Why use a truck when a combi will do
Missive from parts of Africa
A light hearted and sometimes serious look at moving 6000km into a place in Africa: April 2007. Promoted back to South Africa, the missive will continue to track my foray's into deepest Africa as and when I get there.
- Ghana Again!
- Planning and airports!
- Another reason to like site
- Travel Hell Month
- Arrogance?
- Medicals
- Headline FIN24 27/03/2008
- South African Inflation
- Sick again?
- Lazy weekend?
- May 2004
- June 2004
- July 2004
- August 2004
- September 2004
- October 2004
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- August 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- July 2007
- August 2007
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- January 2008
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- April 2008
- October 2008
- Current Posts
Blogs I read.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Blogging before 5am -YUK!
Blogging at 4:42 am? What is this world coming to when you wake up before the sun and start your day.
I have not blogged for a while, and updated my four – yes four! – fans with what has been happening in the life of Ghana Jim. (well it is Tony – but you know what I mean)
Lets see - since my last adventures in the jungle the following has happened:
• Another month end has bitten the dust, and the people in JHB were kind enough (or far behind enough) to agree to close off the books on Monday 30th. What that meant is that I could actually have a month end weekend and not have to go in over the weekend when the workshop acquires graveyard status.
• The was of course the theory. In practice one of the client’s new sewer pumping system that we installed managed to burn a main motor and a backup motor in the same day, and another client’s gold room burner vessel failed. However Zack handled the one and Albert and Marco the other. I “managed” from the comfort of my lounge.
• I mentioned the crayfish we purchased at Busua last weekend. What I did not mention was that we had asked the Gillie to bring us more cray in Tarkwa. The lad duly arrived with 9kg of cray for which we all chipped in GHC100,000 (ZAR 75) and the wriggly buggers were duly dispatched to the house to be frozen. Carlos bought out his Chefs hat and on Saturday afternoon all 10 of us gathered at Albert’s house for a veritable feast of
o Savory Rice
o Crayfish
o Prawns
o Calamari
o Spanish White Wine which tasted really fine
o Local beer
• We took photos of the feast and will now publish these pictures in the company magazine to advertise the benefits of working in Ghana.
• Saturday night was an invite to the Mine, where our now firm mates were celebrating one of their kind getting a new job. At double the salary I may add. Chop consisted of a “mans braai” (i.e.: meat only cooked over 5 hours in batches accompanied by large amounts of Rum and Coke). We did comment that there were no wives to complain that the food was not ready and the kids were hungry. Rudy had managed to bring a blowpipe from SA and was mothered by Marco the entire evening as everyone and everything was a target. I do need to mention that all the meat was from South Africa, and fine cuts of meat they were. (Rudy is on 4 weeks on 10 days off and travels business class with a Platinum card. This means his weight allowance of 40kg and the fact he is good mates with the local customs walla’s allows cooler boxes of meat to be bought up each month).
• On Sunday we all attended the company sponsored golf day at Tarkwa. It was a cock up. Enough said. Well not enough, but when the captain of the golf club organizes a sponsored golf day where all your clients are not available and the only players are locals who have no decision making powers, it calls to question why one would spend a large amount of money to sponsor the golf day. When you run out of food cause the food line gets packed with people who fill their plates to the brim and leave most of it behind, it calls to question why you would want to pay for such wanton wastage. When the caterer steals food and booze you call to question why you would use a caterer of this nature. I was home by 2 pm and slept.
• My house is now full. Officially. Zack is spending the next week or so with me as he has a job in Tarkwa to do. He is normally based at Obuasi. Gus is with me for the month as there are no other rooms in the other houses and Carlos cannot adapt to the strange goings on in the top house and has moved in with me for a few months until all the “politics” have been resolved. Ergo I have abandoned my privacy for a while.
One good thing about this rotation is I am learning that if I do want some time off, I cannot take a rotation at the end of the month, such as I did last time. This means I have organized the next rotation to happen just after month end, and just before reports are due. I can then complete my month end up here, and my reports the following week in Johannesburg. I will get at least one week where I can put up my feet and cruise the shops and food places in JHB taking in all the goodies. I then get back in time for the next month end.
It is hard to believe I have been here for just on a month. This month has flown by.
I have devoured all of my books that I bought up – I really should read slower, and am close to finishing my 1000 ciggies that made it though customs. Smoking an average of 250 ciggies a week is BAD!.
