Lifeguards can drown too

Things we've learnt so far(written by Silan):
1. Ben the diabetic tells good pun jokes when his blood sugars low
2. Denise abuses the comment section
3. Sam needs to send Janelle and I a message in a bottle... think of the madness (don't think of the outrageous shipping costs or the time it would take to get here)
4. There is such thing as a botel - not a hotel, but not quite a motel
5. Never sit in the back row of a tro-tro
6. An out-of-tune a capella rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen never gets old
7. Janelle's hat is very popular among the merchants at the Accra Cultural Market
8. Everyone needs to buy a drum (and yes, yes we did)
9. This computer has a webcam!
10. Frosted Flakes cost $15 CAN in Accra

An FAQ guide to our weekend(written by Janelle)

What is a botel?
Well, scientifically speaking, we only have one botel from which we can describe the true essence of what a botel really is but one botel is all you need. The Hans Cottage Botel, located approximately 10km from Cape Coast, was everything you could want from a jail cell. When I think of jail cell, the first thing that comes to mind is the Rock. Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery trying to escape. I imagine Mr. Connery was very creative when he thought about using the legs on his bed to break open the doors of his cell. Unfortunately, our beds didn't even have legs. Two boxes, side by side, well equiped with bed bugs etc. The white washed walls and single desk with chair fit perfectly into this budget room. There was a communal and questionable bathroom at the end of the hall for atleast 20 people to use. The botel also had a pool and a crocodile pond but after our late night experiences hunting for bed bugs with Deet and sleeping with bug spray at the ready, we couldn't have been more excited to go home.

Why shouldn't seventeen year old boys be allowed to go on canopy walks?
This is a very good question. I myself would've thought that this would be a great experience for a young strapping boy. Viewing the world from 40 metres in the air would be quite amazing and speechless adventure for most boys but not this one. Oh Doug. Not only did Doug jump with two feet onto the canopy walk, he attempted to run from one viewing platform to another without the use of the railings. Everyone else walked with one foot in front of another, trying to stabilize the walk but not Doug. He'd see how far on each side he could step without touching the netting. In the future, be aware of who you walk behind and maybe more importantly, who's walking behind YOU.

What should you do if you see a big wave coming and it is too late for you to go over and too late for you to go under?
This question would've been best answered before we ventured in to the water at the beach. We'd been warned of the possibility that while we went swimming, some friends may disappear due to the strong undertow. We did not take this seriously. Instead, we swam out there, happily enjoying the MASSIVE waves and the strong undercurrent. It was all fun and games until we realized what was really going on. First I lost a contact; this is rather usual for swimming. Then Steph lost her hair tie. I'm not talking about it falling out of her hair or something. I'm talking about the strength of the wave pulling it off her arm. Then, as Silan likes to put it, the "tumbling and molestation began." That's really what it was. You'd see a wave and we'd all be yelling, "OVER, UNDER, OVER, ahhhhh" and you just had to make the best judgement. We did alright until we'd make the decision too late and the world would go black (or white if you're weird like Silan) and you wouldn't know where the ground was, where the sky was, how you were going to make it out, what (or who) in the world you were ramming yourself in to. We got quite shaken up several times and yet we kept going back in. It was hard to resist getting back in the warm water where you get closer to fellow daredevils after going through near death experiences together. In the end, Becca taught us how to save ourselves. When you start to see the wave break and it's too late to just dive a little under the surface or go over the wave altogether, go straight to the bottom of the ocean and grab a hand full of sand. It worked like a charm and we'd go back to the waves in a heartbeat.

Bargaining 101
The Accra cultural market was just another form of the molesting at the beach. Everyone tried to get our attention by saying things like "looking is free" and "Ni hao ma?" thinking we spoke Chinese (or even "Konichiwa"...maybe we ARE Japanese!). We dipped our feet in the tepid waters of bargaining with a small wooden sculpture. From there it escalated in to drums, flags, t-shirts, even a few paintings!! To avoid persistent merchants, try saying "Maybe later" or "I have to go eat lunch." To get a lower price, one of the most effective ways is to say "I have to go eat lunch! What if I don't have money to eat!!" Walking away and shaking your head are also very useful. We managed to get several things down to 50% off, sometimes even 60% off. To a merchant, we look like typical tourists but we were well taught by Yao. Trust Yao.

Why is it unsafe to sit in the back of a tro-tro?
The back row of a tro-tro might look inviting at first glance. You have more head space. You can lean forward on the seat in front of you. You can even see everything because you are higher than all the other passengers. DON'T BE DECEIVED. This row, particularly the middle seat where you are unprotected from flying straight through the windshield, is downright dangerous. Silan and Christie both have war wounds from their backrow experience. Post-traumatic stress has also seemed to overwhelm Silan. She is no longer at ease while in the car on the way to placement. This may come from the fact that on several occasions, she bounced off of the chairs, the ceiling, and the back of the car. The last straw was this massive bump where I flew almost a foot in the air and looked back to see Silan mid-bounce flying over into the seat in front of her. Also, these seats are not cushioned very much. They are mostly just leather over a metal frame. Now that we have learned, we know that on our 14 hour drive this weekend, DO NOT SIT IN THE BACK.

It may only be 8:30 but in the Ghanaian way of life, "Rest first, just sleep." That's what we're off to do!

Side-note: Don't forget to check out the updated top ten list on the sidebar!