My major goal for the day was to get my passport back from the Nigerian embassy. I was supposed to show up at the embassy between 2 and 3pm. So I had some time in the morning. First thing--get some more money after my expensive day yesterday. That was easy. Next, do some websurfing. I checked talkingpointsmemo.com, fiverthirtyeight.com, and my blogs. Obama is back on course. McCain is running out of time and cutting back on advertising in critical states. Meanwhile, the money keeps rolling in for Obama. The Republican citizens at the campaign events seem to think it's unfair that McCain is bound by different rules than Obama. Well, if they would have been willing to pony up the money needed to run a successful campaign, McCain wouldn't be in this mess. But it seems that the Reps don't want to back him financially. Is that Obama's fault? I don't think so. It was a good day internet wise.
After getting my Obama reassurance, I headed to Osu and then north to find the Togo embassy. They don't have a plaque, just a flag. Hint to Lonely Planet--put a picture of the flags of each West African country into the guide book on one of the color pages. It would make finding the embassies a little easier. It was still only about 11am, so I decided to find a place where I could get a Coca-Cola. I found this nice place signposted from the circle with the Togolese embassy called the ZanziBar. I went in and got a Coke. It wasn't too cold. They turned off the loud TV and put on some nice jazz and the breeze was occasional but refreshing. Since I still had quite a bit of time and it was nice there, I decided to get a small Star beer. It was, in contrast to the Coke, ice cold. The coldest beer I had in Africa, perhaps. It was so good. On the way out, I asked to see the dinner menu. It looked good. I decided I'd come one of these nights.
Then, since I was not far from the Togolese embassy, I went to gather some information. The guy at the guard station was really friendly. He answered what questions he could and then sent me in to get the forms for the Visa Touristique Entente and ask the rest of the questions. So I got 2 forms with really simple questions. Nothing like "have you ever been convicted of a crime." Just the basics. I need 2 photos (my last 2--I'll need to make some for the Cameroonian visa) and CFA 30000 (US$60) which I have already. I have a lot of CFA.
So I still had a lot of time to kill so I went down to Osu and stopped in the Niagara Hotel Bar where I got an Orange Fanta. While I was drinking it, a local woman came in and asked if she could sit with me. I didn't know what she was but I said yes. She introduced herself. Osu is the rich part of town. There are tons of white people and the Ghanaians who consume have high incomes. Was she trying to get me to buy her stuff? I didn't bite. I was polite but not encouraging. She wasn't really my type. There are women who would have gotten a Fanta from me but not her. Finally, 1:30 came around and I told her I had a 2:00 appointment and paid my bill (GH¢1) and left.
I walked to the north of the circle that borders the north end of Osu and then got a cab. He wanted to charge me GH¢5 to the Nigerian embassy but I got him to GH¢4. Actually he didn't know where it was so I had to tell him how to get there. Once we got close, he realized where it was. He told me that next time I should tell the taxi driver to take me to Roman Ridge since they all know where that is. I was a bit early so I just walked around the neighborhood a bit. Then I entered at 2. The woman I dashed yesterday was there again. I signed in and went to the waiting room. The waiting room was full. The visa guy came out and consulted with a couple of people. Then he went back to his office. Next he came out and gave me my passport and the receipt for the US$100 I paid. I looked at the visa. Looked good. Yay!!!! I had to jump through some hoops, but it all worked out in the end. I have my Nigerian visa! Only the guard woman asked for a dash. The embassy guy didn't.
In a mood to celebrate, I got a taxi to take me to Ryan's Irish Pub where I had GH¢3 credit. I got a couple of beers and a water. The World's Best Fishing Show was on and I watched it wondering how fishing shows can stay on the air. Then there was another fishing show. Then a hunting show whereupon I asked Janet, the bartendress to change the channel to the news. It's SkyNews so it's bad, but at least it's news. Janet suggested next time I get some food (I wasn't hungry because I had a couple of meat pies for breakfast). I looked at the menu. Ryan's is way overpriced. Even Bill Gates would find it overpriced. I was shocked the day before when I saw a whole table of people eating tiramisu and then I saw the price of tiramisu on the specials board--GH¢9. That was like 5 tiramisu's or about US$50 of tiramisu. No way! I'll pay for good food, but I won't pay French food prices for pub food. Which reminded me of ZanziBar.
