Ivory Coast has an unusual way of handling visas. If you need a visa in a hurry like I did you get a letter of invitation and a paper visa form. Upon my arrival in Ivory Coast they take your passport and your paper visa. Don’t expect to see your visa again for a couple of days. This is an alarming process as I am not accustomed to handing over my passport and not getting it back. I was only going to be there a couple of days anyway. So, sans passport, I proceed on to the check in. They are looking for the yellow fever vaccination card. Well. Mine’s in my passport, which you took thank you very much. So they had to send a runner to go find it and show it to the checker. Finally we go through. They give you a receipt for your passport which is your temporary paperwork. When you are asked for your papers—and odds are you will be—this is what you show them.
Once we got through and entered the main airport area we were approached by sales people who wanted us to buy SIM cards for phones or exchange money. The exchange rate was 500 cifa to the dollar, which is actually better than you will probably get at a teller booth. So reluctantly I exchanged USD $40 for 20,000 cifa.
There is a company there in Ivory Coast that provides handlers who can meet you at the airport, get you through the process quickly, and bring you to the office. So we were soon on our way to the company office in Abidjan. We took back roads so I didn’t get to see downtown. Our path took us through a poor area with ramshackle buildings and vendors selling cooked goat skins, people laying washed clothes on the ground in a big field to dry them in the sun, and a woman urinating on the side of the road. Then we passed a stockyard with thin cattle and goats that wandered about, and chickens in coops, and finally a dockyard. I can’t say I had a very high opinion of Abidjan but we didn’t see downtown and I realized hey this is Africa and probably most West African countries have areas that look like this.
We arrived at the office and started the site survey. Then towards the end of the day—about 7:30 PM—we checked into the Hotel Ibis. The hotel was undergoing renovation and the front door was barred. We used a side entrance. They had put together a temporary check-in desk in the bar area. But they didn’t close the bar. So as you stand at a small check-in desk you have a bar to your immediate right with much smoking and drinking and loud talking, and to your left is a terrible lounge act with a keyboard, drums, and local woman singing in French. And our rooms? Not ready yet. Why not? They are cleaning. They will be ready in 15 minutes. I pointed out it was very late and they had plenty of time to clean it already. I got that blank look West Africans are so good at that says all they hear is blah blah blah. We went and stood outside. Some francophones had gotten so drunk they could barely walk and they were being thrown out. Nice.
After the 15 were up I went back in to check. My companion’s room was ready but not mine. They gave me his key and I suggested rather than standing outside we just go to his room and wait for mine to be ready. We had been invited to dinner by the country manager, so my companion wanted to change clothes. He called down to the desk and requested an iron. They told him my room was ready so I headed back down.
They finally gave me my room key. They also tried to hand me the iron to take back to my companion. I shot them a you-can’t-be-serious look and headed upstairs. They put me on the top floor. I was thinking maybe they had comped me a good room for my inconvenience. Not so. The top floor hallway smelled of fresh paint and some of the rooms had no doors. Presumably they were being renovated. My room did have a door and when I got inside I was relieved that it did not smell of paint fumes. The floor had cigarette stains and there was an ashtray on the table by the no smoking sign. I looked out the window and there was a swimming pool with a chair in it. I wondered if the drunk Frenchies had anything to do with that.
In summary, I can’t really recommend the Hotel Ibis in Abidjan.
We were picked up to go to dinner and on the way to the restaurant we were stopped by an armed guard who had set up a checkpoint. We showed him our papers and I was just waiting for the “your papers are not in order” BS that they sometimes do to extort some money from you. That didn’t happen to us. We arrived at the restaurant, called Le Grand Large, which we all thought sounded stupid but I am told it’s not so dumb in French. The country manager was delayed because he did get the shakedown but wouldn't pay up. The interior was as nice as any fancy restaurant in the US and I had one of the best meals in Africa at this place. The menu was all in French but I knew filet was steak and that’s really all you need to know. So I had a filet chateaubriand with foie gras and an amazing French wine. And I decided Abidjan couldn’t be all bad if it could produce a meal like this.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Labadi Beach
Well I am back in the States and home but never had time to update this blog and bring it to a conclusion. Now that I am back home and have had time to let the experience settle in a bit, I can give you a retrospective on my last few days in Ghana and in Ivory Coast.
I’ll start with Labadi Beach. The entire time we were in Ghana we were told this was a good place to go on the weekend. But as we made overtime when we worked weekends, none of us were willing to sacrifice the time to go. Finally we were reaching the end of the project and we were basically in maintenance mode where we were waiting for things to break and we really had no reason to be in the office. So on Sunday afternoon we decided to go check out Labadi Beach. We hailed a taxi and he stopped. We negotiated a fee and headed out. We made it a couple of miles before the taxi broke down. He popped the hood and tried to get it started again, and had one of us in the front seat reach over and try to start it. Then the key just fell out of the ignition. We all looked at each other and got out, and flagged down another taxi.
I was told Labadi Beach is a private beach, which means you pay an entrance fee of 5 cedi. There is also a public beach but we didn’t see it. The entrance to the beach is a covered walkway up against a building. There is a teller window to your right where you pay your fee. The entry fee comes with a complementary energy drink. Then once you go past this area it opens up and there are the booths and setups where you can buy sunglasses or whatever. We pressed on towards the water. The beach area was filled with people all clustered together under red umbrellas. There were a few expats wandering around but mostly it was a local crowd. There was music playing and cooks grilling unrecognizable meat, children running to and fro along the water’s edge while parents watched from the shade under their umbrellas. Teenagers and young men kicked around soccer balls. This is the first thing that’s different about a beach in Africa: Africans don’t suntan!
I had heard the beach wasn’t going to be too clean. Supposedly they don’t treat their sewage in Ghana and they just pump it into the ocean. I didn’t plan to get in the water anyway. Sure enough, the beach was dirty. There were piles of trash—whether grouped together by human hands or simply by the tide, I can’t say—and boys led ponies or small horses up and down the beach offering rides. Horses do what horses do, and they do it right there on the beach. No pooper scoopers in Ghana! The horseman just slides some sand over it and continues on his way. Then kids running along the beach no doubt come and step in it.
We walked down from the entrance towards the left. There were enclosed areas with chairs or sometimes tables and chairs set up where—for a fee of course—you could sit down and relax. There were waiters who would come along and offer beers or water to the guests. Some people were sitting in those areas and reading books or talking. We were continually offered a seat in these areas but we were there to look around and declined. My coworkers were offered and accepted a beer and were handed glass bottles. Not something you would see in the US!
We did see some interesting things at the beach. There was a group of drummers who wandered around playing. They would go up to tables of beachgoers and try to play for them, like mariachis in a Mexican restaurant. Then there was a guy making a sand sculpture of a rather severe looking woman in a hot rod. Then there was Zanla the Show Boy, who pranced up and down the beach in a flamboyant costume that made him look like a member of the Ghanaian Village People. He never spoke but was very happy to pose for pictures! (Click the picture to view it larger).
I’ll start with Labadi Beach. The entire time we were in Ghana we were told this was a good place to go on the weekend. But as we made overtime when we worked weekends, none of us were willing to sacrifice the time to go. Finally we were reaching the end of the project and we were basically in maintenance mode where we were waiting for things to break and we really had no reason to be in the office. So on Sunday afternoon we decided to go check out Labadi Beach. We hailed a taxi and he stopped. We negotiated a fee and headed out. We made it a couple of miles before the taxi broke down. He popped the hood and tried to get it started again, and had one of us in the front seat reach over and try to start it. Then the key just fell out of the ignition. We all looked at each other and got out, and flagged down another taxi. I was told Labadi Beach is a private beach, which means you pay an entrance fee of 5 cedi. There is also a public beach but we didn’t see it. The entrance to the beach is a covered walkway up against a building. There is a teller window to your right where you pay your fee. The entry fee comes with a complementary energy drink. Then once you go past this area it opens up and there are the booths and setups where you can buy sunglasses or whatever. We pressed on towards the water. The beach area was filled with people all clustered together under red umbrellas. There were a few expats wandering around but mostly it was a local crowd. There was music playing and cooks grilling unrecognizable meat, children running to and fro along the water’s edge while parents watched from the shade under their umbrellas. Teenagers and young men kicked around soccer balls. This is the first thing that’s different about a beach in Africa: Africans don’t suntan!
I had heard the beach wasn’t going to be too clean. Supposedly they don’t treat their sewage in Ghana and they just pump it into the ocean. I didn’t plan to get in the water anyway. Sure enough, the beach was dirty. There were piles of trash—whether grouped together by human hands or simply by the tide, I can’t say—and boys led ponies or small horses up and down the beach offering rides. Horses do what horses do, and they do it right there on the beach. No pooper scoopers in Ghana! The horseman just slides some sand over it and continues on his way. Then kids running along the beach no doubt come and step in it. 
We walked down from the entrance towards the left. There were enclosed areas with chairs or sometimes tables and chairs set up where—for a fee of course—you could sit down and relax. There were waiters who would come along and offer beers or water to the guests. Some people were sitting in those areas and reading books or talking. We were continually offered a seat in these areas but we were there to look around and declined. My coworkers were offered and accepted a beer and were handed glass bottles. Not something you would see in the US!
We did see some interesting things at the beach. There was a group of drummers who wandered around playing. They would go up to tables of beachgoers and try to play for them, like mariachis in a Mexican restaurant. Then there was a guy making a sand sculpture of a rather severe looking woman in a hot rod. Then there was Zanla the Show Boy, who pranced up and down the beach in a flamboyant costume that made him look like a member of the Ghanaian Village People. He never spoke but was very happy to pose for pictures! (Click the picture to view it larger).
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Cote d'Ivoire
Made it to Ivory Coast today. Will try to write a longer update later but it was a long day. I know I am not doing a good job of keeping up with this thing; sorry about that. Food is good you can get French wine here. But the roads are just as bad as in Ghana and everyone speaks French. It feels completely safe althogh we went through a roadblock today where the soldiers wanted to see passports. Big hassle over nothing. I will be working in the office here and offshore, and should be coming home Monday the 6th.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Ivory Coast: Not Just Soaps!
About six weeks ago there was talk about going to the Ivory Coast to do a site survey in anticipation of the project coming up there next month. I had volunteered because I thought it would be an interesting break from Ghana. Well you know what they say about volunteering. Now that we are close to wrapping up someone said ah, what about Ivory Coast! We were going to send someone... oh yes, you! So it looks like I am stopping over in Ivory Coast to inspect a shore office and a vessel before I wrap things up here and return to the US. There is one other person coming with me, and people who work here go there all the time for work so I don't feel like it's going to be unsafe. I am hoping to be home on or around Sept 6--in only 10 more days!
