Blogs from Ghana, Africa - page 7

The road from Tema to Accra is only 18 km, however, the traffic is so bad that it takes between 1.5-2 hours to get to the capital. The road is being widened; the Chinese have given money for infrastructure building in Ghana. But the project moves slowly, as much a product of corruption as it is limited resources. Tro-tros, pick up and drop off travelers along the way, a cheaper means of travel, and one we should have considered for this adventure had we known we would all be sitting in gridlock for as long as we are. A taxi didn't turn out to be the time saver we had expected. Sitting in our taxi, we move so slowly that our driver periodically turns the engine off to save gas. He pulls over and pees at ... read more

The Central Market in Kumasi is the largest market in all of Western Africa. With approximately 12,000 vendors within a 20-block radius one can find just about anything. There are recycling sections where new uses are found for scrap metals. Small, hot shacks where half a dozen men are making shoes or sewing children’s uniforms. Further down the narrow maze of alleyways that make up the market, there are sections of beads, music, house wares, clothes, food… it goes on and on, anything you want you can find in this market. And one’s choices for any given thing are extensive. You can take your pick from dozens of vendors all selling similar if not the same items. As I navigate the narrow, dusty walkways between the stalls, stopping to take a closer look at this or ... read more

Feeling much better today, munching on cream crackers and feeling exhausted but returned to work this afternoon, they all cheered and clapped me as I came in the door. The guys and gal are really good with their bandaging - they are naturals - I am really proud of them and I can see them flying through their exam tommorow, Mike and I however had a short memory lapse on slings, but we recovered - must practice those more! If you have followed my blogs you will know that priapism is a sign of spinal trauma, it is a permanent erection – that is until the doctor can do whatever doctors do to eradicate it. I was surprised that one of the students actually had heard of this, and after the class roared with laughter the ... read more