tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post116318278063778417..comments2023-08-09T12:06:22.082+02:00Comments on Welcome to Tokyo, Mr Bond: The Amazing Race: West Africa EditionTokyo Tintinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01378240164581541440noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1164144729056519942006-11-21T22:32:00.000+01:002006-11-21T22:32:00.000+01:00http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article...http://news.independent.co.uk/<BR/>world/africa/article2001487.ece<BR/><BR/>Here's that link broken into two pieces so it fits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1164144449085564082006-11-21T22:27:00.000+01:002006-11-21T22:27:00.000+01:00It's an intriguing distinction.Incidentally, today...It's an intriguing distinction.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, today's Independent has a piece on the topic:<BR/><BR/>http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2001487.eceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163795148568408532006-11-17T21:25:00.000+01:002006-11-17T21:25:00.000+01:00ian- judging by the fact that no one hit on my ov...ian- judging by the fact that no one hit on my over the course of the trip, i'd say the MSM population is low. -haha. <BR/><BR/>of course it's there, just like the 10% everywhere else in the world too. but it's completely, completely invisible. unlike in latin american culture (or middle eastern culture from what i understand) where the active partner (i.e. the top) is unaffected by the sex act and retains his macho status in MSM sex, there didn't really seem to be an equivalent thing going on over there.<BR/><BR/>too bad too - boys in togo had a nice euro flare to them. and good hats. oh well. i'll just have to get my lovin in conventional, non-west-african ways.Tokyo Tintinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01378240164581541440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163603127942440092006-11-15T16:05:00.000+01:002006-11-15T16:05:00.000+01:00BTW – Above post was mine (Ian).BTW – Above post was mine (Ian).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163603058744991362006-11-15T16:04:00.000+01:002006-11-15T16:04:00.000+01:00Lots of intriguing insights raised here. Thanks Da...Lots of intriguing insights raised here. Thanks Dan, Jen, Ash.<BR/><BR/>Do you think there's a big MSM (Men who have sex with men) culture in these regions?<BR/><BR/>Good to hear that there's a significant safer sex media presence (billboards, et. al.)<BR/><BR/>Honestly, it sounds like a vegetarian nightmare. I guess we have to make some compromises when travelling outside of our comfort zones. It sucks that you can't eat fresh stuff either . . . it's like the worst of being a vegetarian: the unstoppable carbs express.<BR/><BR/>I had never thought about the foreign services issue before . . . not sure what my position on it would be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163549936346071092006-11-15T01:18:00.000+01:002006-11-15T01:18:00.000+01:00i wasn't at all trying to make out that west afric...i wasn't at all trying to make out that west africa was a vegetarian paradise - quite the contrary. i was just trying to say that i was surprise that (for the most part) ashley did manage to find stuff too eat. yes, there were some times that she ate plain rice, or just french fries, but overall and contrary to my expectations, she managed to manage.<BR/><BR/>jenni-<BR/>when you work for the foreign service, you have no say as to where your postings are going to be. don't want to move to yemen for four years? -tough titties! <BR/><BR/>the fact that the government takes sexual orientation into consideration when allocating postings is reassuring. i would definately *not* want to be stuck in a situation where i had to choose between quitting my career or spending four years in a country where my very existance was illegal and i was at perpetual risk of arrest, imprisonment, flogging, or even death in some countries.<BR/><BR/>i very much doubt the peace corps was sending black americans to apartheid south africa or women to taliban-era afghanistan. why should they send gays and lesbians to countries where homosexuality is illegal?<BR/><BR/>you say you wouldn't tell anyone you were gay if you there. well, let me tell you jenni, that pretending to be straight sucks! whenever i have to do it i really feel awful; angry and dissapointed with myself and rather cowardly. that's a pretty shitty way to have to feel for the length of the term in whatever country you've been placed. <BR/><BR/>for me anyway, it's such a terrible feeling because denying is something so easy to do. you couldn't pretend that you weren't a woman, and black person couldn't say they weren't black. but just a wave of the defabulotron wand and 'poof' no one knows who is gay. <BR/><BR/>maybe this mindset is hard to understand for someone who isn't gay -- or maybe it's plainly obvious, i dunno. but i <I>do</I> know that it is irresponsible of the peace corps to send people willy-nilly all over the place without regard to personal safety or suitability of local conditions.Tokyo Tintinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01378240164581541440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163544928504246462006-11-14T23:55:00.000+01:002006-11-14T23:55:00.000+01:00Ian, I am not super strict when it comes to food, ...Ian, <BR/>I am not super strict when it comes to food, but i refuse to eat meat and do not eat fish, just shrimp (like that makes a difference). At home i am certainly more vigilant however West Africa was not vegetarian friendly in the least but as Jennifer said, there are options of fries and plain rice. <BR/><BR/>It was also rather difficult as i would not eat any raw veggies (fear of getting sick), so no salads, only fried veggies if i could find them, which was once. I ate A LOT of carbs and got by as best i could.Miss Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14861518303557037012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163543637369689562006-11-14T23:33:00.000+01:002006-11-14T23:33:00.000+01:00I think I have a more pessimistic view of the answ...I think I have a more pessimistic view of the answers to Ian's questions.