A site survey should be a lot of fun because it gives you the chance to inspect the existing site and identify the issues. Sort of a "what's wrong with this picture" but on a bigger scale. Plus I get to visit another country--this one a former French colony, so it should be quite different from Ghana. It has been a good project and I'm glad I did it, but I am also glad it will be wrapped up soon.
A site survey should be a lot of fun because it gives you the chance to inspect the existing site and identify the issues. Sort of a "what's wrong with this picture" but on a bigger scale. Plus I get to visit another country--this one a former French colony, so it should be quite different from Ghana. It has been a good project and I'm glad I did it, but I am also glad it will be wrapped up soon.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Singapore Sling
Well we are reaching the end of the road and just as Odysseus encounters new challenges even after he reaches the shores of Ithaca I have had new items pop up. We had to run back to Takoradi today to move a server to the DMZ and make a few otehr adjustments. We go back to Accra in the morning. Meanwhile there was a "oh by the way we need you to set up xyz for us too" and that will be a whole new mini-project in itself! Here's the fun part: the management team is in Houston (-5 hours) and the support team is in Singapore (+8 hours) and I am in the middle. So for example right now (9:00 PM in Ghana) it's 4:00 PM in Houston and 5:00 AM tomorrow in Singapore. Whatever directive I get from Houston can't be implemented by the Singapore team till the next day, and if I need clearance from management for something it has to wait until after 2:00 PM Ghana time, which is of course long after the Singapore guys went home!
No going-home date yet but we were hoping by the end of this week. Not sure yet how the scope change will affect that date. May know more Wednesday.
Meanwhile congrats to SS who had her first day today of HIGH SCHOOL! :)
No going-home date yet but we were hoping by the end of this week. Not sure yet how the scope change will affect that date. May know more Wednesday.
Meanwhile congrats to SS who had her first day today of HIGH SCHOOL! :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Peep
No real updates; except to say I am still alive and working long hours. We are seeing the finish line ahead but there is still much to do. Looking forward to coming home. More later! :)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Back in Accra
I am back in Accra today. We flew Ghana Air and I was a little concerned about it but everything was fine. We are about to start the big wrap up; almost everything is online and accessible but we still have a couple of weeks worth of things to do. There is one satellite office that we are going to set up but the equipment hasn't come in yet. Some changes have been requested and this is something I'll be working on until we get the other equipment in. However we have been kicked out of the office room that we did have in Accra because the guys from the upcoming satellite office are here waiting for it and they took our old room over in our absense! So I am working from a guest reception area in the lobby. I am closer to the kitchen now but they haven't replenished the supply of McVitie's, so I'm not so tempted to snack.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Overland and Sea
Got back to Takoradi. The helicopter ride is always cool for the first 10 minutes. We lurch off the ground a few feet and hover, then glide away. After that they get up in the clouds and there is nothing to see, so I read for a bit. Odysseus makes it back to Ithica but is in disguise.
Because I had prepped the servers today was going to be a quick and easy day and I would have most everything done by 5:00. Ah but like Odysseus, the fates conspire to keep me from completing the journey. It wasn't anything as interesting as a cyclops or the wrath of Poseidon, though. Here is what happened: Plugged in the Overland tape drive and flipped it on. Waited for the screen to come up. Waited some more. Noticed the ominous flashing amber light in the shape of a Caution sign. Noooooo! Because it was bought in the US they wanted me to open a US support ticket. They open at 7:00 AM PACIFIC time, which is 3:00 PM here. Wait 5 hours. Call. Wait on hold 30 minutes. Register with support. Read the serial number. Repeat serial number five times. Verify serial number twice. Call back bacause line was dropped. Repeat three times. Lose Internet when power goes out. Phones go through Internet. Wait for Internet to come back up. Call again. Get trouble ticket issued. Was asked other then nothing on the screen and a flashing light, were there any other problems I was having with it? Get an engineer on phone. Drop call and repeat. I now have an open ticket with Overland. But where did my day go?
Because I had prepped the servers today was going to be a quick and easy day and I would have most everything done by 5:00. Ah but like Odysseus, the fates conspire to keep me from completing the journey. It wasn't anything as interesting as a cyclops or the wrath of Poseidon, though. Here is what happened: Plugged in the Overland tape drive and flipped it on. Waited for the screen to come up. Waited some more. Noticed the ominous flashing amber light in the shape of a Caution sign. Noooooo! Because it was bought in the US they wanted me to open a US support ticket. They open at 7:00 AM PACIFIC time, which is 3:00 PM here. Wait 5 hours. Call. Wait on hold 30 minutes. Register with support. Read the serial number. Repeat serial number five times. Verify serial number twice. Call back bacause line was dropped. Repeat three times. Lose Internet when power goes out. Phones go through Internet. Wait for Internet to come back up. Call again. Get trouble ticket issued. Was asked other then nothing on the screen and a flashing light, were there any other problems I was having with it? Get an engineer on phone. Drop call and repeat. I now have an open ticket with Overland. But where did my day go?
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Beat Goes On
My coworker left today for Takoradi, leaving me to fend for myself amongst the IT deprived. I am scheduled to go back tomorrow but it all kind of depends on corporate. We have been emailing back and forth all afternoon about a support issue. Meanwhile I am doing remote work on the office back in Takoradi. Wish there was something interesting to report but all I do is work and I doubt that would interest too many readers. So I apologize for the banality of this post. There was a bit of excitement as they changed out some satellite descramblers for the tv channels and most of twhe channels promptly went out. There were raised voices and some enthusiastic gesturing among the people trying to get it fixed, as everyone was convinced it was the other person's fault. Judging by the current quiet they got it resolved. Good thing too; at lunch and dinner the satellite channel plays B-grade movies. Lunch wouldn't be the same without watching Tom Selleck or Meg Ryan or Zac Efron... no David Hasselhoff yet, though. And no one seems to want to watch BBC or CNN. We did get a new shipment of food in (same caterer) and we had pork chops the other night. Assured they were fresh and free of trichinosis, I ate four. But the food has not been too great since.
No time for light reading; Odysseus is still conversing with the ghost of Tiresias and it may be tomorrow before I get to Scylla and Charibdis.
I have not been sleeping well but since the snorers are both gone maybe I will sleep better tonight. We got a third roommate the other day, a short, thick-necked, affable Aussie who warned us he sleeps nude. I don't look; I keep the curtains around my bunk closed! He is still here but at least he doesn't snore.
No time for light reading; Odysseus is still conversing with the ghost of Tiresias and it may be tomorrow before I get to Scylla and Charibdis.
I have not been sleeping well but since the snorers are both gone maybe I will sleep better tonight. We got a third roommate the other day, a short, thick-necked, affable Aussie who warned us he sleeps nude. I don't look; I keep the curtains around my bunk closed! He is still here but at least he doesn't snore.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Progress is Good
Got some momentum now. Have 3 of 6 servers migrated and 8 of 26 user workstations. I will be hitting the workstations today and tomorrow. It's time consuming for a variety of reasons. One is that the first workstation I migrated deleted the existing profile which included everything in My Documents and Desktop and I hed to try to go back and undelete the deleted files. So from now on I back that up first and sometimes it's gigs. I know it's not a best practice to store things locally but frankly I am not here to break bad habits.
We are looking at trying to go back to Takoradi by Tuesday. Monday would be the earliest I could go back as there are no hielcopters coming out this weekend but I won't be ready that fast.
Didn't sleep much the past two days but last night someone gave me an Ambien and I crawled into bed and went back to reading Homer's Odyssey--something I read in airports and waiting on helicopters. The next thing I knew 10 hours had passed and the light was still on over the bed. So I guess the Ambien worked!
Side note about the Odyssey: Though I am not so familiar with the Greek classics I can say that for a hero Odysseus is oddly prone to emotional tantrums. Examples about but for one when Circe tells him he must go to see the spirits of the dead and meet with the ghost of Tiresias he describes throwing himself onto a bed and rolling around and crying until he tired of it. Sounds like something a two year old might do. It's an interesting visual and I have to think the movie version wouldn't be so faithful to the original text.
We are looking at trying to go back to Takoradi by Tuesday. Monday would be the earliest I could go back as there are no hielcopters coming out this weekend but I won't be ready that fast.
Didn't sleep much the past two days but last night someone gave me an Ambien and I crawled into bed and went back to reading Homer's Odyssey--something I read in airports and waiting on helicopters. The next thing I knew 10 hours had passed and the light was still on over the bed. So I guess the Ambien worked!
Side note about the Odyssey: Though I am not so familiar with the Greek classics I can say that for a hero Odysseus is oddly prone to emotional tantrums. Examples about but for one when Circe tells him he must go to see the spirits of the dead and meet with the ghost of Tiresias he describes throwing himself onto a bed and rolling around and crying until he tired of it. Sounds like something a two year old might do. It's an interesting visual and I have to think the movie version wouldn't be so faithful to the original text.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Grousing
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to be here working. But let me vent about my day so far.
So far today I have hacked into an EMC SAN (easier than it sounds, it turns out); talked a manager through restarting servers via satellite phone, talked an engineer through configuring his laptop for DHCP via satphone and a translator; set up new user accounts, and sundry things related to AD. All while being constantly interrupted by people with side issues. You can be sitting in the server room surrounded by equipment and wires and working feverishly, banging away at the keyboard like Faulkner, avoiding eye contact with the person hovering over you like vulture, and then then they open their mouth, hesitate, then jump right in with the inevitable opener. "Hey can you look at something?" No, because I'm already looking at something! The only way I could get the DC up was to use a media install off a system state backup that took 12 hours to copy. Now it's up but it still acts like it has to check with HQ before it shows anything. Still waiting on DNS to magically appear.
The Filipinos made squid today at lunch and it stinks like the trash bin behind a Chinese restaurant. Rumor has it salmonella has broken out in the past couple of weeks. I am now eating rice and bread. I can do it for a couple of days but I may need someone to drop ship some pizzas.
