Don't be a Pastry

Ghana is on the Atlantic ocean, and Koforidua is only about 60 miles (100 km) inland from the sea. Taking this little data, and a cursory review of average monthly temperatures which were available on the internet, I did little other research on weather. Hot and humid - that's what I prepared for and that's what I packed for (sorry Mr. McHaney for ending both those phrases with prepositions, but "it was that for which I prepared and packed" just sounded a little too un-bloggish (oops, made up word).

Now, people have been talking about the "dry season" for several months, so I was expecting some period of time with little rain - although the monthly rain data for Koforidua don't really show much difference throughout the year. The "dry season" seemed to begin in November, although there were still a few big storms in November and December. Tim (our Ghanaian partner) did mention the word Harmattan a few times and mentioned how dusty it would be because of the winds from the North picking up tiny particles from the Sahara.

Then last Monday, Philip (our first employee) said to me, "It started today." I said, "What started?" (I know I'm supposed to start a new paragraph with every new speaker, but hey, this isn't a novel and I am my own editor, and the tempermental artist is winning the creative license argument today) Anyway, he said, "Harmattan. I can feel it in my throat. No matter how much I drink, I still feel dry." I had noticed this feeling as well, but thought it had more to do with the cold rapidly settling upon me.

It is now six days later and the sky is hazy with dust every day (tiny particles, yes, but so many!). The wind blows primarily during the day so visibility is generally down to a few hundred meters by evening. It looks like L.A. or Guangzhou (for those who have been to Southern China) on a particularly bad day - but it's not smog, it's dust. And so dry! (incomplete sentence - sorry, again, Mr. M.) It has gone from Miami to Phoenix in a matter of days. And so has my skin - or should I say the Phyllo dough pastry I am wearing.

The first of these photos was taken back in August when Whit first rented our office space. It is the view from our balcony, as featured in one of my first two blog entries. The second photo was taken today from the same vantage point. The last photo is looking left off the balcony to the end of our street. There is a mountain in that direction, too, believe it or not, but it is difficult to even see the bush at the end of the street - about 300 meters away.

Weather.com suggests that Accra will be 91F and 54% humidity today. As we are at a higher elevation, we are generally a few degrees cooler, but I have to think our humidity is also much much lower. The children's legs are so dry they are white and they are passing around lip balm in a way that makes it clear why there are so many colds this time of year.

I'll be shopping for hand cream and body lotion today - I brilliantly left them out of my 100 lb checked luggage limit in favor of too many shoes and socks. So, next time you pack for Africa, be sure to check the location of your destination relative to the Sahara desert, which covers nearly all of the Northern part of the continent as this map showing Africa's Natural Vegetation reveals. And if your research says "dry season", it may have to do with more than rain. Don't be a pastry!
XO