Waking Up In Tema

I expected to wake up and look out my window to see that we had docked in Tema overnight. Instead, we were still a ways out and moving slowly through the water. Probably to shorten the duration of the holding pattern in which we were eventually placed.

We had a leisurely breakfast then to the gangway to get on our tour bus. We were greeted, just as in Takoradi, with merchants selling their goods. Strangely, they all looked familiar...they were the same guys! They had followed us to our next port. Talk about persistence!

We were taken to a nearby fisherman's village to learn their way of life. The severe conditions of this poverty stricken country is unimaginable. Dense communities of makeshift homes littered with garbage and human waste was a horrific eye opener. That saying about a picture and a thousand words may be true but actually being here you are rendered speechless. There are no words.

The village is called Teshie, a suburb of Accra, the Capitol. The people who live here are decedents of the original Ga inhabitants of Ghana. Here we saw fisherman on the shore of the Atlantic making their own nets and hand-carving their own wooden boats. They go out to sea for a week at a time under the scorching Ghana sun to catch as much as they can. Depending on how you rank in the fisherman community dictates how much of the catch you are allowed to keep as your own and eventually sell. Once back to shore and the catch is divided, it is the women's responsibility to take the fish to market to sell fresh that day. Whatever isn't sold is smoked in old metal oil drums and hopefully sold in that form. The whole village is run by the Chief Fisherman, an elected official who is a respected elder. That's all they do here. It is less than a meager existence. And a very difficult one to improve upon.

What lifted our spirits was a visit to the school this village has built for its children. They are sent to school so that they are able to leave the fishing village. It is the goal of the people here that their children do not follow in their footsteps.

Physically and emotionally exhausted from our tour, we returned to the ship and ran right into a merchant trying to sell us a customized bracelet with Jeremy's name on it. The scam is:
- YOU told me your name
- I made YOU a bracelet with YOUR name on it
- so YOU need to buy it.
No way!! These guys are so aggressive. They greet you with a smile and a handshake but they don't let go. They drag you into their stalls and say "Just have a look!" Then they try to block you in until you are forced to be rude and push your way out.

That night we went out with the boys Spanish tutor, Natalie and Mark and Marissa's family to a restaurant recommended by the hospitality desk. At most ports, a local tour company sets up shop on the ship to answer questions and give advice on the country we are visiting.

Tante Maria was a decent looking restaurant but we were the only customers and they seemed to have run out of a lot of items on the menu. Turns out, it is a more popular lunch spot than dinner. We all found authentic Ghanian food we agreed to try...red reds with fried plantains...banku with tilapia...and goat. With a mouthful of his goat entree, I asked Jeremy if he liked it. He turned slowly, having difficulty deciding what to do with what was in his mouth, he said, "I'm not sure yet." I passed on his offer to have a taste. Everything else that we ordered was pretty good. I don't think I'll ever have cravings for this cuisine but very glad we tried it and survived it!