Yes there is electricity in Africa and many people are connected to the information super highway. My host know's what he is doing with Information Technology, and he is a dab hand at proxy's, serial ports and wiring. Accra, like many major cities, has several Call Centres and Telecommunications Buildings. Unfortunately for those of you who are techies, this part of my Blog is not about the World Wide Web. It is instead an appraisal of that yellow bit of net hanging in one of the three rooms that adjoin one another with a single entrance door and collectively make up the bathroom. Well I say 'bathroom', but of course there is no bath as water is scarce in Africa. Athough you wouldn't think so during the current rainy season. Those that have been following the Blog will know about my speculative comparison between the flannel that I use at home (and so far on this visit) and the pieces of net used for washing in Africa. Well I think that I had it weighed up just about right. Except for one small point; the net is far more effective at creating soap suds than I could have ever imagined. The Mains water is still turned off and the 25 gallon drums inside the house are starting to run dry. Not a problem for drinking as we use bottled water or the water dispenser that my host runs in his kitchen that is just like those which we find in many office blocks in the UK. We also use lager :-)
But water shortage means careful bathing, cutting down on the laundry and careful but effective dish washing. Water that is used (if it has waste in it then it is tipped away) can go into the flush and not down the sink. With the heavy rain, there is so much water, but yet so little. Those with a house and sloped roof can collect the water relatively easy. Not so easy if you live in a small shack and can hardly afford to eat let alone buy numerous buckets etc., But the net was good and my water use has been decreased yet again - but my hygeine is as high as ever. I must remember to disconnect the shower when I get back home. But before I leave, I need to pop to the local shop (if it's open in this weather) "Four nets please, and a very large bar of Ghanaian soap".
