The morning is again lovely, but today there is no breeze. We are eating breakfast with the fan above our heads working its heart out to give us a bit of cool air. The last two days have been hot and so humid rivulets of sweat ran down my cheeks. Yup, it was not a pretty picture.

Thursday was market day. We wandered in the cloth and leather markets, and my bag was filled with beautiful traditional Ghanaian cloth. The market men were eager to entice us to their stalls, but I didn’t mind as I got to sit on benches in the shade.

Later on Thursday we went to see my student Grace’s house, a house in progress. It was quite a distance from Bolga and the laterite road had bumps and grooves. Some traditional huts and many unfinished houses line the road. The houses are concrete and in various stages. Grace’s house is far from being finished.

Friday was a trip to a basket village. The women were all seated under a tree in the shade. They were working on different stages of the baskets from splitting the reeds to finishing the baskets by cutting the threads. They would periodically stop working and clap in unison. When we started to leave, the women encircled us and began to sing. A woman would then enter the circle and dance. One of the women grabbed my hand, and I went to the middle and gave it a go.  They were thrilled.

On Thursday we had guests for dinner, three current Peace Corps  volunteers. I remember how grateful I was back when if someone bought me dinner. We talked about Bolga and Peace Corps in our day and in theirs. We decided we served at a wonderful time when the world was safer.

I wish you were here with me in the mornings. The air is clear and as cool as it will get. Roosters compete with each other. The women clean the compound using small reed hand brooms. All the leaves are swept and cleared. You can hear the swish of their brooms. The air smells of charcoal fires and the lush greenery only found during the rainy season.

The other night we had a spectacular thunder storm. First came the wind and the darkest of skies. When the rain started, it was all we could hear. The thatch roof above us kept the rain off our heads, but the wind blew the sheets of rain, and we got wet, mostly our feet and legs. It was wonderful.

Today is another market day, and I can’t resist the lure so that is our morning plan. Tonight former students are coming to dinner.

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This morning I was up at 5:30. My friendly rooster was right outside my window. He and I greeted the dawn together though I refrained from crowing. Last night I think it was a bird which made all the noise. I remember thinking I’ll never get to sleep, and that was my last thought before the day and the heat had me falling asleep despite the noise

I am at the restaurant, but no one is here yet so no coffee. As bad as the coffee is, I still  can’t start my day without it. I was even earlier than the sweeper. She bends over and sweeps the grounds every morning with a handful of stiff, dried reeds. She sweeps then collects all the leaves lying on the dirt around the hotel compound.

The breeze is cooler this morning, but it will be hotter than yesterday’s 95. We went to see the house Grace, my former student, is having built. That meant a short walk through the uneven grass. It was no ladylike perspiring. I was a sweaty mess. Getting to the taxi was no relief. It was a wreck with the windshield looking like crackle glass, no handles on doors, torn seats and no gas cap. At least the ride was cheap.

Today is market day. The town is filled with women carrying goods on their heads to their stalls. They are wearing a combination of modern, their tops, and traditional clothing, their wraps. The market is divided in sections. You can find everything, all sorts of food, fruits and vegetables, eggs which may or may have been fertilized, live chickens, pots and pans, bruni wawu, translated as dead white man’s clothes because why else would they give up such wonderful clothes, men who sole sandals with tire treads, seamstresses and Bolga crafts. It will be hot today, but I can never miss market day. I’ll go to the bank first of course.

The mornings in Bolga are my favorite part of the day. This morning a rooster followed by two further away roosters woke me up. I could hear the women sweeping the dirt around the hotel compound. The aroma of charcoal fires sweetened the morning air. The breeze is ever so slight. It is time for my cup of coffee.

On Sunday morning iwasawakened bya knock on my door. There were 7 elephants roaming behind our lodges. They were stopping to defoliate the trees and bushes. It was suchasight as I hadn’t imagined.

We had two safaris on Saturday. The first was the game safari. Again we saw elephants but also baboons, some with babies, monkeys, two kinds, a bunch of warthogs kneeling so they could get the grass and Kob deer. None of this ever gets less than wonderful. During the safari we stopped for a light breakfast, coffee and egg sandwiches. The rug, mat, was strewn over the hood. A large basket held our breakfast. It was an amazing breakfast, rather a light breakfast as we had our regular one back at the lodge. The afternoon safari was through towns. We stopped at the Larabanga Mosque, built in 1421. We also took a dugout ride down the Mole River. Our last stop was at a village where they make Shea butter, and we were shown the process. Dinner, back at the lodge, was Indian food, remarkable Indian food as the chef is Indian. Just before dinner was the most unbelievable thunder storm. The lodge shook. The lightning was zig zag from the sky to the ground. It was across the sky in rows. The rain was torrential. It was awesome.

