Latitude: 6° 10', North. Longitude: 1° 21', East
Well tonight we are leaving Togo and now heading to Angola.
Humm. What to say about Lome' Togo..... Well first off, I don't recommend it as a vacation spot LOL. The people are very friendly, as a matter of fact most of them knew me from the last time I was here (I had never been in Africa in my life). Every one wanted me to have a present to take back to my friends for a very good price and several offered me their sisters. In some ways its like everywhere else, there is always someone wanting to sell you a genuine gold Rolex for $20.00.
Just as our ship docked we were inundated with people at the docks wanting work, food, or offering to take you to the town and show you around. No real taxi system to speak of so you rely on one of those guys to take you to town. My guy took a couple of us to town for a couple of drinks. (you are of course obligated to buy your driver and guide drinks and cigarettes while he is working for you) The driver left us for a while then came back with his sister... she was to be "my friend", so now it was drinks for the guide, the driver and his sister. Every one else on board who was given a friend got someones sister who helped them save some money during transactions of any kind. My friend Roberta, only told me I spent to much money after I made a deal.... it's the James luck LOL.
The poverty is something else here. The men hired to take the cargo out of the holds did not leave a bit of rice on the deck. Several got into trouble for trying to steel it (to soon) by filling their pockets to overflowing. We did not mind if they took what was spilled, but they could not do it before the cargo was unloaded, otherwise I imagine every bag of grain would have been busted open.
The workers would sweep the decks and grab what they could. On the shore side they would fill up bags with what could be scraped from the dusty ground then they would clean a small patch of ground, tear a hole in the bottom of the bag and pour the rice out at head level. The wind would push the dirt one way and the rice would fall mostly straight down. [I found this very sad and it was difficult for a few days to learn to deal with this kind of poverty]
So now off to Angola, to see what awaits there... I miss everyone and hope your all having a good time.
Jesse
Jesse James 06-30-06
Well tonight we are leaving Togo and now heading to Angola.
Humm. What to say about Lome' Togo..... Well first off, I don't recommend it as a vacation spot LOL. The people are very friendly, as a matter of fact most of them knew me from the last time I was here (I had never been in Africa in my life). Every one wanted me to have a present to take back to my friends for a very good price and several offered me their sisters. In some ways its like everywhere else, there is always someone wanting to sell you a genuine gold Rolex for $20.00.
Just as our ship docked we were inundated with people at the docks wanting work, food, or offering to take you to the town and show you around. No real taxi system to speak of so you rely on one of those guys to take you to town. My guy took a couple of us to town for a couple of drinks. (you are of course obligated to buy your driver and guide drinks and cigarettes while he is working for you) The driver left us for a while then came back with his sister... she was to be "my friend", so now it was drinks for the guide, the driver and his sister. Every one else on board who was given a friend got someones sister who helped them save some money during transactions of any kind. My friend Roberta, only told me I spent to much money after I made a deal.... it's the James luck LOL.
The poverty is something else here. The men hired to take the cargo out of the holds did not leave a bit of rice on the deck. Several got into trouble for trying to steel it (to soon) by filling their pockets to overflowing. We did not mind if they took what was spilled, but they could not do it before the cargo was unloaded, otherwise I imagine every bag of grain would have been busted open.
The workers would sweep the decks and grab what they could. On the shore side they would fill up bags with what could be scraped from the dusty ground then they would clean a small patch of ground, tear a hole in the bottom of the bag and pour the rice out at head level. The wind would push the dirt one way and the rice would fall mostly straight down. [I found this very sad and it was difficult for a few days to learn to deal with this kind of poverty]
So now off to Angola, to see what awaits there... I miss everyone and hope your all having a good time.
Jesse
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