First night in Ghana

I feel like I'm in Africa, but at the same time, I don't. The first thing that struck me was the smoggy brown of the sky. Is it always like this? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer was yes, as half the roads are dirt roads and the other half are paved. I know "smoggy brown" doesn't sound appealing at all, but somehow it's quite beautiful in its own way.

Chickens and roosters roam the roads freely. I haven't noticed yet whether or not drivers take caution to avoid them. Everywhere you drive in Accra, there are vendors on the sides of the street, and even more who come up to your window in slow traffic, selling everything from bags of water to gum to SIM cards to shoes. George, our wonderfully knowledgeable Ghanaian tour guide, helped me use my crisp new cedis to purchase a SIM card and enough calling credit to call the U.S. for 50 minutes -- altogether 6 cedis... what a steal! (1 dollar = approx. 1.4 cedis.)

I've been here for 3 short hours, mostly spent in traffic on the roads. So far, I'm most amazed by the Ghanaians' ability to balance piles of merchandise on their heads. Said merchandise can include fruits, basketsful of water bottles, even large wok-like pots and pans!

I'm typing this on my phone as we're heading back to the airport to pick up the rest of the team. I'm really excited to be reunited with them all! The roads of Accra are quite bumpy, and there is a ridiculous amount of traffic. Don't think, though, that this urges anyone to drive slowly here. Any time there's more than 30 feet of open road ahead, the drivers gas it like none other. This results in a constant tug of war between gunning and breaking. This may take some getting used to. =P