So far today I have hacked into an EMC SAN (easier than it sounds, it turns out); talked a manager through restarting servers via satellite phone, talked an engineer through configuring his laptop for DHCP via satphone and a translator; set up new user accounts, and sundry things related to AD. All while being constantly interrupted by people with side issues. You can be sitting in the server room surrounded by equipment and wires and working feverishly, banging away at the keyboard like Faulkner, avoiding eye contact with the person hovering over you like vulture, and then then they open their mouth, hesitate, then jump right in with the inevitable opener. "Hey can you look at something?" No, because I'm already looking at something! The only way I could get the DC up was to use a media install off a system state backup that took 12 hours to copy. Now it's up but it still acts like it has to check with HQ before it shows anything. Still waiting on DNS to magically appear.
The Filipinos made squid today at lunch and it stinks like the trash bin behind a Chinese restaurant. Rumor has it salmonella has broken out in the past couple of weeks. I am now eating rice and bread. I can do it for a couple of days but I may need someone to drop ship some pizzas.
Is Weds still Hump Day when you work 7 day weeks?
There are three of us remaining in the team (see earlier post) and we are all present. The two of them are now snug in their beds but I am up and back at work. Both of them snore terribly. It sounds like two lovestruck toads calling out to one another, and I cannot sleep through that.
Yesterday was a long day and today probably will be as well. The Internet connection that they had wasn't that well-kept a secret and when we arrived the server closet was criss-crossed like a Christmas Tree as people surreptitiously connected more and more ports to the connection. There were at least FIVE rogue wireless networks, all broadcasting DHCP on networks that we are trying to move off of, all undocumented.
About 1:00 AM I noticed a file copy off a server in Accra had aborted. A little checking and I found our servers were overheating and shutting down! The blade center was reporting temperatures of 55 C. No idea whether there really is an issue like the AC in the server closet went out or if the place was simply on fire. We have asked someone to look at it in the morning, which it is now, and I expect a report in a couple of hours. I may have to go all the way back to Accra to deal with this, which would take about 6-7 hours.
Yesterday was a long day and today probably will be as well. The Internet connection that they had wasn't that well-kept a secret and when we arrived the server closet was criss-crossed like a Christmas Tree as people surreptitiously connected more and more ports to the connection. There were at least FIVE rogue wireless networks, all broadcasting DHCP on networks that we are trying to move off of, all undocumented.
About 1:00 AM I noticed a file copy off a server in Accra had aborted. A little checking and I found our servers were overheating and shutting down! The blade center was reporting temperatures of 55 C. No idea whether there really is an issue like the AC in the server closet went out or if the place was simply on fire. We have asked someone to look at it in the morning, which it is now, and I expect a report in a couple of hours. I may have to go all the way back to Accra to deal with this, which would take about 6-7 hours.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Rack & Stack Day
We arrived in Takoradi about 10 AM and drove over to the office. We were looking around as we drove through some market streets and looked at the bright colors and the people. I took a few pictures and will try to post as I can. We go to the office and went straight to work. They had a server room ready and an empty rack. With our shipment of about 80 boxes already here from Accra, we immediately set into putting equipment together and racking. I keep getting interrupted by office staff who haven't seen an IT guy before and have many questions and tasks...
The local manager is taking us out for dinner. Our flight to the vessel tomorrow is at 6:30 AM! Argh!
The local manager is taking us out for dinner. Our flight to the vessel tomorrow is at 6:30 AM! Argh!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Takoradi
We are nearing a place where we are ready to go set up the other sites. One is a shore office in Takoradi and the other is to redo the vessel by migrating it to the corporate domain. The servers were packed and shipped out today to Takoradi and tomorrow we are flying out to collect them and set them up. I get all of one day (assuming the shipment arrives timely) and then we are off to the Kobyashi Maru. One member of the team went ahead and is there now getting the Internet set up. You can hear the cheering from here, 130 miles away. Well, not really. But I assume they are ecstatic.
Tomorrow begins a big push towards the finish. If you had a chart of our progress it would look rather flat up to this point because we had to get the infrastructure issues addressed first. But these next sites should go up pretty quickly and I am hoping by the end of the week we will have a lot to show for it. So this is the big bubble in the progress chart! None of us want to be in Takoradi or on the vessel very long so we will be pushing hard to get it done quickly. There won't be a lot of sleeping going on this week...
Tomorrow begins a big push towards the finish. If you had a chart of our progress it would look rather flat up to this point because we had to get the infrastructure issues addressed first. But these next sites should go up pretty quickly and I am hoping by the end of the week we will have a lot to show for it. So this is the big bubble in the progress chart! None of us want to be in Takoradi or on the vessel very long so we will be pushing hard to get it done quickly. There won't be a lot of sleeping going on this week...
Friday, July 30, 2010
Potlicker Update
Well the issues with the Potlicker have been mooted. He is going home soon. Personal drama. Unfortunately I can't talk about any of it. Work will continue. I will be going back to the Kobyasi Maru next week and to Takoradi.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Potlicker
Our team lead said when we started this trip that we would eventually get on one another's nerves. He also said we would end up with road nicknames. Well he was right on both counts.
Since all they have for coffee here is instant (at least, so far as we have seen) I brought back a French press coffee maker and five bags of ground coffee from the UK. Making real coffee immediately became a part of our morning and afternoon routine. The Aussies in the office here have no interest in the stuff, so it's our own private party. Two people on the team have asked me how much I spent and paid me back their share. One person has not. This is the same person who always brings up that "we" should make coffee. When "we" make coffee he always comes and stands in the room expectantly for a cup to be made for him, but he is far too lazy to prepare it himself or to rinse the pot out after. I have dubbed him the Potlicker. My other teammates asked the origin of the expression, which I'll leave for you to Google. But as I came to know the term, in fishing, it's the person who is too lazy to find his own fish so he finds someone who has already found the fish and crowds in on their spot.
I know some of you will ask why I am tolerating this and not demanding he pay me back or start charging him by the cup. I may do that. But I first wanted to wait to give him a chance to contribute. Let's call it a character test. So far the rest of the team does not have nicknames. Yet.
Since all they have for coffee here is instant (at least, so far as we have seen) I brought back a French press coffee maker and five bags of ground coffee from the UK. Making real coffee immediately became a part of our morning and afternoon routine. The Aussies in the office here have no interest in the stuff, so it's our own private party. Two people on the team have asked me how much I spent and paid me back their share. One person has not. This is the same person who always brings up that "we" should make coffee. When "we" make coffee he always comes and stands in the room expectantly for a cup to be made for him, but he is far too lazy to prepare it himself or to rinse the pot out after. I have dubbed him the Potlicker. My other teammates asked the origin of the expression, which I'll leave for you to Google. But as I came to know the term, in fishing, it's the person who is too lazy to find his own fish so he finds someone who has already found the fish and crowds in on their spot.
I know some of you will ask why I am tolerating this and not demanding he pay me back or start charging him by the cup. I may do that. But I first wanted to wait to give him a chance to contribute. Let's call it a character test. So far the rest of the team does not have nicknames. Yet.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A Day in the Life
We got the Internet back at the main office and then the power went out for an afternoon. Then the power came back on and the water went out for two days. Today we have power and water and we are waiting for something else to happen.
Update: It was the water. It's out again.
Update: It was the water. It's out again.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Mixed Success
Made it back with the Boddingon case intact. No questions or issues at the airport. The only failure I encountered is because of asenine airport security and bag limit rules. Another of my companions had requested a bottle of Chimay. I was able to find it (which wasn't easy) and even package it for being checked (cause we can't have any liquids, gels, or aerosols in our carryon luggage unless they are 3 oz or less size containers and fit in a one qt clear plastic ziplock bag, mmmkay?) KLM said this would put me over my bag count limit and they wanted me to pay a €255 extra bag fine for this one little box with €16 worth of Belgian beer in it. I tried explaining to them that this was a stupid policy, that a weight limit rather than a count limit made more sense, and even suggested the duty free guys could go back to the store and buy more and seal up the package for me. They wouldn't have any of it and as my time was running out I had to just abandon six bottles of Chimay in the airport for someone to pick up and toss. #$%^&*!
Anyway, the flight was fine, work is work, and I am now safely back in my room in Ghana.
Anyway, the flight was fine, work is work, and I am now safely back in my room in Ghana.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Goin' Back to Ghana
I'm goin' back to Ghana, Ghana, Ghana.
I'm goin' back to Ghana.
I don't think so.
- Apologies to Notorious B.I.G.
I finished the OPITO training yesterday. We had to put out fires using different kinds of fire extinguishers--CO2, foam, and a solid, and saw the differences in the way you should approach putting out different types of fires. Then we put on smoke hoods and had to feel out way out of a smoke-filled building with doors, stairs, and floors that you had to step up or down in between some areas. The last bit was loading everyone into a lifeboat (not a life raft) and being lowered into the pristine waters of the Tees.
Now that I am certified it's time to head back to Ghana. While the course was intense, it was good to get away for a while. Yesterday evening and today I went shopping looking for things we don't have acess to in Ghana. One of my companions requested a case of English bitter, and it will be interesting to see how far I get through customs with that! It's in cans, and I am worried bout it rupturing in/on the plane but I am committed and it's now my quest to return it to Ghana. It is still enclosed in the cardbord bottom and plastic wrap, and I've wrapped it all in bubble wrap and put it in a large bag with clothes stuffed all around. I also bought a French press coffee maker and five different kinds of gound coffee (which is difficult to find in the UK; it's mostly instant--horrible stuff, no wonder the Brits prefer their tea). Also a package of Colman's English mustard. They have mustard in Ghana, or so they will tell you, but it's not the same.
By far the best meal I had here was at La Pharmacie in Middlesbrough. It used to the be Purple Onion. Funny that the Purple Onion still exists in the form of a web site, advertising its fare, yet when you get there it's completely rebranded as La Parmacie. The fillet was wonderful, which is great because I shan't have a steak like that for at least 4 more weeks (yes, I have been in the UK long enough that I am starting to pick up some words). The fish and chips so readily available here is also good but of course very greasy.
Anyway, I will try to post some pictures once I am back in Ghana. The hotel here charges a PER MINUTE rate for Internet access.
I'm goin' back to Ghana.
I don't think so.
- Apologies to Notorious B.I.G.
I finished the OPITO training yesterday. We had to put out fires using different kinds of fire extinguishers--CO2, foam, and a solid, and saw the differences in the way you should approach putting out different types of fires. Then we put on smoke hoods and had to feel out way out of a smoke-filled building with doors, stairs, and floors that you had to step up or down in between some areas. The last bit was loading everyone into a lifeboat (not a life raft) and being lowered into the pristine waters of the Tees.
