Our South African Safari - Part 1

Well no one got eaten by a lion so we're back in Ghana safe and sound. We had a fantastic time on our 5 day African safari! Dan and I flew out on Friday night, getting to Johannesburg early on Saturday morning. My parents had flown from the US to Cape Town earlier in the week and spent a few days there enjoying that beautiful city and adjusting to the time change. We met at the Johannesburg airport and took a small plane over to Skukuza airport in Kruger National Park, where we were picked up and driven to our first lodge.

We spent the first two nights at Rhino Post Camp within Kruger Park. You can self-drive through Kruger but you have to stay on specific roads and can only be in the park for certain hours. The rangers who work at the camps can take many more dirt roads that go off the main drag, giving you a greater opportunity to see more animals. Additionally, the guides share a radio/walkie talkie station so if one finds a pride of lions, they'll let the others know so you can come see it too.

The schedule during the day was pretty standard at both lodges we stayed at. Wake up call was at 5:30am, then people met for coffee and muffins before hopping into the vehicle. About an hour and a half in we'd stop and stretch our legs and have a coffee, then get back in for another hour or so. We arrived back at the lodge around 9:30 or 10am for brunch. After brunch you had the afternoon to yourself until 3pm. We gathered again for some light bites before getting back into the vehicles. We'd drive until sundown and then stop for a beer or a glass of wine and some snacks and enjoy the sunset. Then back in the car for another hour or so to see if we could find any animals hunting. Drinks were at 7:30pm and dinner was served at 8pm. After dinner most people went back to their cabins to crash and prepare for the next 5:30am wake up call.

Rhino post had a really cool "common area" for lack of better term. They had a fire pit and a small bar that backed up onto a river bed that had dried up. So you could just sit there and watch the animals walk by. Each cabin room also had a patio that faced this so you could relax in the afternoon and watch impala, elephants, monkeys, buffalo, etc walk right by your room.

Sand pit/watering hole from the common area of  Rhino Post.

A family of elephants and some buffalo spending the afternoon

Elephants at a watering hole during our first sunset in Kruger

The evening drives were less fruitful than the morning drives, in our opinion. The morning drives brought more excitement as we saw different animals than the ones that frequented our lodge's watering hole. We saw giraffes, rhino, a pride of lions, a leopard, and a few zebra. Our driver was very experienced and we had a really great time. We were so successful in our first two days that we couldn't fathom how the second lodge could be any better than this one... it was. But you'll have to wait til the next post. 

A rhino crossing in front of our vehicle (excuse the windshield wiper curve)

Sunset on the second/last night in Kruger

A Ghanaian BBQ Party

A couple weeks ago, Dorothy (one of Dan's deskmates) and her husband, Albert, invited us to a BBQ at their house. They live over in Tema, just east of Accra, but about a 30-40minute drive from our place. We had no idea how to get there but luckily Dorothy had everything handled, as she usually does. Christy (Dan's other deskmate) was in Frankfurt, Germany for training that week and was flying back into Accra that evening. Dorothy's driver was picking up Christy from the airport and then coming to get us at home and taking the whole gang to Dorothy's house.

We arrived and helped set up a bit as we were the first to arrive... what else is new. Dorothy's mom, "Momma Julie" was on the grill while Dorothy and about 5 of her house staff were in the kitchen. There was grilled chicken, kabobs, grilled tilapia, a pork stew with vegetables, a salsa-type thing and jollof rice. The food was good, very spicy, as Ghanaian food usually is. The company was also good as Gabby, Veronica and Jonia came a bit later completing the group of PwC coworkers. There were another three or four people who came and sat with us and were very nice as well.

Albert was a little late to his own party as he had to pick up his family who had just flown in from the States. They arrived and were introduced to the group. I asked where they had flown in from and they said New Jersey and Pittsburgh. My ears perked up and I turned around to see that Albert's brother was wearing a gold Steelers hat. We joked about the current state of the team and I said I would fly back in his luggage to try out for defensive back.

