Coffins and Crocodiles, a Journey Through Ghana (6 of 6)

Back in Accra

The last few days we spent in Accra, doing some final sightseeing and visiting. We decided to stop off at the Arts Centre to pick up some last minute gifts. The Arts Centre is Ghana’s largest art market and the best place to find crafts from all over the country. Artists often come personally to sell their wares. On a Tuesday afternoon the market was nearly empty – vendors called out to me from their stalls, offering me low prices on drums, leather goods, batik, wooden sculptures, cloth, brass and silverwork – anything that I want.

I wandered through the narrow alleys and surveyed the goods. A row of soldiers caught my eye – wooden ones, that is. They were about waist high and colourfully painted in old fashioned military garb. Behind the soldiers were various other wooden professionals – doctors, nurses, police officers. The stall was one of the busiest in the market – we wondered what the attraction was behind these wooden sculptures. I picked up some handmade bronze candlesticks and a leather bag before heading out. The afternoon sun was beating hard, time to hit the beach!

Labadi Beach

Labadi Beach is the place to go for a good beach scene. A seemingly endless white, sandy beach stretches from one hazy end to another. In front, lies the ocean with roaring, frothy waves – but beware, before heading straight into the ocean, it is a good idea to heed the advice of locals on water conditions. There is a nasty undertow in these parts and many unheeding tourists have already drowned.

We took a seat at one of the many beach cafes, ordered a beer and watched the action unfold. An impromptu soccer game was taking place 50 meters away. The players were young and serious, playing intensely. Visions of the World Cup were dancing in their heads, the same as aspiring soccer players everywhere.

The beach was crowded. People sat at the beach cafes, drinking, watching, soaking up the sun. Vendors wandered by, selling all sorts of wares. A woman came to ask if we wanted to buy a bathing suit. She was carrying hundreds of them, in a rainbow of colours, on her cart. We politely refuse, none of us needed bathing suits at that moment. We wondered though, where one was supposed to try them on. This pondering was interrupted by a drum player, who installed himself a meter away from us and begins playing. Peeved, we tried to ignore him, but to no avail, he kept playing and started singing to boot. He won, we listened to his music for 15 minutes and then gave him some change.

Meanwhile, all sorts of other goodies were being offered to us, hardboiled eggs, postcards, hats, key rings. As it was our last day, we were feeling generous with our Cedis, and good humouredly acquired some last minute trinkets. Besides, Cedis are not allowed to be taken out of Ghana, so it was a good idea to spend our remaining money here. The sun was starting to set, a ball of fire over the ocean, the beginnings of another gorgeous Ghanaian sunset. We sat there relaxed, slowly sipped our beers and contemplated our trip.