tour of accra

today we went on a bus tour of accra. it was really cool to see more of the city! there are so many people everyywhere. vendors walk up and down the streets and try to sell their merchandise to cars that are stopped in traffic or at a light. i'm amazed that they don't get hit. all the women carry giant bundles on their heads. we saw them with bananas, nuts, water bottles, even a tv. we went to a museum (for a really long time, in 95 degree heat with no fans) and then to the house that W.E.B. DuBois stayed in when he studied at the University of Ghana. We went to lunch at some restaurant (we thought it was called Maddi but then we saw that same logo and name on a bunch of stalls so its probably a product title?) and i had a plantain (kind of like a big banana, that tastes like a combination of banana and potato), chicken, rice and spinach. most of their food is really spicy, so that stinks for me. everyone says we must try fou-fou, but i haven't had the chance yet. after lunch we went to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (my favorite stop besides the market). He was the first president of Ghana and helped lead them to independence from Britain. the park was beautiful! it had a huge fountain leading up to where his remains are being kept. they had a bunch of peacocks strolling around and a museum with various objects of Nkrumah's life.

our last destination was the most interesting. we went to a local market, set up almost like a flea market, under a roof with everyone having a stall and what they were selling was everywhere. the vendors were AGGRESSIVE. everyone immediately grabs your hand and says, hey friend whats your name? come see what i have to show you. i'll give you a good good price. then they yank you to their booth and show you what they are selling. and when i say show me, i mean put it on me. you have to say no very forcefully if you don't want to buy what they are selling. i didn't get anything yet but practiced bardering a little. i'm planning on getting a jersey, flag, earrings and paintings. they had the most beautiful paintings! and of course whoever was manning the stall claimed they painted them. when we were leaving, the vendors were even more aggressive. they blocked our way onto the van, trying to get us to buy their wooden carvings. then once we were on the van, they tapped at the windows trying to get us to come back out. it was a very different experience but it was really fun. i can't wait to go back and actually buy things.

on the drive back we saw the ocean for the first time and drove past the biggest muslim population center. that was the first i really saw of any houses (more like tin shacks) that were like the shantis that they show on tv depicting african life. alot of the houses are huge and really pretty. this area of accra was HUGE. it took us like fifteen minutes to turn away from the muslim area and the house-shantis went back from the road at least a mile. the area was HUGE. i'm curious as to what it would be like to live in a place like that. we also saw kids playing pick up soccer games in abandoned lots. i wanted to get out and play. i can't wait until i get to play with the kids on wednesday!