The group sat around the table with drinks and chatted about all sorts of things. Ghanaian infrastructure, current issues/Ghanaian politics, football, soccer, travel, etc. Next thing I knew it was 2am and we were getting tired. Unfortunately, we had no idea where we were or how to get home. I asked Dorothy if we called a cab where we should have them come. She said that Albert would drive us home because he had to take his family to their hotel in Accra.

We all got up and moving, piled into Albert's truck and laughed our way back to our apartment. We got home around 2:45am and definitely slept in the following morning. It was really nice of them to include us and we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit.

Side note: We are leaving on Friday night to fly to Kruger Park in South Africa for a 6 day safari with my parents. Dad's turning 60! We will return late on Thurs, 28May. Unsure of what the internet situation will be while we are traveling so you may have to hold your photo desires for an extra few days.

Happy Memorial Day (a little early)! Thank you to all of those who serve or have served to defend our freedom.

4 Brits, 2 Americans and a Karaoke Machine

The rest of our week/weekend has been pretty lazy with Dan on antibiotics trying to fight whatever it is that he has. We're still unsure if its strep or some sort of canker sore but he seems to be in good spirits and doesn't have any new symptoms other than a nagging sore throat, so I suppose that's good.

We've been on quite the movie kick lately. With the American TV season coming to a close, we've quickly run out of DVRed episodes to watch in the evenings. Thus, we have starting going through several movies a week. Friday night was no different as we watched To Kill a Mockingbird and the last movie in the Alien series. I made some chicken chili and we just relaxed to wind down from the week.

Saturday brought more of the same. We got up early (for no particular reason) and leisurely had breakfast, worked out, and watched some more movies. Afternoon naps followed by half a hockey game prepared us for what would be an eventful dinner party at Hannah and Robin's. We went over around 7pm and dinner was me, Dan, Hannah, Robin, Annabel and Peter... the British couple we met over dinner a couple weekends ago. We had cocktails and then sat down to dinner.

Hannah made enough food to have probably fed 20 people. Suffice to say they will have leftovers for almost the whole week. There was a butternut squash soup starter, then an eggplant parmesan dish, a chicken dish, two types of potatoes, and two kinds of rice. Carb-loading at its finest. It was probably for the best as the completion of dinner brought champagne, beer, limoncello... and, wait for it, Annabel's karaoke machine.

It took about 3 songs for me to realize that this particular machine actually scores you after each song. It took about the same number of songs for Hannah to realize that it doesn't seem to score you on your singing abilities as she started to employ a singing strategy that sounded like a screaming, dying cat. But hey, it was working for her, she was getting 95-97 points per song and since this had turned into a guys vs girls duel, Annabel and I were quite fine with it, even if we were laughing most of the time.

Many great tunes were sung (poorly) and the clock passed midnight. As everyone was getting tired, we decided on one last duel to determine the winners. The chosen song was Edelweiss from the Sound of Music. I can safely say I didn't recall it so I was off the hook on this one. Robin and Peter sang it for the men's team and got a respectable 95 points. However, Hannah and the dying cat voice nailed a solid 97 points in her version of Edelweiss and the girls took the crown on the evening.

All in all we had a great night.

Guest Post - Dan goes to the Clinic

I'm starting to feel a sore throat coming on.  Probably just allergies.  Take a Zyrtec.  

Hmm, sore throat not getting better.  I wonder what it looks like.  Well, it's red and there's pus.  That's probably not a good sign.  Per WebMD I have strep throat, a yeast infection, herpes, or cancer.  

I've had some fun bouts with Strep in the past, and this lacked the same "oomph" that previous infections provided.  I actually feel fine, but my throat's just an annoyance.  Luckily, ice cold beverages (like beer) make it feel much better. 

Unfortunately, a week of gargling with salt water and partaking in chilly adult beverages isn't doing the trick and the throat isn't starting to look much better. So, that means it's time to test out the Ghanaian health care system.  The country with the system ranked 135 (out of 191) by the World Health Organization.  FYI, the US ranked 37.  

The first challenge - where to go?  A variety of sources are consulted.  Our health insurance, co-workers, Google, and the expat forums.  One that stands out is called Akai House.  