It isn't far from Ryan's Irish Pub to ZanziBar (by Pacific Northwest hiker standards) so I walked up. I was especially intrigued by an item on their menu: Chateaubriand with Roquefort. It was GH¢13.50--just GH¢1.50 more than the 8 ounce burger at Ryan's Irish Pub. I got an ice cold Star and a nice salad to start. Then I got a small bottle of a Chilean Cab-Sauvignon (25cl and not 375 ml like the small bottles everywhere else) and the Chateaubriand with Roquefort. It was so good. It came with garlic mashed potatoes. If I had to quibble, the mashed potatoes had a flavor I'm not used to--nutmeg. It was interesting, but the nutmeg was a bit too powerful for me. The bread wasn't served with butter, but it was fresh and baked there on site, I think. It was soft, warm, and yummy. The Chateaubriand was delicious. The Roquefort flavor was forward but not overpowering. Just the perfect blend. L'Eau Vive in Bobo-Dioulasso and le Café du Fleuve in Bamako were better, but this was very good for a non-Francophone country. Almost in their category.
I finished off with a warm apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream and an espresso. Then I topped that with a shot of Baileys on ice. The total bill with tip was GH¢50. Pricey but still cheaper than yesterday and better than yesterday.
They have a mirror there at ZanziBar. I looked at myself in the mirror and liked what I saw. I look like an adventurer. I have the outfit of an voyageur. I am thinner than I've ever been and have the sunburn, sweat matted hair, and rugged look of a seasoned explorer. I saw a guy who can show up in a French speaking town at 2am and find a room. I saw a guy with courage and stamina. There looking back at me was a guy who made a decision to crash through a set of boundaries and followed through. That is a guy who knows he can overcome his own limitations--because he did. My 40's are going to be good.
Then I hailed a cab which I got down from GH¢5 to GH¢4. I think taxis in Accra are just expensive. I don't know if I'm getting obruni prices because they are all in the same ballpark.
Tuesday, October 22, 2008 20:46 Ghana local time
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7 comments:
"If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election." - quote from some sleazy politician. Can he do no wrong in your eyes? Ends-justify-the-means = the law of the Democrats. Tack on intended voter fraud (good intentions so who cares), and things are looking rosy for you :) Just don't disagree, or you may get smacked down like Bill. You seem safe for now :D
Just because he could defeat McCain with one hand tied behind his back, it doesn't mean it's a good idea to try it. The people angry that Obama backed away from pledge that will let that influence their vote. And they should add it into the list of factors. Absolutely. No doubt.
But, do you know why the Americans prefer Obama over Bush? Obama is smart enough to know when it's a good idea to change his mind. ;-)
When did you Republicans forget that politics is rough and tumble? Give me a real reason why the anti-American baby killing Muslim Obama is bad--you know like you did in 2004 when you forwarded the link to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth book and said you could never vote for a guy who did all that. ;-)
Thanks God for the Swift Boaters! The media has learned to avoid the truth this time. Time is on Bush's side; as long a O doesn't mess with all B's accomplishments, he'll be seen in a good light soon enough. Believe it or not, disagreeing with Dems/media is a good things for the country. Saddam's not coming back so you need to get over it :D
Sorry, but I think O will mess with B's massive deregulation of the financial system. My apologies for that. ;-)
I just hope Obama can pull it off--these Muslims spend a lot of time praying five times a day. I don't know how Obama is going to manage all those meetings with all that prayer. I'm just assuming that if he becomes president he can stop pretending he's a Christian--it's too bad he'll never to reveal that he was actually born outside the USA, but he can send his terrorist pals to take care of any reporters who dig too deep into that story, right?
By the way, I regret to inform you that I was attacked at the ATM by a white man who noticed that I had a Obama sticker and then pinned me down and carved an 'M' into my cheek. And since, 'M' is a symmetrical letter, the liberal media has no reason to doubt the veracity my account. ;-)
Thanks for the postcard. It'll be quite a nice souvenir :) I've been working on a slogan to save McCain in this final week. What do you think? "Just say no to America 2.0!" or if you're at a KKK rally "No! No! 2.0. No! No! 2.0." In your case, "Go! Go! 2.0." would work.
What's wrong with "Obama is a closet Muslim baby-killer who hates America and pals around with terrorists and will take all wealth from every white person and give it away to all the black people and liberals who drink lattes and watch Hollywood movies"? Is it that it doesn't fit on a sign? ;-)
Actually, he's a closet Socialist who pals around with open Socialists (who have a history of terrorism) who will prevent anyone from getting rich (white, black, etc.) and will waste a hell of a lot of money. Those already rich (his buddies) are set.
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