Thursday, February 19, 2009

Of Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

Okay, so I did not take any trains but 2 weeks travelling sadly came to an end this weekend. While I'm still adjusting to post trip jet-lag and inexplicable waves of sleepiness at work, I've been contemplating a couple of stats I racked up on my travels:
  • Number of planes travelled on in 2 weeks: 12
  • Number of mind-numbing hours in transit: 24 (what? a full day in transit?)
  • Number of gambling slot machines played while in transit at Reno Airport, Nevada: 2
  • Amount of dollars won gambling at Reno airport: -3.00
  • Number of really nice, posh hotels stayed in on trip: 1
  • Number of really shady/dodgy motels stayed in (i.e. home to escaped cons and drug dealers): 1
  • Number of trips made to San Francisco: 3
  • Number of times I saw the Golden Gate Bridge while in San Francisco: 0
  • Number of times I went to Chinatown, San Francisco while in San Francisco: 0
  • Number of times I saw Alcatraz Island while in San Francisco: 0
  • Number of tourist attractions visited in San Francisco: 0
  • Number of ATMs in the whole of Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe: 3
  • Number of Conference buffet meals consumed: 10
  • Amount of kilos gained in 2 weeks: 5 (yikes!)
  • Number of high-brow presentations/lectures listened to: 25
  • Number of high-brow presentations slept through: 7
  • Number of cups of coffee consumed: 45
  • Number of hours "incarcerated" while in transit in Cancun, Mexico without a visa: 4
  • Number of (really polite) Cancun airport officials on the case: 5
  • Number of Mexican Quesadillas consumed in the US: 5
  • Number of Mexican Quesadillas consumed while in Mexico: 0
  • Number of times conned by airport porters in Ghana and Mexico: 2 (what happened to once-bitten?)
  • Number of times camera failed when Presidents of countries randomly passed by : 2
  • Number of life-altering minutes spent at the Che Guevara memorial in Santa Clara: 30
  • Number of caves visited: 2
  • Number of rides by boat across a river: 2
  • Number of hours travelling by car sightseeing: 15
  • Number of divine Starbucks Frappuccinos consumed: 1
  • Total amount of money spent on credit card: unthinkable
This really sums up my trip; sad it is all over, glad to be back and not on another plane and enriched by new experiences!

5 comments:

posekyere said...

Ohemaa Abena, ete sen?
Good to see you were at lake Tahoe. I only last week saw a program on lake Tahoe on Top Billing.
Ohemaa, I am a bit worried by your "..inexplicable waves of sleepiness at work".
By 'inexplicable' you are telling me/us that these particular waves can not be explained by 2 weeks of travelling all over the place.
Consequently there must be another reason(s).
Could it be that ...?
Hehehe!
Akwaaba.

Abena Serwaa said...

Posekyere: Eh ye..na wo so eh?
*LOL* I have no idea what you mean about the inexplicable sleep waves! *LOL*
Top Billing is still on? I remember watching that show back in the day. Lake Tahoe is beautiful but not exactly the most happening place to be in the US if you are not there for skiing..

posekyere said...

Ye da Awurade ase, eh ye paa.
Never mind. I was just being too analytical to no good.Any way what do I know? I guess your body simply needs time to re-adjust to the heat after a 2 week immersion in the cold of North America.
You will be fine after a few days of rest. Top Billing has never been better than it is now.
Shalom sista.

Maya Mame said...

Love this post! You really got to enjoy the sights of San Francisco, lol! Can't believe there's potentially more ATMs in Akosombo than in Tahoe!

And as for the pic of the Frappuccino, it almost made me cry, then I realised it's only a few days till I get to devour one, and you've jsut reminded me to add it to my list of must-do things!

Don't worry about the kilos either, in this heat you'll sweat them off in moments.

Abena Serwaa said...

*LOL* Thanks Maya.
Indeed, San Francisco was quite the tourist destination for me.
As for the ATMs..I'm wondering if the people in the Lake Tahoe area are just dusted with cash and credit cards because it did seem strange.
BTW; all the Ghana cuisine seems to be counteracting the weight loss by sweat effect for me! I think I have to go easy on my banku for a *little* while.
Good for you and the Frappucino! I'm jealous:)