Day 6- Trip to Techiman
I am blogging from hotel in Tamale, because I didn't get into Techiman in time to go to Internet Cafe. It is a bit slow here at hotel so will have to go to town to post photos, probably.
Anyway, here is Day 6 Blog (My original post had Day 5. I am losing track of days now). Please check out the video of market scene I uploaded from Internet Cafe once I got to Tamale.
Today we drove (instead of flying) to Techiman (7 hours of driving) to meet with Peace Crops Volunteer, Greg Yeich, working with local farmers, NGO’s and Care Universal. The idea is to spend the night in Techiman, then get up early and meet with Greg and the others. It was a Sunday, so the traffic was very light in the morning. Almost everyone here, at least in the Ashanti region where we were travelling, goes to church on Sunday. We stopped at what they call a Rest Stop and had lunch. The picture included is from that stop. Our driver, is in the middle. He is the one wearing a tie. We are the slobs.
At the rest stop, I had a dish called Foo Foo, made from Cassava and mixed with plantains or yams depending on the region and then served with soup or gravy). Same as when I was in the Peace Corps in Gabon, except that here they put the Foo Foo right into the soup where in Gabon they served it on a separate plate and you dipped it or poured the gravy over it. The locals were amused that I was eating Foo Foo, and laughed again when I finished and told them Mdasi (Thank You).
From there we passed a few markets, (see photos). I also took a photo of the traffic to give you a sense for that. I am glad that I had a driver and he was driving a rental.
Next we visited the Palace of Asantehene, the King of the Ashanti’s. They are a very powerful tribe in Ghana. We went to the museum of the Ashanti King, which was the original palace built by the British, after they burned the old one down 30 years earlier (it’s a long colonial story) . Anyway, it was a great cultural experience. The Ashanti King has a lot of political power and is an advisor to President of Ghana. He still wields a lot of influence. To his credit he has used is notoriety to go around to his subordinates the local chiefs, and others, and seek contributions for an education fund to send need students to school.
After that it was on to Techiman. We got in late so I couldn’t get to the Internet Café in time. Just had dinner and got ready for a 7 a.m. meeting tomorrow.
Faithfully submitted,
Jim
I am blogging from hotel in Tamale, because I didn't get into Techiman in time to go to Internet Cafe. It is a bit slow here at hotel so will have to go to town to post photos, probably.
Anyway, here is Day 6 Blog (My original post had Day 5. I am losing track of days now). Please check out the video of market scene I uploaded from Internet Cafe once I got to Tamale.
Today we drove (instead of flying) to Techiman (7 hours of driving) to meet with Peace Crops Volunteer, Greg Yeich, working with local farmers, NGO’s and Care Universal. The idea is to spend the night in Techiman, then get up early and meet with Greg and the others. It was a Sunday, so the traffic was very light in the morning. Almost everyone here, at least in the Ashanti region where we were travelling, goes to church on Sunday. We stopped at what they call a Rest Stop and had lunch. The picture included is from that stop. Our driver, is in the middle. He is the one wearing a tie. We are the slobs.
At the rest stop, I had a dish called Foo Foo, made from Cassava and mixed with plantains or yams depending on the region and then served with soup or gravy). Same as when I was in the Peace Corps in Gabon, except that here they put the Foo Foo right into the soup where in Gabon they served it on a separate plate and you dipped it or poured the gravy over it. The locals were amused that I was eating Foo Foo, and laughed again when I finished and told them Mdasi (Thank You).
From there we passed a few markets, (see photos). I also took a photo of the traffic to give you a sense for that. I am glad that I had a driver and he was driving a rental.
Next we visited the Palace of Asantehene, the King of the Ashanti’s. They are a very powerful tribe in Ghana. We went to the museum of the Ashanti King, which was the original palace built by the British, after they burned the old one down 30 years earlier (it’s a long colonial story) . Anyway, it was a great cultural experience. The Ashanti King has a lot of political power and is an advisor to President of Ghana. He still wields a lot of influence. To his credit he has used is notoriety to go around to his subordinates the local chiefs, and others, and seek contributions for an education fund to send need students to school.
After that it was on to Techiman. We got in late so I couldn’t get to the Internet Café in time. Just had dinner and got ready for a 7 a.m. meeting tomorrow.
Faithfully submitted,
Jim
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