We have also learnt that Goldfields is in the process of constructing a gym. Most of my lads have come to me and asked if there is some way we can get the use of their equipment. So that becomes my social duty for the week. Either that or we need to get some equipment of our own to prevent all of us from becoming fat blobs from our inactivity and stodgy food.
We have reached the stage where we have over $1 million out in quotes and the mines in their last month of the financial year. Ergo everything is now waiting the new budget year. That does give us a chance to catch up all our work before our financial year end and start the new financial year with a bang – as opposed to a shag of which no-one is getting anything – well except for the lads in the top house, but that’s another story.
I have also worked out that the people staying with me in the house rise early. 5:15 am and they are all awake. So let me end my anti-social behavior and join in on the tea been made.
You have a fun day you hear!
From The Ghana News:
• Yet another rip off story. This time a contractor took the Government for $350.000 in 1996 as a part payment for lifts that were never delivered. The minister has now engaged Interpol to attempt to capture the thief who is apparently in the UK. 9 years to wake up and smell the roses?
• The Licence fee issue to the Food and Drugs Board continues to make the press, with the FDB saying “we have done nothing wrong”. The state that the same thing is been done in Nigeria – the bastion of fair dealings and the USA – who is even worse when it comes to importers. That then justifies their trips overseas on inspection visits. Wonder if this will take 9 years to resolve also.
• 20% of Ghanaians do not have access to toilets. Which does not include the 6.9% that use toilet facilities “in other houses”. I am now waiting a knock on the door and instead of having my neighbour asking for a cup of sugar, he will be asking to use the loo. Oh yes – and 8.5% of houses fitted with W.C’s do not have running water. *ponder*
• Ghana has apparently discovered gas in the Western Region. Hopefully this has nothing to do with the politicians in the region.
And that is the news!
I have not blogged for a while, and updated my four – yes four! – fans with what has been happening in the life of Ghana Jim. (well it is Tony – but you know what I mean)
Lets see - since my last adventures in the jungle the following has happened:
• Another month end has bitten the dust, and the people in JHB were kind enough (or far behind enough) to agree to close off the books on Monday 30th. What that meant is that I could actually have a month end weekend and not have to go in over the weekend when the workshop acquires graveyard status.
• The was of course the theory. In practice one of the client’s new sewer pumping system that we installed managed to burn a main motor and a backup motor in the same day, and another client’s gold room burner vessel failed. However Zack handled the one and Albert and Marco the other. I “managed” from the comfort of my lounge.
• I mentioned the crayfish we purchased at Busua last weekend. What I did not mention was that we had asked the Gillie to bring us more cray in Tarkwa. The lad duly arrived with 9kg of cray for which we all chipped in GHC100,000 (ZAR 75) and the wriggly buggers were duly dispatched to the house to be frozen. Carlos bought out his Chefs hat and on Saturday afternoon all 10 of us gathered at Albert’s house for a veritable feast of
o Savory Rice
o Crayfish
o Prawns
o Calamari
o Spanish White Wine which tasted really fine
o Local beer
• We took photos of the feast and will now publish these pictures in the company magazine to advertise the benefits of working in Ghana.
• Saturday night was an invite to the Mine, where our now firm mates were celebrating one of their kind getting a new job. At double the salary I may add. Chop consisted of a “mans braai” (i.e.: meat only cooked over 5 hours in batches accompanied by large amounts of Rum and Coke). We did comment that there were no wives to complain that the food was not ready and the kids were hungry. Rudy had managed to bring a blowpipe from SA and was mothered by Marco the entire evening as everyone and everything was a target. I do need to mention that all the meat was from South Africa, and fine cuts of meat they were. (Rudy is on 4 weeks on 10 days off and travels business class with a Platinum card. This means his weight allowance of 40kg and the fact he is good mates with the local customs walla’s allows cooler boxes of meat to be bought up each month).
• On Sunday we all attended the company sponsored golf day at Tarkwa. It was a cock up. Enough said. Well not enough, but when the captain of the golf club organizes a sponsored golf day where all your clients are not available and the only players are locals who have no decision making powers, it calls to question why one would spend a large amount of money to sponsor the golf day. When you run out of food cause the food line gets packed with people who fill their plates to the brim and leave most of it behind, it calls to question why you would want to pay for such wanton wastage. When the caterer steals food and booze you call to question why you would use a caterer of this nature. I was home by 2 pm and slept.
