Bella Bean Dog! Back from Africa for the Love of a Good Dog (Accra, Ghana to Denver, Colorado)

Bean in Nashville

Rolling Business Class again.

I must admit that rollin back in business class does make the hurt a bit easier to bare.  Sipping champagne in a fully recline position while stuffing my face with gourmet food gives me time to think about how amazing my dog is and how lucky I am to have found her.  Instead of dwelling on the fact that I am about to lose her I decide to think about all the awesome times and how much fuller she made my life.  She is 15 and old age is unavoidable.

I am back and I will get several beautiful weeks with my baby dog.  Taking a break from my trip and losing a chunk of money is nothing to me now.  I would have been absolutely heartbroken if I had not come back. 

Last Weeks with bella bean dog

Just going to give an extremely brief description of my 6 weeks back in the States (no more than two entries), as it is not much about travel and more about sorrow. 

The trip back was very comfortable as described before.  I guess if you have to travel halfway around the world to put you dog down it is made a bit easier in Business Class. 

It was wonderful to see the family when I got in.  Actually Nathan, my brother, was there to pick me up because Nalya, my niece, had been very sick and mom was at with her.  We went straight there and Miss. Nalya was doing much better.  I tried to be cool and thrilled to be at my sister’s place (and I was happy to see everyone) but all I could think about was that I have flown like 20 hours and put a hold on my trip in order to see my baby dog one last time.  

Bella had lost about ten pounds before I ever left and I would only have left her with family knowing the unlikelihood that I would see her again.  Her end is all old age nothing else.  Even if I spent 10,000 I would not be giving her more time.   She had lost another 15 pounds I would say and was it was just a matter of a short amount of time.   She did seem pretty happy but it was obvious it was time. 

The vet did tell me to try and put five pounds on her and if it could be done she might have another month or two.  That didn’t work, she kept loosing weight but it was wonderful to get those last couple weeks with her.  I pretty much never left her side and just gave her all the love I had and she gave it right back.  She knew too that time was up.

Bella Bean's 14th Birthday

Bella’s favorite place of the planet is the Lake House in Illinois, so I decided to try and get her there for her last days.  Even though she is in the last weeks of life when she sees that I am loading the car for a road trip she is a pup for a moment.  Her second favorite thing next to the Lake House is long road trips.  We even did an eight month road trip; just the two of us, back in 2008.

She was well at peace in her dog hammock in the backseat of her Outback.  I think she realized where we were going.  Like always about 30 minutes out she could smell the Lake and got very excited.  Until about 2 years ago she would have her head out the window, ears blowing in the wind when we would do this last bit of the drive.  That is not possible and she didn’t even try but I did pile the pillows so she could sniff that beautiful Southern air as we pulled in.

For the next day she had a grand time.  I had to watch her every step of the way and help her up and down but she was happy.  She had held on for this moment I think; just the two of us back at the lake.  I took her to the vet to organize her euthanasia and to get any comfort meds they thought would help.  He asked how long I wanted her (meaning days and no more than a week) and I said just give me a day so she can have visitors and one more day at the Lake.  He gave her a heavy-duty shot to make her more comfortable and we left.  Thankfully she has not been in pain anyway.  Her back-end has been going for months now and she is simply loosing feeling back there.

A X-Mas Bean

We only got one more full day and it was spent enjoying the sun and her getting all the love I could give; which was a lot.

The day we went to do it was very peacefully for her.  She slept most of the day and whenever someone would come to love on her she would sniff them from a laying position and back to sleep.  I have done most of my mourning and crying while she was still alive but man this sucks.  15 years is just not long enough. 

My dad drove us and I gave her a pill to chill her out but she really didn’t need it. She was content and ready to go.  I think if I had not taken her to the vet she would have gone on her own in the next day or two.

I sat in the backseat with her head in my lap and the windows down so her last memories would be of sweet Southern smells and her mama scratching her ears.  Who wouldn’t want that memory to take to Rainbow Bridge.   I am sure her Rainbow Bridge world is the South and leftovers from a Meat and 3!

I carried her in like a baby, said my good byes.  She was gone in seconds after the needle entered.  Peaceful as can be.

I love you baby girl.  We all love and miss you. 

For the next several weeks I spent with the family at the Lake.  It was actually really nice to have all that chaos going on around me.  Took my mind off the Bella Bean a bit.  We did have a great time. 

I did go down to Nashville for three days to see my peeps, eat good food and see if Nashville still had my heart.  It does.  Love that town.  I would like to move back on my return.

