listened to during the series of pictures that follow. This way you can get into the mood a little more. Todays song is by Cheb Khaled, many of you probably know it.
We left yesterday for the tiny fishing village of Ada Foah (http://bit.ly/cFx2go). Ada is home to Ghana’s National Sailing Club, which although not huge, hosts over twenty Hobie Cats, probably all of which have been imported by ex-pats. We arrived in the early evening yesterday, and shortly after when to go get dinner at a nearby restaurant. We were the only ones there, and it was directly on the water, so it made for a very relaxing and peaceful environment. Dinner consisted of rice with a whole Tilapia, and a tomato sauce. I really was not feeling well, as I came down with what I am sure will be the first of many bouts of travelers diarrhea. I will spare the details, but not pleasant. I feel better today, and ate a full dinner and still feel good, so hopefully it has passed. After dinner we went back to the club and played poker. I retired early due to the way I was feeling, and unfortunately missed a nice bottle of whiskey and a moonlit kayak trip. No worries, many more adventures to come. Today we spent the day hanging out at the club, sailing a small dingy, kayaking, and swimming as well. This village was located on river Volta, which hits the ocean just a couple of kilometers away.
Fishermen (or boys rather) laying out nets. Oldest was no older then 15, and the youngest probably about 7.
Young fisherman bringing in his net.
Paul and Miriam in the Blokkie, their bathtub of a sailing boat. It can actually pick up some good speed though.
A push-up lizard, named after the action it does to wow potential mates.
Miriam using a raft that Oscar and Paul built.
From left to right: Mitch, Miriam, Paul, Leks. Sitting around snacking.
A Moose yawn. I enjoyed it.
A man relaxes during the midday heat.
A cluster of houses near the village. Some with thatched roofs.
The first of what I am sure will be many nights spent under mosquito netting. Double bunk beds housed the four of us boys last night.
So Leks has been showing us some some the sights here in Accra. We drove around two days ago through terrible traffic, which meant we didn’t see to much, but we did manage to get a good sense of how huge Accra is. It has a population of about 4 million, and just sprawls for miles and miles. We went to the national square, with the famous Black Star National Monument, as well as to see the stadium they newly remodeled for the last African Cup. Yesterday we woke up early in an attempt to secure some additional World Cup tickets, but despite promises, Fifa’s website crashed once again. We did manage to get another ticket to a game in round 16, which will hopefully be England vs. somebody. It is a bit of a guessing game to see who will make it that far once you get to that point. We then went to the biggest market in Ghana, and possibly all of Western Africa.
Makola market is anything but clean and tidy. Its very crowded and there are piles of boot-legged items everywhere.
Moose munchin on a mango.
This lady is selling slices of watermelon, and Leks in the distance.
Pigs feet and other meats. Women very gracefully carrying big containers filled with various things on their head.
Moose to the left. A woman almost buried in the ginger and other items she sells.
We did not stay to long though, as it was incredibly hot and we needed grub. We hit up Leks’ favorite spot, called Papaye, for some friend rice and chicken, picked up a couple beers, and headed home to relax in what we have come to call the ice box. Its a nice room in the house with a very good A/C unit, and when you close the door it becomes delightfully cool. The weather here is in the 90’s, but the humidity, believe it or not, is worse than Gainesville.
Today was incredibly interesting. We woke up early to attend the funeral of a former employee of the family, who was only 38 when died. Me and Paul, the father in the family, were talking about how strange the culture is surrounding life in general here. None of the family would step forward to help him when he was sick, but they all came together for his funeral and spent a ton of money on the ceremonies for it. It seemed a bit strange that they would not put that much effort into saving his life, but they would into his funeral. He died of something like a stomach ulcer or a perforated bowel, its not quite clear. The funeral was interesting. There was a lot of praying, and speeches by the kids, wife, and grandchildren of the deceased. Then there was the viewing of the body, which they had put into a nice suit, with lots of gold jewelry on, and a gold coin in his mouth. Definitely not a pretty site. The deceased was being buried with his brother, as it was a joint funeral (they died 3 wks apart). The man we went to go pay respects to had been dead since March, and his brother three weeks after that. So the bodies had been at the morgue for all that time, with occasional power outages…not a good combo. We were then fed some Ghanian chicken and slightly spicy rice, which was delicious. All in all an interesting experience. No pictures unfortunately, as I did not want to offend anyone and the protocol was not well established.
A bit dark, but some puddles and mounds of dirt, and beyond the ocean. Shot out of the window as we drove by.