Now that I am certified it's time to head back to Ghana. While the course was intense, it was good to get away for a while. Yesterday evening and today I went shopping looking for things we don't have acess to in Ghana. One of my companions requested a case of English bitter, and it will be interesting to see how far I get through customs with that! It's in cans, and I am worried bout it rupturing in/on the plane but I am committed and it's now my quest to return it to Ghana. It is still enclosed in the cardbord bottom and plastic wrap, and I've wrapped it all in bubble wrap and put it in a large bag with clothes stuffed all around. I also bought a French press coffee maker and five different kinds of gound coffee (which is difficult to find in the UK; it's mostly instant--horrible stuff, no wonder the Brits prefer their tea). Also a package of Colman's English mustard. They have mustard in Ghana, or so they will tell you, but it's not the same.
By far the best meal I had here was at La Pharmacie in Middlesbrough. It used to the be Purple Onion. Funny that the Purple Onion still exists in the form of a web site, advertising its fare, yet when you get there it's completely rebranded as La Parmacie. The fillet was wonderful, which is great because I shan't have a steak like that for at least 4 more weeks (yes, I have been in the UK long enough that I am starting to pick up some words). The fish and chips so readily available here is also good but of course very greasy.
Anyway, I will try to post some pictures once I am back in Ghana. The hotel here charges a PER MINUTE rate for Internet access.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
OPITO Training Day 2
Today we started with a review of how the rebreather works. It's basically a snorkel attached to an air bag. You inhale, and then blow into this thing. Close the valve, and exhale through your mouth. You are blowing air into the rebreather. Now you can inhale and "rebreathe" the same air. They give you nose clips so you don't inhale a nosefull of water.
Our first exercise was to use the rebreather underwater for 20 seconds. It's MUCH easier on the ground than in the water. Then we had to use an underwater handrail to pull ourselves across to the other side of the pool while using the rebreather. My noseclips slid right off. Very unpleasant, but I made it across. They gave me some tape to put on my nose to keep them on.
The helicopter evacuation was the part I was dreading the most, and I was about to panic on the first run. We did six dunks: one where we held our breath on our own and swam out the window, one with the rebreather (which was actually harder for me) and one with the rebreather but the window was closed and we had to push it out. Then we did these three again but with the helicopter capsized--we were turned upside down. By the last time on each one I was gaining confidence but I can tell you it's still not something I would do for fun. Next is lunch and then the fire safety portion of the course.
Sorry I don't have pictures but we have to leave everything in lockers and there is no where to carry a camera in the suit! This is pretty much exactly what it looks like, except my window seemed a lot smaller than the ones in this picture! We went through it four at a time:
Our first exercise was to use the rebreather underwater for 20 seconds. It's MUCH easier on the ground than in the water. Then we had to use an underwater handrail to pull ourselves across to the other side of the pool while using the rebreather. My noseclips slid right off. Very unpleasant, but I made it across. They gave me some tape to put on my nose to keep them on.
The helicopter evacuation was the part I was dreading the most, and I was about to panic on the first run. We did six dunks: one where we held our breath on our own and swam out the window, one with the rebreather (which was actually harder for me) and one with the rebreather but the window was closed and we had to push it out. Then we did these three again but with the helicopter capsized--we were turned upside down. By the last time on each one I was gaining confidence but I can tell you it's still not something I would do for fun. Next is lunch and then the fire safety portion of the course.
Sorry I don't have pictures but we have to leave everything in lockers and there is no where to carry a camera in the suit! This is pretty much exactly what it looks like, except my window seemed a lot smaller than the ones in this picture! We went through it four at a time:
OPITO Training Day 1
It has been wonderful to be in the UK for a day. I can drink tap water and fresh vegetables and have real coffee. Upon my arrival I walked around the area near my hotel and in the afternoon took a rail to York, where I spent the rest of the day walking around and taking in the sights. York has lots of brick-paved streets closed to cars you can walk around and go in the shops. Lots of history everywhere you look.
When I arrived at the training facility I was sent straight upstairs to a “canteen” which I would have called a kitchen or even a galley. There were about 25 men there sitting around and talking or watching the BBC. At 8:30 someone came in and asked for all the renewals who were taking the one day training to come with him, and some people got up and left with him. Now we were 16.
We went into a classroom and had a basic safety introduction course and exam, not unlike a defensive driving course. The course is geared towards the UK and we talked mostly about working in the North Sea. We also talked about the lessons learned from a big platform disaster in the 80s called Piper Alpha. After lunch we had more lecture and discussion, then the “fun” began.
First we changed into a thermal suit that they wear in the UK when travelling over water. It’s supposed to protect you from hypothermia if you get dropped into the ice cold waters of the North Sea. (You don’t get these suits in Ghana!). Then we went into a room with a large swimming pool and put on life vests. We jumped into the pool and bobbed about like corks. We learned how to swim around in these life vests, then the exercises got more intense. You can’t see around you or turn your head very well from the position the life vest puts you in. We had to find a diver who was calling out to us and swim over to him. We experienced both calm conditions and a rough sea at evening with spray getting in our faces. After that we learned how to get into the life raft that resembled a floating tent, and paddle away to safety. The instructor had told us good morale was important in these situations and that we could not be rescued until he knew we had achieved it. So we would be rescued only after he could hear us singing. So we sixteen men are all in a small life raft piled on top of one another, the air is stifling because we are enclosed inside the raft, and we are up and down in rough water. I have no idea how they agreed to do it but all at once they started singing “You’ve got to look on the bright side of life” from the movie Life of Brian. Too funny. A winch with a loop at the end simulated a helicopter rescue and each of us was pulled out of the raft up about 10 feet to a platform. That was Day 1.
When I arrived at the training facility I was sent straight upstairs to a “canteen” which I would have called a kitchen or even a galley. There were about 25 men there sitting around and talking or watching the BBC. At 8:30 someone came in and asked for all the renewals who were taking the one day training to come with him, and some people got up and left with him. Now we were 16.
We went into a classroom and had a basic safety introduction course and exam, not unlike a defensive driving course. The course is geared towards the UK and we talked mostly about working in the North Sea. We also talked about the lessons learned from a big platform disaster in the 80s called Piper Alpha. After lunch we had more lecture and discussion, then the “fun” began.
First we changed into a thermal suit that they wear in the UK when travelling over water. It’s supposed to protect you from hypothermia if you get dropped into the ice cold waters of the North Sea. (You don’t get these suits in Ghana!). Then we went into a room with a large swimming pool and put on life vests. We jumped into the pool and bobbed about like corks. We learned how to swim around in these life vests, then the exercises got more intense. You can’t see around you or turn your head very well from the position the life vest puts you in. We had to find a diver who was calling out to us and swim over to him. We experienced both calm conditions and a rough sea at evening with spray getting in our faces. After that we learned how to get into the life raft that resembled a floating tent, and paddle away to safety. The instructor had told us good morale was important in these situations and that we could not be rescued until he knew we had achieved it. So we would be rescued only after he could hear us singing. So we sixteen men are all in a small life raft piled on top of one another, the air is stifling because we are enclosed inside the raft, and we are up and down in rough water. I have no idea how they agreed to do it but all at once they started singing “You’ve got to look on the bright side of life” from the movie Life of Brian. Too funny. A winch with a loop at the end simulated a helicopter rescue and each of us was pulled out of the raft up about 10 feet to a platform. That was Day 1.
Monday, July 19, 2010
HBAs and Goats
Spent the day trying to coax HP blades into recognizing iSCSI HBAs. But it wasn't as much fun as it sounds! Only one in 5 worked, and they are all exactly the same! Maddening. I am about to go finish packing and head out for the safety training. I can hold my breath about 45 seconds before I start feeling desperate for air. Hopefully that will do!
Here's a random picture before I go of some Ghanian goats. These little goats run loose around the capital city. They're not everywhere, but you do see them about as often as you would see a stray dog. Maybe more. I am sure they belong to someone, though. They are cute but very shy and if you go up to them they run away.
Here's a random picture before I go of some Ghanian goats. These little goats run loose around the capital city. They're not everywhere, but you do see them about as often as you would see a stray dog. Maybe more. I am sure they belong to someone, though. They are cute but very shy and if you go up to them they run away.
Vodaphone
Since the ISP's connection keeps goes down, I have had to entertain myself while waiting for access to be restored so I can configure servers, download drivers, etc. For the moment it's back up! So in tribute to Vodaphone, who has been down more than up the past couple of days, here is a little ditty to be sung to tune of Paul Simon's Kodachrome...
When I think back
On all the crap I've seen in Ghana
It's a wonder
I can surf at all
And though my lack of access
Hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall
Vodaphone
You promise those fast connections
You'll put us on the Internet
And support our DM-VPN, oh yeah!
I got an HP laptop
I'd love to surf the Internet
So Ghana, don't take my Vodaphone away
When I think back
On all the crap I've seen in Ghana
It's a wonder
I can surf at all
And though my lack of access
Hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall
Vodaphone
You promise those fast connections
You'll put us on the Internet
And support our DM-VPN, oh yeah!
I got an HP laptop
I'd love to surf the Internet
So Ghana, don't take my Vodaphone away
Friday, July 16, 2010
Going to Chavtown
OK, so it looks like I can no longer avoid undergoing the HUET safety training. The team lead wants me to go back to the KM but I can't go without the safety training. So I have to take the class where you get strapped into a seat, dumped into a swimming pool -- upside down -- and get out. All well and good if you're a swimmer, I guess. I'm not. Swimming isn't supposed to be a required skill but it certainly must help. I am not looking forward to it.
There is good news and bad news about this safety training. The good news is that they are sending me to the UK for it. So I get a brief break from Ghanamania. The bad news is they are sending me to Billingham. Billingham is a small industrial town in the northeast part of England. From what I gather the biggest attraction in town is a Woolworths.
You should know that in the UK there is a slang word chav for a subculture of young people who stereotypically wear track suits, baseball caps, and gaudy jelwery ("chav-wear"). They embrace hip hop and gang culture but are also racist; overall they are considered thieving miscreants, and are a subject of much derision and ridicule, in a similar way to the "redneck" culture back in the US. Billingham is apparently their capital city. You can read more about chavs here.
Now that you are prepared, here is what the Internet has to say about Billingham, courtesy of chavtowns.co.uk.
