There are small businesses offering services and goods of every kind in and around Kumasi. Many of the businesses and products are advertised with custom illustrated signs like these.
Archive for October, 2009
October 29th, 2009
October 28th, 2009
Our other adventure this past weekend was to the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary about 10 miles and worlds away from Kumasi. Out of the city and in this conservation area we were able to breath some fresh, but heavy and humid air. We finally got the sense that we are in a tropical environment near the equator with the lush plants and numerous birds, bugs and butterflies. Against some very good advice we did take a Tro-Tro to Owabi – these are converted cargo vans that fit more people than you could ever imagine and were called Combi’s in Swaziland. If you think that drivers in the US are pushy then you have not spent time in Africa and in particular in Ghana. That was probably my first and last Tro-Tro experience while we are here. The driver did take us all the way to the entrance of the Wildlife Sanctuary where some men at the entrance turned us around and directed us to the guide’s house. The guide, named Amoah, was dressed in his traditional clothes to go to church with his son and invited us into his house while he changed in to his guiding clothes which included rubber boots and a machete! He then led us on a beautiful 2 hour walk through the trails on the sanctuary and pointed out birds, butterflies and we even saw a monkey. The butterflies were the most amazing part of the walk, we have never seen so many different types of butterflies and the colors were fantastic. We were definitely the only people in the sanctuary and we left our guide a large tip for going out of his way to take us on a Sunday! Later that evening we had are largest and most spectacular thunderstorm we have had here and then went out for amazing Indian food at Moti Mahal – if you are ever in Kumasi you must try this restaurant. – Leah
October 26th, 2009
(Writeup by Leah)
On Saturday we stayed in Kumasi to explore the famous or infamous Kejetia Market, which is described in our guide book as the largest open market in Western Africa. You truly have to be there to get the full experience which includes the smells, narrow stalls, countless number of people, heat, humidity, and puddles. Photos cannot fully describe our experience in the market, nor can words, but I will try. As you enter down the steps into the market you are swept up into a stream of people that includes women with large bags or baskets on their heads, children, and men pushing large carts. You are unable to stop for very long as you must keep moving with the traffic, this becomes more of an obstacle when some men try to push a large cart down the narrowest of walkways. The flow of people takes you deeper into a maze of stalls where people are selling anything you could ever need from flip flops to gas ranges to food. As you walk by the food, including smoked fish and raw meat, you are overtaken with a smell that is indescribable. Finally the crowd leads you out of the market and you are able to look down it from above. All of your senses were overstimulated in the market and it is an experience you will not forget.
We never managed to find our way to the craft section of the market which I am sure would have been more appealing to me then a washer or overly cooked meat that looked and smelled a bit like roadkill. The market was just too crowded for my tastes and I much preferred to view it from above. Our only purchase was a coffee mug for Mike. While I am not sure if I want to go back it was an experience that I would not have wanted to miss while here in Kumasi. Mike is thinking about taking the plunge again as he loved the opportunities for photos within the market. – Leah
October 25th, 2009
October 24th, 2009
We spent all day today exploring Kumasi on foot. Being in a totally strange place feels a little bit like picking up a camera for the first time.