Tag: Expatriation

Aburi and Hillbury

Published on by Isafrica3 Comments

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If you are fed up with crowded and polluted Accra  city center, if you feel like breathing better and cooler not too far from the town, I really advise you to go to Aburi.

After you left Accra, you drive through the green hills for about 40 mn until you arrive in the centre of Aburi. The botanical garden in Aburi was started by the British and opened in March 1890.

The Botanical garden in ABURI

It is not expensive to enter with your car ( 2.5€ )and driving into it, there is a line of tall trees that makes you feel like you are in Beverly Hills :

Then you can have a nice walk through Aburi Botanical Garden. Due to the altitude of Aburi, the climate is a really cooler than neighbouring Accra.

However, if you wanted to have a long walk it is not for you since it is quite small…

As you can see , you will discover the ficus tree which is so big that you can enter in its trunk!

There are more than 350 different plants species which are growing  in Aburi. There is a romantic lane, “Lovers Lane” where roses are growing, and an area with the “brown gold” of Ghana: cocoa.

There are many huge termite mound too ! Just have a look !

The botanical garden is a great place to relax and take “fresh” air, and watch to birds:

If you want to look to huge majestic trees one after the other, and take a nap under trees in a cool temperature, then you will enjoy the place.

Moreover, I advise you to plan a picnic with friends and children which can be perfect It will be a great place to let the kids run around without any fear : there is a “retired “helicopter which is perfect for them to play inside too.

There are small eating places within the gardens too but it doesn’t seem like good ones. You should come with your own food or go and eat in Hillbury, a greatplace that I love.

Hillbury Hotel

If you prefer going to the restaurant with your family or friends and rest to Hillbury resort, you will discover a  majestic hotel in the spectacular Akwapim mountain range.

The views is amazing over the surrounding mountains and you an rest in the swimming pool in front of the evergreen valley of the majestic view.You will thenn feel better, escaping the crowded places, and most of all you will enjoy good  food.

On the afternoon, you can also go to a farm not far from Aburi center where you can buy fruits and vegetable and see their pigs too!

Then after all this, I am sure that you will come back to Accra with good energy 🙂

Kiss the season goodbye

Published on by Isafrica1 Comment

  • Weather in Ghana

As usual in tropical country (we are close to equator), expatriation in Ghana means to kiss the seasons goodbye…….

equator

Accra features a tropical savanna climate that borders on a semiarid climate. You can see the equator is just under Ghana.

The only seasonal change is the switch between dry season  with harmattan and the rainy and humid season.

But it will always be more than 24 ° !

  • SUN:

As Accra is close to the equator, the daylight hours are practically uniform during the year.

The sunrise  is around 6am latest and Sunset around 6pm. There are never clouds and it is always shiny except when the harmattan is coming.

You can see how is the sunrise from Airport area during the harmattan in february 2016 :

AND the nice blue sky during the year : in markets and in the villages …

Tema where it is always sunny even when it is cloudy in the center of Accra city:

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  • RAINFALL

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Flooding street in Accra

The average annual rainfall is about 730 mm, which falls  during Ghana’s two rainy seasons ( from April to mid-July and october) and causes local flooding in which drainage channels are obstructed.

Precipitation is most likely around June, occurring in 31% of days. Precipitation is least likely in January , occurring in 4% of days.

On March,1st, 2016,  after 3 months without rain… in Accra, we had a “sand storm” coming from Tema.

I was outside in East Legon with a friend eating in a restaurant when the waitress tolds us that this storm was coming… here are the pictures:

We came rapidely inside a room and afterwards wemanage to come into our car to go back home …you can see how was theroad from East Legon to Airport area:

  • TEMPERATURES

Very little variation in temperature occurs throughout the year. The average monthly temperature is between 24.7 °C to 35 °.

Cooler months are more humid and humidity generally high, varying from 65% in the midafternoon to 95% at night. Strong wind gusts occur with thunderstorms often cause damage to property by removing roofing material.

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The dusty sky during the harmattan

Warmer months are when there is the windy harmattan season in January. You can see on the right how the sky is.

As to the consequence,  Accra feels “dry heat” when this wind comes from Sahara desert: it lowers the humidity, dissipates cloud cover, prevents rainfall formation and sometimes creates big clouds of dust which can result in duststorms or sandstorms.

Humidity drops to as low as 15%, which can result in spontaneous nosebleeds for some people.

Other health effects on humans may include conditions of the skin, eyes, and respiratory system, including aggravation of asthma.

Hope you will enjoy coming here and discover the tropical weather !!

Leave me a comment!

Checklist before leaving your country… some hints and tips

Published on by Isafrica4 Comments

Here is my checklist before expatriation :

First of all :” check your mind !!”

BE OPEN TO NEW ADVENTURES AND GO FOR IT NOW

CHECKLIST 2 MONTHS BEFORE :

  • Make sure you and your family have valid passports and get your VISA ( through your Diplomatic government)!

visa passport

  • Find out about international driving licenses ( register ont public french service. Most countries will not accept your home country’s license (or for the 3 first months as in Ghana). In ghana, you will have to go to your ambassy (French Ambassy for me) to register and pay about 35 cedis to get a formality paper prooving your frenchdriving license and then you will get it.vaccin
  • Find out if you need vaccinations because you also may need it to enter the country at the airport. Find out in the  Pasteur Institute which vaccinations you need. => For Ghana, yellow fever vaccine is required to enter the country, hepatitis A and B, Meningitis with meningococcirabies are recommended too. There is Malaria also but if you stay in Ghana for expatriation, it is useless to take medecines before leaving doctors will told you. You cant’s take it all over the year so you may get Malaria anyway… Fortunately, few expat get it.

 

CHECKLIST 1,5 MONTH BEFORE

  • Ask your doctors, vet and dentist for copies of yours, your families and your pets’ medical records. While you are at the surgeries, organise a final check up for you, your family and your pets if your employers do not ask it. Don’t forget the vaccination (for me, yellow fever) . Maybe you need to buy 6 months treatment before leaving because you can’t find it in Africa for exemple. So you have to ask the french social security for agreement to deliver. Of course, you will no more belong to it 6 months after your arrival in your host country.To enter with your 6 months medecine, you may be asked to give proof of your need for the medication fohealth carer customs
  • Check all insurance policies and organise your visas if you need to. In my case, my boyfriend’s company did everything for both of us, and now we belong to : an international healthcare insurance card for expatriates called Previnter to have our money back AND “West African Rescue Association” (WARA) which gives 24/7 medical access assistance center. Prices for medical care is very very expensive here.
  • attorneyPrepare a power of attorney (see more on solicitor for french expatriate )Make sure you have certified copies of all important documents ready to hand over to the person you will be leaving in charge of your affairs while you are away. I gave it to my parents for banks and the rent of my apartment.
  • Organise the cancellation of all magazine/newspaper subscriptions or regular deliveries you receive on the day you will be leaving.

 

CHECKLIST 1 MONTH BEFORE