Built in the shadow of a large chemical factory, the cloud of violently toxic air around Billingham may explain the disproportionate number of chavs in such a small town. They breed in a corner of John Whitehead Park and pop out of little eggs that have a Fila logo on the side. Even the dogs are chavs in Billingham. * * *
The introduction of Heroin in the early nineties brought with it the evolution of the Chav who had to get out of bed in the morning to feed his habit. Their ghoulish presence around the Town Centre makes a trip to Woolworths an experience akin to waking up as an extra in ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters’. Even their grey little progeny stare fixedly at your wallet whilst rubbing pastie into their tracksuit bottoms.
The chavettes are rarely distinguishable from their male counterparts, sporting the same sportswear, caps and argos ‘gold’. However, more advanced chavthropologists may spot the giveaway Winnie the Pooh tattoo or smaller ‘lady’ knife.
Don’t go to Billingham if you can help it. It may cause such a profound depression that you may never recover.
Should be an interesting side trip! Not sure when I'm leaving yet, though.
There is good news and bad news about this safety training. The good news is that they are sending me to the UK for it. So I get a brief break from Ghanamania. The bad news is they are sending me to Billingham. Billingham is a small industrial town in the northeast part of England. From what I gather the biggest attraction in town is a Woolworths.
You should know that in the UK there is a slang word chav for a subculture of young people who stereotypically wear track suits, baseball caps, and gaudy jelwery ("chav-wear"). They embrace hip hop and gang culture but are also racist; overall they are considered thieving miscreants, and are a subject of much derision and ridicule, in a similar way to the "redneck" culture back in the US. Billingham is apparently their capital city. You can read more about chavs here.
Now that you are prepared, here is what the Internet has to say about Billingham, courtesy of chavtowns.co.uk.
Built in the shadow of a large chemical factory, the cloud of violently toxic air around Billingham may explain the disproportionate number of chavs in such a small town. They breed in a corner of John Whitehead Park and pop out of little eggs that have a Fila logo on the side. Even the dogs are chavs in Billingham. * * *
The introduction of Heroin in the early nineties brought with it the evolution of the Chav who had to get out of bed in the morning to feed his habit. Their ghoulish presence around the Town Centre makes a trip to Woolworths an experience akin to waking up as an extra in ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters’. Even their grey little progeny stare fixedly at your wallet whilst rubbing pastie into their tracksuit bottoms.
The chavettes are rarely distinguishable from their male counterparts, sporting the same sportswear, caps and argos ‘gold’. However, more advanced chavthropologists may spot the giveaway Winnie the Pooh tattoo or smaller ‘lady’ knife.
Don’t go to Billingham if you can help it. It may cause such a profound depression that you may never recover.
Should be an interesting side trip! Not sure when I'm leaving yet, though.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Local Food!
Today we had a little extra time to kill because we were waiting for the cabling guys to do their thing. So we went to a local restaurant to eat local food. There is a pasty dish called fufu, which has no taste to speak of so you dip it in a soup before you eat it for flavor. You're not supposed to chew the fufu; just swallow. I couldn't do that, though, and it got stuck in my teeth like gum. They also had some fish soup but I wasn't too interested. I had the "goat light soup" instead. It wasn't bad but I think I will stick to eating at the Western restaurants! Oh, and it was super cheap. We fed six people lunch for about USD $30.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Brief Update
I was away 10 days and the other guys in the group can't remember what meetings and conversations I was there for and which I wasn't. They talk about "don't you remember when blah blah" and I remind them I wasn't with them when that happened! (Thanks, guys!) Today has been a work day; mostly setting up servers and downloading and applying updates. We don't have the server room ready yet so we are building machines stacked up on tablesin an office. About the most exciting thing that happened today was I found a bag of salt & vinegar chips for sale. Hope they're good; I am saving them for the World Cup game (assuming we watch it at the hotel).
I am told that only one special dispensation is permitted per person, so since I don't have the required safety training, I will not be returning to the Kobayashi Maru when the rest of the team goes. Instead I will be staying in Accra or Takoradi to do network stuff. Their trip is still probably a couple of weeks away. We are only now to the point we can put together a tentative outline and we can see how if things went very smoothly we would be done by mid-August. Of course, things don't always go smoothly in Africa. Check out this screen cap from a download I attempted yesterday:
I am told that only one special dispensation is permitted per person, so since I don't have the required safety training, I will not be returning to the Kobayashi Maru when the rest of the team goes. Instead I will be staying in Accra or Takoradi to do network stuff. Their trip is still probably a couple of weeks away. We are only now to the point we can put together a tentative outline and we can see how if things went very smoothly we would be done by mid-August. Of course, things don't always go smoothly in Africa. Check out this screen cap from a download I attempted yesterday:
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Back to Accra
I made it back to Accra this afternoon. Our first stop was Takoradi. Coming through customs I was asked if I smoke. "No." The customs agent went through every pocket of each bag and waved me on. One of my travelling companions who does smoke told me later that the same customs agent searced his bag, found his cigarettes, and made him give up one. In Accra, someone chatted me up while I waited for my driver at the airport and followed me to the car, asking for a 10 cedi tip! Yep, we are back in Africa!
Travel Day
Found out today I am going back to Takoradi tomorrow (today for me) at 9:30 am and then on to Accra in the early afternoon. We have the virses under control and there is other work to be done. I don't know if I'm coming back or staying behind when the other guys go. I spent the evening watching Spain beat Germany and then hanging out with a couple of Singaporeans... it was interesting to hear their opinions about Singapore and other Asian countries. You know Singapore. It's the country that canes you for vandalizing cars. Know what? People there don't vandalize cars. Anyway it was nice to socialize and not work for a couple of hours.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Letters and Numbers
Last night one of the IT guys here tried to switch the satellite antenna for the Internet to a different satellite, so Internet was down for a while. We used the provided data but it never connected.
A while ago: Hello? "I can't log in." Your password is H0use. Capital H-zero-u-s-e. "That doesn't work." Yes it does. Don't make me come out there and show you. "No, it doesn't work." Sigh. Go out topside, which requires changing into protective gear, hard hat, etc. Walk walk walk. OK, show me. Type in Capital H. He presses SHIFT and H. OK, now type zero. He presses the "O" key. Arrrrgggghhhh! So I sent him to go fetch me a door key that I already had.
A while ago:
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Doctor is In
Q. Do they have a 4th of July in Ghana?
A. Yes, every year between the third and fifth. :-P
Doing the virus scans has given me an opportunity to speak to every kind of person here at the KM. From the top boss all the way down to the second assistant cook. They call me the doctor. And the computer doctor is like a bartender... everyone wants to talk to me and share their woes and tell their stories. Some of these guys have been working and travelling in the third world for many years and they have some wild tales of things they have seen or experienced. Most of them are about how bad Nigeria is. Someone pointed out that people on board are more sociable than you might expect, and opined the reason is that without Internet access, they really have no choice but to get out and interact with others. Sounds reasonable to me.
Last night I told the kitchen crew I would scan their laptops for viruses and next thing I knew there were 10 Filipinos setting up their laptops for me to scan! We had as many as would fit on a table lined up. These guys tell me they work six months straight on the vessel. Other than the TV, their laptops are about the only source of entertainment they have. So they are very happy to have their machines looked at. In all I scanned and cleaned over 20 computers yesterday. In theory I could do all of all 120 estimated computers in one day, assembly-line style but I would have to have them all up and plugged in at once and that is logistically impossible.
A. Yes, every year between the third and fifth. :-P
Doing the virus scans has given me an opportunity to speak to every kind of person here at the KM. From the top boss all the way down to the second assistant cook. They call me the doctor. And the computer doctor is like a bartender... everyone wants to talk to me and share their woes and tell their stories. Some of these guys have been working and travelling in the third world for many years and they have some wild tales of things they have seen or experienced. Most of them are about how bad Nigeria is. Someone pointed out that people on board are more sociable than you might expect, and opined the reason is that without Internet access, they really have no choice but to get out and interact with others. Sounds reasonable to me.
Last night I told the kitchen crew I would scan their laptops for viruses and next thing I knew there were 10 Filipinos setting up their laptops for me to scan! We had as many as would fit on a table lined up. These guys tell me they work six months straight on the vessel. Other than the TV, their laptops are about the only source of entertainment they have. So they are very happy to have their machines looked at. In all I scanned and cleaned over 20 computers yesterday. In theory I could do all of all 120 estimated computers in one day, assembly-line style but I would have to have them all up and plugged in at once and that is logistically impossible.
Friday, July 2, 2010
KM Day 5
Every day the helicopter comes twice for shift changes. I am in the radio room so I get to hear the chatter between the pilot and the radio guy. The helicopter pilot has a French accent and you can almost see the sneer as he finds something to complain about every time he lands. We keep making fun of him by imitating his accent and saying ridiculous things like "Nex time we come back you will have for me ze escargot!" and I am afraid one time he will hear us.
I have been scanning Chinese language laptops from Singapore and Arabic keyboard laptops from Dubai. Everyone seems to have the same viruses, and the uniformity helps. We're actually lucky they don't have Internet in place already for the masses or we'd be in much worse shape as these little devils downloaded 100 of their closest friends. Even the iPods and SD cards are infected.
Sorry there are no pictures yet but the Internet has been slower than usual. I am getting about 5kb/sec transfer rates or less, and I am grateful even for that. I get to wear jeans in the living area of the Kobyashi Maru but if I want to explore and see the other side of this place I have to wear coveralls and protective gear. I got coveralls yesterday but they are new and smelled terrible. So I put the in the daily laundry drop. They came back today only slightly less smelly! I would go explore but I was up till 2:30 am yesterday cleaning computers of viruses (remember our day starts at 6:00 AM!). The Ghana game is on now but I didn't get to watch it! My companions back in Accra are out tonight to a sports bar frequented by both locals and ex-pats to watch the game. That would be more fun, I think, but I don't miss Accra. No one here is trying to hustle me.
Can't believe I have been on board 5 days. I am doing ok but Saturday will be two weeks away from home and that is about the time you really start to feel it. I miss all of you and hope things are going well. The Internet phone has basically no hope with the bandwidth we have today but I hope to be able to make some calls soon.
I have been scanning Chinese language laptops from Singapore and Arabic keyboard laptops from Dubai. Everyone seems to have the same viruses, and the uniformity helps. We're actually lucky they don't have Internet in place already for the masses or we'd be in much worse shape as these little devils downloaded 100 of their closest friends. Even the iPods and SD cards are infected.
