Back West again

After a few years in the East of the Continent I am now back in West Africa. I started a new position based in Accra, Ghana from the beginning of the months.

It has been a while since I updated this blog, it has been an eventful 2 year period since my last entry here, but I have generally had a two year hiatus from much online activity at all. I am excited to be back in West Africa, and particularly to be based in Ghana.

I am amazed by the growth in this part of Africa since my last real visit in 2006. Accra seems to have experienced a lot of growth since my initial visit here back then. Many changes have happened since then, a mall, a change in currency and what seems like an incredible amount of housing estates which have sprung up all over the city.

I will make no promises about regular posts here, but I do from time to time update my Picasa pictures website with photos I have taken, it is more likely to have up to date information than here. take a look at the latest pictures of our new office premises which I have been managing the project on.

http://picasaweb.google.com/andre.nel69

Moving East

After nineteen hot, steamy, difficult months in the Armpit of Africa I will be migrating east at the end of July with a move to Nairobi, Kenya. I am looking forward to some new challenges, a much cooler climate and an easier operating environment than Cameroon... news and pictures to follow when I have relocated.

Lagos contradictions

I just spent a few days in Lagos again, staying in the very swanky Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel in Victoria Island. The hotel rooms were plush and luxurious looking, see picture below:


but I couldn't help but chuckle when looking at the view out of the window to see the view:
More pictures on my Picasa site, see link above.

Bangkok, Thailand Dec 2007-Jan 2008

 
A selection of my pictures from my recent visit to Bangkok, Thailand are available on my Picasa albulms

Click here to see more photos

Some pictures from Paris

The first time I came to Paris

Something about Paris seems to inexplicably grip my heart and breathe new life. The heartbeat of this city is the people, groups of tourists in every small space, bustling along to take in everything they possibly can. Being one of these people I meander through the many streets barely having time to experience anything, greedy to see everything. An assault to the senses from every side, croissants, coffee freshly brewed, the men in black all huddled around their morning coffee, protecting their precious dark liquid as they read their papers. The immaculate lady, so fashionable, so chic hurries by on her way to some famous name store. Even the names that are not famous seem to have some class. Sierra, Bethanié, Pierre Boisset, Vivaldi.
A busy street and crazy cars rush by, not a moment to spare, things to do, places to be, hurry, hurry. But then the rush is no more again, another coffee shop, Les Philosophes, sounds like a place to relax, sounds sophisticated. Onward again, but a moment to rest on the bridge. I gaze at this magnificent city along the banks of the Seine. Chic apartments hundreds of years old. A lady stands guard over the river cast in stone, motionless she stands observing the boatloads of tourists below. Notre Dame Cathedral behind her she seems to be watchful of the city. The large cranes and new glass buildings seem somehow out of place among the ancient apartments and spectacular masses of stone.

A screech of tires and my thoughts are interrupted. A mother and daughter on bicycles, mother strictly explaining to her young one where to stop, how to start, where to ride, to keep her safe from those crazy cars.

An old lady drags a Chihuahua on a leash, the unwilling dog mans best friend?

I interrupt my walk for a cup of coffee at the Café Panis on Rue Legrange. Entering the glass doors I notice Café Panis etched in a darker stone on the marbled floor. The cracks in the floor seem to show that the Café has been here for some time. The pressed ceilings are gently lit to reveal intricate floral designs. Settling at the table which I am certain has seen many customers over the years I marvel at the sights and sounds of the city outside. People passing by clutching their guidebooks, some venturing in, others scurrying along to new adventures. A group of Japanese tourists are briefly seen, cameras in hand, hurrying to the next photo opportunity.

My daydream is disturbed by the noisy chatter of people, I can hear French and German, perhaps some Spanish and then an American, rather loud, his voice briefly interrupted by the hiss of the espresso machine, there it is again, this time interrupted by a loud cackle of a lady enjoying someone’s joke. A waiter smartly dressed in black trousers, elegant white shirt, undercoat and bowtie brings me my espresso, my required daily caffeine intake. The café is now quite full and new customers are greeted with a cheerful ‘Bonjour’ by the smartly dressed waiter. The hearty laughter of one lady is distinctive above the now constant chatter of the customers. I glance at the clock on the wall and notice that it is frozen at 6h30, a time in the past much like most of the décor in Café Panis, a time when the books on the shelves were less weathered, a time when the tables were new and a time when the crack in the floor was not there.

My coffee now finished I was back in the streets, more places to be, more people to see, so much more of Paris.

I found my own town in France

Douala at night

Another view from my balcony:

Leaving Kribi

Short video leaving the coastal town of Kribi..

Traffic craziness in Douala

The music says it all... Sorry is all that I can say:

Some views along the road

Bridges and things

The old and the new

I have no idea how this happens to a railing, but it seems to happen to many things here!

Wildlife spotted out and about

The lizards are found everywhere I have been in West Africa, they must taste terrible because the locals dont eat them, spotted the other spiders around Kribi this weekend and so thought I would include them here too.

A weekend in Kribi

Took a drive to Kribi this past weekend, Kribi is looked on the coast below Douala and features some breathtakingly beautiful scenery with stunning clean beaches, waterfalls and forrest areas it really is idyllic.

Rare photographic evidence of the lesser spotted Kahuna in Limbe

A short trip to Limbe

Took a short drive this past weekend up the coastline to a nearby coastal town called Limbe.

Situated on the edge of Mount Cameroon which is an active volcano, Limbe has dark sandy beaches which are somewhat unusual.

Local fishermen looking for the catch of the day!

How would anyone like this job?

