Village within a garden

I am wearing jeans- yes, its true. It was raining earlier and the jeans just worked.

Today we visited the Botanical Gardens about an hour out of Accra. The gardens are at the far end of a village that I do not know how to spell, nor can I even speculate. As you enter the gardens, you pass through a gate and walk down a street lined with the hugest plam trees I have ever seen! Within the gardens is a village. There are a bunch of little huts, and a school. Shortly after we arrived, the school children were being let out and were in awe of the three obrunis walking around with their cameras. We sat on a log for a photo op and the children stood around watching, waving, laughing and calling "hello Obruni" or "thank you!" We invited them for a picture and you could tell how excited and nervous they were. In the middle of the garden there is a helicopter that is rusting out. It must have crashed many many years ago and nobody removed it. Its actually pretty neat. We were exploring it and taking pictures and all of a sudden we realized there was a little Ghanaian boy sitting, hiding, in the back watchin us and laughing.

As I mentioned, these gardens are about an hour out of Accra. They are way up in the hills and its so much cooler there. Probably 20-25C. It was amazingly refreshing!!!! Not only were the gardens an adventure, but the tro tro ride there.... Leaving Accra we hit the worst traffic. Think Port Mann bridge in Vancouver x10. Also, its Africa, so nobody really knows how to drive. I am so shocked I have not seen an accident yet. People are honking, running around, there are people selling everything from toothpaste to water, to bread to dried fruit, to sunglasses, to signs of the most random and unnecessary things. They just walk between the cars with their products on their heads, even as we speed past them. An hour tro tro ride is basically the most uncomfortable experience I've had. The seats are horrendous, the roads are in such terrible shape and everytime you hit a bump your bones crack a little bit. Pack 16-20+ people in one little 'bus' in the African sun, it makes for a sweaty, sticky, smelly trip. But the gardens were nice, it was cooler, and such a break from the city life that it was worth it.

Yesterday we had a pretty slow day. Mostly just hung around our house and then headed down to the beach. It was way less busy than when we went on Sunday and only 1GHC, rather than 3ghc, to get in. Another plus about this trip to Labadi beach was that it was less busy- meaning less men trying to be friends with the white girls. As I was sitting absorbing the rays and attempting to become less obruni, a man came up to me with a python. Naturally I opted for a photo with the snake around my neck. My brother would be so proud. It actually kind of looked like one of his snakes, hence why I was less afraid. Daniel and Poppo (the men from Volunteer Abroad) are so terrified of snakes. They thought it was amazing that I would put the thing around my neck and hold it in my hand. All the people around were laughing thinking that I was another crazy white person.

After being here almost a week, I have now tried some very interesting foods. Those of you who really know my picky eating habits will be proud to know I ate goat and a chicken that used to run outside our house. Yes, we bought and ate the neighbours chicken. That's really not something I do. Buuuuuuut since I made that vow to eat everything put in front of me, I have stuck to it and I am quite pleased.
"As I become liberated from my own fears, my presence may help liberate others." -Nelson Mandela
Kind of a fitting quote because food tends to be a fear of mine...

Tomorrow is our last day of drumming and dancing lessons and I my first Ghanaian dress should be made! Can't wait!!!

---

---