• My house is now full. Officially. Zack is spending the next week or so with me as he has a job in Tarkwa to do. He is normally based at Obuasi. Gus is with me for the month as there are no other rooms in the other houses and Carlos cannot adapt to the strange goings on in the top house and has moved in with me for a few months until all the “politics” have been resolved. Ergo I have abandoned my privacy for a while.
One good thing about this rotation is I am learning that if I do want some time off, I cannot take a rotation at the end of the month, such as I did last time. This means I have organized the next rotation to happen just after month end, and just before reports are due. I can then complete my month end up here, and my reports the following week in Johannesburg. I will get at least one week where I can put up my feet and cruise the shops and food places in JHB taking in all the goodies. I then get back in time for the next month end.
It is hard to believe I have been here for just on a month. This month has flown by.
I have devoured all of my books that I bought up – I really should read slower, and am close to finishing my 1000 ciggies that made it though customs. Smoking an average of 250 ciggies a week is BAD!.
We have also learnt that Goldfields is in the process of constructing a gym. Most of my lads have come to me and asked if there is some way we can get the use of their equipment. So that becomes my social duty for the week. Either that or we need to get some equipment of our own to prevent all of us from becoming fat blobs from our inactivity and stodgy food.
We have reached the stage where we have over $1 million out in quotes and the mines in their last month of the financial year. Ergo everything is now waiting the new budget year. That does give us a chance to catch up all our work before our financial year end and start the new financial year with a bang – as opposed to a shag of which no-one is getting anything – well except for the lads in the top house, but that’s another story.
I have also worked out that the people staying with me in the house rise early. 5:15 am and they are all awake. So let me end my anti-social behavior and join in on the tea been made.
You have a fun day you hear!
From The Ghana News:
• Yet another rip off story. This time a contractor took the Government for $350.000 in 1996 as a part payment for lifts that were never delivered. The minister has now engaged Interpol to attempt to capture the thief who is apparently in the UK. 9 years to wake up and smell the roses?
• The Licence fee issue to the Food and Drugs Board continues to make the press, with the FDB saying “we have done nothing wrong”. The state that the same thing is been done in Nigeria – the bastion of fair dealings and the USA – who is even worse when it comes to importers. That then justifies their trips overseas on inspection visits. Wonder if this will take 9 years to resolve also.
• 20% of Ghanaians do not have access to toilets. Which does not include the 6.9% that use toilet facilities “in other houses”. I am now waiting a knock on the door and instead of having my neighbour asking for a cup of sugar, he will be asking to use the loo. Oh yes – and 8.5% of houses fitted with W.C’s do not have running water. *ponder*
• Ghana has apparently discovered gas in the Western Region. Hopefully this has nothing to do with the politicians in the region.
And that is the news!
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
And a word from the newspapers
Time for a bit of what’s happening in the Ghana News:
1. Standards Board
Ghana Food standards board decided that in order to import any food product into Ghana, you need to be “registered” with them and – ahh we knew it was coming – pay a registration fee of $10.000 per product. ($7.500 per product if you have more than four products).
Now happily assume that possibly 5000 food items are imported into Ghana by enterprising businessmen. Maths says $7500 x 5000 (assume all get the “discount”) and you have a standards board collecting $37.5 MILLION.
What are they going to use this money for one asks. Well it is simple. The fee “is to enable the board members to conduct manufacturing site verification at the ORIGIN of the products to ensure that the manufacturer conforms to the fundamental codes of good manufacturing practice”
To me? This sounds like a really simple way to get the public (yup – cos the fee will be recovered in the selling price) to pay for a few of the boards lads to have paid for overseas trips.
Novel if nothing else.
2. Accra not the capital?
There is a debate raging that because Accra is “overblown, congested, filthy, short of facilities etc” that Ghana should move the capital somewhere else.
What the hell – why bother sorting out the issues. Let’s just pack up and move somewhere else and start over.
God I hope they do not choose Tarkwa – the one road will not be able to handle the increased traffic.
A debate that will die a natural death I believe.
