Hotel ( Arthur Hailey)

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There was nothing blockbusting about our first night in Ghana. This chapter may well have been called “Midnight at the Oasis” had we actually stayed at the first hotel we were taken to. It was midnight when we got there and indeed there was water by way of a very inviting swimming pool. Alas they were overbooked and without any opportunity to negotiate six of us were whisked off to some non-descript, seen better days, second best establishment. I would like to say that I was tired and that I went straight to sleep. I was not and I did not.

Fortunately we were moved back to the Sunlodge Hotel the next day but only after a somewhat bizarre tour around the programme office (the place where the in-country VSO staff work). The tour was well meant but there was not actually enough room to get our seeking of volunteers, by now numbering fourteen, into any of the offices so the greetings and shaking hands protocol became more like a frenetic game of twister without the laughs. Still the niceties were observed and that is no bad thing.

A good Ghanaian meal was served but I will not tell you what it was because I do not know the names of any of the dishes right now. I promise to learn (and I am surprised that Kwami has not popped up to tell me. Where is he when you need him? ) and fill you in on the details of the local cuisine over the forthcoming months. What I can tell you is that no food was wasted. There were portions the size of tenement blocks, second helpings and then doggie bags for the staff. It is just as well that there are only two seekings of volunteers a year or else all the staff and currently serving volunteers would look like tenement blocks themselves. This has nothing to do with greed I am sure. It is much more to do with a sensible approach to the use of resources available i.e. do not waste anything

So the second night in Ghana was spent in luxury by anyone’s standards. This time I was tired and I went straight to sleep.

Bye for now

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Comments

[David Beck]

My Concerns
I am being to become concerned that my donations to VSO are not being well used. There seems to be a lot of hanging around airports and lounging in nice hotels but not much work. Given I know a bit about standards of hotels I would have liked to think that living with the locals in the nearest shanty town would be more suitable.

[Mad Macs]

When I posted the blog we had no home, no work and no boss, but there is of course opportunity in chaos, I hope you like the Accra Street Kids project. Now living much closer to the locals, and about to start work!