“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” -- Seneca
Stepping back to this past weekend…..when I ventured outside of Bechem to a city about an hour away. I hopped on a trotro for 2.50GH which is equivalent to a little less than two American dollars. Tucked tightly inside with fifteen other passengers, eating some bofru (imagine a glazed donut in the shape of a big warm ball).
Completely insane chaos. I arrived at Kejetia trotro station, exited the trotro, and was surrounded by hundreds of trotros, taxis, and people. I chose a direction, walked, and let out a sigh of relief when the street I was needing happened upon me – Prempreh Road. The city is filled with internet cafes, supermarkets, electronic stores, and banks. All along the street men and women sell anything you can think of: shoes, food, clothing, cell phones, toothpaste, dvds, purses, and too much else to list here. This Kejetia market is one gigantic out of control outdoor mall. Be prepared to bargain! Not my favorite activity, but I’m getting better. Imagine the scene – hundreds of Africans shopping, eating, perusing the goods. From above you would see one tiny little white speckle. Me! Trying to maneuver my way through the crowds with my large plastic bag full of books, dvds, a kettle, and some food. A successful shopping day indeed!
final aspect of the journey was finding a trotro back to Bechem. As noted earlier, the trotro station is overwhelming and very very crowded. I wandered in the general direction of where I was originally dropped off, and with the help of some friendly Ghanaians, found a ride home. You know those clown cars that are stuffed to maximum capacity? That is comparable to the experience of riding in a trotro. Shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh, bag on lap, dripping sweat. Ahhh…the joys of traveling through Ghana.
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