Travel to the Volta Region

Saturday, January 14

The day begins by finding out the alarm on Dr. Tech* needs more technical setting than what was given last night. A phone call wakes me an hour late to the minute and in a fog I cannot figure out what is going on.

*Dr. Tech is an inexpensive unlocked GSM cell phone which will work in Ghana and 200 other countries that I bought on e-bay before leaving.

It doesn’t matter because breakfast is held on the table every day until the lazy guests have arisen and eaten their fill. Sam doesn’t arrive for his meeting, but Ken Wutoh is on his way to pick us for a trip to the Volta Region and a visit with his family in Kpando (pronounced pahn’ doe----the k is silent in the Ewe dialect).

We stop at the forex (foreign currency exchange) to replenish our supply of cedis (Ghana's currency) necessary for travel, accommodations, meals and what have you and then it is to the on ramp of Ghana’s only freeway. Along the way Ken stops to pick up some walkers for disabled people to use in his town. That is his ministry to the people of Kpando. We snack on chewy oysters roasted on a skewer, some short-bread cookies from Shri Lanka, Fan Ice (vanilla soft ice cream in a plastic pouch) and Voltic bottled water. The miles fly by and it is difficult to see the “mountains” from the road because of the heavy hamatan skies. Hamatan is the season of the year when northerly winds whip up sand and dust from the Sahara Desert making for very hazy skies and cooler temperatures to the south.

We are generously welcomed by Ken’s family and given the best two rooms in the house. Dinner is chicken and rice with a spicy sauce and of course Star Beer. Ken takes us on a walking tour of the local area where we meet many of his friends from town. The internet café has space open so I upload the first blog to the website from this laptop which was purchased for Msgr. Francis—he won’t get it until we leave Ghana, however. The internet is slow in the rural areas, but the job gets done. I called the people in my phonebook whom I have not spoken to since arrival and we all agree to hope the container is on time for delivery January 20, next Friday.

Tiredness sets in and we retire early because it will be a big day tomorrow.

Doug

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Website version: http://e-quipafrica.org/content/travel-volta-region