Kumasi Trip

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We got back from Kumasi last night after a looooong tro-tro ride that almost did me in. The ride there wasn't bad at all, just typical tro-tro business. The only problem was that we had to wait for 2 1/2 hours at the station for our tro-tro to fill up...when you're waiting, you have to actually sit in the van to keep your seat so we were all crammed in for what seemed like an eternity. The ride to Kumasi took about 5 hours and I don't think there's an inch of pavement between Oda and Kumasi, bumpy roads the whole entire way.

When we got to Kumasi, we got off at the station (it's the biggest one in west Africa I think) and it was CRAZY!! Kumasi traffic is OUT OF CONTROL...Atlanta doesn't even come close. I was concerned for my life as our taxi darted in and out of people, market stands, and other taxis. We finally got to Rose's Guest House, our 'home' for the next couple of nights. We weren't sure what to expect but our guide books had nice things to say so we were hopeful. It was MUCH BETTER than we could have hoped for. Lisa and I thought we'd died and gone to heaven when we walked in our room to find:
1. sheets on the beds
2. an air conditioner
3. a switch on the wall for a hot water heater
4. floor we could walk on without our shoes
All of these things seem to be unheard of here so we plopped ourselves down and prayed that we could stay there until we left. Hehe...we laughed at the relativity of the 'niceness' of the guest house...I know people in America that WOULD NOT stay at such a place and Lisa and I were soooo happy. Attached to our hotel was a restaurant where I had the first real cheese I've had since I've been here. It was a really nice couple of days but I would take my bucket showers and concrete floors in Oda any day...it just doesn't compare.

The tro-tro ride back to Oda was the REAL experience. When we got to the tro-tro station from hell in Kumasi, we found our tro-tro in the sea of tro-tros (seriously there are hundreds and it's almost impossible to find the one you need) and realized that there were just enough seats for us. The fight was on. We bought our tickets and pushed our way through to the people to get on. When we got there, other people were pushing to get on too so we had to fight for our spots. The rest of the group got on first and I brought up the rear...the people behind me evidently thought we were taking too long because pretty soon, I felt really jabs from behind and realized that our fellow tro-tro riders were NOT happy and were trying to push me out of the way. While Lisa and Pratt stood up in the back and decided what seats they would like to sit in, a nice fellow behind me was sticking his VERY LONG fingernails in inappropriate places on my body. I decided someone was going to get the wrath of Laura...either Lisa and Pratt or the Ghanaian man behind who could probably dispose of my body very easily so I chose Lisa and Pratt. I did a football-type push and we all found our seats pretty quickly. Each row of seats has a little seat on the end that flips up and that's the one I sat in. I didn't mind but poor Ben behind me, who's pretty tall and has decided he's not made for tro-tros, had no where to put his legs so the back of my seat was pushed forward a few inches the entire way....I'm still sure he had it MUCH worse than me.

Waiting to pull out from the station was also an experience. Ghanaians like to prepare you for your journey so they try to sell you whatever you might need while you're sitting there waiting to leave. They crowd around the door and hold out their goods...it's really interesting. Some of the things being sold: toilet paper, peanuts, cans of evaporated mik, medicated rub, cups and forks, and soap. We would have been set...if we needed any of the stuff. Pretty soon, this man made his way to the door and preached a pretty moving sermon that none of us understood. He sang us a couple of heartfelt hymns and then pulled out his pamphlets with a big picture of Jesus on the front...I actually kinda wanted one until I realized he was selling them for 20,000 cedis apiece...which is a ridiculous price. It was just really funny that he was actually selling them.

We took a different route back to Oda than before which had EVEN LESS paved road than before. Imagine driving down the bumpiest, ruttiest dirt road in Georgia for 5 hours at top speed in a van with no shocks. It was so cramped I literally hung out the window the entire way and a comment was made about the heart attack that would occur if my mom AND the risk management department at UGA could see me flying down the road with an arm and a head stuck out the window. I really didn't have a choice but I didn't really mind at that point cause it kept me cool. I've got a pretty bad sunburn on one arm and the right side of my face now though...so it probably wasn't the best idea.

We were pretty happy to arrive home last night. Everyone is in a GREAT mood waiting for the game today. On our walk to town this morning, there were Ghanaian flags EVERYWHERE and people have them wrapped around their heads, arms, and middles. People will randomly yell out "Black Stars!" when they see us coming. I'm looking forward to the game too even though it doesn't look good for us.

Well, gotta get out of town before the craziness starts. I'll be in Oda this entire week finishing up projects so I'll be posting some more. Hope all is well...looking forward to heading home in a couple of weeks!

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Comments

[Denise]

Laura--your descriptions are so animated :) I move reading your updates! I hope it wasn't TOO crazy when Ghana lost today--it was so sad! :)

[Tommy]

Publish please?
Laura...your entire journaling experience (or blogging) has been just amazing! It is funny, serious, and even sometimes a bit scary to hear the truly unbelieveable things that you are getting to do! I can't wait to see pictures and hear every detail in person! Keep safe, have an amazing time, and I think you should consider writing a book on your experiences ;-)