Who wants to rock??

As my trip winds to an end, I did More exploring of London and the English countryside. Yesterday I hopped on a bus for s 2 hour ride to see Stonehenge. It really is an architectural masterpiece. What’s interesting is that no archaeologist can agree on what it’s purpose was for. 

Stonehenge has been around for 5000 years. The stones, mostly sandstone and blue stone, were strategically placed in the circular form taking place over 500 years. 

I learned that a misconception about Stonehenge was not for the Druids. The Druids first appeared a few thousand years after Stonehenge. There was a theory of human sacrifice too, but scientists can’t agree. 

Stonehenge was either a religious temple, an astronomical clock, or a burial ground as the outlying areas are full of burrows that contained human remains. There is one angle too that is a strategic marker for both summer and winter solstices. 

It is a mystery. And fascinating. We could only walk around in a circle going no closer than 100 feet from the ruins as the grounds are an archaeological treasure. 

I also did more exploring of London just walking the streets and saw where the Beatles Recorded Abbey Road, and the pub where the band, Iron Maiden, was created. Sadly is was closed. 

But London is a fun, culturally diverse, walking city. One just needs to learn to go with the flow and if you can navigate the Tube, you can get around. Much like New York 

Come From Away: a must see

The west end. Well I decided on seeing a show and I saw one highly recommended, a must see as many of us lived through this experience, Come From Away. 

It’s the story of Gander, Newfoundland citizens, a small town with a big enough airport that took care of many passenger jets after 9/11 and the US airspace was shut down. It’s a very heart warming thought provoking story of how people can come together and work to help each other, even overcoming various barriers like religion and racial backgrounds.  Plus it also deals with the passengers who want to call their loved ones, some might’ve lost relatives that day and deals with the aftermath. The audience was moved by it as it was action packed and never missed a beat. 

Definetly worth it. 

Welcome to the rock as they say 

Lovely Day for a Tour

Another fun day in site seeing London. It’s a very historical and yet cosmopolitan modern city. Really the easiest way to see it is by one of the double decker site seeing tours where you can hop on and off quite frequently. Half the buses are audio recorded in many languages and some have a guide which are more enjoyable. You begin to learn how old the city is and how it’s survived many wars and destructions. Many of the buildings have been deemed of significant historical value and have a placard of who lived there. Those buildings will never change. Much of the architecture is of the Victorian era. I even see how New York is designed too with the close row of homes and stone facades. 

BI also learned that London itself is only 1 square mile and only 9000 people live there. The rest of the London area is Westminster and other communities which make up the London proper. But the small area of London is where St. Paul’s Cathedral, the high magistrate courts, and the financial epicenter of the city and one of the leading in the world is based there. Hence much of the 400,000 plus commuters work there daily. It’s also the home of the Tower of London. Built by William the Conqueror after the battle of Hastings and at the corner of the old Roman city. It’s where the Crown Jewels are and the site of many executions done by the monarchy. The most known that I knew was Anne Boleyn by Henry VIII. He imprisoned her for not bearing a son and then beheaded her. The tower and grounds are quite beautiful as the Beefeater Guards still protect it and live there. A highly recommended tour to see.  As there is much to enjoy 

Cheerio from England.

Greetings from jolly old England. 

I can honestly say this last day, mainly the last 24+ hours have been a blur. It was yesterday I did shopping in Tamale in under 15 minutes and then a nice final lunch and Happy Hour. At 4:30 Ghana time I bid a Thomas a farewell and gave him a gift as a token of my appreciation to be used for the school at his discretion.  The flight to Accra was nice and then checking in onto my flight to England. Check in, passport control, and security, such ease. Then wait. That time of the night, all the main international flights were leaving to Europe and JFK. My flight landed late, so we boarded late close to 10 and departed about 11:30 ish. Of course British Airways is a great airline and service and decent seats in economy, minus the legroom. I never have enough, at least an aisle seat and maybe only 2 hours of consistent sleep. 

We landed at 6:30 and I thought the airport would be quiet. It wasn’t. Many flights arrived and customs was an ease. Passport check, no problem. Baggage, takes forever, and then go through customs without declaring anything. Then I caught the Heathrow Express for the 15 minute ride to Paddington Station. 

I found my hotel but check in was at 2. They were nice enough to hold my bags for me, so I did some exploring after having a Starbucks. 

I walked, and walked, and walked some more. Over 12 miles to be exact, 24,000 steps. But I had a map and I figured out my way. I saw Hyde park, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Thames River, and the west end. The beauty of it was. There were so many people out an about as it was 75 degrees  in London. Perfect weather. 

