We're gonna go to Ghana

The countdown is now most definitely on for my upcoming trip to Ghana. With little over four weeks to go before I depart, I have been busying myself with my final trip preparations. While I'm certainly looking forward to hitting the road solo, yet again, it's always nice to be able to share your travelling experiences with someone. So when one of my old Cape Town cohorts, Margi Sutherland, asked if she could join me for the first few weeks of my eight week journey around Ghana, I was thrilled. Before we set off on our first travel adventure together, I thought it wise to ask a few questions. Here are Margi's answers:

Name: Margi Sutherland

Occupation: I have my own business - we are service agents for H2O Water Purifiers in Cape Town.

Why did you decide to join me on this trip?
I recently turned 40! [Same here! Kim] Apparently this explains it all? I haven't travelled a lot, priorities were different in the past, and now I want to catch up, be a little adventurous, explore new places and cultures. I have been to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Malawi, and always used to dream of an overland Africa trip. I'm over that now, but when Kim announced that she was looking for a travel buddy I jumped at the opportunity! Also, I dealt with West Africans on a daily basis at my previous job - we had clients from Senegal down to Angola, and the guys that came to Cape Town for product training (which was what I did) were just the sweetest, friendliest, most positive people. I wish I could remember the name of the technician from Ghana that I used to speak to so often!

What are you most looking forward to?
Besides a break from the rat race? And this freezing winter? I am looking forward to a completely new experience. To a different pace, to spontaneity and unpredictability... where I won't have to be in control, I won't have to check the time(!), and where Africa is really Africa.

What's the best piece of travel advice you’ve been given?
Well, Mum always gave us kids a tummy pouch wallet type thing, and told us to make sure our passports and money were on us at all times... no matter which country we were visiting. Oh, and wear long sleeved shirts, hats and sun block on the river (Zambezi) because the sun burns even through the clouds... which is what we all did and we didn't get sun burnt at all. Thanks Mum... I will take those same shirts with me on this trip!

What's your favourite destination and why?
I love Italy; have been there twice and WILL go back. It is possibly my favourite place only because I haven't yet been to France... I will find out in 2013 when I have my gap year. And Malta, although it is to be avoided during a heat wave.... Such incredible history, and beauty, I will be back.

Then again, I think it has to be anywhere along the R62, Montague, Barrydale, down to Outshoorn... then Hogsback... and the Garden Route (Nature's Valley, the Tzitzikamma Forest, Knysna...) we live in an amazingly beautiful country. [I'm with you on R62 Margi! Kim] Even the stark Karoo, which we travelled through by train recently, is stunning in its own way.

Where else is on your 'top places to go list'?
Next trip is a road trip through the UK with Dad, with the aim of writing his story, visiting his place of birth, his schools, meet some of his old friends, try to trace something of his father who was born in Scotland. As the only child of only children, his history stops with him unless I make the effort to journal it. I just hope that he gets slightly LESS cantankerous with age, not more so!! I'll try do most of Europe in 2013, but after that it has to be China, Japan... and Russia... Although I have recently had the urge to spend just one Christmas in the States, with snow, and carollers, and houses draped in Xmas lights... maybe one gets more sentimental with age? Of course there is still so much of SA that I haven't experienced yet - Drakensburg, and the Kruger area, must still be visited. And I want to take my boys to Namibia next year, during the World Cup, if that doesn't sound too unpatriotic!

Is there anything you try to do wherever you travel?
I buy a decoration for my Christmas tree! I also love to explore the back roads... just get into the car and head off somewhere that isn't necessarily on route to somewhere big. I always mean to take masses of photos, and to keep a travel journal... this time I will!

Finally, since we are going to be spending a large amount of time together, do you have any strange travelling quirks that I should be aware of?
Strange? I don't know how strange it is, but I do like to take a break and read a few pages of a novel every now and then... I enjoy quiet time. I also like to explore craft markets, which is not everyone's favorite pastime I've noticed! Kim, if you pick up any really strange quirks, let me know so that I can warn my next travel buddy!

Will do Margi. Though, perhaps you'd best have a talk to Dan; he'll fill you in on all my bad travel habits! By the way, I'm still looking for a travel buddy for a road trip from South Africa to Namibia in October. So if anyone wants to join me, give me a shout. Kim

Character of the Week: Mama Ruth

When I began organising my research trip to Tanzania several months ago, I discovered that a Norwegian friend from the University of Cape Town had family living in a place I was covering for the guide – Tanga, a quiet seaside town near the country’s northern border with Kenya. My friend immediately put me in touch with her mother who ran a meeting centre just out of town, and, after contacting her, Dan and I were invited to stop by and stay the night. I didn't know what to expect from the introduction – but I certainly didn't expect Mama Ruth!

