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| 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.
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| 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.