And I had pub grub which tasted so good and a cold beer. It was nice just to see the city on foot. I know I felt it in the afternoon and my room is nice, small but nice. And a hot shower felt so good. Was nice to wash my hair and now relax. I have a few days in London and a few things I’d love to do if possible. Who knows what’ll happen. If not, I’ll just have to return. 

But now I’m fading and need rest. Peace out peeps 

Farewell to Ghana.

Farewell to Africa. This dad day has come, but I ended it on a nice night out over a nice Ghanaian meal and beers on Tamale. Plus some shopping where I did the Art Reardon method. 

As i reflect back on this half of my journey words alone can’t not even begin to describe how amazing it has been. Ghana and its people have been so kind to me as I was a guest in their country.  I know that 

my trip was as the guest of honor in Wiaga for all my family has done.  That is only the beginning. I liked to sit back and just observe. Many things I noticed struck me and I wish many westerners, Americans could take to heart. For instance, the people always address each other with Good Morning or afternoon, whether it’s English or their own dialect. Politeness is a key as it is considered ride to ignore the person.  It doesn’t even matter what social class they are as many especially in the north live a modest by their standards to an impoverished life. Everyone is there to help each other as well.  For those that love in traditional mud homes, they are in danger of losing their house after a rain. However, many will come to their aid and help rebuild as community is family.   Everyone considers each other their brother, sister, auntie, uncle, especially the same tribes. They love life even with what little they have. 

One thing that really struck me was the respect I saw, the respect for life and dignity. My first experience was at lunch with Thomas, it was a big Ghanaian meal of rice, chicken, and vegetables, spicy of course. I was getting full and tried to eat as much as possible. Thomas told me no worry, they will take it back and then give the rest of my meal to someone who could use it as there are many they would appreciate it. So, in all my delicious meals I never finished my plate. I ate until I was stuffed and the left overs were given to people.  We Americans can learn to not be so wasteful.   

Another thing is their love of beer as Ghanaians are very social. I taught them the phrase, every hour is happy hour. And we toasted a lot. Thomas knows people in every place we went, and we’d sit there for hours just shooting the breeze and solving the worlds problems over a pint or two. The bottles were not discarded as they are collected and returned to the brewery to be reused. And water bottles given to children or returned. There is not waste disposal system so it’s coming to see trash on the streets and in fields. And as for paper, if there is no septic system, it’ll be burned to start the local fires used for cooking. They are very resourceful.  I won’t describe some of the foods I tried, but I am also one that believes people need to eat to survive, and if it’s an animal product it was done so in a humane way. 

Watching the country side as I drove. I also noticed there were no speed limits. You drive and bigger vehicles have priorities over motor bikes. And you just pass when you can and keep going. But, get used to unpaved and unkept roads.  My mother would be saying many prayers as she was a passenger. However she’d love the people. 

Seeing the towns, cities, and villages really reminded that much of the world is impoverished. It reminded me of Mexico, not the resort cities that have lavish hotels; but mainly Tijuana, not the nightlife area, or just driving to Rosarito. For those that have been, or been to other countries like India or South Africa would get the idea I’m describing. 

Ther northern region where I was in also reminded me of Native American life on the reservations. The land is spread out, and the homes are scarce, or built with natural materials or makeshift homes. The people know how to live off the land, cultivate it, and live their lives daily. 

Ghana has its problems like the rest of the world, corruption, untrustworthy politicians, and but there are many that care. Thomas is an example of one who care. The only help he asks for is to help his school and village. I tell him when there is a will there is a way.  Things cost money, but Thomas will make it happen for his school children.  His vision is for the kids to take day trips to see animals, more classrooms, more students, and technology. 

There’s so much more to say. I just will say I have fond memories of the people I met. Thomas’s family who were so kind and welcoming into their homes. Victoria, the villager who would come over and cook our meals in Wiaga and did my laundry. The staff of St. Thomas Aquinas, young teachers dedicating their life to the education and well being of the children and the villagers as they help Thomas. The local parish staff who were a joy to get to know even when it was over a beer or three. And the students,  all had smiles on their faces trying to teach me to dance, yelling me to use my right hand, wanting to learn, laughing at my accent, or even trying to play hide and seek from me.   I also enjoyed meeting everyone in the village, who were so kind hearted and i had a beer or two with them. Everyone else who was helpful too, the guides at the Crocodile pond who told me how crocs are a totem to their culture and respected. And my guide in Mole National Park who dedicates his life to wildlife conservation. I got to experience nature at its best. 