Arriving by car from Dar es Salaam around midday, we were greeted at the gate by an elderly Maasai man who in perfect English inquired about the purpose of our visit. "I'm here to see Ruth," I responded. He looked at me blankly and shrugged unknowingly at the name. "You know Ruth...the owner?" I tried again. By this time another man from the gate post joined him by the car and together they chatted in Swahili and scratched their heads over my seemingly odd request. Our driver then interjected and asked after Ruth, this time in Swahili. But, again, the two men drew a blank.

Turning to Dan I asked, "How do I say her last name?" Having not known my friend at all his reply was a short, "How would I know?" Looking back at the two men I fumbled hopelessly over the pronunciation of the Ruth's Norwegian name, "I think it's Ruth Nes..je or Nes..ja?" Suddenly the Massai's eyes widened and he beamed, "Oh, you mean Mama Ruth!" Of course, Mama Ruth, why hadn't I thought of that I smiled.

It certainly wasn’t difficult to miss Mama Ruth; dressed in a colourful tie-dyed kaftan with a crop of white-blonde hair framing a deeply tanned face, she was bright and bubbly with a loud, infectious laugh. First coming to Tanzania in 1984 Ruth had spent the better part of the last 20 years working on various HIV/AIDS programs throughout the region. Keen to promote a more positive image of Africa and to encourage sustainable development through tourism, in January 2008, along with two other investors, she opened the Meetingpoint Tanga - a community meeting point, an international conference centre and accommodation facility all rolled into one.

While there are numerous tourism projects throughout Africa that claim to be environmentally friendly and community conscious, for many it is simply rhetoric and as the pockets of the wealthy investors are lined, local communities are often left wanting. Meetingpoint Tanga, however, is different. Apart from self-satisfaction, investors in the centre earn no financial dividends. Instead, all money raised is reinvested in various community projects from hosting local music festivals to HIV/AIDS education. Tourists, too, are invited to "make a difference" by sharing their knowledge, skills and experiences during their stay at the centre. In one particular instance, a visitor from Norway helped fund and set-up a recording studio, which now produces and sells CDs for a local hip-hop group.

Dan and I were subsequently invited to join Mama Ruth and three other Norwegian visitors to watch a local football match in a nearby village. In this latest venture, Mama Ruth was hoping to secure international sponsorship of the team and lure skilled players over to help train the local team. In true Mama Ruth fashion, we barrelled onto the field in the middle of the village (after taking several wrong turns) unannounced in a large white Land Cruiser, much to the amusement of the crowd of onlookers who had gathered for the match.

After some initial confusion as to whether we were indeed in the right village and at the right football match, with her Norwegian flag held proudly in hand Mama Ruth was ceremoniously introduced to her team, TICC, who were dressed in the unmistakable red and white uniforms of Manchester United. With the official proceedings over, her team took to the field to take on another team from a nearby village, who were rather fittingly kitted out in Real Madrid royal blue, in a local friendly.

I'm not a huge fan of football, or soccer as we call it at home, so I found all the back and forth play with no point scoring a little bit tedious. That was, until a herd of cattle suddenly decided to storm the field. While both teams carried on seemingly oblivious to antics of the stray cows, the interruption obviously affected our team’s concentration as not long after Real Madrid landed the first goal of the match (perhaps the cows were all a ploy?). Despite the fact that it was the opposition that scored the goal, the children from the village swarmed the field cheering and clapping in jubilation – some even entertaining us with a few clever back flips. Sadly, in spite of Man United’s best efforts to regain control of the ball, in the dying minutes of the game Real Madrid managed to sneak the ball past our goalie to win the match 2:0.

While I’m no expert on football, it does appear that the Man United team would benefit from some proper training – perhaps David Beckham would like to help his old English team’s namesake out? So if you know anyone who’d be interested in sponsoring the team, or if you’d like to find out more about the centre and its projects, give Mama Ruth a shout.

Character of the Week: Diver Dan

Since I will be spending so much of this year on the road with work I've decided to institute a new regular segment for my blog called Character of the Week where I can highlight and learn more about some of the many interesting people I meet along the way. With just over two weeks now before I leave, I thought for my inaugural post I would introduce my travelling partner, Dan Hammett. A very dear friend from my time living in Cape Town, Dan will be accompanying me for the first leg of my 10 week round-world odyssey taking in part of Tanzania and Kenya. While I actively encourage solo travel – especially for women travellers – it's always nice to be able to share your travelling experiences with someone, so I am very excited that Dan will be joining me. Before we meet up, though, I thought it wise to ask him a few questions. Here are Dan's answers:

