Failed to See Cacao

Failed to See Cacao
Kpalime, Togo West Africa
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

I believe 80 percent that Cacao is not on the trees and they are not harvesting any at this time, and 20 percent maybe they are harvesting somewhere. I still do not know, after one day of trying to know.

Quoting myself from this link:
http://www.hobotraveler.com/2007/04/dollar-my-way-to-cacao.html

- Any way you do it you pay, the luck is to accidentally take a tour, and not even be on a tour. If I happened upon the Cacao, it would be nicer and easier and I would have less temptation to club people on the head. -

Richard Trillo said...
Hi Andy, sounds a bit complicated. Couldn't you just rent a bicycle or moto and go a couple of miles out of town to the nearest cacao plantation?
http://www.roughguides.com/website/travel/AuthorPage/author.aspx?authorID=149
(SEO wise, that is not good. ... hehehe)

This BLOG is the problem!

Quoting myself:
- I have about a 90 percent chance, assuming there is Cacao there today. I can get the last with the number 3 below. -

The blog is the problem, we have 20/20 hindsight, and if I go and document something and it works, and come back and report, then there is not a problem. However, if I talk about the future and it does not work, then crash and burn as they say in the movie Top Gun. I like to tell and explain how I feel think and how I make decisions, this is the Art of Travel, and not explaining what worked and shows the photos.

The luck is to accidentally take an Agro-Tourism Tour. I accidentally went on a Palm Oil tour.

Palm Oil Tour
I now have 106 photos of Palm Oil being made, from what they call a Palm Nut, and there is two type of oil and maybe three made. The 106 photos include the break to take pictures of a girl with an attitude that came into the game.



Photo taken in the Red Nut processing area of Palm Oil - One of Three Areas.

Photo of foods are a pain, this is why I am explaining in a very complicated fashion. Easier to just take a couple of photos and say, I saw some Cacao, and in if you do not make a plan then it looks like you knew what you was doing, I never know, until I am done.

I often think, walking across the world and I would see the world. When I am in one of the Peugeot Station wagons, I can or man now call a Kittle Car thanks to a Ghana pronunciation of Cattle, it become very complicated to get them to stop and see the Cacao Plantation, I need to say,
- Please crazy driver, drop me off in the middle of nowhere here, so I can go and see the Cacao Plantation. -

Richard said correctly, to rent a bike or moto and go see a Plantation outside of town. I do not know about the bike, if he meant a bicycle, which could take more work than I am willing to do, I would rather walk and take a moto back, when I do not find a plantation.

Step one of my three part self-constructed tour was aborted before it stared. I found out that we was NOT taking a 300 CFA Moto Trip, we was getting in a car and going the distance of 300 CFA. A car for 300 CFA is a good distance, on a Moto not so far.

Well, to get a car that can hold 3 people is an act of God, being that I am not God, I am not going to search for a Car and pay white man fees. Finding three Motorcycle taxis is easy. The volunteer guide for the Cacao, the manager of the Mandela came late and wanted to wait for this and wait for that, long story, but I said,
- I will give you 5000 CFA, however we are not waiting. Goodbye. -

Therefore, the first option failed.

Second choice was to go and have Michael talk a person on a Moto and take us to a Cacao Plantation, more or less the recommendation of Richard, but with a Ghana English speaking a little, and Mina translator. Michael has a friend he lives with that is working in his home on some clothes Mike makes. We go a long way to Mike house, not towards the Cacao, walk a long way, and look at the Cacao trees. I say to Mike this is not the process of Harvesting Cacao.

When we first mentioned this, he was bound and determined to take me across the Ghana border illegally and show me where they process Cacao into something. Now, I get to look at a Cacao tree, with no Fruit as they call it. This is just a tree, not the process of making Chocolate.

I have a man on the Meter walking through the brush, it cost me 1000 CFA to see a tree that does not have the Cacao fruit on it and does not show anything but a tree that looks like Frog but is a Toad to me, all the same to me in a way.

I start to get more specific with Michael, I want to see some trees with the Cacao fruit on it, and people puling the fruit off the tree, putting in a basket, and taking to some bigger container and doing what they do, being that I have never seen, I am guessing.

