Road Rules

Let me take this opportunity to describe ground transport in Ghana. If you're lucky enough to have a car, you're probably not lucky enough to have one with air conditioning. Even the car we rented for our tour had problems. The AC died by the time we got to Kumasi and the car itself threatened to die along with it as we sat in bumper to bumper traffic. With windows rolled down you risk black lung from all the exhaust!

None of the cars I have been in have had back seat belts and only one of them was I able to dig out from under the seat. Even if seat belts were available, no one would use them. This means that I've spent days flying down 2 lane, potholed roads without a seat belt. Imagine me bouncing around the back seat as we weave between dump trucks and road debris. Worse is that there isn't much attention paid to right of way or general driving precautions. Tro tros are flying on and off the shoulder, honking their horns all the way, bikes are teetering along the edges. Add this to the pedestrian traffic and you have a high likelihood of injury. It's simply a matter of time and I hope I'm well free of Ghana before my time comes. Everyone remember now, road rules are there for our safety!!! It's never been more evident to me.



The tro tros are really quite a wonder. These are privately owned vans which run up and down the main roads transporting people to and fro for relatively little. What that means though is that service is a bit hit and miss. The vans are packed to the gills with people, small children and any number of personal items. The drivers have set up extra seats in the general aisles, so when you need to exit at your stop, half the van has to unload in front of you and then reload once you're off. Each tro tro has a driver and a mate. The mate is the person you interact with. He calls out the stops, wrangles passengers and baggage and collects the money. If you're not careful (and particularly if you look like you might not know what you're doing - like me) they will tell you the price is double the actual. Usually another friendly passenger will correct them and make sure you're not overpaying. There are far more people looking out for us than trying to take advantage. Another highlight of the road is the display of religious fervor. Most taxis and tro tros have a few words of wisdom pasted on their back window. I've enjoyed looking out for new variations.



The last piece of info on ground transport I'll share is how awesome the taxis are. They're considerably more expensive than the mass transit of the tro tro system, but they will take ANYTHING. I have seen taxis brimming with one passenger and 7,000 eggs or pineapples pouring out the windows. No kidding. FULL of pineapples! At home we get dirty looks if you try and take too many items home from IKEA.



In short, getting from point A to B is a wild ride.