Well that was pretty lame, but anyway. I’m underwhelmed by Ghana. To start, I’m definitely grateful for a week to transition from Liberia to San Francisco: to process the summer and prepare for what lies ahead (Max I’m looking at you). Beyond that though, I’m not sure I’ll be sending anyone this way soon.
Compared to Liberia it’s a modern marvel: electricity, paved roads, ATM machines, hot water, fresh squeezed juice! Still the signs of Ghana’s development challenges are equally abundant: the incessant wafts of raw sewage that fill your nostrils thanks to the open trenches along the streets, piles of burning trash thanks to the lack of proper garbage collection, and the shacks that the vast majority of Ghanaians live in. It’s a little disheartening to realize how far ahead of Liberia they are, yet most people live in pretty brutal poverty.
Jacob and I wandered around our first day and stumbled upon the single most disgusting beach I’ve ever encountered in my life. Little trash mounds reminiscent of the seaweed ones we have back home were everywhere; exposed pipes pumping raw sewage into the already brown waters; plastic bags blowing in the wind; men peeing in plain air. The Lonely Planet put it well when they said that Accra had turned its back on its coastline.
By far the best things about Accra are And1, Dotty, Cyrus, and Mohammed. Four “brothers” who moved from the north, in their mid to late-twenties, getting by selling drums, t-shirts, necklaces, and masks to tourists. We didn’t realize we were walking up on the art center tourist trap when And1 intersected us and asked to show up his shop. We wound up hanging out for hours, getting a drum lesson, and learning about the antique artwork their uncle sells.
We’ve gone out with them three times since. They call me their sister and I promise to send everyone their way for goods from Ghana. So go there!! Off to meet up with them now :).
Jacob and I wandered around our first day and stumbled upon the single most disgusting beach I’ve ever encountered in my life. Little trash mounds reminiscent of the seaweed ones we have back home were everywhere; exposed pipes pumping raw sewage into the already brown waters; plastic bags blowing in the wind; men peeing in plain air. The Lonely Planet put it well when they said that Accra had turned its back on its coastline.
By far the best things about Accra are And1, Dotty, Cyrus, and Mohammed. Four “brothers” who moved from the north, in their mid to late-twenties, getting by selling drums, t-shirts, necklaces, and masks to tourists. We didn’t realize we were walking up on the art center tourist trap when And1 intersected us and asked to show up his shop. We wound up hanging out for hours, getting a drum lesson, and learning about the antique artwork their uncle sells.
We’ve gone out with them three times since. They call me their sister and I promise to send everyone their way for goods from Ghana. So go there!! Off to meet up with them now :).
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