So the adventure begins. I landed last night here in Accra, Ghana. The flights here were really smooth. From Orlando to London my flight was so empty I could lie down over three seats. I stopped off in London for seven hours, and was able to take a train to go grab a quick brunch with two of my lovely cousins, Amelia and Freya. I then headed back to the airport for another smooth flight to Accra. I ran into a little trouble coming through immigration, as I did not have Aleksis’ address on me, so the officials made me go find him. He as not there yet, so I just got an address off another Ghanian, and put that down instead. It all worked out.
Aleksis met me at the airport, and we headed home, by which time it was about 9 p.m. We hung out with the family here, which includes Paul (father), Hannah, Oscar, Miriam, Aleksis, and Marjatta (mother). Aleksis has been a good friend of mine since middle school. His mother is here working with a non-profit group helping assist in sustainable agricultural enterprises, while his dad works as a physician for the CDC here specializing in infectious disease. It’s a nice set-up to be working for the government (U.S.), as they are paying their rent at this nice house, the utilities, and certain amounts of the cost of shipping things over from the states. There is also a house keeper/cook, and a guard during the nights. It’s a great house, with a small zoo in the front. An African parrot resides in the front, along with two large tortoises, two guinea fowl, two dogs, and some cool looking lizards (wild).
This morning we picked up the rest of the crew, A. Mitch and Moose. On the way home, we allegedly merged from a turn lane at an intersection into the going straight lane (me and Aleksis are fairly certain it was a go straight or turn lane). We got pulled over by a cop standing in the middle of the road, who asked why we did such a thing. We told him we didn’t see any signs, and he insisted there were at least ten signs…definitely not the case. Anyways, he made us let him get in the car so we could drive to the police station so he could write us a ticket. Upon pulling up to the station he said he forgave us, asked if we had any dollars as a bribe, and upon a negative response left us alone. Pretty clever way of getting a ride back to the station…haha. Although hassling foreigners is definitely a part of life here I will have to get used to , the Ghanian people are incredibly kind. From the Ghanian in Gainesville I met who offered her sister, who is a police officer, to escort us around, to the nice guy on the plane who gave me his number so he can show me “his” Accra. Very cool. I feel bad in a way as there is no way I would ever be able to take all these nice poeple up on their offers.
This is going to be a great summer. I'm writing this here in Accra, Ghana with three of my best friends sleeping in rooms around my family's house, and we're lucky enough to be at the beginning of an adventure of a lifetime. This blog will be our way to connect with all of our friends and family as we go along these three weeks in Ghana and five weeks in South Africa for the World Cup. After four years of on-and-off planning it's crazy that it all came together in the end. And I couldn't be happier. I hope you guys enjoy reading this blog, we figured it would be way more simple to read one then four. I wanted to start off with a post that I wrote for the music blog that Moose and I started back in September '09 (http://jamandahalf.com) about the Coca Cola Official World Cup song, which luckily was a jamandahalf. It's a helluva catchy song, and one that we've been singing/whistling for months now, as well as being the inspiration for this blog's name.
Stay tuned in the next 8 weeks for our musings starting in Ghana and ending in South Africa. We wish you all were here with us, but hopefully this will make it feel like yall are a little closer.
Once every four years, the world comes together for an event like no other. A truly international spectacle, for one month the world stops what it is doing to watch skilled athletes battle for the right to say that they truly are the best in the world, forever etched in both history and in the minds of millions, if not billions, worldwide. And as much as I love curling, I'm not talking about the Winter Olympics.
The World Cup is arguably the greatest spectacle on earth. Hundreds of thousands of spectators come from every part of the world to watch soccer, cheer, get rowdy, and have the time of their lives. This summer, three of my closest friends and I are lucky enough to join the crowds and are headed to South Africa. Flights have been bought, we got lucky enough to get tickets to 5 games each, and all we need is a little face paint. We're going.
No World Cup is complete without an official song, and lucky for us, this year they picked a jamandahalf for millions to sing this summer. Somali-Canadian rapper K'naan's remix to a song, Wavin' Flag, off his most recent album Troubador was chosen out of thousands of applicants. Although some criticize picking K'naan, suggesting that an African artist living in Africa would have been more appropriate, K'naan has used his music and newfound fame to highlight the ills of his country as much as any artist out there (and the song is a helluva lot better than this haha). Incorporating lyrics about the game, the song is an uplifting and joyous celebration of people. Listening to this jam, it's hard not to get excited about this summer. And while the recent Copenhagen conference on global warming and the UN would seem to prove otherwise, the World Cup reaffirms that every now and then the world can figure it out.
I can almost see it now. A sea of flags waving. Individually celebrating their own country, but together, a celebration of humanity.