3. Toyota Ghana
Obviously feeling the pressure of “dubai’s” (grey imports for those not in the know), Ghana Toyota took out a full page advert – In color – extolling the virtues of buying a Toyota “designed for Ghana”
Did you know:
• Their radiators are bigger
• They use a petrol engine designed for bad petrol and diesel engine designed for bad diesel. (I am not sure then why all three of our new Toyota LDV’s lost their fuel pumps before 20,000km)
• The Toyota’s here have been send with a “rough road usage package” That must be why they so bloody hard on the road.
• The send service kits for the power steering pump and the steering rack instead of replacing then when they break.
• The have additional lubrication points on the vehicles
• They have recirculating ball steering system instead of rack and pinion type. The rack and pinion makes driving more comfortable but is not suitable for Ghana roads (so you can be uncomfortable cause their cars canna take the bumps)
I chuckle!
4. Dogs
A while back front page news was a guard dog attacking a person “walking through the company premises” (oh yes – with a panga which he used to threaten the security guards with) and there was hell to pay as the company was vilified for using ‘attack dogs” to protect themselves.
Well as a follow up – the local chief led a posse of angry youths who quite happily “killed a guard dog and severed the waist of another” (I assume the other dog died as well). Of course nothing will happen from this as dogs have no rights here and are just another basic food group.
*growl*
5. Balls to the wall
A woman who “ripped off her ex husbands testicle” has been granted bail of GHC 100 million (ZAR 70.000).
Ow!
6. A bridge over troubled waters
A 252 meter bridge in the greater Accra region will be completed in August 2005. 11!! YEARS after it was started. Apparently a contractor was awarded the contract in 1994 and the bridge was due to be completed by 1996. In May 2003 – after parting with GHC14 billion (ZAR 10 million), the contract was cancelled for non performance – no shit Sherlock – and a new contractor was appointed last year for a further ZAR14 million.
It takes some lad from the roads dept 9 years to realise that every year R1 million was paid to a contractor for a bridge that just was not been built.
Good money if you can take it
7. Justice at last
If you recall earlier I was quite verbose when a man was convicted of raping an underage girl and was banished from the area to his sister’s area. If he returned to the area, his sister would go to jail.
Well the judges must read my blog – yeah, but I can dream – and a father who raped his step daughter (11) was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Kumasi. In Accra an 18 year old male who raped an 8 year old girl was sentenced to 7 years hard labour in Kumasi as well.
Give them to the woman in #5 above I say!!
8. We wuz robbed!!!
The Ghana U17 soccer team made the U17 finals on Sunday and were beaten by The Gambia 1-0. The goal was scored while a Gambian fan had run on the pitch and was dancing around in the Ghanaian Goal. The ref refused to stop the game despite the fan and the goal was scored.
To say the Ghanaians are livid is an understatement. Goodness I would have chirped as well!!
9. And Justice for all?
A while back the Kenyan 1st Lady stormed into the (wrong) newspaper offices and threw her vibrators out the toy bag at all who would listen about an article written by (another) newspaper. She ended up slapping a cameraman who was filming the outburst.
Charges were laid and – surprise surprise – the Attorney General “declined to prosecute”
Another reason why I love Africa!
10. British America Tobacco reacts to market conditions
BAT reported their ¼’ly results today. (They made a 16% profit after tax). One line that did catch my eye and made me smiles was the following:
“Debtor balances increased substantially as BAT has increased the credit period available to our distributors in an effort to make their total margin model more competitive with contraband product”
They did appeal to Government to assist in dealing with contraband ciggies. VAT and Excise consist 56% of the selling price of their goods and they still manage to sell a pack of 20 for R10.00. Evidently sin taxes in SA are a WHOLE lot higher!
11. Do your maintenance
There is an amazing picture in the paper of a truck (12 tonner) carrying a container that has snapped in half just behind the drivers cab. The result? The driver crushed by the load. At least the driver was the owner of the vehicle and some poor driver was not killed due to poor maintenance. Not that his family would see it my way, but honestly some of the heavy vehicles on the roads here should have been put out to pasture years ago.
They still ply their trade and I get pulled over because my number plate is partially obscured.
That completes my newspaper review
Have a fun day now you hear
OH YES!!! - It is my sister’s birthday tomorrow
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBS!!!!!
1. Standards Board
Ghana Food standards board decided that in order to import any food product into Ghana, you need to be “registered” with them and – ahh we knew it was coming – pay a registration fee of $10.000 per product. ($7.500 per product if you have more than four products).