I had about three days of conversation with the manager, and he assured me, I could see the Cacao being harvested or in the process. I know, I can go to the market and find some Cacao fruit for sale. I am not worried about the seeing, I can see one, and I can get on my own pages and see photos of Cacao.

Aaagh…

The process of harvesting Cacao, with Michael and the Manager of the Mandela, I was continually assure we was going to see the step-by-step process. I pantomimed, I explained, in French, Michael sat for one-half hours talking with me in English and then talking in Mina to the manager.

I get to see one tree, I did not club them, but I wanted too.

One taxi driver, about the fifth set told Michael about a Cacao Farm, we went to this farm, I see no Cacao Fruit, my camera is full now, from the Palm Oil spontaneous tour photos and I have no space to take photos of anything else. However, I do NOT see Cacao fruit, just a lot of trees that look like trees.

I went on a planned tour to learn and document the plant called Cacao, the fruit from a tree that is utilized to make Chocolate, and came home knowing every step and completely understanding the process of making Palm Oil with 106 photos that include a girl.



Photos of Black Nut processing area, 2 of 3 areas we visited to see the Palm Oil. The cook the paste and the oil rise to the top. There are two type of oil, from the husk part of the red palm nut and then the actual nut inside.



Photo in the nut cleaning area, 3 of 3 areas of visited to see them doing a process to make two or three type of palm oil. I think I should say in the separation of the nut from the shell area, as they put sand in the water, the nut comes to the top and the shells go to the bottom. Michael said washing, on hindsight this is a separation process.



This is the girl with an attitude that came to visit at the end in the washing phase of the nut process.

I went to find Chocolate and I got Palm Oil. In Thailand they would say, same same, but different. I am saying, the Africa Almost, almost what I wanted, but not really. I wanted to see a systematic process of the making of Chocolate; instead, I got the 106 photos including the girl with an attitude and a very good education about the process of making Palm Oil. I will send all those photos and you can see all the photos when I send a newsletter, not that I have been good at that lately.

This tour turned out great, and if I had not said, I am going to go and take photos of Cacao. I would be able to show you a great set of photos explaining in great detail the step-by-step process of making palm oil. I could pretend I went on a trip to discover this, I did well and I took all the photos. The truth is and I will say this again, travel is about answering questions you did not know you should ask.

I hope to put up an explanation on the making of palm oil here, but then again, who knows, this is almost Africa, and I almost want to write a book, but not really. It could take up to five hours to explain what I saw today about Palm Oil, not Cacao.

I am always glad I do not tell the whole stories of Afria, I think about this, but there are so many small soap operas in the day how could I write them as fast as they happened. I learned today, Cadeau could mean, a tip, and better thought of a Tip for some service, but really a tip for no service. I am learning about the Cadeau, I think.

I should learn to not look foolish and tell stories in real time. I am often annoyed at blogger, thinking you just have a fancy way to write, nothing to do about real life, it is not a log of your trip, just a complicated to make a webpage because the not not want to learn to make a webpage.

I have the GPS locations of the three areas of Palm oil making.

Failed to See Cacao

Dollar my way to Cacao

Dollar my way to Cacao
Kpalime, Togo West Africa
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Actually, it is CFA the money of Togo that I will use, but I am going to pay my way to see Cacao, the basic seed of Chocolate.

This sound or seems like big money to people, and it is huge, it is big money and annoying. However, in the perspective of an American or European a person would see me as complaining about nothing.

This is a fact more or less, the average worker here in Togo gets about 1-2 dollars per day as wages.

I am going to pay.

10 dollars for the person who may show us the Cacao and introduce us to his father who probably does not speak French but the local dominant language of Mina.

I am going to pay 50 cents USA, for three people to go one way by Moto to the Cacao fields. However, to insure guarantee we see Cacao. I am going to pay maybe 7-10 US dollar per motorcycle taxi for Michael and me each to rent the use of the moto taxi for the day. I suspect as soon as we go faster than 15 miles per hour, they will think, I am using lots of petrol, I need money for petrol and I will end up giving 2 dollars for the gas, which was included in the price.

