Cultural differences: House-help (part 1)

Having some form of house help is a natural part of life for expats living in Togo. It is expected that if you have more money (or are perceived as having more money) than average it is your responsibility to share that wealth with others. If you do not share your wealth, you are viewed as being selfish and not a friend to the local community.

As an expat, having someone cook or clean at your house is culturally expected in Togo.

Before we left Canada there were a few things that prepared us for hiring someone. The first was talking with people (or in our case, relatives) who had been part of the service industry when first immigrating to Canada.

A close relative told us about her experience working as a cleaner to a well known public figure in her community. She worked very hard and this was noticed by her employers. They were kind to her giving bonus' at certain times of the year, occasionally giving her extra food if they had too much for themselves, not docking pay if she needed to take a day off due to a flu bug. They helped her secure a building permit when the family needed to renovate the house. Their kindness to her was never forgotten.

The second was watching a movie called 'The Help.'  Some people do still treat their house help as a separate class. Having extra hands around the home to help are such a blessing for us, we're not quite sure how people can behave so backwards.

If we were going to get someone to help us in our house I wanted to make sure they would look back on working with us as a time of good memories and remember us as fair, kind and generous employers.

What to bring to Togo with a shipping allowance

A fisherman in the Lome harbour, as a container ship is unloaded at the port.

One of the biggest unknowns we faced when moving to Togo was wondering what supplies would be available to us in the country. 

Through N's job, we had some space in a sea container -- but not knowing what was available (or affordable) in Togo turned the process into a bit of a guessing game.

As it turns out you can get lots of stuff here, but you have look for it. Things like kids bikes and couches are often sold roadside,  so if you see it: buy it. Tomorrow it will be gone. In the supermarkets, plenty of appliances are around -- at a cost and not always of the best quality. 

So, in order to hopefully take some of the mystery out of this process for others, here's our thoughts on what to bring if you've got a shipping allowance. 

Kitchen:

Stainless steel pots and pans. Teflon and nano-ceramic are everywhere, but getting good quality stainless steel pots and pans seems to be impossible. 

Slow cooker. Hands down, this has been one of the best things we shipped to Togo. African meat can be tough, and nothing softens it up like 8 hours in a slow cooker.  It's worth reminding for anything electronic: Togo runs on 220 Voltage. If you can't get 220V appliances in your country, try ordering things from Amazon.co.uk,  Maplins.co.uk or similar online retailers.

Rice cooker. Cheap quality ones are available at supermarkets like Horizon and Champion, but it may be worth investing in a durable one from a reputable brand.

Espresso/Coffee makers. They are available here at a cost,  so it may be cheaper to bring your own. Stovetop espresso makers and French presses are readily available here, as are many brands of coffee.

Blender/ food processor.  Also available in Togo, but at a cost and not necessarily good quality. So, if you've got a 220V one at your disposal, bring it.  Immersion blenders can be found in Togo. 

Household & living: 

TV, speakers, gaming systems, etc. These are all VERY expensive in Togo, and not always from brand names. Reminder again: 220V!!!!

Power regulators: we brought a large scale voltage regulator and battery backup for the house, however these can be bought in Togo for several thousand dollars. Surge protectors and regulators for individual wall outlets run around $150 depending on the quality. Buy those here, as they're not much cheaper anywhere else. As for the large scale ones, like we got, they are available here but not for less than $5,000. We got ours on eBay for under $1000.  

Upright pianos. You're going to have a difficult time finding a well-maintained one here. Talk to a professional before moving your piano from a dry to humid climate!

Fine furniture. If you've got furniture you can't live without, bring it. That being said, Ikea or anything made of particle board is not fine furniture!  You'd be better off getting something made here. 

Books. They're heavy, and very little English literature is available here. 

Office furniture. As with many things, they can be found here but at a hefty cost. (A basic $19.99 chair from Staples costs $70 here. I've also seen a $2000 office chair here that didn't look all that special.)

Pet supplies. Dog and cat food can be found here, but it is not always the best quality. If you have a snobby pet who likes more than Friskies or Purina, bring your own. Same goes for absorbent litter.  Pet toys are available here.

Big kids toys. Like bicycles or trampolines. These can be found here, but again not at a cheap price and not always at good quality.  Pool toys are plentiful though.

Mattresses. If you like spring mattresses, bring your own.  They might exist here.  Somewhere. Maybe.  I have seen spring mattresses on promotion, but quality and cost are questionable.

