'assaulted by generosity'

Attention all parents: Just a quick mention that the second Afriqiyah Air plane we traveled on was virtually new, nearly full, and a model of efficiency! A lovely flight experience was had by all!

Also, might be worth mentioning that we are doing all we can to follow the news from southeast Asia. We've managed to watch the BBC News a few times, and are checking headlines whenever we log on. Horrible story, and hard to digest from here, but probably from where you are as well. From anywhere, really.

Meanwhile, here in Tema, Laura and I are completely engulfed in hospitality. The idea was to make a quick stop out here in Tema to visit Winnie's family, drop off some money and gifts, hang out and spend the night, then make the call on whether or not we'd be nuts enough to drive a new beemer around Ghana. (While no doubt that would have made for a funny story - two women in sarongs trying to do the chill inconspicuous traveler thing, only in a car worth more than any 20 others on the road - we've opted to go native re: transportation.)

As it happens, our arrival was a pretty big deal. Winnie's 14-year-old daughter Georgina, our main hostess, said after 30 seconds of meeting us that she wanted us to stay in Ghana forever. That's pretty much been the vibe ever since, which is flattering I suppose and super-sweet but somehow also exhausting; it's hard to say no to her and her cute little siblings, though, and hard not to want to do what the family expects of us. Which, I suppose, is how we ended up getting stuck most of yesterday sitting on a tile floor in a dark room watching Ghanaian soap operas (apparently, this is a privilege). And how last night we ended up walking about 4 miles in pitch darkness in follow-the-leader fashion behind Georgina's non-English-speaking no-nonsense aunt, Akua (a-qui-a), to a restaurant that actually surprised us with its excellent music and jumping scene. (Unfortunately, Akua et al wanted to eat the meal not at the cool place, but back at the house on the tile floor, while watching Ghanaian soap operas.) And best of all it's how we ended up spending an hour or so this morning playing host to Tema's chief of police. Turns out that Winnie called him to inform him of our arrival, and he now considers himself obligated to ensure our safety while we're in Ghana. Only he wants to ensure it in person, by spending the next few weeks traveling with us. It was a little bit easier for us to say no to the chief, thankfully, though some finesse was required.

But we might take advantage of his offer of a ride to our next stop, which is looking like a town west of here and west of Accra called Kokrobite, home to what is supposed to be an amazing drum and dance center. And from there we'll probably head west to Winneba, where various tribes from the central region compete in some sort of masquerade festival. Since we're leaving the big cities now, there will probably be a lull in the postings.

Happy New Year!

Comments

[Kelsey]

thanks for the virtual adventure...Glad to hear that Laura is making friends in her special way - you are missed Laura!!!
Can't wait for the next installment!
love and hugs
Kelsey

[Aunt Sam]

Jenny -

Loved reading your adventure! Happy New Year!

Love you, Aunt Sam