Day 47: Back to the Arts Market

Accra - Today Tim took Philip and the truck to buy "minerals" for the guest house.  The right front tire was almost flat this morning so they had to stop down the road where there is a man with an air compressor under a shade tree.  He charges 70 peswas for an inflation.  They went on for the minerals but the store was sold out, they say "finished" here.  They left five crates of empty bottles and a promise to return.  The store owner was expecting the mineral truck any moment.

We went with the North Carolina girls (Cassidy, Katy, Miranda, and Summer) to the arts market down by the sea next to the Nkruma Monument.  We found a new troto with enough room for all of us.  At the market we tried to sneak in the back way but with so many white people we were instant targets for the "runners", boys who kidnap customers and bring them to their employers' shops.  We managed to fight them off long enough to realize the pressure eases up after you've been there for a while.  We were primarily helping the girls find their Ghana souvenirs but Tim had ¢400 to spend from the guest house for the gift shop.  He found three sets of five elephants, a set of lions, two sets of bookends, five giraffe, two paintings, and a nativity set for the gift shop.  I bought a Fufu T Shirt, some jewelry, and helped the girls.  They found pants, a backpack, jewelry, a hat, bracelet, a dress, Summer found a kente cloth stole, and football jerseys.  We sat down at the end of the market and had an ice cold mineral to cool off and consider our run through the market.

While we were at the market a protest parade of about 1,000 nursing and midwife students came by chanting, waving signs, and beating drums.  They were protesting the cut in their allowance from the government and threatening to postpone taking jobs in the nation's hospitals and clinics upon their graduation.  They were followed by a parade of about 100 police who were there to keep the protest peaceful.

On the way back to the guest house I bought a ¢1 bag of ground nuts (peanuts) from a street vendor.  This was my lunch.

Back at the guest house, Tim went back out with Philip to buy a roof patching compound and pick up the minerals.  The compound comes from a large Lebanese Paint store downtown.  Back at the mineral store, the truck had still not arrived so they bought the last three full cases the man had: two Cokes and one Fanta Apple.  We've not had apple in the mineral box at the guest house before so we are anxious to see how it sells.  Without enough time to patch the roof today, Philip put plastic over the crack to insure against possible rain.

Breakfast today was omlets (ham or veggie), banana bread, toast with jelly, fresh pineapple, and yogurt with coffee, milk, juice, and water.

Dinner today was Southern fried chicken with mashed potatos, gravy, green peas, salad, and fresh pineapple.  Chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies for desert.  Sweet ice tea, kool aid, or water.  Thank you Adaline.

Craftsman making drums

Katy and Miranda trying on some clothes

Miranda drinking a Mirinda

Tim among the corn