Sorry there are no pictures yet but the Internet has been slower than usual. I am getting about 5kb/sec transfer rates or less, and I am grateful even for that. I get to wear jeans in the living area of the Kobyashi Maru but if I want to explore and see the other side of this place I have to wear coveralls and protective gear. I got coveralls yesterday but they are new and smelled terrible. So I put the in the daily laundry drop. They came back today only slightly less smelly! I would go explore but I was up till 2:30 am yesterday cleaning computers of viruses (remember our day starts at 6:00 AM!). The Ghana game is on now but I didn't get to watch it! My companions back in Accra are out tonight to a sports bar frequented by both locals and ex-pats to watch the game. That would be more fun, I think, but I don't miss Accra. No one here is trying to hustle me.
Can't believe I have been on board 5 days. I am doing ok but Saturday will be two weeks away from home and that is about the time you really start to feel it. I miss all of you and hope things are going well. The Internet phone has basically no hope with the bandwidth we have today but I hope to be able to make some calls soon.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Twofer Tuesday
Today you get a twofer since I am able to take a minute and post what I wrote yesterday and didn't get to post, and a little snippet about today.
June 28
Started the day by finishing packing and heading out to the airport. I was told that the helicopter crew would only permit 15 kilos per person. I had wno idea how much or how little that was, but Google converted it for me and said 33 pounds. Since I was bringing computer equipment with me as well, I had to pack pretty light. At the airport the scale read 13 kilos, so I did pretty well!
We took a puddle jumper to Takoradi and when we landed no one was there to meet me. Fortunately I have a Ghana phone and had the contact number programmed. A phone call and ten minutes later I was on my way to the West African Rescue Association for a physical. They drew blood, did an EKG, tested my vision and hearing, and had me blow in a tube. I did pretty well on everything but the breathing tube. You inhale really deeply and blow as hard and as long as you can. But it's been a good 20 years since I played an insteument and I don't have the lungs I used to. Guess I need to stat jogging or something. Anyway I passed and we went to lunch at a place called Captain Hook's. It's a cute restaurant with a patio. We ate outside on the patio but I liked the inside better. It felt like you were inside Captain Hook's ship! Pictures will follow once I have some bandwith to work with!
After lunch we went back to the airport to take a helicopter to the Kobayashi Maru. In the waiting area we watched the Netherlands play Slovakia. Even though we were not leaving Ghana waters and therefore this was a domestic flight, they still insisted on checking our passports. Twice. They were taking forever to leave so I stretched across 3 seats and napped until they were ready for us to go.
Putting on the life vest and watching the helicopter safety video was pretty sobering, but the flight was smooth. The helicopter started by raising straight up a few feet, then went up and forward like an airplane. We flew up above the cloud layer most of the way, and they were using a GPS to direct them to the target. Once we descended I could see the outline of the Kobiash Maru, my new home for the next several days. For all its remoteness, it's a huge place.
Upon arrival we went through another orientation, then we were given room assignments. I do have a roommate, but only one, and I am told room assignments are changing daily since there are so many people on board. This is truly an international operation, with people from all over. Primarily, though, representation seems to be the US, Australia, the Philippines, and India. Based on the location and the crew I no longer feel like I'm in Africa at all.
June 29
Today I got a network orientation from the main guy and worked on a virus they are dealing with. I'll spare you the details since this isn't a technology blog. My classmate from law school is here as well to work on some things. It's so weird seeing him here. I found out today most people on board work 28 days on and 28 days off. The IT guy I'm working with has been here over 50 days! Still don't know for sure how long I'll be here, but I'm not minding it so far. They have a gym (sort of) and an entertainment room with plasma tvs. My only complaint is the food isn't great. I know I'm a picky eater but allow me to rant for a moment: They are serving rice with every meal--including breakfast! Someone said it's because the chef is Filipino. I don't know anything about that. Speaing of breakfast, they had something this morning that looked like barbacoa but smelled like fish... I didn't eat that. All coffee in the galley is instant. They didn't have orange juice; they had only warm mango juice. There is one fridge for over 100 guys and the drinks are never stocked long enough to get cold. Oh well. Between that and the stairs I am walking up and down I may get in decent shape before I leave!
June 28
Started the day by finishing packing and heading out to the airport. I was told that the helicopter crew would only permit 15 kilos per person. I had wno idea how much or how little that was, but Google converted it for me and said 33 pounds. Since I was bringing computer equipment with me as well, I had to pack pretty light. At the airport the scale read 13 kilos, so I did pretty well!
We took a puddle jumper to Takoradi and when we landed no one was there to meet me. Fortunately I have a Ghana phone and had the contact number programmed. A phone call and ten minutes later I was on my way to the West African Rescue Association for a physical. They drew blood, did an EKG, tested my vision and hearing, and had me blow in a tube. I did pretty well on everything but the breathing tube. You inhale really deeply and blow as hard and as long as you can. But it's been a good 20 years since I played an insteument and I don't have the lungs I used to. Guess I need to stat jogging or something. Anyway I passed and we went to lunch at a place called Captain Hook's. It's a cute restaurant with a patio. We ate outside on the patio but I liked the inside better. It felt like you were inside Captain Hook's ship! Pictures will follow once I have some bandwith to work with!
After lunch we went back to the airport to take a helicopter to the Kobayashi Maru. In the waiting area we watched the Netherlands play Slovakia. Even though we were not leaving Ghana waters and therefore this was a domestic flight, they still insisted on checking our passports. Twice. They were taking forever to leave so I stretched across 3 seats and napped until they were ready for us to go.
Putting on the life vest and watching the helicopter safety video was pretty sobering, but the flight was smooth. The helicopter started by raising straight up a few feet, then went up and forward like an airplane. We flew up above the cloud layer most of the way, and they were using a GPS to direct them to the target. Once we descended I could see the outline of the Kobiash Maru, my new home for the next several days. For all its remoteness, it's a huge place.
Upon arrival we went through another orientation, then we were given room assignments. I do have a roommate, but only one, and I am told room assignments are changing daily since there are so many people on board. This is truly an international operation, with people from all over. Primarily, though, representation seems to be the US, Australia, the Philippines, and India. Based on the location and the crew I no longer feel like I'm in Africa at all.
June 29
Today I got a network orientation from the main guy and worked on a virus they are dealing with. I'll spare you the details since this isn't a technology blog. My classmate from law school is here as well to work on some things. It's so weird seeing him here. I found out today most people on board work 28 days on and 28 days off. The IT guy I'm working with has been here over 50 days! Still don't know for sure how long I'll be here, but I'm not minding it so far. They have a gym (sort of) and an entertainment room with plasma tvs. My only complaint is the food isn't great. I know I'm a picky eater but allow me to rant for a moment: They are serving rice with every meal--including breakfast! Someone said it's because the chef is Filipino. I don't know anything about that. Speaing of breakfast, they had something this morning that looked like barbacoa but smelled like fish... I didn't eat that. All coffee in the galley is instant. They didn't have orange juice; they had only warm mango juice. There is one fridge for over 100 guys and the drinks are never stocked long enough to get cold. Oh well. Between that and the stairs I am walking up and down I may get in decent shape before I leave!
Brief Update
I just wanted to let everyone know I am alive and well an the Kobiashi Maru. It's a bigger operation than I had envisioned and I will post more later. Obviously there is limited Internet here after all, but it's only for a privileged few and I am assuming it's an expensive link. Most people don't even know it's there and the Internet For the Masses is still weeks away, so my access will be our little secret... I am currently on a bug hunt trying to kill some viruses that won't go away.
The helicopter ride over was a trip. I was right behind the pilots and could see them flying by GPS! I have one roommate. Food is ok. Lots of stairs. Bye for now!
The helicopter ride over was a trip. I was right behind the pilots and could see them flying by GPS! I have one roommate. Food is ok. Lots of stairs. Bye for now!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Street pics
I had a few minutes to upload some pictures while I wait for my ride to the airport. Most of these were taken randomly while driving around yesterday looking for an extension cord. (No Home Depos here!) Hopefully I will have a chance to explore the city when I get back from this side trip. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Going on hiatus, maybe!
Spent the day putting servers together for the main office. I have to pack tonight to head out to Kobyashi Maru. I am told I will be there at least a week. Since they don't have Internet yet, I probably won't be able to send updates; we'll see whether I can work out an alternative! If not I will record some things and save them till I get back. Wish me luck! :)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
US vs Ghana!
The FIFA match between the US and Ghana starts in 15 minutes! Most of the guys we work with are from Australia or New Zeeland and couldn't care less who wins. But we are going to (discreetly) root for the US! Everywhere you see people in Ghana sports jerseys or wearing scarves supporting the home team, the Black Stars, and they are selling vuvuzelas at the malls. Game on!
Side Trip
I found out yesterday I am needed for about a week at a remote location where I may not have Internet access. I can't explain further since I am reluctant to discuss details of my work here, but imagine a remote compound and you have the idea. There should be a primitive email system in place that I can use to keep communications up. I'll code name the project Kobyashi Maru, which is a sort of a joke if you are among the initiated.
I leave Monday morning!
I leave Monday morning!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Few more pics
Updated with a couple more pictures! Internet here is very slow so it's hard to post a lot of pictures. We haven't really had a chance to do any sight-seeing yet anyway. I know these are kinda lame but here are a few from the hotel:
My room:
View of the airport from my room:
The patio bar where we watched the game:
A statue in the lobby:
Random street peddler:
My room:
View of the airport from my room:
The patio bar where we watched the game:
A statue in the lobby:
Random street peddler:
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Slow News Day 2
Today we got a partial shipment of the equipment we will be setting up. It came on two big trucks and there are six ro seven crates that are each small car sized. Tomorrow we will be inventorying it all. Otherwise no news of interest...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
For your entertainment...
The Obrunis! Below is a sample of their show from a few days ago. Just click and enjoy. No, this is not karaoke...
Slow News Day
Today was low-key... I worked all day and resolved a couple of issues. One oddity was that a number of machines were ignoring external hard drives. You could plug the drives in and they would power up but then the computer didn't recognize or mount them. Apparently Microsoft has a patch that breaks them. The fix is to replace the two usbstor files under C:\WINDOWS\INF with copies from a machine that isn't broken. I'd upload one for people who need it but Blogger doesn't make file sharing so easy.
My African Moment today was watching the Ghana vs Germany match in the patio bar by the pool. The waitresses were all wearing Black Stars jerseys (the uniform of the Ghana team in the colors of the flag with a black stars in the center). Some locals came to watch the game. Germany won but the Ghanians who were watching the game seemed to take it in stride.
