Goliatha and Embassy Wheels in Togo

Here I am on the hood of one of the U.S. embassy cars in Lome, Togo.

Don't worry. I did not take a ride ON the car, just in it.

Dragon sunbathing in Africa

Here is Goliatha taking it easy at the U.S. ambassador's swimming pool in Lome, Togo.

A note from Togo

January 5, 2009

Hello everyone. Goliatha arrived here in Togo just in time for the end-of-year holidays. Togo is a very small and poor country in West Africa. It is on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital city is Lomé (pronounced Lo-mey). Togo was a colony of Germany, Great Britain and France, one after the other. That is why the official language is French. It has been independent since 1960 and has been striving toward democracy ever since. Since 1963 it has been ruled by the same family, the Gnassingbé s, first the father, Eyadéma, and now the son, Faure.

I am the American Ambassador to the Togolese Republic, and a friend of Danika’s Uncle Dan and Aunt Lisa. We all served together in the Dominican Republic. Goliatha joined me and my husband and daughter here at the Ambassador’s Residence for some vacation time – which she needed after all her travels. We lounged around the pool, and went shopping. It was hard to take pictures out on the streets, since most people in African countries don’t like to have their picture taken and won’t give their permission. (They think it diminishes their souls.) Also, since Togo has many military sites there are restrictions on taking pictures in public places. We did get some good shots of Goliatha at the U.S. Embassy and riding in the Ambassador’s car with the official flags. We wanted to take her with us on a quick trip to a neighboring country called Benin, but she did not have a visa (a stamp in your passport that gives you permission to visit another country) so we didn’t want to smuggle her across the border illegally.

I am going to send Mr. Kubiske the pictures we took so he can put them on the web site. I can’t do it from here because Togo’s Internet communication infrastructure is not developed enough.

Patricia M. Hawkins

U.S. Ambassador to the Togolese Republic

Lomé, Togo, West Africa