I got to experience so much and I’ve learned a lot too. I can’t wait to get home and really upload the pictures I’ve taken and post here. 

But first, my next adventure on my trip. Playing a tourist in London. 

Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata,,, 

After a couple days rest with Thomas’s family in Bolga, then on to Tamale, I got to experience something imaginable.  I went to the Mole National Park in Damongo, two hours from Tamale. It was a drive where we left at 5am and once there I got to see beauty. Mole National Park is almost 1800 square miles of preserved land for wildlife. 

We met our armed guard/ guide, Sedu, who too us further into the park to see wildlife of warthogs, baboons, antelope, elephants, etc.  The only rule was, don’t approach the animals, feed them, or litter. It was amazing from the beginning because I saw warthogs roaming near the visitor center. I thought of my colleagues, Jen and Cheryl, the musical theater directors who’d break out into Hakuna Matata. 

As I made the journey in, Thomas drove, a very unpaved road and we would stop when we saw wildlife to take pictures. At first all I saw were the occasional baboons and then antelope either close by or off in the distance. It brought memories of a wild park visit in Hawaii, my parents have fond memories of. However, we stopped and then proceeded on foot to watering holes hoping to see elephants. None appeared at first,  but our guide radioed other guides and low and behold elephants appeared. A pack of 10 all walking. All we had to do was stay 50m from them. But I snapped picture after picture. Sedu, the guide said about 10 years ago there was 600 elephants in the park. And as of a few years ago, they counted 800. It was just amazing to watch them move and interact. A few males got mad at each other when feeding. He said it’s close to mating season as well. No I didn’t see any elephant hanky panky.  But we drove and saw them as well as antelopes just frolicking about the day. 

We even went to another watering hole and saw two elephants in the water bathing, as water cools their tough shin. They also cover themselves in mid to protect them from elements and bugs. Off in the distance I saw a croc keeping is distance. Our guide said that even though crocs are predators, they won’t go near elephants due to size. 

I kept asking about natural predators elephants had and he said honestly there aren’t any. Not even a lion. A lion is the king of a jungle, but an elephant would be emperor. Their size, thick skin, and speed, lion would have a tough time to kill its prey, hence it’s easier to prey on antelope, gazelles, etc. 

There are other predatory animals inside the park, lions and hyenas, but they’re mostly nocturnal. 

This was just amazing to see nature in the wild. This park has inns even inside the park overlooking everything so once can watch it all from a distance. Who knows maybe I might stay there sometime. 

What a nice final full day of my Ghanaian adventure. Tomorrow, Saturday, it’s time to say goodbye and head up to London. 

Good Bye Wiaga, but I will return

Good bye to Wiaga. This has been a heart-warming life changing memory for me. You can see the happiness in these villagers with what they have. The villagers are so thankful, polite, and grateful for the kindness and compassion done unto others. It makes one stop and think, why can’t all be like this. Many of us, Americans especially, take much for granted. However, the children here are receiving an education to further enrich their lives administered by a dedicated staff whose mission is the same as all educators worldwide. The villagers, some would live modestly to their standards with a cement brick home, electricity, and running water, and those that depend on the local boreholes dug into the ground and live in mud homes. But all are thankful and grateful for everyone. They have been thankful and grateful for my family’s and others contributions. 

Seeing the kids and saying good bye was wonderful. They all still called me Master and had smiles. I promise to return to them. 

Now I got to do some exploring of northern Ghana and went to the Paga Crocodile Pond near the Burkina Faso border. Here, after paying our donation, I was led by a guide to the pond and they whistled for a croc to appear. One approached slowly and sat there. I discovered she was 85 years old and I approached from the rear and got to pet the croc gently on the back and hold its tail. I wasn’t scare after I saw they it was ok. The croc was fed afterwards. And since I was the only one there, they said many crocs already ate and only came up if hungry.  But all she did was bask in the sun, mouth open to let air in. Thomas explained that this local tribe reveres the croc as a totem, sacred. The croc was the one who saved their people and they now worship it, will never eat it, nor abuse it. I found that fascinating 

I also got to see the border of Ghana to Burkina Faso. It wasn’t crowded like US Mexico, but cars, trucks, and pedestrians have to go through customs  checkpoints and declare their goods. Burkina Faso is also a Francophone country, French Speaking, but also part of ECOMWAS, the same as the EU is for West African states. Thomas and other Ghanaians can travel freely with proper ID. It was very interesting to realize I was that close. 

Now I’m back being hosted by Thomas’s family in Bolga ready to see what tomorrow, Thursday has in store. God