Name: Dan Hammett [Shouldn't that now be Dr. Dan? Though, going by the photograph you've provided below, perhaps Diver Dan would be a more fitting title? For anyone who doesn't know Diver Dan is the name David Wenham's character in the popular Australian television show SeaChange, who, oddly enough, Dan also resembles... Maybe it's just the red hair? Kim]

Occupation: Academic (Research Fellow in African Geography, University of Edinburgh)

Why did you decide to join me on this trip?
A number of reasons: I haven't travelled in East Africa before so it was an opportunity to see a part of the world that I have read about but never been to myself. It was also a great chance to catch up with a good friend I've not seen in a while! On a slightly different level, I'm also intrigued to see what the reality of researching and writing a travel guidebook is like [Perhaps you should read my previous post! Kim]. Guidebooks have become such an integral (and for many, essential) aspect of the travel/tourist experience but seem to be taken for granted. So I'm also looking forward to understanding more about how these books are compiled from a personal interest perspective but also on an academic level in terms of Africa and the tourist gaze.

What are you most looking forward to?
Apart from your company [Ah shucks. Thanks Dan, I'm blushing. Kim] I'd have to say hanging out in a different country and enjoying something of a road trip in the process. I'm also looking forward to doing a day or two's scuba diving from Zanzibar – in some warm water for a change!

What's the best piece of travel advice you’ve been given?
Never travel with anything you're not prepared to lose. Adapt to the pace of life at the destination and never make too many plans so that if (when) delays happen it's easy to sit back and not get stressed about it. Remember to pack a toothbrush and spare essential clothes in your carry-on. I forgot to do this twice, both times my checked-in bags were delayed. Dress appropriately not only for the weather but the culture, you'll get a lot less hassle and unwanted attention, and in some instances find local people a lot more willing to help you out as you are viewed as showing respect to their culture and customs. Perhaps the most important advice – leave only smiles and footprints, take only photographs and memories.

Twisting the question a bit, the worst bit I'm given every time I travel (and which I consistently ignore) is from the travel nurse to 'avoid street food'. In my experience, street food is usually the safest, cheapest and tastiest food you can get – particularly if you avoid meat – as you can see it cooked in front of you, see if it is fresh and hot and hasn't been sat around for hours, and how it's prepared.

What's your favourite destination and why?
My immediate answer would be Cape Town [You stole my answer! Kim] because I've spent so much time there over the years it feels like a second home. I have so many wonderful memories of the place, people, friends, and experiences I've had there: sun downers at Camps Bay, the penguins in Simon's Town, diving with sharks and on wrecks off the peninsula, watching Super 12 rugby at Newlands, seeing dolphins playing in the surf at Noordhoek beach, braaiing and chilling with a tremendous group of friends, working in Khayaleitsha and the Cape Flats, running in Cecila Forest with friends and the dogs. I could carry on.

I also love Toronto (for the people and the food) and Prague (for the architecture and the beer). But the other destination close to my heart would be Bolivia – stunning natural scenery, wonderful climbing opportunities, and incredible Spanish colonial architecture. Being there during major riots against the then-president in 2003 and getting stuck in El Alto, the sprawling impoverished area surrounding La Paz, certainly shaped my experiences of the country. I hope never to forget what it felt like to jump into the back of a dumper truck and ride through the streets of El Alto as the protests were in full swing, nor hearing a group of locals laughing at me when I ducked to the ground as a smoke bomb went off nearby.

Where else is on your 'top places to go list'?
I've got three trips in mind, whether they happen or not is another matter! First, is a trip to Antarctica to see the penguin colonies and indulge my love of wildlife photography. Second, is a slightly crazy notion to cycle across Vietnam. My third plan isn't so much to visit a specific place, but just to lob a dart into a world map and head to wherever it takes me (fingers crossed it doesn't land up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean).

Is there anything you try to do wherever you travel?
The two things I make an effort to do whenever I'm in a new place are to find some live music and to find somewhere to eat that is off the beaten-track. There's an incredible range of talented musicians that you'll never hear on commercial radio stations and I don’t think you can beat the vibe of a local jazz bar (Ungelt in Prague or any of a number of venues in Harlem, New York (e.g. Lennox Lounge on 125th), rock or ska night (Independent Armchair in Cape Town, Sneaky Dees or the Silver Dollar in Toronto). With food, to be honest I'm a bit of a foodie and adore the variety of ingredients and styles of cooking around the world. I'm always on the lookout for places that are full of locals and empty of tourists, it's usually a sign of very good local food.

Finally, since we are going to be spending a large amount of time together, do you have any strange travelling quirks that I should be aware of?
Not that I can think of, unless you count normal quirks such as sleep walking or the urge to be spontaneous and suddenly decide to do random things.

Thanks Dan. I look forward to catching up with you in person soon!