I will pay two dollars for the transportation of our semi-guide who is the manager of the Mandela Auberge to introduce us to his father who is the Cacao farmer. I will pay him the 10 dollars guide fee and I think the two dollars for Moto is included.

I pay this whether we see Cacao or not, because when he thinks about Cacao, whether I see Cacao is not important, the fact is he thought about it, therefore he wants the money. Normal underdeveloped country way of thinking, I intended to show you Cacao, so you owe me. I have hedge my bets on Cacao by choosing the manager of the Auberge as he need to return and tell the people around we have seen Cacao. I will tell everyone in the hotel that we are going to see Cacao and reinforce the commitment.

This is why I say dollar my way through, I can pay for this two way, if it was a normal type of tour. I could pay a guide about 100 US dollars and are totally raked over the coal and he will include everything, and I will pay about 500 percent more than needed. I cannot guarantee if I paid 100 dollars that, I see Cacao.

This is the problem about tours, no matter what you pay, you cannot get the guides to guaranteed or do back up that I will see what I want to see. I want to see Cacao today.

I rent a motorcycle today, if our guide fails. I will make Mike the guide and he will go talk to people in Mina and find a Cacao farmer. I will then pay the farmer about 2000 CFA or four dollars and he will be happy as can be because looking at Cacao is free, and he is receiving money for nothing, and so is talking, because everyone knows about Cacao, so he is telling common knowledge and of no value. Even though I do not know and is not common knowledge to me.

I would say the world is empathy impaired, and the big complaint the world has about the USA on world policy. However, our policy is correct, and the world is empathy impaired. Neither side is good at empathy of the perspective of the other.

Ok, if I go and the 5000 Guide fails.
I go to Mike and we find anther field.
I pay and extra 15 US for taxi we do not need if the first guide would work, so I am paying this insurance money, to guaranteed Mike and I can go to the next Cacao farmer when the first guide fail, it he fails.

If the world was perfect and I thought or dream for one second that this would work as told to me the cost would be.
16 U.S. Dollar for the day.

Being, I am experienced, and I am going to take photos of Cacao today.

I am paying about
35-40 U.S. Dollars to guarantee.

This number can go up to 50 U.S. after that, I start to intimidate to get my way, because they trying to bully me, and I need to return the gesture. It could be the guide, I do not think, but could be, the two taxi drivers will become the problem and gang up on us, or Mike. I do not expect Mike or the manager of the Auberge to be a problem. I always expect a Moto to think in terms of greed, they are taxis?

A White Man sits on a moto for two hours, the longer I sit, the longer they think, they start having a conversation with themselves. I did not ask enough, and start to wanting to get me and to pay more. The start to rationalize I need to pay more. I do not pay until I am home… hehehe

No pay in advance here, unless I am stupid, I pay for small cost, like petrol or food or something stupid as it is required they have full bellies and no excuses not to leave.

Therefore, I am getting a private tour for Michael, and me and we have complete control over the tour. Michael is a translator. I do not want a translator, I want a person that will clarify my wishes to the taxi drivers, and help to clarify.

Translators impede learning as they ask questions I did not ask, interpret and explain what they do now know as to sound smart. Mike does this a little, about 20 percent, while the normal translator is about 90 percent inaccurate in their interpretations of the story.

This is the cultural kicker of guides and translators that I have grown accustom to and have accepted they must feel they are smart; they will fill in the blank to appear smart. The art then become in me asking good questions, and trying to get the translator to literally ask and say words they do not understand, or cannot see the implications.

Translators do not seem to translate what they do not understand.

The best translator here would be a person who speaks English very well and is the owner of a Chocolate processing factory. It would be a dream, and I hope the methods of National Geographic or Science or the BBC.

The truth is as I feel it; I see most camera operators and researchers filling in the gaps, the same as the translator. The return home and discover, they have forgotten information. (They write me and this is good, better than forging.)

I would say, there are three ways to pay for a tour.

1. All inclusive and pay a fortune and hope you see what you wish to see. This is will work for Hippos and normal tours, about an 80 percent chance of goal accomplishment.