Spotted this fellow doing his job this morning.... at the top of a 50m tower. Rather him than me!

A view from my balcony

My balcony on the 11th floor has a good view over the city

Welcome to Cameroon

Have started 2007 with a new job in Douala, Cameroon... exciting year ahead of me with many new challenges. A new job, but also a great career opportunity moving into General Management from finance.

Cameroon is very difficult to describe, the differences between countries in West Africa are actually pretty startling.

Biggest challenge ahead of me I believe is that Cameroon is a french speaking country which adds some extra complexities to an already challenging job which I have accepted.

I am living on the 11th floor at the moment and will be posting some views of the city over the coming weeks and months.

A millionaire for a week

After a week in Ghana I discovered that being a millionaire does not necessarily mean that you are wealthy as I imagine people in many African and South American countries already know. At the time of my visit the exchange rate was US$1=9200 Cedi. This results in some rather bizarre transactions. A meal in a resturant could cost 1Million Cedi, an evening out having a few drinks will cost several hundred thousand cedi, a taxi ride between 30 thousand and 100 thousand Cedi...

Amazingly the largest note available in Ghana at the time of my visit was 20000 Cedi and banks will often supply your cash requirements with only 5000 Cedi notes.... this results in carrying large wads of money around. A case in point was our sunday buffet lunch for 4 people which resulted in a bill of over 1 Million Cedi... fortunately Darren came to the rescue with a bag full of money:

A Trip to Ghana

Over the past week I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Ghana for business purposes. The contrast between Ghana and Nigeria is almost unbelievable. My first impressions of Accra were very good.

After a rather gruelling experience in leaving Lagos arrival in Ghana was like the exact opposite. From the time the plane landed to arriving at my hotel took less than 30 minutes. Customs was a breeze and my bags arrived almost immediately on the carousel which was a total pleasure.

Driving through the streets the first thing that struck me was how clean the city is in comparison with Lagos. The other thing that I really noticed was that the drivers seem to obey the rules of the road and that there were no okadas (motorbike taxis). The difference between the two cities is almost overwhelming.

Some time at the beach

Have spent a few days at the beach in Lagos recently. The beaches are generally pretty dirty with an unbelievable number of plastic bags and other junk which has washed up on the beach from the filthy rivers in the region. Still it is possible to find stretches of beach which have been cleaned up a little and it is ok to spend some time relaxing....

Here are some pictures of some of the beaches; (Alpha Beach) which is a 20 minute drive from Ikoyi.... one of the roads getting there is a little diabolical, but it is a relatively nice place to spend the day.













Another beach (Tarkwa bay) is reached by boat with a 20 minute boat ride across the harbour.

The incomplete list of curious things seen on the back of an Okada

Nigeria is undoubtedly a bustling city, I think that the word that best describes Lagos though is CHAOS. Every day I see new and interesting items being carried by people being ferried about on Okadas (Motorbike Taxis). It is really amazing what people are able to carry in this way... and every time I think I have seen everything something new will pop up. In my first few weeks in Lagos I have seen the following items:

4 ft long pipe
Large sheet of glass
Rainy day... man on back of bike with open umbrella
Portable hi-fi
Television
Full length ladder

And the most recent item:
6 people (yes that is correct, 6 people, sure it did include 2 small children, but 6 people on the back of a small 125cc motorcycle is something unreal)

Okadas and Taxis in Lagos

Lagos as a city is quite an experience. It is bustling, congested and very busy. In the past few weeks it seems to have rained every day, am told that it is the rainy season until sometime in October, am looking forward to the end of all this rain. When it rains the drainage is totally inadequate in the city and sometimes driving to work means navigating through huge puddles of water.

Fortunately I do not have to drive as all the expatriate employees have drivers who drive us about. I would not want to drive in Lagos as it must have some of the worst drivers in the world. Traffic is insane with battered taxis everywhere and then something which South Africa does not have, Motorbike Taxis. These taxis known as Okadas are total maniacs weaving between the traffic left and right with their passengers clinging to the back.
They drive between the cars, they drive on the pavement and they will come at you the wrong way up a one way road.

Many of them are carrying two passengers at a time and hardly any of them wear helmets. I asked our driver about this and he said that it is the law that they should wear helmets, but this law has now been completely disregarded.

Here is a picture of one of the taxis seen around the city

Move to Lagos

After a year and a half in Johannesburg I have taken up an assignment in Lagos Nigeria starting from the beginning of September 2006.

I have now been in Lagos for almost four weeks and I am settling in here well. I am working for a Multi-national Telecommunications company and am living in a suburb called Ikoyi on Lagos Island. The offices for the company are based on Victoria Island which is just across the creek from where I live.

The compound I am staying in is rented by my company and all 6 units are for company employees.

The picture above is a view from my bedroom window across the creek and the small picture below is a picture of the building from the other side of the creek (I know it is a tiny picture, will take something better when I have some time.









Over the next few months I hope to share a lot more pictures and experiences from around the city.

Johannesburg Days

At the end of January 2005 I finally made the move to Johannesburg from the sleepy hollow of East London...

the move was ten years overdue and I have moved into a townhouse in Lonehill just up the road from Monte Casino.

My first three months in Johannesburg have flown by. Am starting to get to know the city and am having a fantastic  time.

My photo gallery

Night of comedy

Went to watch some stand up comedy at horror cafe in Newtown and made myself a target for the comedians by sitting at a front table...
was picked on by at least 3 of the comedians for the evening and had an opportunity at the end of the eve to actually tell a joke, have always wanted to try my hand at stand up comedy and my own material even if it was only one joke actually got some laughs.

Ukraine - November 2004