101 thing sold by street vendors in Accra

As I mentioned in one of my first posts, street vendors are everywhere in Ghana. The array of items that they sell is just mind boggling. So, to give you an idea, here is a list we compiled over the last week or so. We made it into a game to spot different items while stuck in traffic. The "rules" of the game were that new items could only be added to the list if they were not previously seen AND the vendor had to be wandering in the traffic essentially risking his/her life. We did not include vendors on the side of the road that were stationary. So, here goes:

Tea towels, newspapers, coat hangars, shoes, sunglasses, peanuts, small tables, African masks, African drums, dog leash, cell phone cards (airtime credit), magazines, trousers, sewing machines, ice cream, bowls, plantain chips, DVDs, snacks (gum, Mentos, etc), CD cases, disposable razors, various kids' toys, plush animals, various framed religious pictures, toilet paper, road hazard markers (triangles), biscuits, dried fish, bread, drinking water sachets, laptop bags, tissues, doughnuts, apples, turkish delight, dictionaries/thesaurus, works of William Shakespeare, matches, mosquito coils, wallets, t-shirts, world globes, tummy trimmer exercise machine, key rings, car mats, steering wheel covers, wildlife pictures, wooden statues, wind shield wipers, super glue, wall clocks, reading glasses, toilet seats, African hats, bouncy balls, TV antennas, bathroom scales, electric hair trimmer, baseball caps, watches, battery chargers, mobile phone cases, maps of Ghana, socks, bananas, soft drinks, BBQ lighters, African masks, hair brushes, conference style name badges, neck ties, Ghana flags, wash cloths, kindling, adapter plugs, football/soccer balls, sponges, foam blocks, shoe polish, onions, remote controls, sheepskin coats, brooms, socks, game consoles for your computer, bath towels, walking canes, scissors, watermelon, place mats, throat lozenges, paint brushes, DVD cleaning kits, wash cloths for the shower, cuff links, helmets, garden shears, belts, coat hooks.

There's actually more but we had to stop at some point, lol!

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"Rules" of the road in Accra, Ghana

Driving in Accra is...interesting, to say the least. Although I'm sure there ARE rules, they are not evident when observing the practices on the road. With that in mind, here are some observations about what the common practices are:

1. There are no rules.
2. Pedestrians take their lives into their hands every time they cross the street.
3. Speed limit signs are only decoration.
4. Red lights and stop signs are only suggestions.
5. Your horn is the most essential piece of equipment on your vehicle.
6. You need only be concerned with the front of your vehicle. Cars behind you must adjust accordingly.
7. Motorcycles/scooters can drive anywhere they want (between lanes, side walks, etc.)
8. In construction, see rule number one!

Travel Day

Yesterday (Wednesday) was our travel day. There were no scheduled activities planned. After breakfast, we packed until lunch time and then waited for the bus to return from the airport to bring us to the British High Commission to spend the rest of the day while we waited for our flights. The BHC was nice enough to open the kitchen for us so we could order food while we relaxed. Unfortunately, we arrived much later than expected and didn't have as much time there as we would have liked.

The French cadet was the first to leave. The US contingent was on the same flight as we were and we were leaving a half an hour later than the UK contingent so we all went to the airport at the same time.

The Kotoka International Airport has some infrastructure issues. The check in process seemed very confusing and the boarding lounge was only about half as big as it needs to be for the size of aircraft that is flying in there now. However, we got through it and boarded on time.

Fortunately, the winds were favourable in the air and we arrived in Washington (Dulles) International Airport about an hour early! The down side is that the Customs hall was not fully staffed because we were early so it took a while to clear. After that it was another two hours before our flight to Montreal and here I sit at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. The two cadets that I was escorting are now being looked after by the Movements Staff and I am having lunch as I type this entry.

It was a great trip and the two cadets that were with me conducted themselves with distinction. I couldn't be more pleased with them for their conduct.

I still have a couple of other entries to make on this blog, just some amusing observations so keep watching over the next few days.

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Last day before travel

Very light schedule on Tuesday. We met the Minister of Education first thing in the morning and presented our official gifts to the host country. The Ministry of education is the dept that is responsible for the Cadet programme in Ghana. Following that we visited the burial site of Ghana's first president.

For lunch, the cadets were dropped off on Oxford St to explore and have lunch "on the town". In the afternoon we spent some more time at the British High Commission.

The evening was filled with the official farewell dinner hosted by the Base Commander of the Accra Air Force base. A few more mementoes were presented and some of the cadets displayed their talents with the bongo drums that they bought. :)

On Wed we leave for home!

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Military Academy

Well, Monday was the last day of tours. We have other things scheduled for Tuesday but no tours as such.

We started the day touring the Military Academy Training School. This is where almost all of the training for the Ghana Armed Forces takes place. We started with the usual Powerpoint presentation explaining the many courses they deliver and then we were shown some of the equipment that they train their soldiers on. After a very nice reception, we then boarded the bus and returned to the African market from a few days ago so we could do some last minute shopping.

Then after lunch we came back to get our swim gear and we went to the British High Commission for some swimming in their pool. After getting through the usual heavy traffic in Accra though, we only had about an hour but it was still nice.

The rest of the night was off because we have to have breakfast at 0600 tomorrow to meet the Minister of Education on time.

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Post for Sat and Sun (Jul 31 / Aug 1)

Missed posting about Sat so I'll make this a double post for Sat and Sun.

Yesterday only one activity on the schedule but as is often the case there was a bit of a bus ride involved. We had breakfast a little early so we could get on the road right away. It was about an hour and a half to two hours before we arrived at Ada Paradise Beach Resort. There we were to meet an Army Engineering Company to do a famil with them on their boats. The Engineers arrived late so we weren't able to start right away. Once they were set up we were briefed on the boats. They were a basic motor boat that they used for reconnaissance and transporting armed troops over water. We were told the parts and shown how we would paddle it if we needed to. After being issued PFDs, then we all practiced paddling. After our practice, were divided up into four groups. Three for the regular boats and a few in the safety boat. We all boarded the boats and we went off in a convoy down the river.

They took us to where the river met the Atlantic Ocean. The scenery was beautiful and the ride was quite relaxing. We spent a bit of time admiring the scenery while a local man gave us a bit of the history.

Following the boat ride back, we boarded the bus again and headed back to Accra. Once we got through the traffic, we were dropped off at the Accra Mall. It is a mall very much like you would find in North America or Europe. Almost seems out of place with what we've seen on this Exchange. Then it was supper and some much needed time off for the rest of the evening.

Sun morning started with a visit to the Military Cemetery. We learned that among all the fallen soldiers there were 8 Canadians buried there. We found all eight of them and they all died on the same day. That would lead me to believe that it was one aircraft crew that was shot down since they were all Royal Canadian Air Force.

Following the visit to the cemetery, we attended a church service at Royal House Chapel. From what I could gather it is a non-denominational, christian-based church. The service was quite long (over two hours) but the music made it seem more like a concert at times. A couple of cadets expressed discomfort with attending a church service and they were allowed to excuse themselves as we would never force cadets to attend church.

Following the church service we went on a tour of "British Accra". This was an area that was settled by British soldiers coming home from the war after WWII. We walked around for a bit with a local man and he told us a bit about the history. It is mostly a fishing village now. We saw one lady who showed us how they smoke fish among a few other places.

After supper we had a "Cultural Night" where each country represented here on IACE had to sing their national anthem and do something distinctive about their country. It was a lot of fun.

That's it for the weekend!

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