2. Do the self-constructed tour. Note you must really have two to three guides and control the transportation, and have the option to change transportation. I have about a 90 percent chance, assuming there is Cacao there today. I can get the last with the number 3 below.

3. Get a person who is on the daily take and pay him or her to take you to look for three days for Cacao. This will work, is annoying slow, and you learn to hate the culture and the total irresponsible nature. However, normally the person that does this is also - Ineffective - and irresponsible and really do not see or know he or she is this way, they cannot empathize of compare themselves to effective people because they actually believe they are smart and effective.

100 percent chance on three if there is Cacao and an experience for sure, are you experienced?

Fun and Games in Togo…
I stay focused, I expect to say, Cacao about 50 times per hour today and keep that ringing in the ears of the taxi, guide, and Michael. I suppose you could also say,
- I will annoy my way through -
As well as,
- Dollar my way through. -
I hope to avoid the,
- Bully my way through method. -
And for sure, I want to avoid the,
- One-day tour taking three days through method. -

Any way you do it you pay, the luck is to accidentally take a tour, and not even be on a tour. If I happened upon the Cacao, it would be nicer and easier and I would have less temptation to club people on the head.

Note when a BBC crew, or CNN crew come in for one day, I highly doubt they can get the job done. There are many questions that take days to surmise, I am here in Cacao country, it has taken three weeks to get to the day, this is the extra time and patience I am willing to pay, plus, I am endlessly curious and can understand farming.

I believe some very good documentaries are made. I think some prime time explanations of news stories are manufactured and staged. If is it provocative, exciting and on prime time news, a big report, then maybe manufactured. If slow, monotonous and racked full of slow moments, then probably trying to be accurate. To explain all the periphery of the Cacao and the experience is a book writing detail collecting large task.

Everything I do today is very controlling, manipulative and pre-meditated to get my way for the good of all. I PAY.

If I for one second let down my guard, they will be the ones who manipulate me. The world is take or be taken. I give fair money, I do not take and not pay, as I see most people on the planet do not see getting paid for something included, but not given as a problem. He has more money than me is the song sang by the takers, nobody has a problem with stealing from Bill Gates.

The more they profess God, the more I know I will pay, I like just plain greed, easier to avoid the juicy rationalizations and get what I pay for, or to dollar my way to Cacao.

Time with enough time all is possible, and a good God provides us with Cacao to view and it is the proper time of the year. This is included in the price, they say it is there…

A person has to be generous, fair minded, and with a big stick, and the bull ape.

- Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore. -
- The Wizard of Oz. -

Dollar my way to Cacao

Togo Cacao Agro Tourism

Togo Cacao Agro Tourism
Kpalime, Togo West Africa
Saturday, April 7, 2007

Agriculture - Tourism

I am an Agro Tourist, I try and wish, hope, dream of seeing how people grow agricultural produce.

I am also a ethnic group tourist, I like to study or learn about, compare similarity and differences of ethnic groups.

I am not sure how to explain, blog, think, conceptualize on these subjects in a simple way. It almost requires I write a complicate book on the subject to have a beginning, middle and end.

I am going to
- Dollar My Way Through -

This is my term, I stole from a Man in Pie de La Cuesta, Mexico when I asked him how he was able to cross all the borders from Argentina to Mexico with his pet dog.

He said,
- I dollar-ed my way through. -

He pretend to pound dollars down on the sand, reaching in his rear pocket for his wallet, pantomiming pulling out a wallet and pounding the paper money on the table, which at the moment was sand.

This is shown in movies often, a popular way of paying a person off, or giving a bribe. A person shows to another person, a big pile of money, starts pulling money off the top and placing in front of the other person.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, then looks.
- Is that enough? -

The nod, says, No

Slap, slap, the eyes say,
- Take it or leave it. -

The negotiation of putting an overwhelming amount of money on the table to buy a persons cooperation. They say everyone has a price, I would say this is more or less, correct but with some really large conditions on payment.

The payment may include waiting on the other person for days, the payment required large amounts of patience.

Cacao or Cocoa, I wish to see how they grown the plant that is used to make Chocolate.

