Sunday, October 30th

Tony is going on safari! I’m going north to Mole (Moh-lay) National Park on Saturday. I’m going to meet a friend up there who is going to Burkina Faso on Wednesday and then coming back on Saturday. I was cheap and didn’t buy a multiple entry visa for Ghana, so I can’t go to Burkina. But considering the bus ride is 20 hours, I’m not too dejected! Mole is apparently a great place to see all sorts of wildlife and, unlike East African safaris, it is very cheap. On Sunday, we’ll probably just sit by the viewing platforms and relax in the swimming pool from which you can see elephants and other cool things and then on Monday, we’ll go for a guided safari walk in the park. I’m pumped. Dr. Addae’s friend Nana Aba was here for the weekend and she’s great. They had a hilarious argument about marriage and Ghanaian traditional customs versus the Western system of registration etc. It continued on the tro-tro into town and what was most interesting was that the people sitting around us chimed in so naturally. It was really funny, people going back and forth about various issues, even though we had no idea who they were. If you want to find someone to talk to, you’ll never have a problem in Ghana! I went for a run this morning. Bad idea. I left the house around 9:30 and almost died because of the sun. I have never had a better cold shower, although I wished the water was colder! The tropical sun is lethal and I am not going to be running any time between 8 and 5 from now on. I wanted to exercise because the food here is so heavy. Rice, yams, plantains and lots of all of them. I’m going to cut back on my portions at each meal cause the food is so starchy and heavy and I’d prefer not to get fat. It’s all pretty good though. I’ve definitely adjusted to the food and am enjoying it (mostly). Today in my soup, there was some beef. One piece was stomach, which I’d already had and is no big deal. This other piece seemed a bit weird, so I asked what it was. Liver. I wish I hadn’t asked, because it didn’t taste very good after that! Alright, I’m going to end here. I’m not taking my computer on safari (duh), so I’ll keep a written diary. Happy Halloween everyone! I’m going to dress as a 22 year old white man. I think I’ll get lots of attention for my costume.