Vehicles. We know people who have imported their vehicles, and if you want to avoid the hassle of buying a car of questionable history here in Togo, it is an option.  Don't bother importing anything without four-wheel-drive or smaller than an SUV. The potholes will eat it alive. It is very important to remember that import fees on vehicles can go up to 52% of it's value. That's before bribes and imaginary 'port exit fees.'

Lastly, and this applies to all things on the list, bringing more than two of any one thing may result in customs wanting you to pay duties. Please do your due diligence and speak to customs officials before you bring things, we're not customs officials! All this is based on our experiences and what we've learned from others.

Best Restaurants: Alt München

While the main restaurant is indoors (at left) they also have an outdoor seating area.

Coming from German heritage, one of the most pleasant surprises was to hear about a German restaurant in Togo. 

Alt München, situated near the port just next to the Seamans Mission, definitely helps fill the craving for German cooking. 

From the European styled facade, to the booth seating and selection of German beverages -- Alt München is the place to go if you're looking for German food. It's also the only place in Lome. 

To be honest, we've both got our favourite dishes and don't stray far from those.

The cote de porc forestiere (Jägerschnitzel) is smothered in a mushroom gravy and served with spätzle and red cabbage. Yum.

N's favourite is the cordon bleu. It's a huge portion and best of all the meat is soft and chewable!

Deserts are also very tasty (try the flambeed cherry ice cream -- no idea what it's called on the menu) but usually we are too full to order. 

And if you're not itching to go yet: they've got free wifi. 

Cote de porc forestiere.

Talk to the owners about whale watching (September through November) and deep sea fishing opportunities. 

Notes:

Closed Wednesday. 

Telephone: 22 27 63 21

And at this point in our restaurant reviews it's worth noting a few things: This is Togo. We're not giving reviews by western standards. Food at all the places we review will be edible, tasty and not make you sick. We're not promising perfect presentation, or even the best cuts of meat.  Also, many restaurants employ several chefs -- and sometimes one is much better than the other, so going at lunch may yield totally different results than dinner for the same dish. 

Get to know this man

One of the most helpful people we've met here in Togo is a carpenter. 

Depending on your living situation here, you may need a dining room set, a bed, a rocking chair, patio furniture, a bread box or a picture frame. 

And Elias Nyakpor is definitely the one to ask. He regularly works with embassies and expats and his quality of workmanship is very high. 

Our house came furnished, but Elias' wood bowls, bread box, spice rack and shoe rack make our home a much nicer place. He also made the backings for all our wall hangings.

Folding chairs, just one of the many things Elias makes.

It's worth mentioning that Elias can make practically anything from a drawing or a photograph. Just give him the measurements and tell him what type of wood you'd like used and it will happen. 

Sure, there are people out there who will give you lower prices, but guaranteed -- the quality will not be anywhere near his.

We know a woman who had a closet built and three months later it was reduced to dust by termites. It turns out the carpenter skimped on supplies while treating the wood. 

You may buy a table, only to have it split down the middle because the wood was improperly dried. 

Save yourself the hassle and talk to Elias. 

He's got a Facebook page set up which showcases a few of his creations: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LEbeniste-Africain/293472607350311

His number is: +228 90 11 43 09

(Elias can also direct you to the best  safe-for-yovo-consumption fufu in Lome. It's somewhere under a big billboard in the Tokoin neighbourhood.) 

Restaurant review: Cote Jardin

The spacious bar and dining area at Cote Jardin provides a relaxing atmosphere

 There are a few places in Lome that can make you forget where you are. 

And no matter what kind of day you've had, going to Cote Jardin and eating a scrumptious meal in their nicely decorated restaurant makes it all a bit better.

Tucked on a side street just off of the circular (officially Blvd 13 Janvier) near the beach, Cote Jardin is definitely on the upscale end of restaurants in Lome, but when you compare it to western restaurants: paying $15 (approx 7000 cfa) for a main dish still isn't that bad at all. 

Charcoal grilled chorizo

The food is tasteful and can also be on the creative end of things. Deep fried baby barracuda and antelope stew can be had along with more 'normal' dishes like charcoal grilled chorizo and steaks. 

Cote Jardin is also the place where we accidentally ordered cows tongue. It's a long story, but lets say we were tired, we felt pressured to order quickly and in a panic we pointed to an item from the beef menu. A moment after the waitress left, our French brain kicked in. Langue. What is langue. Tongue. Ahhhh! 