The second challenge - where are they?  For anyone who has read the posts before, location is a persistent challenge in Ghana due to the lack of addresses. Google says that it is just around the corner from where we live, but that conflicts with other sources.  I decided to go with the majority vote rather than Google and hop in a taxi and start directing him.

On the way there, I'm thinking what's the most I'm willing to accept in terms of service?  If they use WebMD, I could end up with some radiation treatment.  Another concern is that it's 100 degrees outside so I'm likely to trigger a fever if they take my temperature.  

Mr. Taxi Driver (not De Niro) turns onto a dirt road.  For such a highly touted health care center, I wasn't expecting a dirt road, but I've been pleasantly surprised before.  Sure enough, there's a sign outside that seems to suggest I'm at the right place.  I pay De Niro and go inside.  I see some people in white jackets - so I'm feeling pretty good that I got here with relatively little problem.  

I ask Nurse Ratchet where I register for the clinic and she kindly mentions that I'm at the wrong place.  The clinic is separate and is (naturally) right around the corner from where we live. I find De Niro 2 and head to where I think the clinic is.  At this point I'm at the complete mercy of Google, because that's my only hope of finding this place.  Luckily, Google succeeds and it turns out the place is pretty nice.  

I walk in and it's a bit crowded.  I'm afraid that what I was hoping would be a "short" trip to get a prescription for antibiotics, will turn into a 5 hour affair.  I talk to the receptionist, and she hands me the registration form - just like the US!

I start to have some hope when I fill out the registration form.  It asks for Nationality and payment method.  A white American paying cash at a clinic next to the American Embassy??  I'm sure to skip some lines - and sure enough, I do.  While I look like Mr. Money Bags, I keep Jen on call in case I need some emergency funding - which I eventually do.

The waiting room, nurse-taking-your-vitals room, and the doc's rooms were all in the "normal" style.  I didn't sit on the exam table with the parchment paper, but everything else was pretty much the same.  

I walked out with drugs that I'd heard of before and were made by companies I was familiar with.  Strangely enough, the drugs might be better here because they aren't generic.  But, as most things go here - I guess we'll see.....  

The First Dude Date

This week has been pretty quiet for us. Dan's had a few busy nights at work so we pretty much just had dinner in most nights. Hannah came over to hang out with me on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. It's always nice to have another human around during the day instead of just talking to myself or listening to the same episode of Sportscenter 6 times as background noise.

Both Dan and Robin follow the same schedule of working semi-normal business hours and being home in the evenings for dinner. Robin occasionally has work-related dinners that he attends but rarely does he go out in the evenings just for a beer and a chat... with anyone other than us haha. Hannah and I were discussing this on one of the afternoons, commenting that she and I spend a reasonable amount of time together just the two of us (because we work from home) but the guys rarely have any "dude time" that isn't with coworkers.

We mentioned it to the guys and they decided on Thursday evening to go have some beers. I went to Hannah's and we ordered pizza and watched American Hustle with Shoebill the dog. The guys didn't stay out too late since they had work the following day but they did try to pull our legs a bit. Around 10 we got a text from Robin saying Dan was trying to convince him to go to Cape Coast (about 2-3 hours drive from Accra) and that it would likely "be a late night". This, of course, sent newlywed Hannah into a tailspin and had us wondering if we had created a monster. About 20 mins later they pulled in safe and sound and had a good laugh that we actually thought they might attempt the drive. I am assuming that they had a nice time since, on the ride home, they were already deciding on their next dude date location.

On Friday after work, I met Dan at Yasmina, a Lebanese restaurant. We had some dinner (and lots of leftovers) and went to the grocery store to get stuff for the weekend. Saturday was a lazy day. We walked to the farmer's market, which safe to say is a gross overstatement. It was really maybe 3-4 tables of vendors selling fruits and vegetables. Dan got some fresh baby spinach. They actually had bagels, which I must admit was tempting since I haven't seen a bagel in quite awhile. They also had some pretty fresh flowers which is somewhat uncommon.

We came home and hung out by the pool for a bit, ate some leftovers for lunch then took some naps. Completed the usual rotation of watching soccer, then a movie and Dan made a whole grilled chicken for dinner. Sunday will probably bring more of the same, which is perfectly fine by us.

