Traveling to Ho, Ghana

Monday, April 6, 2015

E/S Panter picked us up at 9 AM.  We dropped off our donation suitcase at the Church Office Building, had packed our two suitcases into one, leaving the extra at the hotel.  Our goal on this leg of our trip is to check out all the projects previously begun to see how they are doing.  We’ll be gone for 3 days.  It seems that this will be a ‘suitcase’ trip.  That means we’ll be living out of our suitcases, never staying anywhere long enough to unpack.  I can truthfully say that I don’t like it very much.  The first night in the hotel in Ho will also be our last, moving to another one for the remainder two days.  We stayed here last time (Sky View Hotel).  Clarence and Joseph are with us since they are monitors and teachers on the project, and Joseph is still in training.  The best part of the trip is having these ‘giggle twins’ with us. 

At the fancy hotel, in front of one of their magnificent trees.   

        

With the 'giggle twins' who say they are our grandchildren.

On the way we made one stop at the same fancy hotel for lunch as last time, took pictures by the huge trees on the grounds, and then went onto Ho.  While in Ho, before checking into our hotel, we stopped by to pick up some men’s ties. There is a weaver who is making them for the missionary couples who are buying them.  They probably cost not much more than a dollar.  We won’t be here long enough to order any.  We told him that if he made them with U and BYU on them, he’d sell a bunch of them in Utah and Idaho.  He also makes these beautiful white on white ties for the temple or baptisms—quite lovely.

Sister Panter looking through woven ties, taking them all.  

                    

He also weaves scarves of every kind and color.

We have a free afternoon here, but because of the holiday it is crowded at the hotel and there are lots of people near the pool—men don’t care about that so Jim is swimming.  I’m trying to get cool, sitting under the air conditioner.  We have to pay for our Internet, but it isn’t working anyway.  Oh, well, we’re not in Accra anymore.  The best thing was a short, pass-out nap on the bed with the air blowing on me.  We had a decent dinner, then returned to more frustration, trying to connect to their Internet, that hardly ever works either way.  I need some sleep!  Living out of a suitcase annoys me.  Neither one of us can find anything we’re looking for.  I think I’ll start thinking of those handcart people and stop complaining.  I noticed that it only took a day to need a Coke.  Tonight I felt terrible till I had one.  Heat and humidity tend to do one in, and this was an easy day.

They have the air conditioner set so that you can’t really cool off and everything turns off when you leave the room.  They have the water heater set so that you can only have vaguely warm water, but a shower, without screaming in agony as when it is really cold, is quite doable in this weather.  And because of the crowd they had a loud band or DJ, so loud we couldn’t talk during dinner.  It got quieter later, but still loud enough to lull one to sleep.  Well, off to bed, after looking for something we’ve lost yet again…the shower did improve my mood.