Ghana Journey: ON THE WAY TO TAMALE

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Today we flew up to Tamale (pronounced TAH-mah-lay) in the Northern region of Ghana. It is a more rural area than Accra, the capital city where we stayed last night. 

But I jump ahead of myself. First, we had to drive through downtown Accra to the airport, and that meant maneuvering through a colorful swarm of street vendors who did not hesitate to aggressively sell their wares from car to car. 

Mangoes, bananas, pastries, breads,  bottled water, boxed fruit juice, tabloid newspapers, classroom relief maps of Ghana, candy bars, illegal movie DVDs, watches, flags -- you name it, they sold it, sometimes with a smile and always in-your-face. Downtown traffic was backed up bumper-to-bumper, and the vendors risked life and limb as they pushed their goods directly to drivers and passengers alike.

What made this mobile salesforce even more remarkable were the impressive number of women who deftly balanced large trays or bowls of fruit or pastries or bottled water on their heads with the confidence and poise of an Olympics ice skater. If a driver signaled for service, the lady vendor calmly reached over her head, pulled out a product, handed it to the customer, then pocketed the cash into a pouch. Did I mention that she was wearing a colorful long gown? It was really something to behold!

After a one-hour flight to Tamale, we were greeted warmly by the family of our host, Thomas Awiapo. Such a lovely family, with four friendly children between ages 4 and 18. They laid out for us an incredible spread for dinner, with lots of meatless options for the three vegetarians in our delegation. Before dinner we pulled out our guitars and entertained our hosts,  who joyfully sang and danced with us.

The only down side today was the hotel, a comedown from yesterday's plush downtown establishment. Called the Modern City Hotel, this joint was anything but. For example, in order to flush the toilet, I have to fill a plastic bucket in the tub then pour it quickly into the bowl! 

Tomorrow on June 6, we're taking a bus to East Mamprusi, a tribal village with rustic conditions. 

More later. BTW, I'm sleeping with a mosquito net tonight!