Eco-tourism is supposed to be a type of tourism, that would give a way for the local people to earn money by tourism as an alternative to destructive ways of ecologically living.

That sentence is why I need to write a book to explain, now to write a book a good book is written by a person that should we hope understand the topic of their book. Well, in the course of writing a book, a good blog post, or writing in my diary, I sometimes start on a topic that has a never ending thread of ideas, questions and topics.

To talk about Agro-tourism or Ethnic Groups tourism or the type of tourism where I reference in a prior post about learning how people make money. Eric recommending call this:
- Livelihood tourism? -
http://www.hobotraveler.com/2007/03/togo-iron-metalworking.html
It is somehow, the learning about how a person makes a living tourism.

Eco-tourism was explained by Frommer, the man or editor, something of the Magazine and Books, Guides wrote a comment, something but not exactly.
- A great idea, that has gone astray. -
Maybe it was a noble idea, that has gone astray.

Eco-tourism is 99 percent marketing by con men, and one percent … hehehe - by highly in-effective people, as I blogged about before, and then the summation of these figures is where you can go on eco-tourism tours.

When I drank, I drank Gin and Tonics, heavy on the lime, and light on the tonic. If you understand, in a big glass.

Ok, back to the Chocolate, I could say Cacao, but this is confusing. I want to go see how Chocolate is grown.

I am accepting, when I want to quickly do this Agro-tourism thingy, I need to dollars my way through. I cannot find a tour company yet, they do not seem to know anything about farming, they do know tattoos and dreads, but farming, something the whole planet does, appears to be too complicated.

OK, I have found by accident, I have the opportunity to go and, look I hope at a Chocolate Factory, that is started in a field, north of the city of Kpalime. I will maybe go on Tuesday with the man, and pay whatever his dollar or CFA account requires. Then I will continually focus him on Chocolate… a.k.a. Also Known As - Cacao or Cocao.

I fear he will want me to eat Togo food and talk to his family more, and he can show off the white me, look, I have a friend, and I become the tour for them. Focus, please remember the dollars, focus, stay with the I want to buy you to show me, I am being patient. The pay will includes extreme amounts of patience, I cannot buy anyone.

I can dollar my way to the village, and learn, there is not Cocoa or Chocolate here, then become very frustrated, and think. I have to try again to write this book.

To look at crops, to learn about Agriculture is a timing thing, I have to be extremely lucky or pay a small fortune to do it, I have to dollars my way there. Somewhere, today, there is a person on the planet harvesting and then we hope starting the processing of Chocolate. IF you want to be a chocolate tourist, you need to fly there and wait.

To see this, and to understand, I have to intermix and intertwine my life with a person with very little English education and totally bewildered why I would want to see Cacoa, something that they see every day of their life. The cannot for one minute believe,
- Why would a white man pay money to see Cacao. -

But, if he is willing to slap a large amount of Dollars down, I will pretend and go along with him and take his money for being foolish. This is agro-tourism in a nutshell, go and see something that the person showing you considers and thinks you are stupid. Everyone knows about Chocolate or Cacao, this is common knowledge.

I know about corn, wheat, and hay, how to bale hay, I also know how to pick stones from a field. My friends in University would make fun of me and I would think, little do they know how stupid a city kid can be, I have them right where I want them. Thinking they are smart.

Ok, I have decided to hope and go look at Chocolate being grown as small beans, or something.

On essential note, if you wish to be an agro-tourist, do all your research before you go, as right here in the Cacao or Chocolate country land of Togo, there is NO information to be found, and I am not going to even bother to look, I have done this too many times.

With the help of the Encarta Encyclopedia and the GPRS Internet connections I can take my only in my imagination Chocolate tour into real fields and real peoples homes and pay them too much to see the stupid white man look at what they see as common.

I also have simultaneously under the Request for photos in the help center got these boys from India wanting some photos for a book. What a good timing of the world with reality.
http://www.hobotraveler.com/helpcenter/category/request-for-photos

Life is good, then there is Chocolate, as advice that is sage, remember,
- Girls love Chocolate. -

Togo Cacao Agro Tourism