Thursday, September 15, 2005
Accra, Ghana- week four
My birthday was absolutely fabulous! We started a day early, of course, with what else but bowling. Yes, you read right... bowling. Some poor Chinese businessman invested in a bowling alley on the beach in Accra. The place is frighteningly empty on a Wednesday night and drinks were mind-bogglingly expensive. We opted to eat and drink elsewhere, in this case, a waakye (beans and rice) stand a few kilometers down the road.
Celebrations began in a seedy roadside tavern that served the usual sketchy local herbal alcohols that claim to cure everything from impotence to malaria. We chose beers and a marvelous drink called Waist and Power because we thought we would need some power in our waists to get continuous strikes at the bowling alley. By the time we arrived back at the bowling alley, we were deliciously lubricated.
The next three games of bowling were as much fun as we have had as a group in a long long time. The staff were amused to see us so delighted and although we tried to bargain the drink prices down with our charm, it was to no avail. Apparently the Chinese owner had decided to play some games of pool in the establishment that night and the staff were too scared to offer us any deals. The Chinese owner swiftly rejected my advances at a conversation and Nate was similarly unsuccessful during a game of pool. We decided after three games of bowling, a couple of rounds of ridiculously expensive Guinness, and a fit of hiccups in the bathroom that it was time to go home.
On my birthday morning, I roused the boys from imminent hangover to pile into the car to take a day trip to the mountains. Along the way, we picked up some home-style cooking of fried chicken, rice, stew and salad from my friend Senyo's mother (who is the best cook in Ghana). Up in Aburi Botanical Gardens, we had a picnic and marveled at the horny spiders and gigantic hand-painted signs that named all the medicinal properties of the plants in the garden.
On our way back into town, we decided to stop at the supermarket. The boys surprised me by buying a wonderful array of four cheeses, crackers, olives and a nice bottle of wine. We gorged all these items down swiftly, as it is rare to eat any milk products here, let alone goat cheeses, blue cheeses, Roquefort and edam. So even though we are out here in the 'bush', my birthday was just about as Western as you can get for this side of the world. Except for the fried chicken, which was better than anything I could have gotten in the US. No AIDS on my birthday, either, which was good.
My birthday was absolutely fabulous! We started a day early, of course, with what else but bowling. Yes, you read right... bowling. Some poor Chinese businessman invested in a bowling alley on the beach in Accra. The place is frighteningly empty on a Wednesday night and drinks were mind-bogglingly expensive. We opted to eat and drink elsewhere, in this case, a waakye (beans and rice) stand a few kilometers down the road.
Celebrations began in a seedy roadside tavern that served the usual sketchy local herbal alcohols that claim to cure everything from impotence to malaria. We chose beers and a marvelous drink called Waist and Power because we thought we would need some power in our waists to get continuous strikes at the bowling alley. By the time we arrived back at the bowling alley, we were deliciously lubricated.
The next three games of bowling were as much fun as we have had as a group in a long long time. The staff were amused to see us so delighted and although we tried to bargain the drink prices down with our charm, it was to no avail. Apparently the Chinese owner had decided to play some games of pool in the establishment that night and the staff were too scared to offer us any deals. The Chinese owner swiftly rejected my advances at a conversation and Nate was similarly unsuccessful during a game of pool. We decided after three games of bowling, a couple of rounds of ridiculously expensive Guinness, and a fit of hiccups in the bathroom that it was time to go home.
On my birthday morning, I roused the boys from imminent hangover to pile into the car to take a day trip to the mountains. Along the way, we picked up some home-style cooking of fried chicken, rice, stew and salad from my friend Senyo's mother (who is the best cook in Ghana). Up in Aburi Botanical Gardens, we had a picnic and marveled at the horny spiders and gigantic hand-painted signs that named all the medicinal properties of the plants in the garden.
On our way back into town, we decided to stop at the supermarket. The boys surprised me by buying a wonderful array of four cheeses, crackers, olives and a nice bottle of wine. We gorged all these items down swiftly, as it is rare to eat any milk products here, let alone goat cheeses, blue cheeses, Roquefort and edam. So even though we are out here in the 'bush', my birthday was just about as Western as you can get for this side of the world. Except for the fried chicken, which was better than anything I could have gotten in the US. No AIDS on my birthday, either, which was good.
<< Home