GHANA

Assimilation

So yes, I signed up for PacTour’s trip to Ghana.  Yes, in West Africa.  Yes I know there is Ebola in the “neighborhood.  Cote de Ivorie to the East and Togo to the West as well as Ghana have had no reported cases of Ebola.  I’d be at more risk by visiting Dallas, New York City or Maine than I am here.  So why Ghana, why now?

I’ve never been to Africa.  Ghana was the first African nation to declare its independence from colonial rule – 1957 you can look it up.  Ghana is a very peaceful nation, more Christian than Muslim making it unique in Africa.  And it’s a chance to ride a bike and see new places.  Adventure on the Dark Continent.  I’ll admit it wasn’t an easy decision.  Somehow I had a lot more trepidation about making this trip than going to Peru. 

It was a long trip to get here.  Seven hours to London a four hour layover and a seven hour flight to Accra.  Already in the gate at O’Hare I began getting hints of adventure.  Accents and languages were not what you would find on a domestic flight.  Once on the British Air flight to Accra the soup of accents and languages excited me.  The adventure begins.

I was met at the airport in Accra and brought to the hotel to begin recovery from travel and the time change.  In an hour I was showered and asleep.  In the morning the group met for breakfast and I met the crew.  I had met the two riders I didn’t know from earlier rides at the hotel last night.  So familiar faces to help with the acclimation.  Much of what I see here I relate to Peru, the other third world country I’ve spent time in (besides Azerbaijan which deserves its own blog page). 

After breakfast of an omelet and bread and Nescafe, we visited the local market.  Lots and lots of stalls with vendors competing for your attention, and money.  We did see a few crafts, but rest assured they are mostly manufactured for the tourist market.  No great native art artifacts or traditions were anywhere to be found. 

Tomorrow we ride.  Four local riders will be joining us for the ride.  I’m sure that will add a lot of color to our experience.  Here are a few pictures from today’s walks:

Hotel grounds

West Africa Coast

Hotel Art

Local markets



Kwame Nkrumah Memorial



I never knew where to get a
"car fire protector"

 

National Sculpture Gallery