Now happily assume that possibly 5000 food items are imported into Ghana by enterprising businessmen. Maths says $7500 x 5000 (assume all get the “discount”) and you have a standards board collecting $37.5 MILLION.
What are they going to use this money for one asks. Well it is simple. The fee “is to enable the board members to conduct manufacturing site verification at the ORIGIN of the products to ensure that the manufacturer conforms to the fundamental codes of good manufacturing practice”
To me? This sounds like a really simple way to get the public (yup – cos the fee will be recovered in the selling price) to pay for a few of the boards lads to have paid for overseas trips.
Novel if nothing else.
2. Accra not the capital?
There is a debate raging that because Accra is “overblown, congested, filthy, short of facilities etc” that Ghana should move the capital somewhere else.
What the hell – why bother sorting out the issues. Let’s just pack up and move somewhere else and start over.
God I hope they do not choose Tarkwa – the one road will not be able to handle the increased traffic.
A debate that will die a natural death I believe.
3. Toyota Ghana
Obviously feeling the pressure of “dubai’s” (grey imports for those not in the know), Ghana Toyota took out a full page advert – In color – extolling the virtues of buying a Toyota “designed for Ghana”
Did you know:
• Their radiators are bigger
• They use a petrol engine designed for bad petrol and diesel engine designed for bad diesel. (I am not sure then why all three of our new Toyota LDV’s lost their fuel pumps before 20,000km)
• The Toyota’s here have been send with a “rough road usage package” That must be why they so bloody hard on the road.
• The send service kits for the power steering pump and the steering rack instead of replacing then when they break.
• The have additional lubrication points on the vehicles
• They have recirculating ball steering system instead of rack and pinion type. The rack and pinion makes driving more comfortable but is not suitable for Ghana roads (so you can be uncomfortable cause their cars canna take the bumps)
I chuckle!
4. Dogs
A while back front page news was a guard dog attacking a person “walking through the company premises” (oh yes – with a panga which he used to threaten the security guards with) and there was hell to pay as the company was vilified for using ‘attack dogs” to protect themselves.
Well as a follow up – the local chief led a posse of angry youths who quite happily “killed a guard dog and severed the waist of another” (I assume the other dog died as well). Of course nothing will happen from this as dogs have no rights here and are just another basic food group.
*growl*
5. Balls to the wall
A woman who “ripped off her ex husbands testicle” has been granted bail of GHC 100 million (ZAR 70.000).
Ow!
6. A bridge over troubled waters
A 252 meter bridge in the greater Accra region will be completed in August 2005. 11!! YEARS after it was started. Apparently a contractor was awarded the contract in 1994 and the bridge was due to be completed by 1996. In May 2003 – after parting with GHC14 billion (ZAR 10 million), the contract was cancelled for non performance – no shit Sherlock – and a new contractor was appointed last year for a further ZAR14 million.
It takes some lad from the roads dept 9 years to realise that every year R1 million was paid to a contractor for a bridge that just was not been built.
Good money if you can take it
7. Justice at last
If you recall earlier I was quite verbose when a man was convicted of raping an underage girl and was banished from the area to his sister’s area. If he returned to the area, his sister would go to jail.
Well the judges must read my blog – yeah, but I can dream – and a father who raped his step daughter (11) was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Kumasi. In Accra an 18 year old male who raped an 8 year old girl was sentenced to 7 years hard labour in Kumasi as well.
Give them to the woman in #5 above I say!!
8. We wuz robbed!!!
The Ghana U17 soccer team made the U17 finals on Sunday and were beaten by The Gambia 1-0. The goal was scored while a Gambian fan had run on the pitch and was dancing around in the Ghanaian Goal. The ref refused to stop the game despite the fan and the goal was scored.
To say the Ghanaians are livid is an understatement. Goodness I would have chirped as well!!
9. And Justice for all?
A while back the Kenyan 1st Lady stormed into the (wrong) newspaper offices and threw her vibrators out the toy bag at all who would listen about an article written by (another) newspaper. She ended up slapping a cameraman who was filming the outburst.
Charges were laid and – surprise surprise – the Attorney General “declined to prosecute”
Another reason why I love Africa!
