Weekend in Accra Oct 18-22

Betsy and I were taken to Konongo, the town 30 minutes away with internet, to catch a trotro to Accra around 8:30am on Saturday, Oct 18. The trip was pretty good- although once you arrive in Accra from the way of Kumasi (the main road we were on takes you to Kumasi) you get stuck in the WORST traffic. A woman from LA says that Accra is worst then LA , and I am from Atlanta- and I think it is worst then Atlanta rush hour. The reason being that you aren’t on a paved road where people pretend there are lanes for about 5-10 miles. Which is funny because you are paved all the way there and from there- just not at this silly point in the trip. People pass on the sides and cut others off, it is horrible. The reason it is so crazy at this point is because they are building a new road, but it never seems to be being worked on when I have passed. I will be patient.

As soon at our trotro dropped us off we caught a cab to the Accra Mall. Yes, it was a bit cheesy of us, but it was nice to get to Shoprite (grocery store with appliances) and Game (like Target). I found vegan chocolate bars, ginger biscuits (their name for cookies), peanut butter, jam, measuring spoons, measuring cups, a pillow that wasn’t lumpy (seriously- the pillows everywhere here are SOOOOOO different), cereal, crackers, new knives, Tupperware, and A TOASTER OVEN!!! However the toaster oven was 64 Ghana Cedis! My heart was breaking as I passed it by. I REALLY want a toaster oven to make cookies. I plan to keep looking and try the markets for a better deal.

So after shopping we arrived at the Pink Hostel, where we and other IFESH people planned to stay, we threw our things down and found FAST- yes I said it- FAST Internet. It was heaven. Then we were off to a restaurant/bar called Champs. It was nice to see other expats that were from all over. I met South Africans, Nigerians, Irish, Scottish, and a guy from Stone Mountain, Georgia. How nice. After dinner with other IFESH people I met up with Betsy at Champs for my favorite------KARAOKE! I was in heaven as I stood on stage singing Young MC’s Bust a Move with the MC for the night. Since I was the first to go, and I played “Price is Right” early, I received a whole bag of “prizes”. I won a t-shirt, a six-pack of beer (wasted on me since I don’t drink), a bottle opener, a notepad, and a jar of Heinz ketchup. I had a great time.

On Sunday, Jessie, Betsy and I headed to the beach for a day in the sun. Here is a picture of my avocado sandwich and chips (or fries). Yum!

Then we went back to Champs that night, again, for American movie night. I stayed for the fajitas with veggies, guacamole, and beans, but left before the movie since it was a scary movie and their had been a young kid following around the restaurant- I didn’t need any nightmares so I turned in early.

Monday my doctor appointment got moved to Tuesday so I just wondered around Osu, a part of Accra where there are many places to shop and eat, until Jesse and Betsy met up after their trip to the embassy. We had lunch at Ryan’s Irish Pub. It took a while to find it, but it was worth getting lost and paying for a cab. I had another avocado sandwich and humus. The sandwich was good, but the humus was off. The lightly of this beautiful and expensive place was the bathroom. It was beautiful! And worked! After lunch we spend too much money buying random stuff and then heading back to Champs for dinner. The waiter brought Jesse and Betsy their usual drinks (witch was special since it is a large and busy place and we had only been their twice). I had the server surprise me with a soda of his choosing. Bad idea. He brought me soda water- I really dislike soda water, but pretended to like it because I felt bad.


After Champs we went to Vienna City (there is also one in Kumasi that Jessie and I went to) to play pool and drink fruity drinks, It was well worth the 4 cedi cover charge.

Tuesday I went to the doctor which was so much faster in the states that they saw me early and got be out before it was even my appointment time. After the appointment I walked a few miles to the Vegan stand I saw on my first trip to Accra. I got their at around 10:30am and found out that she usually doesn’t get there until 11:30am. I waited until 12:30pm and finally she arrived. She felt so bad, but I was so ready for a totally vegan meal made by a vegan. It was so yummy and worth the wait. I was hoping for some sweets, but she only had juices instead. I ate my meal there on a patio with a tent off the side of the road and then walked back to the hotel with a bunch of goodies for dinner later.


The next time I am in town I plan to go to her restaurant, which I didn’t know existed. I meet back up with the girls at Ryan’s Pub after lunch and then we went on a hunt to get funny bracelets made. Since Jessie, Betsy and I are white, in town the children and adults will say- “Oburni” which is Twi for white person. It cracks me up. I feel like a celebrity because kids yell and wave as I pass by. So we got matching bracelets that say “Oburni”.


The guy making the bracelets didn’t get why it was funny, but it makes me smile. After a day of shopping I let the girls get dinner out while I retreated to the hotel room for a hot shower (I love hot water by the way) and my vegan leftovers. She fixed me:
two juices-which were too much ginger for me to handle-but good
a burger- which had the best bun ever, but the tofu “burger” wasn’t really a burger”
a samosa- YUMMMM it was the best by far, not traditional, but really tasty
a tofu kebab- onion and tofu in a currish power- pretty good
All and all it was pretty good. I was so happy to have a complete vegan meal from a vegan place. She was very pleasant and I think anymore going to Ghana should give her place on Ring Road a try.

Wednesday morning came and Betsy and I had to say goodbye to Jessie. It was sad, because none of us wanted the weekend to end.


Betsy and I tried to go back to Champs one last time, but it was closed so we settled for the restaurant attached to Champs called the Paloma. It was very nice. I just had a coke, since I don’t eat much when I travel. We had the chance to take the STC bus back to Konongo which was five cedis more, but to me so worth every cedi. The bus was air conditioned, our bags were put underneath, there were movies, and I had two seats to myself. I listed to my ipod (really Kevin’s ipod- thanks!) and chilled out all the way home. Part of me was sad to leave the city again, but then I was excited to get back to my home and my new family- Ma and Josephine. Ma even called me on the way home. It is nice to be missed.