Accra

Samuel met me at the airport. It was so great to finally get to meet him in person. He took me straight to the hotel. I looked forward to getting rid of my luggage more than anything else. I was tired, but knew it would be a mistake for me to take a nap and further upset my clock.

Samuel arranged for me to stay at Ramada Hotel at Coco Beach. It's a beautiful resort. There were little huts scattered around the property. I was in room 422.

The room was very nice. It was elegant with a king sized bed. Two plush robes, elegant pillows, a little table by the window. It was a room that was clearly made up for two people until one got to the bathroom were there was one lonely towel -- just a bath towel. I found it funny.

I pulled out the gifts and the pick-me-ups (since you're coming, could you pick me up some...) from my luggage (now nearly empty) and headed to Samuel's house near by where I got to meet Samila and baby Jeanne. This was such a treat for me. Jeanne will be 1 in March. She's crawling and standing and clearly understands what she hears. She was scared of me at first with these adorable big tears streaming down her face. After a little while she started to realize that I might not be so awful after all and eventually she even let me give her a bottle.

Samila and Baby Jeanne

We watch TV for a little bit while -- or rather the TV was on and my eyes glazed over. Samuel tried out some of the games that I had brought him. I found it very interesting that their over-the-air tv has a constant streaming banner of commercials.

Samila made a fantastic talapia fish and goat soup with rice on the side. It was spicy and very refreshing. I looked forward to having my leftovers for lunch on Sunday.

Not long after that I was really failing in my attempts to stay awake and I started to fall asleep on couch so we left and headed out for a few errands.

Samuel and I drove to Samuel's uncle's house. They live in a lovely, large home. We went into their huge living room. They closed blinds, put on the Air conditioning and we relaxed in the cool darkened room. Samuel's Aunt and Uncle were delightful and welcoming.

After that we stopped very briefly to give a friend some of the things that I had brought for him.

Then we drove to the mall. It turned out it was the same one I came to years ago and had thought had collapsed. It was still standing with it's Shop Rite, Payless Shoes and Apple Store. Even though we had called ahead, the Apple Store did not have the battery I would need after all. So I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to fix my phone after all. It's still very difficult to charge, but now I don't know whether it's the phone or the charger.

While we were there I looked for postcards for my brother David, but we had no luck. I don't know where to get postcards around here and don't know if we'll have much more time to look for them.

Our last stop was to visit Samuel's tailor who had made some special clothes just for him. We had to wait there very briefly but I kept falling asleep in the lobby. I knew I was a bit past my limit. We headed back to the hotel. But I don't remember falling asleep. I think I was asleep before I finished changing my clothes.