Archive for May, 2008

Rain vs. Mugging vs. Heat: a study in irritation – pt. 1

Friday, May 30th, 2008

My brother left for Ghana this morning, so I now have to settle down to a month of work (work?!?) in Ouagadougou. To get this work started on the right foot, I spent most of today hiding from the rain in an internet cafe, catching up on missed episodes of America’s Next Top Model. Ah, [...]

“Hello, I am an Artisan with an Association.”

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

It is weird to be so in love and so frustrated with a place at the same time. I love this country, but sometimes it drives me crazy. Not that I really blame anyone, but it does start to get wearying that all the sidewalk vendors see you as “walking cash dispensers” and that there [...]

“Togo” or “How Dictatorships Have Less Garbage than Democracies.”

Sunday, May 18th, 2008

I am in Ouagadougou right now, after spending a week in the teensy tiny country of Togo. It is one of those countries just brimming with tourism potential, but plagued with a bad government that probably turns some travelers off. We only had the time to stay in two places, and are happy that we [...]

“Sex Tourism” and Obruni-hunters

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

While it might not be my favourite place I’ve traveled, Accra is without a doubt an interesting city. This might sound strange, but one of the interesting things I’ve been observing is the relations between the large foreign population and the locals.
Okay, so I’m probably going to offend someone by saying this, but… Ghana [...]

My Triumphant Return to West Africa

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

After not writing anything here for half a year, I am finally doing something noteworthy enough to start writing again. I got to Accra four days ago, and will be heading back to Burkina via Togo in a few days. At the risk of being horribly cliche, the last few days have confirmed the following: [...]