Now THIS is Africa!

Post from Saturday, January 22nd:

WOW!! I'm in AFRICA...or should I say GHANA!!

We had the chance to look around today in Accra.  Our group (11 of us) headed out this morning along the main drag in front of our hotel to find a money exchange outlet.  The local currency is Cedi's but they can only be bought and sold in Ghana.

For our first stroll everything hit me all at once!!!!!  The sites, the smells, the heat, everything!  No matter how I try to describe it I could never do it justice...but I'll try my best....

The sounds - the traffic here is crazy...yet it seems to move better than back home and there are far less traffic lights.  They use their horns a lot here to communicate with one another...and there are different honks to signal different things...a honk to get out of the way ....this is alonger one!  LOL!  and there are quick short honks from the cabs at pedestrians to inquire if you need a ride...it's all very fascinating.

We were walking along the road and a tro tro (a small van that you can hitch a ride on for a small fee) went by that was full of young women...we were quite the spectacle all 11 of us obruni's (white people) walking together....these ladies waved at us and then broke out into song for us...everyone here is so friendly and unlike other places when they find out we're from Canada they ask what part.  Usually they ask Toronto or Vancouver so I just say Vancouver..it's cool!

We went to the currency exchange centre and I started talking to the guard on duty.  He originally thought we were Americans as we were exchanging US funds but when he found out we were Canadians his whole demeanor changed.

The Canadians have done so much for the Ghanaians, millions of dollars in aid in helping them with their country and they all seem to know this here and are very fond of the Canadians.

The guard asked me what I thought of Ghana and I said it was beautiful and he smiled.....a big smile and gave me their special handshake...you shake hands, then when you go to release hands you use each others middle fingers to snap your fingers...WOW!  COOL!  My first Ghanaian handshake!

Then we went to the Arts Market...holy cow!! What an experience, word spread through the market that there were Canadians there so they were again very welcoming to us and many asked where we were from in Canada and what we were doing in Ghana.  When we explained we were there to help work with their credit unions they said this was "nice, very nice".

Every where you go in the Market they say "no charge for looking; please come inside and look" and once inside they all say "I give you a good price" I went into one stall and said to the vendor, I heard you were going to give me a really good price and he laughed and laughed!

What amazing people, truly!  The friendliest I think I've ever encountered (except of course in the Yukon! ;)

We met a Ghanaian named Collin Powell, he came to the pub we were at (again having another Gulder!) as he wanted to meet the Canadians...he knew so much about Canada!!  I'm afraid probably more than most Canadians! LOL!  I asked him how he knew so much about Canada and he said when he was in school he'd received some books from Canada and one of them was a map and he studied that map and memorized every province, territory and capital city in all of Canada.  Then he had me film he while he serenaded us with O' Canada!  I'll have to see if I can download that clip! It truly is something to see.

Heidi :)