Everyone here speaks English, though sometimes the accent is thick. But some people here and there try to teach us phrases in Twi. We're trying but it isn't sticking. If they say something like Wo ho te sen, which is "How are you?" You reply with something like Me ho yeh, medasi which is "I'm fine, thank you" or you can run it together and say "ey-yeh" which is more or less "I'm fine." I didn't learn it; I had to look it up!
My African Moment today was watching the Ghana vs Germany match in the patio bar by the pool. The waitresses were all wearing Black Stars jerseys (the uniform of the Ghana team in the colors of the flag with a black stars in the center). Some locals came to watch the game. Germany won but the Ghanians who were watching the game seemed to take it in stride.
Everyone here speaks English, though sometimes the accent is thick. But some people here and there try to teach us phrases in Twi. We're trying but it isn't sticking. If they say something like Wo ho te sen, which is "How are you?" You reply with something like Me ho yeh, medasi which is "I'm fine, thank you" or you can run it together and say "ey-yeh" which is more or less "I'm fine." I didn't learn it; I had to look it up!
Roadside Shopping
On the way to the office there is a two-lane road that is bumper to bumper traffic in both directions, all day. Like lines of ants marching in formation, cars and trucks and vans of all levels of repair creep along towards their destinations. Hawkers are all around, selling anything from bags of onions or apples to football jerseys to cold drinks. They try to make eye contact and wave their wares at you. Sometimes they carry trays of goods balanced on their heads. Today somone in my group rolled down his window and yelled out to a guy selling African style masks, "How much?" "10 cedis each." My companion whipped out 20 cedis and bought two. When everyone saw there was a car dispensing money, they were on us like files. Four more hawkers were right behind the mask vendor, two kids started cleaning our windshield, and a guy was at my window calling "Obruni! Obruni!" I wish I'd video recorded it. We may have to do that again so I can. I need to learn how to say "back off" in Twi...
Monday, June 21, 2010
By the Light of the Blackberry
Not much to tell you about today since we were so busy. We got up early to be ready for pickup at 7:00 AM. We were headed over to the office where the company currently has people working. The client was experiencing some issues with their desktops they wanted us to look at. When we arrived, there was no power to the building! After the jokes about “Hey well there’s your problem” we hung around waiting for the power to come back on. This took maybe a half hour, and helps demonstrate the kind of infrastructure issues that can cause a project like this to take a long time. I knocked out several items on the list but the day faded into evening and then the lights went out again. Then they came back on, but the breaker to our part of the building—wherever it is—needed to be flipped, so our lights stayed off. The server cabinet had power, but most of the other outlets didn’t. The only light came from our laptop monitors. By this time of course it was totally dark outside, and all the building maintenance people were gone. No one knew where the breaker box was. We could continue working but needed to move one appliance to a hot strip. Using light from mobile phones we traced the power cord back to the outlet and moved it. The appliance came on and we went back to work in the dark. About the time we finished the lights came back on.
I had the chance today to try the infamous Ghanian shito—a spice that tastes of chili powder. You have to put it on something like chicken or rice, but it was good!
I had the chance today to try the infamous Ghanian shito—a spice that tastes of chili powder. You have to put it on something like chicken or rice, but it was good!
Few Photos
Sorry but I haven't had a chance to take any good photos yet. Here's a couple that were supposed to be embedded in the Akwaaba post:
Akwaaba!
For some reason Blogger is formatting embedded photos oddly so I will post a couple of pictures separately.
When we arrived at the airport in Accra the weather was warm and somewhat humid but more mild than the weather we left behind in Texas. According to weather reports on the web, Accra warms up to the 80s during the day and 70s in the evenings. Inside the airport was decorated with banners, flags, and football-themed items. Here’s a shot just inside the airport. Notice for example the floor rug in the shape of a soccer field. We were met by a guide from the company who assisted us in getting through customs and out to the waiting car. Everywhere is the word Akwaaba, or Welcome.
Based on what I had read I expected to be hassled outside the airport by taxi drivers and enthusiastic “guides” who wanted to carry my bags in exchange for a tip. That didn’t happen. Outside the airport there is a large LCD TV screen. Ghana was playing in the World Cup and there were hundreds of people gathered outside to watch the game. There were excited hoots and cheers and drums and even some of those stupid vuvuzelas. No one paid us any attention. I wanted to get pictures but the rep from the company seemed to be in a hurry to get us to the hotel so I didn't get to. The drive to the hotel was very short so we didn’t see much of Accra.
The Holiday Inn in Accra is supposed to be one of the better hotels. They say Obama stayed here when he came to Ghana. As a Premium Rewards member I get a free upgrade to a better room, but looking around I can’t believe the President stayed here. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a decent room. But it’s simple and small and the ceiling in my room drips a little when it rains. Some of the guys want to move to another hotel but I would rather stay and collect rewards points. I have a feeling I will be outvoted but we’re in no big hurry to move.
First order of business after checking in was to get money. In Ghana the unit of currency is the cedi, pronounced “seedy.” The currency symbol looks like a cent mark. The closest symbol I can type is Ȼ. I exchanged US $100 and was given Ȼ120, which was a poor exchange rate. One issue I will deal with is that the overwhelming majority of ATMs in Accra take Visa but not Mastercard. My bank card is a MasterCard. We discovered at least one ATM that will take MasterCard, but the location isn’t very convenient. Cokes at the hotel are Ȼ2 and beers are Ȼ3, which isn't bad considering typical hotel prices.
We learned we would be picked up for our first day of work on Sunday at 10:00 AM. Since we had the evening free and didn’t have to get up too early, we set off to see what Accra had to offer. There is nothing within immediate walking distance of the hotel—as far as we know—so we decided to take a taxi. The hotel recommended a restaurant called Monsoon in a part of town called Osu. I didn't know it at the time but TripAdvisor ranks Monsoon as the #1 restaurant in Accra. We took a cab and I will launch into a diatribe about the taxis in a moment. Along the way we were stopped by traffic and a woman came up to the window begging. When we didn’t give her money she started tapping on the window and gesturing for money. She didn’t stop until the car pulled away, and this was my first experience with Ghanian tenacity. We arrived at Monsoon at about 8:00 PM and the place was empty. We later learned that people don’t even think about eating dinner until after 9:00. Monsoon has some exotic items on the menu, but we were trying to eat on the cheap so we all ordered hamburgers and Star, the local ubiquitous beer. We learned that Star is similar to Heiniken, which I don’t like. The burgers, though, were actually very good. We met the owner, Steve from New Zealand. He was friendly and gave us his views on Ghana from the perspective of an expat who’s lived here a while. He predicted if we gave Ghana a chance we would grow to love it here like he does. By the time we had finished and paid the place was filled with people--mostly expats from around the world. I will probably eat there again and try something more exotic.
After leaving Monsoon we walked along the street a few blocks. There are large spaces within the sidewalks, between the road and the buildings, where people set up outdoor makeshift shops and try to sell you their wares. For example, we saw lots of pairs of shoes laid out for people to buy. Both men and women carry boxes and baskets on their heads. Most people wear Western clothes but you see a few people in the African robes. Sorry I don’t have pictures of the street hawkers. It being our first night, and knowing people might demand tips if you photograph them, I decided not to draw too much attention. There would be chances for photos later. No one hassled us on the street, other than a hawker who invited us to come visit his shop. We didn't; no one was selling anything we would have wanted to buy.
We then took a taxi to Ryan’s, a famous Irish pub where a number of ex-pats hang out. On the way we passed through sections of road where there were street lights that were not turned on, even though it was by this time very dark. The driver explained that the city didn’t have the money for the electricity to run the lights.
We arrived at Ryan’s. Ȼ10 gets you admission and two Ȼ5 drink coupons. Inside the décor is not as dark as your typical Irish pub. It’s unusually well-lit and filled with expats. I tried the Guinness but it’s some odd Ghanian version of Guinness with an extra bitter aftertaste. There is an outdoor patio with a stage. We went outside and waited for the band to start. The band was called “The Obrunis.” (Obruni is a Ghanian word for a white man. No one has called me that yet. They don’t use it as a derogatory word; I guess it’s the equivalent of anglo.) The Obrunis selected good songs to play, but the singing was… well… bad in a way you can't imagine unless you see for yourself. I will try to upload a video but uploads are extremely slow. We may go back to Ryan's on a different night for fish and chips.
So now a word or two about the taxis. The taxis here do not have meters. They make up whatever fares they want. They might tell you the fare is 15 cedis when it should be 5. If you pay for something that cost 5 and you give them a 10 they won’t bring you change. A taxi driver agreed to a rate of 8 and when I gave him a 10 he refused to give me the 2 back in change because that was his tip! I told him that was up to me to decide and not him. He just shrugged and kept the change. Now 2 cedis may not sound like a lot and it isn’t. Ȼ2 is worth only about US $1.40. It’s not really enough to get worked up over. Not to revisit the well of clichés, but it’s the principle of the thing. Also they don’t carry or provide receipts. Ask a taxi driver in Accra for a receipt and you will get a blank stare. If you insist he may scribble on a piece of notebook paper the amount you paid and the date and the driver’s name. Try turning that in to Accounting for reimbursement! Curiously, all drivers in Accra are named Emmanuel. Kidding--but there are a lot of them!
When we arrived at the airport in Accra the weather was warm and somewhat humid but more mild than the weather we left behind in Texas. According to weather reports on the web, Accra warms up to the 80s during the day and 70s in the evenings. Inside the airport was decorated with banners, flags, and football-themed items. Here’s a shot just inside the airport. Notice for example the floor rug in the shape of a soccer field. We were met by a guide from the company who assisted us in getting through customs and out to the waiting car. Everywhere is the word Akwaaba, or Welcome.
Based on what I had read I expected to be hassled outside the airport by taxi drivers and enthusiastic “guides” who wanted to carry my bags in exchange for a tip. That didn’t happen. Outside the airport there is a large LCD TV screen. Ghana was playing in the World Cup and there were hundreds of people gathered outside to watch the game. There were excited hoots and cheers and drums and even some of those stupid vuvuzelas. No one paid us any attention. I wanted to get pictures but the rep from the company seemed to be in a hurry to get us to the hotel so I didn't get to. The drive to the hotel was very short so we didn’t see much of Accra.