To all the momma's out there (especially ours): Happy Mothers' Day!

It's all about the jollof...

Earlier this week, I noticed an article posted in one of the expat forums on Facebook. As it made me smile and shake my head, I thought it would be a good topic for this blog post. I did some research and below is the link to my favorite article on the subject.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/jamie-olivers-version-of-jollof-rice-does-not-go-down-well-with-west-africans-9829847.html

Ghanaians are VERY proud of their country, their heritage, their customs, and, arguably, most proud of their food. While we have sampled bits of different foods: fufu, banku, tilapia, etc, our favorite is, without question, jollof. Jollof is a rice dish prepared with tomatoes and spices and I'm sure several secret ingredients. It's reddish orange in color and definitely has a kick to it.

The funniest part about jollof is that in America it would be a side dish. Here, it's the main course. The accompaniment, usually a protein, is a total afterthought. In the states it would be "I'd like the chicken jollof please". In Ghana, it's more like "I'll take the jollof... and.... I guess, chicken." You probably think I'm exaggerating but I've been to lunch with a few Ghanaians and we've ordered jollof. Here are a couple of examples of how a conversation goes with respect to "jollof analysis":

Patron: "How's the jollof today?"
Server: "It is nice."
Patron: (serious look) "is it?"

Patron: "Is the jollof ready?"
Server: "yes, madam"
Patron: "are you certain?"

These people don't mess around when it comes to jollof. We have actually been invited/requested to learn to make jollof properly. We offered to have Dorothy over to do the teaching and she laughed and said we should come to her place because we probably do not have all the things needed to make it. Okay then, your place it is.

Our first lesson has yet to be scheduled but you can bet it will be a heck of a story once we've been correctly trained on the intricacies of jollof creation. You better believe we won't be following Mr. Jamie Oliver's recipe.

How is it already May?

Seriously though. Seems like yesterday was the Super Bowl... and the day before that was Christmas. Where does the time go?

Things have certainly settled down and life is back to normal for us. Hannah came over on Wednesday and ran errands with me during lunch and then we hung out here for awhile and worked. She doesn't currently have a job but is in the process of trying to write a book. As a result, she spends most of her time editing, and hanging out with me when she needs an excuse not to edit.

Thursday was NFL Draft night. Dan and I went to the draft in NYC back in 2010. We had a good time but it's definitely not an event you need to attend more than once. In the years since we attended the event, we have created a tradition on the first night of the draft. We have chicken wings and beer for dinner. I'm not sure how or why we started it, but it just kind of happened. And continues to happen each year in April.

This year's draft-watching spectacular proved slightly more difficult than in years past, that dreaded time zone change caused issues for us yet again. The draft began at midnight local time. Thankfully, Friday was May Day, a holiday in Ghana so Dan had the day off. So we had our wings and our beer in our team frosty mugs, and then took a nap on the couch. I can safely say I made it to about 2am before I crashed. Dan watched the entire first round, finally hitting the hay around 3:30am. Talk about dedication.

Dan's Friday was pretty lazy. Lay around, work out, take a nap, all the things you should do with a day off. I worked during the day and then Hannah invited us to meet them for drinks and dinner with another British couple. We met them at our favorite sushi place just for drinks and then we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. The other couple, Peter and Annabel, are very nice. They are an older couple with three kids, two in college back in the UK and a 14 year old here in Ghana. Peter works for the British Embassy. They have been expats for almost 20 years, in India for awhile and in Egypt for 4.5 years... and yes, they were there for a lot of the turmoil and were evacuated a few times. Thankfully, Ghana doesn't have those types of issues.

The food and the conversation were very enjoyable. Afterwards, we parted ways with Peter and Annabel and we were walking to another place to wait for Asare (Robin's driver) to pick us up. Conveniently, the landmark he used at a meeting place is a French restaurant called Bread and Wine. Suffice to say, Asare arrived... and then sat waiting for us for awhile as the four of us went in for an after dinner drink, or bottle, or two, or... yeah.