One of Ghana's Pleasures: Buying (key) Groceries...from the Roadside (in Eastern Region)

Yes indeed! It is one of the pleasures of travelling through the country, where prices are bound to vary on groceries like tomatoes, onions, etc--essential ingredients for the quintessential soups that Ghanaians like to drink;-)

Here, en route to Accra from Volta Hotel, in the Eastern region in January 2006, after a work-related trip, a couple of colleagues stopped down from the bus to buy tomatoes to take to Accra, on the one-hour journey back to the capital.

PLease feel free to re-visit the video I posted about the beautiful greenery that characterises that part of the Eastern region, here:http://accradailyphoto.blogspot.com/2006/06/video-commentaryakosombo-commentary.html

Spintex Road Flowerpots, Anyone?

One of the greatest mysteries of living in Accra is the capacity for Ghanaians to display expensive products -- like these flower pots -- outside, and gather them all meticulously at night, covering it with something or other for the next day, without being too scared that at night, someone might come and whisk it away! And if that paragraph is this short of too long, sue me! 'Cos I don't understand!

Sometimes, you get vendors selling sofas--yes, leather sofas--in this same environment. Evidently, when the climate is less clement, as in when the rainy season sets in from July-October, selling in this risk-averse way might be problematic. Either way, the Ghanaian capacity to "arise and surprise" is kicked in when conditions change;-)

(btw: many thanks for all those who commented on the music on this blog!;-) )

Welcome to Ange Hill Hotel, East Legon, Accra: Are you prepared for some green?

I've been here a couple of times. The hospitality is typically Ghanaian, but the speed with which things are done is the questionqble part, especially when it comes to getting your food.

You might be interested in taking a stroll round the grounds of this most-green of hotels (that contrasts beautifully against the greenery of East Legon!;-) )whilst you wait for your order!;-)

All that being said, the rooms are very cosy and comfortable; and the beds are comprehensively inviting!

Be careful, though, as you might just bump into film crews; it's a great location for Ghanaian soaps!

Alternatively, you could just check out their website here: http://www.angehillhotel.com/.

Have a good weekend!!

Miklin Hotel at Night: What a Difference Tungsten Makes

The title says it all: this is Miklin Hotel of Feb 20, 2007 fame (below), but this was taken with a "normal" frame--i.e.with a flash from a distance of around 200metres (if you count standing behind the gates of the hotel and the front that many metres;-) )...

...whereas this particular picture was taken with a tungsten style on my Polaroid digital camera. How do you find the difference? The blue looks very elegant, in my view...

Welcome to Miklin Hotel, East Legon, Accra!

I figured since some of you may not be able to be in the country to celebrate Ghana's Jubilee Year, I would bring you a snapshot of some of the hotels, as a way for you to live vicariously through the pictures on how the experience of these hotels might be like. Today is the start of these occasional posts, and this is of Miklin Hotel, located in East Legon--a few metres walk away from my office;-)

The staff at this hotel are very friendly, but the food at the bar takes quite a bit of time to arrive. It serves everything from local Ghanaian dishes (jollof, fried rice, banku and tilappia) to sandwiches and chips, with any dish you like.

Welcome to EZI-Shop!

As Ghana moves progressively towards a cashless society, where an increasing number of consumers use ATMs, more of these so-called EZI-shops will be popping round Shell Shops in the capital and beyond. And more we need! They are hosted by ECOBANK, the indigenous West African bank, that is linked to the classic VISA platform.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Chocolate Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! or, if you're in Ghana today, Happy Chocolate Day!. The Ministry of Tourism a few weeks ago decided to designate Valentine's day as Chocolate Day, as a way of ensuring that we, Ghanaians, patronize our chocolate.

According to the latest statistics from the UK-based International Cocoa Organisation, Ghana is the n#2 top producer of cocoa in the world. Even despite the coup of 2002 that hit the West Africa country of Cote d'Ivoire, the country remains the top producer, producing between 2005-6 1,387 thousand tonnes of cocoa, against Ghana's 740 thousand.



This article in USA Today on how Young Ghanaians [have been] smitten with holiday pretty much sums the whole picture up.

Advertising for free in Ghana! (Well, almost), with Weekly Donkomi

While it is fair to say that there are a slew of newspapers in the country that advertise, I am sure we can all surmise that the advertising is for a fee. Whether the amount is affordable or not is a moot point, but point is taken that there is that space.

Well, today, I bring you the first -- at least in this country -- of a newspaper that will be sold for ç4000 (4000 cedis), or 4000/9100, or just under $US0.43(43 cents) for almost 12 pages of free-ly submitted adverts, ranging from classifieds to cars to whatever you can think of!

Hooray for the (Ghanaian) consumer!

JB Danquah Circle in Accra (Ghana is 50!)

By way of celebrating Ghana's Jubilee year, here's a picture of the Danquah circle, located some metres away from Osu, Oxford Street--a very popular part of the capital for both Westerners and Ghanaians alike.

J.B.Danquah was a member of the so-called "Big Six", who spearheaded the country's independence. He is also considered by some Ghanaians as the "doyen" of Ghana politics. He is, regrettably, also implicated by some to have been involved in what some consider apocryphal--or questionable--accounts of the overthrow (collusion with CIA) of the first president of Ghana, Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, in 1966.



Here's a picture of the website, where you can find more info on the "Big Six"...


whose pictures grace our 10,000 cedi bill, which by July 2007, would be equivalent to almost $US1.00.

Inside Ghana's Mass Metro buses

Just like any other bus, right?;-)

Had a Bad Day? This Video Clip might Just Fix it!

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Thanks to Live Africa, the blog of an expat living in Ghana, for amusing me no-end with this post. Spread the love with this video.

Seeing as Youtube and Video posting is all the rage these days, I think I might just follow fashion;-)

Have a good day!

The Spintex Road has Traffic Lights!!

I took this picture last week from a taxi. I wanted to capture the Spintex Road, as well as the erection of the traffic lights there. Now, all we have to do is to wait for them to be lined ALL the way on the road, as well as light up!!;-)