Best Bean Dog Qualities:
she wanted to be as fat as possible, she smiled, loved to bury herself in blankets, was scared of lightning, was a snuggle monkey, had to be touching a person at all times, never had to be on a leash, would take off running whenever she saw Cortney as we met her for our regular walks, she was always happy to see me, had to sleep under the covers and in bed with you, basically she was the best friend/dog a girl could ever have!

Visas for Togo/Benin, Well Endowed Generator, Back to States for The Bean Dog, Rollin Business Class (Accra, Ghana)

Bella Bean Dog

Of course I met up with Obehi again and yes he was still in the room next to me.  A new café run by a super nice German woman opened on the main drag while I was gone. It’s on the way down to the beach and called the Hayford Lounge.  Over the next couple days I would spend quite a bit of time here eating amazing food and getting out of the heat which is on the rise. 

Only back in Cape Coast for a couple days then heading back to Accra so I can get a visa or two and to cross the border into Togo.  I will miss Cape Coast.  I absolutely recommend a visit here.  I think it might be required when you visit Ghana.

A short taxi ride or medium walk is a place that has Ford Mini Vans with AC and comfy seats that head to Accra.  The price of a Tro to Accra would be 6 Cedi (US$3) and the mini vans are 15 (US$8).  The lap of luxury for me today; this would be considered a No Fanice Ride.  The people who take the mini vans are businessmen, students at university, and a couple well-dressed women.  Instead of basic cell phones they all have smart phones too I noticed.  One other interesting thing about this nice ride is that there are no Road Evangelist for a safe trip.  I guess it is no necessary to be blessed if you ride in a vehicle that meets safety standards.

I didn’t end up making a reservation in Accra and the couple places I called during the ride were full.  Oops.  These mini vans drop off a bit further from the city center.  I found a taxi and got a price set a bit higher than usual because I will have to have this guy drive me around and wait while I run into places until I find somewhere to rest my head. 

I want to stay in Osu this time.  Osu is the heart of the city dinning, shopping and nightlife.  There are a lot of expats living here because of all the food options I am assuming.  The hotels are also about 20-30% higher.  I did find a place for 60 Cedi (US$30) a night and I can’t remember the name of it at the moment.  Great rooms with bathroom and killer ac, flat screen and breakfast in the morning.  The great thing and what I have learned you look for is how big their generator is.  Even though the power is on more regularly now that Nigeria turned the power back on it still goes out a lot.  The place was well endowed in the generator department.

I will hang in Accra for about four days in order to pick up a visa for Benin and Togo.  I plan to enjoy the bustle of Osu District and maybe do a day trip somewhere…but for now it is off to bed for me. 

Oh, and I did go ahead and have dinner at the hotel…the only thing they had was chicken and rice but as it turned out it was delish.

NEXT DAY

Today I just wandered around Osu and had a long lunch with a couple coffees as the cutest little café while I watched the world go by.  Honestly nothing to write about. 

It was around 7ish when I got back and I decided to write in my journal and do some photo stuff while I kicked back with a couple beers.  There was a guy the night before having the same dinner as me but we didn’t chat.  I assumed he has working in Accra or Ghana in general as he just had that air about him…. looked to be late 40’s or early 50’s.

Tonight we decided to have our beers together and I was right late 40’s and has been working in Africa; mostly Ghana for about 20 years.   Like many Brits that have  spent a long time in Africa going back to the UK always takes adjusting to.  It seems a lot of expats just end up staying in Africa in the end.

Over the next couple days we hang out quite a bit wander Osu and Accra in general.  I did check out his new pad once and meet a couple of his friends that are also living there.  The apartments are pretty big…. huge living room, 2 bedrooms and bathroom and big kitchen…Paul’s apartment is on the second floor so he has a wrap around balcony too.  All these places are gated communities that you have to be buzzed into and an outer gate opens for you.  There is also a killer pool and bbq area.   That’s the life.  You would think that even a place like that would be reasonable in Ghana but no…. I think Paul said he pays 2,000 to 2,500 for it

Paul and I spent the next couple of days hanging out eating and chatting. 

Bella Bean at rest

I talked to my mother today and she said that Bella is super skinny and hasn’t eaten in a couple days.  After some time thinking about it I have decided to try and get back to Colorado so I can be the one to put her down.  She is my baby and knowing that I have time to get to her and maybe even spend a bit of quality time before the end makes it an easy decision especially since I have done a number of flights with frequent flyer points so far.  I will have to buy a ticket to come back and continue my journey but for now all I am thinking about is getting out of Accra and to my dog.