Let's just say that we're glad we ordered it at Cote Jardin, because they still managed to make it taste quite good. 

Directions:  5 Rue Simone-Dogbe, Quartier Ocam.

Telephone: +228 22 22 02 20 or +228 98 48 49 04

Website: http://www.cotejardin.tg/

Fly on the wall

This week, we had the opportunity of sitting through a four hour piano recital (without an intermission), and one thing that became abundantly clear to us again is that the media here are not as discreet as we were used to in Canada.

D tells me this is not how media normally acted back in Canada. I guess the fly on the wall concept has yet to take hold here.

Media: front and centre. Where's the kid playing piano?

Togo-Benin Border Crossing

If you've read our blog, you know that we have a special dark place reserved for crossing the Ghana border.

It's just not fun. Even when things run smoothly, the guards are unfriendly, abrupt and sometimes just plain mean.

We recently witnessed a Togolese border guard at the Aflao crossing (Ghana) demanding 15,000 CFA ($30) from a traveller because he made an error on the customs immigration form. That's the normal form handed out freely like candy.

Lorries waiting to be processed by customs near the Togo-Benin border.

But having just crossed the Togo-Benin border with a vehicle we can confidently say it is much easier to cross.

The layout at the border is a lot more straight forward for and follows a relatively straight line!

Show up, park the car under a shady tree, get exit stamped out of Togo, show yellow fever vaccination card, cross border to Benin, fill in Benin paperwork, get entry stamp into Benin, get car paperwork. Hit the road!

Time: approximately 30 minutes.

 Not bad, not bad at all.

There were no people insisting they be our guide or trying to be 'helpful' by grabbing our hand bags.

The only place where guides exist is by the Benin car paperwork post, which they will run and fill for you for a small fee (1000 cfa or less). They can sometimes be helpful, as the location of the paperwork post is not always as advertised! (We found the border guard hanging with his buddies in a different shack.)

The only visible sign of corruption was rather benign and also helpful, should you have forgotten your yellow fever vaccination card!

If you forgot your yellow fever card it costs 500 CFA ($1) to pass without it, though the European (Yovo) price may start higher.

We should note that our visas were processed before arrival. If you get your visa at the border, it will take longer!  On some days, border officials may run out of visa forms, or simply not want to process them unless a 'gift' is given.

Impromptu Guides

For those of you who would like to visit West Africa someday, one of the first things you will notice is that you stick out like a sore thumb.

And as you go exploring, it is inevitable that a few men or youths hanging around the neighbourhood will casually accompany you.

They may not speak English or French, but will attempt to point out an interesting building or a strange tree.

As you continue walking, you may find that you know more than them, simply because you read Lonely Planet.

However, as you explain to them the significance of the building they attempted to point out to you, they will ask you for money. Since they are your guide.

How they became your guide, you will never find out. Well, actually, you never asked for a guide.

Tourists visiting a slave castle in Cape Coast, Ghana. 

Once, we visited a picturesque abandoned Portuguese fort in Ghana. Lonely Planet tells us that the difference between the renovated and abandoned forts is quite striking and well worth a look.

We packed a picnic lunch, and planned to enjoy the lovely views.

The gate to the fort was locked, and once we found the woman with the key, we wandered inside. A few moments later, a very drunk man attached himself to us.

His less-than-helpful comments included:
This is a door.
The floor is wooden.
The walls are stone.
This is where a cannon was.
The ocean is there, and people go fishing for fish in boats.
Boats are made of wood.

While we had point-blank told him we had no money to give for a tour, he persisted. So, to try and assist him in his attempt at tour guiding, N kept prodding for deeper answers by asking what type of fish locals were looking for. (answer: big ones.)  What type of trees were used in the construction of the flooring? (Answer: wooden ones.)

After 10 minutes of this, we decided this would not be the calm, relaxing picnic at the fort we envisioned.  And we decided to leave once the man turned to me and asked for a ridiculous amount of money.

And when I declined his offer, repeating my earlier statement of 'we have no money for a tour today,' he suggested that our wedding bands would be a good form of payment.

Naturally, that did not impress N, who knew more about the fort than this 'guide.' So we gave money to the woman for opening the locked gate, and suggested the drunk man learn a bit more about the history of the fort before trying any more guide attempts.