2011
04
sie
Quest for a good Coffee!!!
Togo, Kpalime
Przejechano 13044 km
THE SPONSOR OF MY BICYCLE SPARE PARTS IS COMPANY PRODUCING FINE BICYCLE SADDLES www.abi.com.pl
What a Quest my search for coffee ended up to be!!!! My speedometer was off because of the constant rain falling on my head so I no longer knew how many kilometres I had been doing. I tried to cycle in the breaks between the rain but the final 10 km was a wet ride. When I got to the Kpalime, it was almost dark. I hid under the roof of a small bar. I had a meal and a beer there to allow me to think about my next move.
I was no more enlightened at closing time so with dry clothes I made a run for some shelter and found a catholic mission and slept there thanks to the bishop, under the roof of his big building.
It was quite a comfortable night I must say.
The next morning, the weather wasn't any better than the previous day so after having my horrid Nescaffe and a few bagguettes in a cafe and visiting some shops and markets I continued on my quest.
After a few questions, and very few answers I finally found some real coffee. I found it in the shop of an old Indian woman. She only had one type there but I was only looking for something better than the horrid Nescaffe I had been forced to drink for so long so I bought it with excitement. Later that day I found out that it wasn't any good at all... but what to expect? It is Africa!!!!
The old Indian woman told me that in Togo they sell only 2 types of coffee and currently she got only had one of them. She also promised that Ghana also had coffee and it was much better there. She was generally very positive about Ghana.
Like all paradoxes in Africa, the coffee situation is similar. They produce it here but do not sell it. If you do find it, it will be in the high end shops with expensive imported products.
Generally all products in Africa are imported. They don't seem to produce anything here besides more kids!!!
But let's get back to my coffee quest!!!
So, the Togo coffee was not so good, but certainly not as bad as the Nescaffe, so with mild satisfaction I started to look for a way out to Ghana. I was finally directed with the usual African nonchela to a road which would lead to the border. Whether it was the border and place I was looking for I wasn't entirely sure!!!
The fun began when I was geting my stamp out of Togo.
Are you going in or out the official was asking. and more similar ridiculous questions.
In the end I got my passport back and was pointed to a road leading to Kpando where I was planning to see a bit of Lake Volta.
Ha ha! Easier said than done.
I was following the road which was getting more and more degraded untill I got to a Ghanian border check post. Then allthough I was going into the country I got a stamp with the word 'disembarked' in it. Which in English means to leave a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle. First they gave me a stamp with word embarked, which in my opinion means to bord a ship or aircraft but they said that it was wrong and they cancelled it!!!!!
So in Ghana for a good start I got to see another paradox...'disembarked' means to enter the country!!
The funny stories continued as I was travelled further and further in. I found out that the currency of Ghana is called 'Cedi', which they pronounce, "CD" so it is funny all the time. Imagine you are buying a CD in a shop and you are paying with "CD"!! Ha ha ha!!
The mountain scenery here was quite dramatic though and I really enjoyed the road in. Asking for directions was similarly reliable as in other regions. The locals think they know what thay are talking about but are really not helpful. I ended up far too much to the south than I thought I would and the Kpando which I was heading to remained far to the north.
So, my friends, I was lost from the beginning of entering the country and I found out that most Ghanians know nothing about directions they are even worse with distances.
In the end I abandoned my ambitious plan to see Kpando and headed south to Akosombo Dam and Accra instead.
What a Quest my search for coffee ended up to be!!!! My speedometer was off because of the constant rain falling on my head so I no longer knew how many kilometres I had been doing. I tried to cycle in the breaks between the rain but the final 10 km was a wet ride. When I got to the Kpalime, it was almost dark. I hid under the roof of a small bar. I had a meal and a beer there to allow me to think about my next move.
I was no more enlightened at closing time so with dry clothes I made a run for some shelter and found a catholic mission and slept there thanks to the bishop, under the roof of his big building.
It was quite a comfortable night I must say.
The next morning, the weather wasn't any better than the previous day so after having my horrid Nescaffe and a few bagguettes in a cafe and visiting some shops and markets I continued on my quest.
After a few questions, and very few answers I finally found some real coffee. I found it in the shop of an old Indian woman. She only had one type there but I was only looking for something better than the horrid Nescaffe I had been forced to drink for so long so I bought it with excitement. Later that day I found out that it wasn't any good at all... but what to expect? It is Africa!!!!
The old Indian woman told me that in Togo they sell only 2 types of coffee and currently she got only had one of them. She also promised that Ghana also had coffee and it was much better there. She was generally very positive about Ghana.
Like all paradoxes in Africa, the coffee situation is similar. They produce it here but do not sell it. If you do find it, it will be in the high end shops with expensive imported products.
Generally all products in Africa are imported. They don't seem to produce anything here besides more kids!!!
But let's get back to my coffee quest!!!
So, the Togo coffee was not so good, but certainly not as bad as the Nescaffe, so with mild satisfaction I started to look for a way out to Ghana. I was finally directed with the usual African nonchela to a road which would lead to the border. Whether it was the border and place I was looking for I wasn't entirely sure!!!
The fun began when I was geting my stamp out of Togo.
Are you going in or out the official was asking. and more similar ridiculous questions.
In the end I got my passport back and was pointed to a road leading to Kpando where I was planning to see a bit of Lake Volta.
Ha ha! Easier said than done.
I was following the road which was getting more and more degraded untill I got to a Ghanian border check post. Then allthough I was going into the country I got a stamp with the word 'disembarked' in it. Which in English means to leave a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle. First they gave me a stamp with word embarked, which in my opinion means to bord a ship or aircraft but they said that it was wrong and they cancelled it!!!!!
So in Ghana for a good start I got to see another paradox...'disembarked' means to enter the country!!
The funny stories continued as I was travelled further and further in. I found out that the currency of Ghana is called 'Cedi', which they pronounce, "CD" so it is funny all the time. Imagine you are buying a CD in a shop and you are paying with "CD"!! Ha ha ha!!
The mountain scenery here was quite dramatic though and I really enjoyed the road in. Asking for directions was similarly reliable as in other regions. The locals think they know what thay are talking about but are really not helpful. I ended up far too much to the south than I thought I would and the Kpando which I was heading to remained far to the north.
So, my friends, I was lost from the beginning of entering the country and I found out that most Ghanians know nothing about directions they are even worse with distances.
In the end I abandoned my ambitious plan to see Kpando and headed south to Akosombo Dam and Accra instead.
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