Just tie the door closed with a hankerchief

It's been a few days so this might be long...

Friday: Pool Party.

The 11:00am pool party finally got started around 2pm... typical as I am learning. Take anytime and add at least 1 hour and that is when you will leave or the event MIGHT begin. For a type-A person like me, I am struggling with that. However, I am often late so it could work to my advantage.

Anyway, we traveled via Tro-Tro to the pool, which was at a very nice hotel. You can pay 5 cedis ($4 to swim all day). Let me first describe the drive there. The only way to truly give you a good picture is to imagine the Indian Jones Ride at Universal Studios. Swerving around pot holes, people, children, cars, taxis, random trash, and even a few boulders. It's like you are on a wooden roller coaster and you know it must be safe, but at any moment this is the particular ride where the track decides to say F you and everything goes wrong... lucky for us we made it! BUT... the pool was closed for cleaning.

So, we then traveled by foot for about 30 minutes. I wasn't bothered because our new Nigerian friends were also with us. I talked with Tina about Nigerian culture, the recent terrorist attempt in Detroit and American culture. She told me how embarrassed the whole country is and that they are desperately trying to change their image. And they also taught me the difference between bananas and plantains. Plantains are not for eating right from the peel -- you have to cook it.

The next hotel was very nice, right out of any tropical setting. Just us at the pool and it was the first time in a week that I felt cool and not hot. Interesting point: most Ghanaians cannot swim well or at all. I tried to teach a few of them.

Saturday: The Beach

We traveled via Taxi to Kaneshie Circle to catch the bus. Jumped on the bus and as we go to leave they try to shut the front passenger door and it would not. So, they just keep slamming it, because if you slam it hard enough it's bound to close... right? No. So then someone whips out a handkerchief and ties the door closed -- and off we went.

I took a movie of some of the drive. The poverty is just unreal. Yet we were traveling on a nice 4 lane highway, well paved. Passing these metal shacks and in each one someone is selling something. And at a traffic light women and children run to the bus to sell whatever they are carrying on their head -- banana chips, water, snacks, etc. It's just incredible.

The beach was beautiful. We had to pay to enter, but the sand was white and clean and the water was warm and great. It's hard to tell how much sun exposure I am getting since it is ALWAYS hazy. I have yet to see the full sun since I have been here.

We traveled back via Taxi and tried to go to this place that served a local dish called FuFu. We waited at the table for about 15 minutes only to find out they were no longer serving food. We found other food later and then last night we went to a bar called Champs. Basically a white people bar-- or bar for tourists. Met a handful of Australians and 3 Americans. Somewhat comforting to see them, but at the same time I am here to experience Ghanaian culture and would rather go to local bars.

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My project should start tomorrow... I hope.