I found a frequent flyer flight in business class leaving tomorrow and after lots of talk on the phone with a representative (I had to trade in my Congo ticket and use most of the rest of my points) I got booked for tomorrow night’s flight.  I won’t know that I have a seat for sure until morning but there you go.  I spent the rest of the day wondering if I did the wrong thing by doing my trip when Bella was getting so old.  I realized that I couldn’t beat myself up about it.  Bella has had a spectacular life and it’s not like I left her at a kennel for two months…she has been with loving family.  I just hope I get at least a few days with her.

Paul and I went out for delicious Indian food tonight.  Actually one of the best I have had anywhere.   If I get back to Accra I have to hit this place up again.

The next day I just killed time until my flight.  Paul drove me to the airport.  It is a very odd feeling to be leaving.  I am almost two months into my trip and I am not ready for it to end but I want to get back.  Sometimes I am ready to head back from one of my big Sabbatical for several reasons.  I do love and miss my family and I am usually out of money. 

This time I am going back for only one reason; to end the life of my beloved dog. 

Rolling Business Class again.  Note to self:  I need to write a entry on how to get Business class for less than Economy when using Frequent Flyer points. 

I must admit that rollin back in business class does make the hurt a bit easier to bare.  Sipping champagne in a fully reclined position while stuffing my face with gourmet food gives me time to think about how amazing my dog is and how lucky I am to have found her.  Instead of dwelling on the fact that I am about to lose her I decide to think about all the  awesome times and how much fuller she made my life.  She is 15 and old age is unavoidable.

I am back and I will get several beautiful weeks with my baby dog.  Taking a break from my trip and losing a chunk of money is nothing to me now.  I would have been absolutely heartbroken if I had not come back. 

'On a Freaking Tro Tro', beach dogs, another power outage!

Oh, how I will miss these dogs.  The little one sat right under my feet for a tummy rub while I had my coffee this morning.  In the end I paid 312 Cedi for five nights, all dinners, several breakfasts and beers ($150 US).  I can handle that.  I think I may come back for the last few days in Ghana. 

Sunday is a great day and terrible day to travel.  There is very little traffic but there are also very few buses running. The only options in little, out of the way places like this is to pay quite a lot more to taxi out.  I knew this when I decided to stay an extra night so no big deal at all.

Got a taxi right from the Hideout all the way to Takaradi (45 Cedi) then jumped on a Tro Tro back to Cape Coast.  I thought I would wait a very long time for the Tro Tro to fill.  As I got in there were only four people and they all shrugged their shoulders like ‘yep, we are here for a while’.  Just as I sat down a family straight out of church and dressed in their Sunday Best filled the remaining seats and off we went.

Tro Tro:  Old, broken down mini vans that hold 14 people and depending on the driver can be a lot like riding Space Mountain at Disneyland.  They don’t leave until they are full.  The benefit to a Tro Tro over a bus is that they are always going so you don’t have to wait for a specific bus time to leave.  The guidebook says not to take them between towns but I keep finding myself bumping down the roads of Ghana of my beloved Tro Tros.  Actually I quite enjoy a good Tro Tro ride.

In a freaking' Tro Tro

Text from Obehi the day he left Hideout Lodge:  “On a Tro Tro, a Freaking Tro Tro!!”

Tro Tro dropped me right in middle of market close to the hotel.  The market is amazing and pumping on Sundays to be sure. 

Another blackout upon my arrival lasting until 11pm.  Room 115 was taken so had to move in next door to 116 and it sucks.  Shower doesn’t work, toilet doesn’t work, fan doesn’t work and I got bit to shit by bed bugs.  Ended up wearing long sleeve shirt and pants to bed to avoid bits. 

Obehi and I watch South Park on his computer until the power on it ran out as the rooms were wicked hot with not fans or ac due to the power outage.  If you walk the streets late night here you see many people sleeping on the street even if they have somewhere indoors to rest, as it is so much cooler.

Note on power outages:  I came to find out that at the end of the Month (April) the power in Ghana, Togo, and Benin should be better as the Nigerian government has slowed the oil coming here over the past year or so and that is about to change.  I have learned that whatever happens in Nigeria has a HUGE impact on these countries.  (Posting this on the last days of April and power has been steady for two days now…. the Nigerian pipeline is flowing again I guess).