Settling in

After the enforced inactivity of March in the hotel April and May in Accra have flown by in a blur.

We got the keys to the house on the 17th April, and moved in on the Saturday 18th.  A week later I started training for an interim job in the consular section RSO!  May has been a month with extra Bank Holidays so we have had a chance to unpack and settle in to our new home, but not much chance to explore beyond searching for fuses and plumbing supplies.  I took the opportunity to spend a few days off in expat type pursuits, trips to the markets and lunches, but not enough - so have now arranged to only work 3 days a week.

Our house is light and airy, and big for two, but suits us and our vast amount of belongings - how it all fit into our flat in Dhaka is a puzzle -  I am enjoying the kitchen very much indeed!

exterior

entryway

covered screened terrace

living room

guest room

master bedroom

master bath

kitchen

we are very lucky to be about 10-15 minutes away from the office.  We are looking forward now to starting to explore a bit more, Lon has cycled round the neighbourhood a few times discovering that the hills are very steep.

Accra Akwaaba

 We’ve had a busy first few weeks settling into life in Accra

 

We are staying in Roots hotel in Osu – the same place we stayed when we made our trip from Burkina Faso in 2011.  Nicely decorated room with a small kitchen, and separate sofa – (important to have something to sit on that is not the bed since we are spending a lot of time here!)

Oxford Street in Osu is where we are based – it’s a busy bustling kind of place, but not immediately obvious that this was the commercial hotspot (new developments have sprung up). 

We are close to Koala supermarket, and a bit further up the road is Shoprite (a South African Supermarket) – which seems very civilised after Unimart in Dhaka, I was pleased to find cubed butternut squash, and Lon delighted to find Leffe beers on the shelf.

 

Lon is getting to grips with his new role – but not with his new knife which was so much sharper than his usual one that it required 4 stitches.  

He also decided to strut his stuff and join the NL team in a football match against the Brits and the Germans – new trainers gave him blisters and the sun despite factor 30 and clouds burnt.

 

I have been reunited with a pal who moved here from Bangladesh in the summer, which means I've had a head start socially and have been to aqua-aerobics and yoga classes already.

I’ve looked at many many houses, and we were very relived to find a good one in Cantonments

Signed on the dotted line!

 

Our container is due in on April 3^rd, so we are hoping that it won’t take to long to clear customs and we can move in.

 

 

 

Bye bye Bangladesh

Our time here has flown by - two and a half years and we have thoroughly enjoyed the chances we have had to leave Dhaka, and have tried to find the good in this city of noise and chaos. We have made lots of friends and lots of memories. They say you cry when you arrive in Bangladesh, and again when you leave.

Myanmar Inle Lake

Inle lake. Everything happens on the lake. People live in houses on stilts, they use boats for everything and even the gardens are floating.

Postoffice

turkey at the Christmas Eve Buffet

 we went on a cookery course, and made our own Christmas lunch

bean and greens soup, mixed veg and a chicken curry

We passed some boats with young nuns who were going to their noviation ceremonies

Interesting plumbing

The statues are so covered with gold leaves that they have become blobs.