Second report from Ghana

  Krobo-Odumase, Ghana
Monday, May 14, 2007

3 weeks on and what has changed?

Well, the rainy season seems to have started inland where I've been staying for the last week which means the temperature isn't quite as hideously hot and humid as before. Sleep is more manageable. I've traveled around and seen a bit more of the country which has given me a feel for what a beautiful place Ghana is - canopy walks slung from tree-tops in the rainforest, weekend by the Atlantic Ocean surfing the 10 foot rollers, visiting the highest waterfall in West Africa and seeing some traditional weaving. I have also started getting really stuck into work which is going to be great. I'm creating a new production planning system for them so that they can meet big orders more efficiently. Spreadsheet monkey anyone?

Still, I'd be lying if I said that I had fallen in love with the place. It comes a poor second to Tanzania and somewhere pretty low down on my list of countries to re-visit in Africa. The hassle factor here seems to be much higher than any other country I've travelled to on this trip or at any other time. In particular, many Ghanaian men are unbelievably pushy and are quite blatantly trying to bag a foreign woman who will get them a visa out of here. Also, the fact that my body seems to have packed up after 8 months of sterling service doesn't help. In the last few weeks I've been hit by insomnia, first serious case of the runs, infected sandfly bites and, most terrifying, a bad allergic reaction to some unknown ingredient in a local dish that had me fighting for breath. Fingers crossed that malaria is not the next thing on the list...

So - two months to go until I board that lovely BA jet home and I can't wait!