Takoradi, Ghana Day 5

Our last day in Takoradi we went and explored the town. Kim and I wanted to check out the market circle so we wondered our way down. We walked around the outer circle for a while but then decided to go into the inner part. Bad choice. It was so crowded in there and the smells. Oh my god the smells. Immediately a mixture of sewage, fish, garbage, dirt, spices and anything else you could imagine took over. We tried to walk around the tiny paths that wound through the vendors and stands but the smell was so overwhelming we had to get out. It was like a freaking maze though. We walked and walked and walked trying to find our way out. Finally, after passing stands filled with cloth, fish heads, tomatoes, pig ears and feet, peppers and other random goods, we saw the light. We had no idea where we came out but thought we should probably find a place for lunch. We wondered around town some more, ended up walking through some pretty sketchy places until finally we came upon this restaurant that would serve us lunch. They didn’t have a menu so we just ate whatever they brought to us which happened to be, surprise surprise, fried rice and chicken. It was good and Kim and I hung out there for a while before trying to find our way back.

We ended up being so far from where we thought we were. At one point I stepped over the street side gutter (they have trench like things as gutters on all the streets about 15 inches deep and a foot wide) and looked down. Aside from seeing the usual sludge and litter, I saw two rats munching away. That was the breaking point for me and we knew we had to find our way back quick. Gross. I still shudder thinking about that. Blah.

Thanks so some good directions and a little of our own good judgment, we finally made it back to the ship. We could have taken a taxi and been there much quicker, but we wanted to walk seeing as we’d be cooped up on the ship again. We got back and still had a few hours, so we went across the street to the Duty Free place and had a few with pretty much everyone else on the ship. Teachers were even over there enjoying their last bit of freedom (and alcohol) before boarding. We got back on around 5:00 and then had to face the reality of going back to school.