Pam and I slept like rocks through the night. After nine
straight hours of sleep, you’d think you would jump out of bed ready to take on
the world! But the alarm seemed more like a fire alarm than a gentle call to
consciousness. Neither of us could believe we slept so hard. But after shaking
the fog out of the head with my cup of coffee and Pam’s cup of peppermint tea,
we could pray with clarity. Then it was repacking the suitcase, morning cleanup
routine and down to breakfast. Mr. Clark, senior pastor for Ghana, had arranged
a car and driver – the same gentleman he has used in the past – to drive us the
five hours from Accra to Kumasi. We deeply appreciate the advance work done by
Mr. Clark. It has made our trip much easier than it would have been if we were
wandering here on our own. I should have changed a few American dollars in
cedis – the currency of Ghana – at the airport, but in the rush to get out of
the airport and to the hotel, I just overlooked this simple fact.
The hotel breakfast was included and was actually a very
nice buffet.
Although we could eat only a few of the items, what we ate was
tasty and filling. We tanked up on eggs, toast and chicken sausage (which was
actually a hot dog made from chicken!), knowing that our next meal would be in
the evening. It was during breakfast that that horrible news from America came
over the BBC television reporting of the mass shooting and terrible loss of
life in Las Vegas, USA. I’m sure the servers wondered why their guests were
teary eyes as our eggs were delivered. Americans are often seen as gun-toting,
violent people, and this kind of tragedy seems to confirm such ideas. This
event emphasizes the critical need for the fulfillment of the days we are here
to observe.
As we finished breakfast, Pam saw a black Toyota pull up
near the front door of the hotel and she guessed – correctly – that this was
our driver. So we went up to the room, retrieved our things, settled the bill
in US dollars and met our driver, Eddie. He seems to be a kind and unassuming
man. In this blog I’ll refer to him as “Fast Eddie” for no particular reason
other than I like that moniker! Just before we got into the car, Pam asked me
if we wanted to stop at the Shop Rite mall before getting on the road to Kumasi.
I thought, shopping, now? I said no, let’s just get on the road. Men – we
should listen more carefully to our wives. She had remembered that there was a
Forex (Foreign Exchange) Bureau at the Shop Rite Center and was thinking we
should change some money before leaving town. But my one-track mind didn’t
process what she was suggesting and off we went toward Kumasi.
Fast Eddie is a good and safe driver and takes American
dollars. The road to Kumasi is very good. It is similar in one sense to an
American interstate in that once outside of Accra there are two lanes going in
each direction. But after about an hour, the two lanes going north just stop
and we entered a very dusty, pot-holed dirt road for a few miles. Then this
road stops and all cars and trucks shift over to the southbound lanes and it
becomes a two lane highway with one lane in each direction for the rest of the
trip. We stop at a roadside rest area about halfway through the trip and this
is where my negligence in changing money becomes a problem.
No one here – including the restroom – takes
US dollars. We are not hungry, but could use a drink, so Fast Eddie comes to
our rescue, pays our nickel restroom fee and buy us a soft drink.
Once we arrive in Kumasi Fast Eddie drops us off at the
Rexmar hotel. He has brought Mr. Clark here before, so he has no problem
finding it straight off. Looking from the street, we don’t expect much, but
find that once inside the compound, the Rexmar is quite a nice little oasis in
the midst of a very hectic and chaotic area. Our room is good-sized and
comfortable. The desk clerk accompanies us to our room, turns on the air
conditioner and the hot water switch and we are ready to unpack for or five day
stay here. Now to get some money
changed. The hotel doesn’t change dollars, but tells us there is a bank we can
easily walk to just beyond the roundabout. So Pam and I start off on our first
adventure in Ghana! Walking the half-mile or so to the bank (we have to get
there before their 4 pm closing time) was fascinating – and we appeared to be
fascinating to almost everyone along the way.
As you would suspect, we were the
only white faces around and this was not unnoticed by everyone we would pass.
With their eyes, most seemed to exclaim, “Wow! White people!” The first bank we
came to did not do currency exchange, so they sent us further up the street to
another bank that does exchange US dollars, Euros and British pounds. We arrive
ten minutes before closing and were promptly taken care of. We should be set
for a few days.
On this walk we came across every kind of street vendor
imaginable. It seems that absolutely anything can be purchased on the street in
Ghana. This roundabout is at the intersection of two major roads – a divided
highway with two lanes in each direction on our street converging into a
one-lane-in-each direction on the other. Crossing the road with afternoon rush
hour traffic to get back home is a challenge. We try to take our cue from other
pedestrians and are able to cross safely. The restaurant at the hotel is still
being renovated, so we decide to go to a Chinese restaurant.
The manager of the
hotel says we can call an Uber, so we give it a try. The Uber driver is about
15 minutes away, but traffic makes it thirty, so we head out to the street when
he is supposed to be just a minute away.
We see him drive by on the other side of the divided highway – twice! He
finally gives up and cancels the ride so we run across the highway, flag down a
cab and get a lift to our destination.
The food is good and we get a cab back home. All is well and
we look forward to a good night’s rest. After a long day in the car, risking
our lives crossing traffic, and walking this very busy street, a nice, hot
shower will feel great. Pam goes into
our little bathroom, gets into the shower and finds that there is no hot water.
So a cold shower is better than now shower. I prepared myself for a cold shower
as well, but found that after fiddling with the faucet, I got nice hot water –
actually too hot to use! But with some adjusting I got it the shower to be warm
and refreshing. I thought it might be best not to tell Pam that my shower had
hot water and was very nice, but I felt I had to let her know. So I told that I
had plenty of hot water and that I had a hard time tearing myself out of that
delightful shower. She just smiled at me – and threw a pillow. She is able to
adopt to just about any situation with grace and poise.
2025-02-07