This weekend we went to Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana! The trip was utterly exhausting but it we really cool to see another big city here. It seems that no two cities here are alike. Accra and Kumasi are different like New York and San Francisco are different--both are big and have lots of people, but they just feel different.
Kumasi feels much more small-town, although it is really spread out. It's really hilly, so you get some good views driving around. Although I've never been to Europe, the views reminded me of pics I have seen of cities in Europe, like in Italy. It was so pretty, especially compared to Accra. The streets were wider and there were not nearly as many people walking the streets. There also were not nearly as many little street vendors, which made it feel more homey. Kumasi is the home of the Ashanti tribe, a tribe that used to rule most of Ghana. They speak Twi!
After a five hour bus ride and a quick stop at the hotel, we went to a local craft market for shopping and lunch. We only had a half hour to walk around and see stuff, so I didn't buy anything, but then we got to have a good traditional West African lunch (lots of jollof rice, red-red, and pineapple!). After lunch, we went to the Ashanti King's palace! We got a tour of the original house that was built as the palace during colonial times. The house has now been turned into a museum where we got to see some artifacts, pictures, and some things they still use today, like the King's crystal cups used to entertain visitors. Sadly, we were not entertained by the King. He now lives in the house next door, which I'm sure is much newer. He does not meet with people unless they have some sort of special appointment, or unless it is at a festival. We saw a ton of pictures though--the Kings here wear so much gold! We weren't allowed to take pictures of anything inside, so I can't share visuals, but it was pretty cool.
After the King's palace, we went to a stool village. In the local tribes here, stools (like sitting stools) are used as a sign of power. The King's have gold stools. Other people just have them for fun and for the meaning they hold. The stools are made of wood and have some sort of symbol that they make. I'll get a picture of the stool that Holley bought in the village. You can see the symbol under the part you sit on--her's means "Unity."
Sunday we got up and went on adventures in the bus! We went to a local area for a workshop on shoe making! A guy showed us how he makes leather shoes for men. He was stretching the leather over the little shoe model, nailing it in, and adding the sole. Funny thing is, the sole says "Made in Italy." One of the girls asked him about that, and he said that people will not buy shoes made in Ghana. Our associate director, who is from Philly, broke in about how sad that was and how much she loves wearing things made in Ghana. The guy laughed, but said that hardly anything here says "Made in Ghana." Interesting...
Then we went to the market. Oh, the market. There seemed to be a few less people than the one in Accra, and it was a bit less stuff, but still absolutely insane. It was like a maze. We luckily had a few of our CRAs to lead us about and make sure we didn't get too lost. I bought some kente cloth, which is woven with bright threads into strips of geometric designs, then woven together to make bigger pieces. Kente cloth is what is used for the King's outfits. All of it is gorgeous--I might buy more.
Weirdest experience at the market: trying to find my way back to the bus with Whit and Alex, walking through an alley with stairs, and coming out in a meat market. There was a full dead, skinned pig with it's snout still on sitting in front of me. I thought the smell was going to make me sick. All three of us were vegetarians too. Needless to say, we looked down and walked as fast as possible out of the market.
The best part of the whole trip was actually the ride home. It was long (another 5 hours) but it was beautiful. We were driving through much more rural areas than we have seen, and we were just surrounded by green. Green green green. Ghanaian trees don't come in clusters or with more of their own kind. They are all over the place and of all different types. Some of them stand up really tall above the rest, others are really tiny and close to the ground. They aren't nearly as dense as trees back home, so you can really see their shapes. They are amazing. We got to see a couple of mountains with gorgeous tan rock walls going down the side, surrounded by more and more green. As it got dark, we could see the outlines of the trees on the top of the mountains. I tried to get some pictures, but nothing would capture it. Just trust me--if you ever come here, you'll want to see these views.
In other news, this week is full of midterms and papers. Then, on Thursday, my week long fall break starts! Holley, Whitney and I are traveling together, and we have quite ambitious plans (trying to go to four countries in nine days). Crazy? I'm so excited! :-D
Trying to capture the sights from the bus.
Peacocks outside the Ashanti King's Palace!
Mountains
Pictures don't do it justice.
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