Blogs from Lome, Togo, Africa - page 4

Wow! It's actually my last day in Togo! I have had my last breakfast and my last lunch and going to have my last dinner later. Have to say that the last couple of days have been fantastic. Two days ago another volunteer, Emilienne arrived, and it has been sooo nice to have some company. She is Swedish, but speaks amazing French and English, so she has been helping me a bit with the last little bits of translation. Antoine, Josie, Merveille and I went to the airport to welcome her, and I have to say it has been very nice not being the ONLY white person in the whole town, even if just for 2 days. Today is actually my birthday, but we celebrated it last night with a big BBQ with all of the ... read more

Well apologies for not having written for a couple of days, I have been working pretty hard over the last couple of days, and haven't managed to come to the internet café. But seeing as Saturday is finally here, I have managed to sneak away! 2 weeks into my little expedition. 1 week to go. I am definitely becoming more aclimatised to Togo. Getting into the rhythm of the day - waking up at 6:15, working til 12, sleep til 3, work til 5:30, sleep by 8. Still don't think I'm completely used to the heat though - this morning I went for a half hour walk around Avedji Cité, which is the area around the Social Centre. I got back at 9:30AM soooo hot and sweaty, and had to have my 2nd shower of the ... read more

Well it hasn't been very long since my last update, but lots has happened, and I have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon, so here I am. THE WEEKEND Friday night I helped clean up the centre, and then played games with Elolo (FINALLY FOUND OUT HOW TO SPELL HIS NAME!!!) in the evening. Taught him how to play Boxes - Emma and Sarah will know the game I mean, when you start with lots of dots on the page. And he taught me 2 Togolese games similar to drafts. Then yesterday we headed to the beach!! FANTASTIC day yesterday - headed of in a Togolese taxi yesterday, and suddenly memories of Morocco flooded back to me, because they try to fit in as many people as possible - 2 people on the front ... read more

Helloooo to everyone back home!!!! Apologies if I make any spelling mistakes - this is a very strange keyboard and all the letters are in the 'wrong' places. So I have finally made it here, after 4 months of planning, hundreds of pounds and thousnands of miles. I'm doing well, but VERY tired. The journey seemed to go ok. It was really interesting to see the mix of people getting on my plane at Gatwick - Arabs, Africans, English, French, German. Tripoli airport was amazing for people-watching too - there were loads of Libyan men dressed in long white tunics and with huge white tubans. I felt like I had walked into the English Patient set. Luckily I did not attract very much attention from anyone - they were all far too busy staring at the ... read more

Today I left Lome, the capital of Togo, and came north to Kpalime. I struggled to find things in Lome worthwhile staying for. I went to a great sounding restaurant, which was quite dissapointing, I wondered arround everywhere looking for interesting architecture, and I found very little. I ended up staying two nights just outside of Lome, in this very eccentric plce called Chez Allice, in Aveposo, 12 east. A german couple, now middle aged, but with a very hippy sense of dècor, monkeys dogs, cats, parrot bat colony and the lot, were company to me and th other guests in the little straw thached bungalows. It was a chance find, I guess. For I got up in the middle of the night in Grand Popo, Benin, and this rather inhebriated Breton, with a fantastic mind, ... read more