10. British America Tobacco reacts to market conditions
BAT reported their ¼’ly results today. (They made a 16% profit after tax). One line that did catch my eye and made me smiles was the following:
“Debtor balances increased substantially as BAT has increased the credit period available to our distributors in an effort to make their total margin model more competitive with contraband product”
They did appeal to Government to assist in dealing with contraband ciggies. VAT and Excise consist 56% of the selling price of their goods and they still manage to sell a pack of 20 for R10.00. Evidently sin taxes in SA are a WHOLE lot higher!
11. Do your maintenance
There is an amazing picture in the paper of a truck (12 tonner) carrying a container that has snapped in half just behind the drivers cab. The result? The driver crushed by the load. At least the driver was the owner of the vehicle and some poor driver was not killed due to poor maintenance. Not that his family would see it my way, but honestly some of the heavy vehicles on the roads here should have been put out to pasture years ago.
They still ply their trade and I get pulled over because my number plate is partially obscured.
That completes my newspaper review
Have a fun day now you hear
OH YES!!! - It is my sister’s birthday tomorrow
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBS!!!!!
Monday, May 23, 2005
Carlos getting stuck into his crayfish
Carlos also joined us in June. As we love to call him our new "mechanic"
Crays chopped finished
And they were bloody nice - all we had was Tabasco, but next time we
vowed to bring the Garlic Butter
vowed to bring the Garlic Butter
The Scale (and Mannie)
In the background is the "accurate" scale with Manny contemplating life
in the wild
Oh yes - Mannie is a site Manager who joined us in May.
in the wild
Oh yes - Mannie is a site Manager who joined us in May.
Buying Our Crayfish
The Rasta went and retrieved the live cray from his net in the sea and
proceeded to sell us the cray ay GHC90.000 per Kg. (ZAR 62.00 per Kg -
Dirt Cheap). When we commented on the small ones - he was aware in South
Africa he would be locked up for five years selling crayfish that small,
but in his words "Ghana is a free country"
We bought 13 between the 4 of us - 3kg.
And yes *blush* we also bought undersize ones cause that was mainly what
he had.
He cooked it and bought it over to us
proceeded to sell us the cray ay GHC90.000 per Kg. (ZAR 62.00 per Kg -
Dirt Cheap). When we commented on the small ones - he was aware in South
Africa he would be locked up for five years selling crayfish that small,
but in his words "Ghana is a free country"
We bought 13 between the 4 of us - 3kg.
And yes *blush* we also bought undersize ones cause that was mainly what
he had.
He cooked it and bought it over to us
Friday, May 20, 2005
Already the End of Week 2 and stuff happens at Home!
Tis a Friday: Tis also Friday 20th – which means it is Nessers Birthday. So from here to there – across the 6000km – HAPPY BIRTHDAY NESSERS!!
She has now reached the age that she will not tell anybody how old she is, so been 35 before this birthday is where she is going to stop apparently!
She sent me some sexy pics of her when she was 35 and I received some sexy ** year old pics this morning. I could not see the difference.
Another set of home news is Keith has proven he is not shooting blanks and Sam is preggers. (Sam is a lass for those not in the know). SO from this side to there – across the 6000km – CONGRATULATIONS KEITH AND SAM!!
What this does mean is we have a guaranteed driver for the next 6 months as Sam will not be drinking, and in around 8 months time, we will be having the parties at their place, not getting totally ratted, playing the music softly and having Sam vanish every 3 minutes to check on the little one. *chuckle*
Since I got back to Ghana two weeks ago – goodness it has been two weeks already! – I have had my head stuck down in all sorts of stuff and it has flown by. Today for some reason I sat in the office and realised that all of a sudden I was up to date! It is most frustrating to sit here and have to think of what to do as opposed to working ones way through a to do list – yup I do to do lists!
I toddled over to two of our sites this morning, surfed the Internet for a while – watch the thought police send a memo to HR – and now sit and update my blog.
DSTV did a “system error” on me on Wednesday, where for some reason I could watch the HBO standup special on channel 2. Channel 2 has always come up with an error “not allowed in this country”. But Wednesday night I was able to catch some 40 odd minutes of HBO. While chucking at some really good stand-up of a yank poking fun at Yanks (and anyone else who got in the way), the decoder reset and all I could receive was some Portuguese channel. And my 141 channels of junk had become 4 channels of Junk in a language I did not understand.
That left me with my book.
