Accra!!

So, this Monday, we went to Ghana to get some Khana. More specifically, we went to Accra to get some Khakhra! Ok, that's a bad Gujarati joke.The Accra trip happened for some office work. And Accra turned out to to be a breath of fresh air after the drudgery of Monrovia. It feels like a big city. It behaves like a big city.

The people in Accra are gentle. They're nice and laid back. Accra Airport (Kotoka International Airport, they call it) was agog with boards saying 'Akwaba!' This means 'Welcome!' in their local language Chvi (or Chui or Chi, as some people pronounce it). Life over here is slow and relaxed. People take their own time going about their life. At the bank, a teller was patiently attending to a lady for over half an hour and the people in line (Thank God I was not in that line) were patiently waiting their turn. Without protest. Also, they have great respect for their public places in this country. For example, at the bank again, I was standing in line to pay some money, and I just whipped out my phone and started talking to an acquaintence (you know me, I get restless easily). And the people around me started giving me dirty looks. I didn't get it. Eventually the guard came up to me and asked me to hang up please. Very politely, but in a strict schoolteacherly way. It was kinda nice, how these people respect their public places. Unlike India, where it is socially acceptable, even fashionable, to whip out your phone in a public place and start speaking at the top of your voice, with everyone evesdropping on your conversation. But then, its also efficient. I mean, you could get more work done talking on the phone while standing in line or commuting.

All in all, Accra presents itself as quite a developed city (I'm going to present some photos to you shortly, which I'm sure you've skipped ahead and already gone through) with good roads and proper traffic directions. Indeed, it might be the most developed city in all of West Africa.

So, anyway, after a hard day's work, I decided to give the taxi a pass and walk back to my hotel. It was quite a revelation. Here's a few pictures of Accra I took on my phone:

Does RIM know about this? :)

Shady poster

On the streets of Accra

Such posters dot the sidewalks on Monrovia as well

Another shady poster

More Accra traffic

Glass-fronted building next to a nullah. Remind you of Mumbai?

Rush-hour. People heading back home.

Beer!

Mercedes Benz showroom (wow)