A trip to the big city of Accra to meet Amy’s long flight to Ghana.
January 11 through 14, 2013
A SOFT LANDING AT OSDA HOUSE
Bob picked the perfect guest house for our four night stay in Accra. Osda house provided a cushy spot for Amy to get her bearings with its cool, spacious two-bedroom flat, generous, happy owners and staff and lush landscaping. More photos at Osda House
GHANAIAN HOSPITALITY
The highlight of our trip was a long afternoon at the home of Rachel and Brenda with these fine folk, sipping libations, diving into a delicious meal, touring the gardens, ruminating on the state of the world and savoring memories fro days of old when Bob’s father was running Valco with Auntie Rachel’s husband Jimmy as his second-in-command. From left: Rachel’s brother Bill, his wife Patricia, Camille, Rachel, Amy, Bob, Ruth and Brenda.
LINGERING FAREWELL
When our taxi arrived we began a round of heartfelt fare-thee-wells.
SOME OF THE PARTS
Bob and Camille feasted on great Indian food with Tim of Waste Enterprisers and his wife the night we arrived. Dinner was so good we decided to meet the rest of the Waste Enterprisers gang at the same place for dinner a few nights later. From left: Bob, Amy, Camille, Laura, Rosie and Laura’s friend and drumming classmate, Alex.
OH, BABY
This mural made us laugh. The baby is using a cell phone to call his mother and saying “Hello Mummy, Daddy has eaten all my foods. Come now.”
ANOTHER GOB STOPPER
At first we were taken by the beautiful stonework on this wall and doorway. Upon closer inspection, we read a plaque that said “For Christ Sake! Not over my dead body” and “No time to die comrade! Pass another magazine over! Burma Jungle (Arakan Sector) South East Asia Command 1944”
CAPITAL CITY BY THE SHORE
It always makes us happy to see the ocean. Here is a view of the Jamestown Light and the beach between Accra and Tema.
MEMORY LANE, TEMA
Next stop, Tema, where Bob went to school forty years ago. The Club is closed up now, perfectly preserved like a time capsule. Bob walked right over to Dee’s house and told us tales of their motorcycle rides and Dee’s brothers, sisters and horses. See the whole essay at Memory Lane, Tema
PEOPLE COME FIRST
Amy was quick to see that in Ghana, relationships between people is paramount. We stopped and chatted with Governor Clue and Ben Asare. Children are especially keen to connect with us Obronis (white folk). These kids were headed to an indoor skating rink to work on their rolling skills.
SHOPPING AND SPORTS
Here are photos of the Accra Mall and the Accra Sports Stadium home to Accra’s favorite football team, the Hearts of Oak.
Yes, we went to a mall, and at Camille’s (unlikely) request! Camille was tickled to discover a Shoprite grocery store at the Accra Mall because of the prevalence of ShopRite stores in her childhood but found out later this South African chain is a different company from the East coast grocery chain.
FACES
We enjoyed the sculptures we noticed on the walls, of Bob Marley and some kind of sun god.
TIMELESS
We went shopping for crafts at the Glory Be To God Shop but time got away from us and easily killed the better half of an hour chatting, drumming and clowning around with this happy group of artists. While losing track of time while looking at crafts is to be expected, losing track of time in the airport is not. Unless you are in Ghana where typically half of the clocks are incorrect.
THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD
With Mr. Fred’s help, Bob sought out his old home in Accra. Success was denied. Too many things had changed. But he found the street where he lived as a boy and showed us the corner he took too fast on his motorcycle one day.
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[Latest] * [Troutsfarm] * [Casa Kumasi] * [Osda House] * [The Big Pineapple] * [Memory Lane, Tema] * [FS2BD January 2013] * [Walking Through the Rice Fields] * [Shopping at Nadville]
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