Yesterday an email to DSTV elicited a standard response that DSTV had had a problem on “certain decoders” and instructions on how to resolve the issue. I managed to follow the instructions well enough to get my 141 channels resolved but did not have sound. I finally did a rewire job on the decoder by removing the AV cables to the HiFi and using them on the TV and all was resolved.
David – my houseboy – had also phoned the local DSTV agent and he came over at around 6pm and after fiddling with the PAL settings – seems that PAL 1 if different to PAL 2 – I had sound without using the AV cables.
All was good in my life – fark – DSTV is the sum total of my social life at the moment.
That said – we did go for drinks last week Friday and I was home by 7.30pm. *sigh*
We have arranged drinks with some of the mine lads this week Friday.
Last weekend I worked the weekend as my to do list was long! Had I known that I have managed to kill it so soon, I would have played golf on Sunday. I need to play golf – we have a company sponsored golf day on the 29th May and I will be expected to hit the little white ball. Considering the last time I played was 7 holes in February when the heat got to me – playing 18 holes on Sunday is going to be a tad challenging...
We have also arranged our second “think tank” for the weekend of the 4-5th of June. It gives us all a chance to get together and work on where we are going and how we going to get there!
It is now lunch time – and I am going to eat my cottage pie.
You have fun now
She has now reached the age that she will not tell anybody how old she is, so been 35 before this birthday is where she is going to stop apparently!
She sent me some sexy pics of her when she was 35 and I received some sexy ** year old pics this morning. I could not see the difference.
Another set of home news is Keith has proven he is not shooting blanks and Sam is preggers. (Sam is a lass for those not in the know). SO from this side to there – across the 6000km – CONGRATULATIONS KEITH AND SAM!!
What this does mean is we have a guaranteed driver for the next 6 months as Sam will not be drinking, and in around 8 months time, we will be having the parties at their place, not getting totally ratted, playing the music softly and having Sam vanish every 3 minutes to check on the little one. *chuckle*
Since I got back to Ghana two weeks ago – goodness it has been two weeks already! – I have had my head stuck down in all sorts of stuff and it has flown by. Today for some reason I sat in the office and realised that all of a sudden I was up to date! It is most frustrating to sit here and have to think of what to do as opposed to working ones way through a to do list – yup I do to do lists!
I toddled over to two of our sites this morning, surfed the Internet for a while – watch the thought police send a memo to HR – and now sit and update my blog.
DSTV did a “system error” on me on Wednesday, where for some reason I could watch the HBO standup special on channel 2. Channel 2 has always come up with an error “not allowed in this country”. But Wednesday night I was able to catch some 40 odd minutes of HBO. While chucking at some really good stand-up of a yank poking fun at Yanks (and anyone else who got in the way), the decoder reset and all I could receive was some Portuguese channel. And my 141 channels of junk had become 4 channels of Junk in a language I did not understand.
That left me with my book.
Yesterday an email to DSTV elicited a standard response that DSTV had had a problem on “certain decoders” and instructions on how to resolve the issue. I managed to follow the instructions well enough to get my 141 channels resolved but did not have sound. I finally did a rewire job on the decoder by removing the AV cables to the HiFi and using them on the TV and all was resolved.
David – my houseboy – had also phoned the local DSTV agent and he came over at around 6pm and after fiddling with the PAL settings – seems that PAL 1 if different to PAL 2 – I had sound without using the AV cables.
All was good in my life – fark – DSTV is the sum total of my social life at the moment.
That said – we did go for drinks last week Friday and I was home by 7.30pm. *sigh*
We have arranged drinks with some of the mine lads this week Friday.
Last weekend I worked the weekend as my to do list was long! Had I known that I have managed to kill it so soon, I would have played golf on Sunday. I need to play golf – we have a company sponsored golf day on the 29th May and I will be expected to hit the little white ball. Considering the last time I played was 7 holes in February when the heat got to me – playing 18 holes on Sunday is going to be a tad challenging...
We have also arranged our second “think tank” for the weekend of the 4-5th of June. It gives us all a chance to get together and work on where we are going and how we going to get there!
It is now lunch time – and I am going to eat my cottage pie.
