http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc (formerly South for the Winter: fumbling through the Americas) Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:44:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Please stand by as we are experiencing technical difficulties.  Write to me at dankdc@hotmail.com and I can send you an update. http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/stand-by.html We visited a gold mine in Ghana. Ha, ha, no, we didn't get free samples.  However, the place was impressively modern and full of fancy equipment, at least compared to the mine we visited in Bolivia. Before entering the mine, we put on jumpsuits and hardhats. We also got headlamps with heavy battery ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/gold-mine.html On Sunday mornings we take long walks with our friend Simon. Well, we did until 2 weeks ago, when Simon left Ghana for the U S of A. For our last walk, we went to Legon, home of the University of Ghana. The grounds of the university are pretty, ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/sunday-walks-with-simon.html What does one do on Saturday morning in Accra? Why, replace one's dead hard drive, of course. (There ain't no Apple Stores in this part of the world.) Dismantling the iBook was quite a production. The parts were all over the dining room table in the order in ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/new-hard-drive.html A couple of days beforehand, we heard that a major bicycle race (115 km or 72 miles) would take place on July 1. We decided to check it out. It was supposed to begin at 9, but being on GMT (Ghana Maybe Time), we left home at about 9, met ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/bahmed-cycling-challenge-cup.html No, I don't mean the 40th birthday of Dan or Giselle, but of Matt, a fellow American in Accra. Being a rather energetic fellow, he organized a 40-mile walk/run in Akosombo, Volta Region, to celebrate his 40th. Some invitees balked at the distance. Ten or so of them opted instead ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/a-crazy-way-to-celebrate-ones-40th-birthday.html How to carry a bottle and keep your hands free: Fort San Antonio, Axim, Western Region:  While visiting the Western Region, we stayed at Lou Moon Lodge. Nice place. This was our bathroom: Here's the bedroom: This is the exterior of our cabin: http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/pictures.html Sorry for the long absence from blogging.  Alas, our computer hard drive died, thus ending our home access to the internet.  We are working on the problem, but in the meantime, here are some events that have occurred since our last post: -We rode our bikes to from Biakpa to Amedzofe, the ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/dead-hard-drive.html What does Accra have in common with Milan, Italy? They are both places where the world-famous Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus performs. La Scala, led by distinguished conductor Daniel Barenboim, performed Beethoven's 9th symphony at the National Theatre in Accra. We sat in the 6th ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/la-scala-comes-to-accra.html On March 6, Ghana celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence, dubbed the "Golden Jubilee" and nicknamed Ghana@50. It was a huge event, and the government went all-out. Some say they went a bit too far, even purchasing fleets of luxury cars for visiting dignitaries to use during their stay. 30 heads ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/dankdc/ghana50-the-golden-jubilee.html