Blogpost for Jan 6, 2019
We woke up this morning at the Pink Hostel, in Accra, and had breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee. Shortly after, we met up with the students staying at the other hotel, and headed off to Kumasi. Our trip was a bit delayed due to numerous gas stations stops, as we looked for ice to cool our water and stretch our legs. We passed by a church service, where hundreds of Ghanaians were dressed in either all-white or brightly colored and patterned outfits. It was amazing to see everyone walking together to church as they showed genuine happiness and excitement for this weekly event.
After driving for a bit, we stopped at a big rest stop with music bumping, lots of food, and lively culture. We used the bathrooms there and Professor Iddrisu got ‘Fanmilk’ ice cream for us as we took a break, and a few danced to the music.
Before we knew it we were on the road again, heading to Tina’s family house at Orsino. We were greeted by her family with a traditional welcoming handshake and a coconut for everyone. Tina’s grandmother recently passed away, and Professor Iddrisu paid his respects to her family and celebrated her life, stating that she has joined the ancestors. Prof. Iddrisu explained that in African traditional religion, people who live a good life do not just die and go away, they join the ancestors and some become ancestral spirits.
After spending a while at Tina’s house, we got back on the bus and made our way through the hills that quickly became tropical. Tina pointed out the plantain, mango, and cocoa trees that provide Ghana with an abundance of nutrients. We stopped by the side of the road and got some ‘Tiger Nuts’ which tasted like coconut, with sugar cane after taste. So different, but delicious!
After a long drive we finally made it to the Develen hotel in Ejisu, near Kumasi. Although we took plenty of rest stops, we didn’t get lunch on our journey. The restaurant was in the middle of the city, at the National Cultural Center, so, we drove through and got a glimpse of Kumasi. The restaurant we went to was called ‘Ike’s’, and it was outdoors, as a decent sized pond in the middle of the open space.
After dinner, we drove through Kumasi through the crazy traffic to get snacks from a grocery store. We were all a little surprised at how many familiar items we saw there. We almost had to stop at the mall for mattresses because our hotel didn’t have enough beds for all of us, but luckily, we figured it out so we could go back to the hotel for the night.