Ghana 10 Arduino

I have been playing about with Arduino for ages. And sort of given up. However  now we've moved to Ghana I had thought it had died a complete death.  Then  I discovered a guy, Issac who has just started up selling Arduino kits.  Well I could no resist. All goes back to Aquaponics. I need to learn how to get it all automated and web based etc etc. So I took advantage  and bought a small wheeled robot kit. (Wanna not here to tell me No  ).......

Spent a couple of hours today on it instead of guitar practice. Anyway as of this evening my blue tooth wheeled robot  is completed in the physical sense and tomorrow is the installation of the blue  tooth software.  No posting tomorrow means it did not make it....... :-)

This kit might prove  harder than I had anticipated but we will see. Reason being I now have a new phone.  Not an apple so all new to me. Lets see how it goes.

I've had enough for today so good night to you all.

Ghana 9 Quadcopters

Started out this morning thinking I would take a few moments out from work and go down to the fish market. Get some good photos and have something interesting to write up on.


Well it rained cats and dogs last night.... So market was a big soggy mess. Crowded with people goign about their Saturday business. Not really the place to stand around and take photos. Wet muddy, crowded and was very aeware of being out of my element. I did not feel comfortable doing a series of photos. Probably easier if Wanna had been around and we were actually buying something. But that was not the case.  I took a quick shot of the boats and decided I would come back later in the week.

Back to the office and one of the engineers, Ernest,  had brought in his DJI Series 4 quadcopter. Fantastic toy.  Had a quick go with it and think it is an amazing thing.  It is so easy to fly, takes off and automatically knows where to return and when to return so it does not run out of power mid flight !!!!!. You can control the height, direction, hover and have full camera control all from your hand phone. Very tempting buy...... but expensive.......

Ghana 8 Accra to Akosombo Day Trip

We had a good day out last Saturday. Left Accra headed north east then up to Akosombo where there is a large dam. It retains the largest lake in Africa. Look at the map. Impressive or what....




Its only about 90 kilometers out of Accra but it felt like a different world.


Started off passing lots of small road side shops and stalls.

Nearly all selling bread.  Who eats it I did not know.  But I do know the monkeys eat it.  We got out of town and along the way stopped to watched the monkeys.  Some people were feeding them bread and the little fella's seemed fine with it all. So that explained where some, if only a little of it went.


All in all a good day out. Monkey watching, walk across the suspension bridge, which did seem to bounce around a lot !!!  Then Afternoon Tea along along side the Volta river followed by roadside snacks on the way back. Hardly a luxury stop but none the less fun.  The snacks we had on the way back we bought from a couple of ladies.  All they had were Kebabs. Think they were made from chicken gizzard which were served with some paprika powder and fresh sliced onions. That was all that was available. And we were hungry.




Then we stopped off to buy some fresh fish.  The sellers gave us a hard sell....  Even Wanna lost out on this deal !!!!! Anyway 2 kilos of Tilapia later we were on our way back to Accra.  Lovely day. Go again soon then make sure we have a few longer trips.

Ghana 7 Evening time in Accra

Accra is basically a flat city. By that I mean no mountains or large hills. And since I've been here all I seem to do is work and then have a few hours in the evening having dinner with Wanna followed by a big deep sleep !!!!!  I normally leave the house around 5.30am to miss the traffic and I like to have an early start. In fact I have always thought early morning to be the best part of the day.




So you can image a late night plays havoc with my system.  I'm often cranky enough without adding in the effects of late nights and hangovers.... Enough said. Last night I got home about 5.30 pm and off we went out for a sundowner. I find it difficult to accept that Wanna will spend most of the day without much to do and my days just fly by. Seems very unfair so we went out.  Decided to go to the roof top bar in what is probably the tallest building in Accra.

Locally know as the lego building. We went up the one on the right.  Its 26 floors crammed full of expensive apartments and restaurants, gyms etc. And the view from the roof top bar is fantastic.  Had a small beer, watched the sun going down and just relaxed.  The place even had an infinity pool on the roof. Very cool !!!

Then decided it was time to go get a Thai dinner.  So off round to Khun Gai's restaurant. Few more beers with her, her Husband and son.  Ended up playing a few songs. Good evening.  Followed by a very deep sleep...

Ghana 6 Mystic Happenings

For those in the know.....

Ghana 5

Again another week.  Where they go I do not know. I'm beginning to think Ghana has less hours in the day than anywhere else....


This weekend was good.  Bar B Q Friday evening with friends and guys from work. That was in our condo compound. Saturday out for Ghana lunch with some locals.  So much fun going with people from here who know what is what.  Also a great chance to meet and make friends with locals. We were not by the management allowed to take photos in the restaurant.  It was a very well know local place called Azmera Restaurant, which served a buffet of about 50 different dishes all made with local recipies. Click here or here for Web  photos.  Worth the "click"  !!!! Absolutely fabulous. Soups, stews, plantins, yams, cassava, rice,  beans, fry ups etc etc.  Just to name a few.  Next time I will take photos just I'll do it carefully.

Sunday went out for a walk. Not a great deal to see on the main roads. Especially on Sundays. Think everyone is in Church. Roads empty, shopping malls quite deserted. There are a few side shops/shacks selling wooden carving and statues.  Here is a very religious country and unlike Thailand which is full of Buddah statues here is full of Crosses, statues of the Virgin Mary and Christ. So same but different if you know what I mean. And the little houses are actually dog hutss !!!!!!




Talking of churches.  Here there are literally thousands, seem to be one on each corner and squeezed into any other small plots along the roadside.  I asked about this and why it was so.  Seems they are actually in a lot of cases businesses. If you are someone with a lot of Charisma and the "gift of the gab", and you can inspire your local community go open a church. That seems to be the way. You run it and they donate. I do not know how this can work for sustaining so many different places but apparently it does....  I'll be trying to get more informaton on this, as clearly there could be a business oportunity here for me !!!!

Ghana 4 Selfie

Been a quick week at work.  I really do not know where time goes.  So Saturday has arrived. Before that I have managed to misplace my phone on Wednesday, have a Doctors medical for a work permit on Thursday and take Wanna to the fish market on Friday.


Now today I had a walk out on the construction site and spotted some local fishing boats near the end of our breakwater.  Breakwater is planned to be 2.8 kilometres long and we're currently about 1,400 meter. Its far enough out to be quite close to local fishing boats. I decided to take a few snaps for today's Blog. Had to use the spare office phone, not an Iphone so all new.  Excitedly I rushed back to the office for the upload.  Figured it all out and guess what I was using the wrong camera.  So today you get a picture of me on site !!!!!  Not even a proper posed selfie. So that's it for today.  A bit on the Market and other stuff to follow...... Have a good weekend.

Ghana 3 Street views

Time is flying by. Tuesday and already it seems the weekend is only just round the corner. We did nothing on Sunday. Apart from a short walk down one of the main shopping streets.  Locally called Oxford street as it seems to have everything. Took a  few photos and went home. Just been a  long week.  So here they are a a couple of street photos. Something more inters ting to follow.  Promise.