The Holiday Inn in Accra is supposed to be one of the better hotels. They say Obama stayed here when he came to Ghana. As a Premium Rewards member I get a free upgrade to a better room, but looking around I can’t believe the President stayed here. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a decent room. But it’s simple and small and the ceiling in my room drips a little when it rains. Some of the guys want to move to another hotel but I would rather stay and collect rewards points. I have a feeling I will be outvoted but we’re in no big hurry to move.
First order of business after checking in was to get money. In Ghana the unit of currency is the cedi, pronounced “seedy.” The currency symbol looks like a cent mark. The closest symbol I can type is Ȼ. I exchanged US $100 and was given Ȼ120, which was a poor exchange rate. One issue I will deal with is that the overwhelming majority of ATMs in Accra take Visa but not Mastercard. My bank card is a MasterCard. We discovered at least one ATM that will take MasterCard, but the location isn’t very convenient. Cokes at the hotel are Ȼ2 and beers are Ȼ3, which isn't bad considering typical hotel prices.
We learned we would be picked up for our first day of work on Sunday at 10:00 AM. Since we had the evening free and didn’t have to get up too early, we set off to see what Accra had to offer. There is nothing within immediate walking distance of the hotel—as far as we know—so we decided to take a taxi. The hotel recommended a restaurant called Monsoon in a part of town called Osu. I didn't know it at the time but TripAdvisor ranks Monsoon as the #1 restaurant in Accra. We took a cab and I will launch into a diatribe about the taxis in a moment. Along the way we were stopped by traffic and a woman came up to the window begging. When we didn’t give her money she started tapping on the window and gesturing for money. She didn’t stop until the car pulled away, and this was my first experience with Ghanian tenacity. We arrived at Monsoon at about 8:00 PM and the place was empty. We later learned that people don’t even think about eating dinner until after 9:00. Monsoon has some exotic items on the menu, but we were trying to eat on the cheap so we all ordered hamburgers and Star, the local ubiquitous beer. We learned that Star is similar to Heiniken, which I don’t like. The burgers, though, were actually very good. We met the owner, Steve from New Zealand. He was friendly and gave us his views on Ghana from the perspective of an expat who’s lived here a while. He predicted if we gave Ghana a chance we would grow to love it here like he does. By the time we had finished and paid the place was filled with people--mostly expats from around the world. I will probably eat there again and try something more exotic.
After leaving Monsoon we walked along the street a few blocks. There are large spaces within the sidewalks, between the road and the buildings, where people set up outdoor makeshift shops and try to sell you their wares. For example, we saw lots of pairs of shoes laid out for people to buy. Both men and women carry boxes and baskets on their heads. Most people wear Western clothes but you see a few people in the African robes. Sorry I don’t have pictures of the street hawkers. It being our first night, and knowing people might demand tips if you photograph them, I decided not to draw too much attention. There would be chances for photos later. No one hassled us on the street, other than a hawker who invited us to come visit his shop. We didn't; no one was selling anything we would have wanted to buy.
We then took a taxi to Ryan’s, a famous Irish pub where a number of ex-pats hang out. On the way we passed through sections of road where there were street lights that were not turned on, even though it was by this time very dark. The driver explained that the city didn’t have the money for the electricity to run the lights.
We arrived at Ryan’s. Ȼ10 gets you admission and two Ȼ5 drink coupons. Inside the décor is not as dark as your typical Irish pub. It’s unusually well-lit and filled with expats. I tried the Guinness but it’s some odd Ghanian version of Guinness with an extra bitter aftertaste. There is an outdoor patio with a stage. We went outside and waited for the band to start. The band was called “The Obrunis.” (Obruni is a Ghanian word for a white man. No one has called me that yet. They don’t use it as a derogatory word; I guess it’s the equivalent of anglo.) The Obrunis selected good songs to play, but the singing was… well… bad in a way you can't imagine unless you see for yourself. I will try to upload a video but uploads are extremely slow. We may go back to Ryan's on a different night for fish and chips.
So now a word or two about the taxis. The taxis here do not have meters. They make up whatever fares they want. They might tell you the fare is 15 cedis when it should be 5. If you pay for something that cost 5 and you give them a 10 they won’t bring you change. A taxi driver agreed to a rate of 8 and when I gave him a 10 he refused to give me the 2 back in change because that was his tip! I told him that was up to me to decide and not him. He just shrugged and kept the change. Now 2 cedis may not sound like a lot and it isn’t. Ȼ2 is worth only about US $1.40. It’s not really enough to get worked up over. Not to revisit the well of clichés, but it’s the principle of the thing. Also they don’t carry or provide receipts. Ask a taxi driver in Accra for a receipt and you will get a blank stare. If you insist he may scribble on a piece of notebook paper the amount you paid and the date and the driver’s name. Try turning that in to Accounting for reimbursement! Curiously, all drivers in Accra are named Emmanuel. Kidding--but there are a lot of them!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Ich Bin Ein Frankfurter!
You can’t fly directly from Texas to Ghana. You have to stop somewhere else first. Our first hop was to Frankfurt. I won't tell you which airline but here's a hint: they had Warsteiner! Stepping on board the plane was like stepping into a kiln. The announcer told us that the A/C was out and they were working on it! I was afraid it would be hot the whole way but by the time we were on our way the cabin had started to cool. It’s fine now. And yes, cold Warsteiner had helped.
I watched a German movie on the in-flight system called Friendship! (The exclamation point is part of the title, not an expression of my enthusiasm.) It’s a typical teen road trip movie. It’s set in 1989, and after the Berlin Wall falls, two friends from East Germany go on quest to San Francisco. They only have enough money to make it to New York, and they decide to hitchhike the rest of the way. It takes them two weeks and they have some crazy adventures on their way. It got me to thinking about my own trip to Ghana. I have been on the plane now for 3 and a half hours and we are already over Goose Bay in the far northeast corner of North America, crossing the threshold of land to sea as we soar above the Atlantic at 600 mph. From the time the driver picked me up at my house to the time I land in Ghana, less than 24 hours will have passed. You know the timeworn expressions. Getting there is half the fun. It’s not the destination; it’s the journey. Choose your preferred cliché. They’re clichés because they’re often true. That’s what road trip movies are all about. So I am trying to decide whether I am missing out on The Journey. Before flight, before cars, how many weeks, even months, would it have taken to get from Texas to Ghana? How many people would you meet? How many towns would you see? I am certain that we would have some adventures travelling by land and sea rather than by air. But I am not such a romantic as to think it would have been all wonder and stargazing. I’m sure on long voyages the days grow longer and longer until they become interminable. Without doubt, I am travelling with more efficiency and comfort than our forebears would have. But at what cost? Shall I now regale you with stories of how they had to reboot the in-flight entertainment system?
Ah well. I do have one interesting tidbit for you. You should know that there are four of us travelling together to work on three related projects. I saw one of them waving at someone he knew. I looked over and recognized this individual from law school! It turns out he’s an engineer for the company that we are doing the work for, and he is headed to Ghana too. Small world! If anyone from law school is reading and wondering who it is, it’s the Benelux guy who’s named after a ghost…
Unfortunately we were only in Frankfurt long enough to go through security and power-walk to the other gate for our connection. We settled in on the second flight, and I noticed that the CGI character the airline uses for the inflight videos looks a little like Edward the vampire. See for yourself. The flight to Accra, Ghana wasn’t too interesting except we crossed the Sahara. I was in a seat in the middle section of the plane with no window access but I peeked out a couple of times. There wasn’t much to see but a vast brown featureless landscape. I watched more German shows. German films appear to be quite distracted with post-war Berlin and the fall of the Berlin wall. I get it, but it seems like if you took those topics away, none of the shows I saw would have had anything to talk about.
Next post: Ghana!
I watched a German movie on the in-flight system called Friendship! (The exclamation point is part of the title, not an expression of my enthusiasm.) It’s a typical teen road trip movie. It’s set in 1989, and after the Berlin Wall falls, two friends from East Germany go on quest to San Francisco. They only have enough money to make it to New York, and they decide to hitchhike the rest of the way. It takes them two weeks and they have some crazy adventures on their way. It got me to thinking about my own trip to Ghana. I have been on the plane now for 3 and a half hours and we are already over Goose Bay in the far northeast corner of North America, crossing the threshold of land to sea as we soar above the Atlantic at 600 mph. From the time the driver picked me up at my house to the time I land in Ghana, less than 24 hours will have passed. You know the timeworn expressions. Getting there is half the fun. It’s not the destination; it’s the journey. Choose your preferred cliché. They’re clichés because they’re often true. That’s what road trip movies are all about. So I am trying to decide whether I am missing out on The Journey. Before flight, before cars, how many weeks, even months, would it have taken to get from Texas to Ghana? How many people would you meet? How many towns would you see? I am certain that we would have some adventures travelling by land and sea rather than by air. But I am not such a romantic as to think it would have been all wonder and stargazing. I’m sure on long voyages the days grow longer and longer until they become interminable. Without doubt, I am travelling with more efficiency and comfort than our forebears would have. But at what cost? Shall I now regale you with stories of how they had to reboot the in-flight entertainment system?
Ah well. I do have one interesting tidbit for you. You should know that there are four of us travelling together to work on three related projects. I saw one of them waving at someone he knew. I looked over and recognized this individual from law school! It turns out he’s an engineer for the company that we are doing the work for, and he is headed to Ghana too. Small world! If anyone from law school is reading and wondering who it is, it’s the Benelux guy who’s named after a ghost…
Unfortunately we were only in Frankfurt long enough to go through security and power-walk to the other gate for our connection. We settled in on the second flight, and I noticed that the CGI character the airline uses for the inflight videos looks a little like Edward the vampire. See for yourself. The flight to Accra, Ghana wasn’t too interesting except we crossed the Sahara. I was in a seat in the middle section of the plane with no window access but I peeked out a couple of times. There wasn’t much to see but a vast brown featureless landscape. I watched more German shows. German films appear to be quite distracted with post-war Berlin and the fall of the Berlin wall. I get it, but it seems like if you took those topics away, none of the shows I saw would have had anything to talk about.Next post: Ghana!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
First Post
I recently had an opportunity to travel to Ghana for work. I plan to use this blog to keep those who are interested informed of my adventures. I am writing from the perspective of an American who's travelled off the beaten path before, but never in sub-Saharan Africa. Comments are welcome; that way I know someone is reading it! I don't know when I am leaving yet but it could be June 16 or 17.
Update: Leaving Friday afternoon.
Update: Leaving Friday afternoon.
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