After landing in Accra and clearing immigration, we were finally ready to start our xChange trip in earnest (and so was Flat Stanley):
At the baggage claim, we met our trusty travel guide, Gordon Adoboe, and we headed out of the airport after getting all of our stuff.
On our way through the city in the CTB Travel Bus, we took a few shots of the city while Gordon explained a few things to us about Accra. When we made it to the Crystal Palm Hotel, we checked in and dropped off our luggage before heading out to lunch at Southern Fried Chicken.
After filling up, we headed out into the city to barter and buy as we drove along the streets. To put it mildly, it was a bit overwhelming to be crowded by enterprising businessmen and women eager to sell their wares.
Eventually, we got to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Dr. Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana, and declared its independence from Britain on March 6, 1957 before even becoming the leader of the new country. As a result, he's a national hero and is greatly revered by the people, and both he and his wife are interred at the mausoleum.
We learned a lot of things about Dr. Nkrumah thanks to our knowledgable tour guide, and even got to see a few of his personal effects in the museum. Then we headed over to the Art Center nearby, where even more vendors set up shop daily (and believe me, they were no less persistent than their bretheren on the road). There, we discovered an interesting little instrument; in the Ewe language, it's known as the koka.
As you can see, we've all got some practicing to do...but we picked up a few of them, and we'll be showing off our amazing skills on March 22nd.
Well, that's all for our first outing. Day 2 will be up soon.
Sean Heron
Secretary, Honey Project, and xChange Agent
i look forward to hearing more about your trip and what the experience has done for you.
ReplyDeleteUncle Amilcar