You have fun now
Friday, May 13, 2005
I'm Baaaack
You know you are back in Ghana when:
1. You get off the plane and start sweating before you reach the bus
2. You approach the car from the wrong side cause you have just got used to driving a right hand drive car
3. You have to remember to turn the water heater on if you want hot water the next morning.
4. You spend a large portion of the trip back home dodging pot holes
5. Your only contact with home is a phone
6. You realise it will be July before you have nookie again
7. Email and JDE is as slow as can be
8. It takes you 15 mins to get to work in the morning at an average speed of 30kmph and you spent most of it dodging the pot holes again
9. You start listening to CD’s again, instead of 702
10. You have no water in the morning
11. It is 26 degrees in the morning when you wake up
12. You wake up at 5:30am
13. You get to work at 7:00am
14. You leave work at 6:00pm
15. Food tastes kak and there is a lot of it
16. You fall asleep by 9:00pm
17. The cell network is busy
As you can see, I have arrived back in Ghana for my next stint. I enjoyed the trip down south immensely and even though I worked 14 days out of the 21 days I was home, the fact that all the “luxuries” that were available to me was a stunner! All that and regular nookie!! What more can a man want:
I managed to eat a lot of bacon, sushi, Nando’s, cherry tomatoes and pork chops. This of course has resulted in visible expansion to the (ever expanding) waist line. Once again I wax lyrical about losing weight this stint. It will remain to be seen if that will actually be the case.
We slept in a different hotel – Paloma- as the Regency was full, and once again the room was basic, the water pressure non existent and thanks to me forgetting to turn the water heater on, cold as well. I have some pics of the hotel, and as you can see it is fairly run down and basic. All this for USD60.00 a night.
Meetings in Accra and Takoradi the next day saw me arrive in Tarkwa at 6:00pm – a tired little bunny which showed by lights out before 9pm.
I have two lads staying in my house for a while. This will be the case for around three weeks or so before I am back to my peace and quiet.
Getting back to work was pretty good, and it is head down for the next stint before I can look forward to another furlough back home.
The workshop is a neat as a pin and everything is running pretty smoothly all things considered.
As I type this I have reverted to my TV schedule and am taking in the SA/Windies one dayer, while skipping to JAG. The phones are not working – appears the bill was not paid while I was away – and the cell network is busy.
As I said - I must be back in Ghana
1. You get off the plane and start sweating before you reach the bus
2. You approach the car from the wrong side cause you have just got used to driving a right hand drive car
3. You have to remember to turn the water heater on if you want hot water the next morning.
4. You spend a large portion of the trip back home dodging pot holes
5. Your only contact with home is a phone
6. You realise it will be July before you have nookie again
7. Email and JDE is as slow as can be
8. It takes you 15 mins to get to work in the morning at an average speed of 30kmph and you spent most of it dodging the pot holes again
9. You start listening to CD’s again, instead of 702
10. You have no water in the morning
11. It is 26 degrees in the morning when you wake up
12. You wake up at 5:30am
13. You get to work at 7:00am
14. You leave work at 6:00pm
15. Food tastes kak and there is a lot of it
16. You fall asleep by 9:00pm
17. The cell network is busy
As you can see, I have arrived back in Ghana for my next stint. I enjoyed the trip down south immensely and even though I worked 14 days out of the 21 days I was home, the fact that all the “luxuries” that were available to me was a stunner! All that and regular nookie!! What more can a man want:
I managed to eat a lot of bacon, sushi, Nando’s, cherry tomatoes and pork chops. This of course has resulted in visible expansion to the (ever expanding) waist line. Once again I wax lyrical about losing weight this stint. It will remain to be seen if that will actually be the case.
We slept in a different hotel – Paloma- as the Regency was full, and once again the room was basic, the water pressure non existent and thanks to me forgetting to turn the water heater on, cold as well. I have some pics of the hotel, and as you can see it is fairly run down and basic. All this for USD60.00 a night.
Meetings in Accra and Takoradi the next day saw me arrive in Tarkwa at 6:00pm – a tired little bunny which showed by lights out before 9pm.
I have two lads staying in my house for a while. This will be the case for around three weeks or so before I am back to my peace and quiet.
Getting back to work was pretty good, and it is head down for the next stint before I can look forward to another furlough back home.
The workshop is a neat as a pin and everything is running pretty smoothly all things considered.
As I type this I have reverted to my TV schedule and am taking in the SA/Windies one dayer, while skipping to JAG. The phones are not working – appears the bill was not paid while I was away – and the cell network is busy.
As I said - I must be back in Ghana