We left at noon on Sunday for Bolga. It took 5 1/2 hours. We kept running into small rain showers but no big storms. When we finally got to Bolga, we went to the Sira Inn foot the evening. It is owned by a relative of Grace’s so we felt a bit obligated. The place was awful. We had been at Zania Lodge, heaven, and now we were at one of the rings of hell. On Tuesday morning we hired a driver for the day,and we and our suitcases moved to Comme Si Comme Sa where I had stayed in 2011. They have a new building, and it is round like a traditional compound. My ceiling is rounded and covered in wood. The room is enormous. There is hot water and AC.

Yesterday we went to the bank, the PO and the market which, though a market day, was empty as it was raining. We went to SWOPA, a women’s craft cooperative where I got to shop a bit. After that it as to the hotel and rested. Last night former students and a teacher came to the hotel and joined us for dinner. We had jollof rice and Guinea fowl for dinner. It was a wonderful Ghanaian meal.

Today we are going to the weaving village and to Bongo a wonderful village looking like my Bolga in the old days. Now for breakfast and then more touring.

The trip so far has been amazing starting with the hour and a half wait in New York. It seems that one of the deportees who had boarded the plane before the rest of us had gotten combative, and security had to be called to remove him from the plane. The remaining deportees were then guarded by security.

I am finding that this trip is a bit different than the last two in 2011 and 2012. Ghana is far more familiar. I know it so well now. It is not that being here is commonplace, but it is that I recognize far more as day to day life in Ghana. I see the women carrying boxes, enamel bowls or fruit for sale on their heads. They stand at red lights or tolls selling their wares. I just shake my head, and they move on. The scurrying goats on the roadside are part of the ride. My sweaty hair is as usual for the humidity and heat. Last I night I did relish the kelewele before dinner and gave thanks to the chef. Tonight he is making Indian food.

We arrived in Accra on Wednesday and were met at Kotoka Airport. Accra is huge now, and we didn’t drive by any place familiar on our way to the Triple Crown Lodge where I stayed before. It is on a dirt road so the noise of Accra is elsewhere. We went shopping at Global Mamas, a fair trade shop. I bought just because gifts for my friends (just because I went somewhere gifts) and some Christmas presents. We had Lebanese food for dinner. On Thursday we also did some shopping then had Turkish food for a late lunch/early dinner. Friday we got to the airport for our flight to Tamale.

We boarded the bus to the plane, sat for a while then went back to the hanger, got off the bus then back on and then we went back to the plane, and we finally boarded. It seems there was weather in Tamale. The landing is by sight, not instruments, so we had to wait until it was all clear. That will change as international flights will soon land there. They are building a long runway to accommodate the large planes. The driver for Zania Lodge was there so off we went. It was rained which continued for almost the entire nearly three-hour trip (no Minnow though).

The lodge is extraordinary. It is built of many natural wood pieces and is decorated with Ghanaian handicrafts. The rooms are in chalets which look like safari tents. The walls are covered in cloth as is the ceiling. The shower is huge but hot water is at a premium. There is a cold chest of drinks. Local soaps and local lotions are stored in small calabashes. We are currently the only guests. The back of the lodge overlooks a watering hole but no animals there yet as water is plentiful. We went on our first safari yesterday and saw monkeys, Kob deer and, get ready for this, three bull elephants. Lunch and dinner were beyond delicious. The chef is Indian. I told him how much I like Indian food so it will be dinner tonight.

This morning we left for another safari at 6:30. We saw water and Kob deer, monkeys, a warthog and three more elephants. The driver turned the car so the back end was facing the elephants in case they charged and we needed a quick getaway. We stopped for a light repast packed by the chef. We had coffee, French press real coffee, with real milk and also an egg, tomato and lettuce sandwich to tide us over until breakfast. The safari was for three hours. We got back to the lodge to find the elephants were there, four of them. Guides kept moving us back when the elephants moved.

We watched for a long time. It was amazing standing there watching those amazing animals eat. We finally went inside for breakfast. We told the chef no lunch though he insisted on making salads. Nope!

 I took a nap after which seemed like a whole day, but it was only after 11. At 3 we are taking a tour of the area as it has a famous mosque among other sites. I am very much looking forward to the ride and to that Indian dinner.

Before dinner, we sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple of drinks chosen by the bartender. I don’t know what they were, but they were delicious.

This place is amazing. The builders and owners include a former Peace Corps volunteer who was posted near Bolga many years after us.

Here is just so lovely and so quiet. The staff is attentive and fills needs we didn’t know we had. Everything is inclusive. It is a treat we are giving ourselves.

Tomorrow we head to Bolga, and I’ll try to write again.

This morning I have a funeral to attend then there is a reception afterwards. My sister is coming down to attend. I will try to get back here but it won’t be until later in the afternoon.