<BR/><BR/>You could pretty much forget about being a vegetarian in any of these places, Ash was a total sport about it, but everything that didn't have meat in it, had meat touching it. If you wanted to be veggie, and not get sick, your restaurant option would be french fries or plain rice, and your street options would be bananas or oranges. Otherwise bring a case of veggie cup of soup from home.<BR/><BR/>The farm animals there are pretty much free range, you can make your own mind up about whether that's more or less humane, but we saw one chicken get hit by a motorcycle on the road, after our car had swerved around it. As for the wild animals, the attitude to their use is chilling. When I told a guy who was trying to sell me ivory that it was wrong, he stared at me blankly, when I tried telling him it was illegal he told me it wasn't (it is). <BR/><BR/>As for AIDS, I saw one lady with a t-shirt that said 'HIV +' but there's no way of knowing if it was just a free shirt or what. It's hard to know anything about it as a casual observer, because it's so taboo. But I'd say that despite the education campaigns, the reason the rates are lower probably isn't because people are using condoms or sticking with their wives. I told one guy who was hitting on me that I was married, and his response was, "I'm not married."<BR/><BR/>I don't think it's fair of the Canadians not to post people places for being gay, shouldn't you decide about your own safety? I think people there assume that everyone is straight anyway, so if you want to fly under the radar it's pretty easy. The men there hold hands and walk around with arms around eachother. But I wouldn't tell anyone I was gay if I was there, and I wouldn't hit on someone of the same sex.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00972110459197344914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163542291599230302006-11-14T23:11:00.000+01:002006-11-14T23:11:00.000+01:00ian-ashley actually is a vegetarian, so your veggi...ian-<BR/><BR/>ashley actually is a vegetarian, so your veggie-related questions would be better answered by her, but i was surprised that she managed alright (i had expected disaster). mind you she wasn’t very strict (i think it’s pretty hard to be when third-world traveling). if a sauce was cooked with meat in it, she just ate around the meat. what a trooper! also she eats shrimp, so that was the basis for a lot of her meals. if you eat fish, you’re set to go since pretty much every place has at least a fish dish, and usually a range of fish/seafood options (this might not be the case if you travel away from the coast, i’m not sure).<BR/><BR/>veggie consumption was a bit of an issue; with sanitation concerns we were reluctant to eat anything raw. jenni was quite vigilant and got sick, i was a little more lax and managed fine. lots of fruit though; the pineapple was delicious - unfortunately we weren’t there in time for mango season.<BR/><BR/>as for animal rights, i’d imagine that most people held the view that animals are there to be used by people – case in point jenni’s photos of the fetish market in lomé. i had mixed feelings about supporting a venture (albeit one based in traditional beliefs) which necessitated the killing of endangered species. in a way i felt that my being there condoned their actions and gave a sense of legitimacy to the whole operation. conversely, my not going there wouldn’t have reduced the demand for assorted skulls, bones, feathers or fangs either. ultimately, i’d say my trip to the <I>marché de fétisheurs</I> had a neutral effect on endangered species consumption.<BR/><BR/>as for gay rights; hahaha. there are none. these countries are highly religious and tend toward conservatism - homosexuality is illegal in all three of the countries we visited. no doubt there are gay people lurking, but an extensive and exhaustive internet search found no info. my gay travel agent said that neither togo nor ghana were even listed in the <I>Spartacus</I> gay guide. i actually thought it was quite irresponsible of the Peace Corps to be sending out gays and lesbians to these countries. (i know that the canadian diplomatic corps will not post gay employees to a country where homos are a no-go). shame on you Peace Corps!<BR/><BR/>i did see tonnes of billboards about safe sex, condom use, fidelity and abstinence. i don’t know in terms of percentages, but i know that west africa has much lower infection rates than southern africa (5% compared to 25-30%). they did seem to at least be trying to educate people.Tokyo Tintinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01378240164581541440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163530445228147982006-11-14T19:54:00.000+01:002006-11-14T19:54:00.000+01:00sounds great! glad you had fun and got back safel...sounds great! glad you had fun and got back safely!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163437461747666602006-11-13T18:04:00.000+01:002006-11-13T18:04:00.000+01:00Sounds like you had a great time. Your description...Sounds like you had a great time. Your description of Accra reminds me a bit of Laos's dusty capital city, Vientiane.<BR/><BR/>Some questions for you:<BR/><BR/>How would a vegetarian fare in the countries you visited?<BR/><BR/>How were the animals treated, generally, as far as you could tell?<BR/><BR/>What evidence (if any) did you see of the HIV/AIDS-affected Africa?<BR/><BR/>Any thoughts on gay and women's rights in the regions you visited?<BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/><BR/>IanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163371429064027142006-11-12T23:43:00.000+01:002006-11-12T23:43:00.000+01:00Tissssssss (that's my hissing at you, brilliant i ...Tissssssss (that's my hissing at you, brilliant i know)<BR/><BR/>I am thinking of taking conversational French now as a result of this vacation. I love Africa!!Miss Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14861518303557037012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398255.post-1163279920336776802006-11-11T22:18:00.000+01:002006-11-11T22:18:00.000+01:00Look at all those fancy stamps in your passport. T...Look at all those fancy stamps in your passport. <BR/><BR/>That picture of the boat is stunning...I cant wait to see the rest of your pictures.Princess Pessimismhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18078119025887922397noreply@blogger.com