Road Trip - Going In and Going Out

 

The blue sign indicates a speed bump. When you slow down you can buy something offered. The speed bumps were almost 10 inches up with a flat surface and another 10 inch dip down. Very effective.

Our trip along the coast was to visit some historical and some fun places. The road trip all by itself was an adventure. For one thing, people set up stands with produce and goods that sometimes spill into the streets. Cars must be careful of the people walking around the wooden stands and stalls. The roads are bumpy and are narrow. 

In the big cities like Accra there are two or four lanes across but all the towns and villages we visited outside of the city had one road with two-way traffic. 

That means when there is a big truck that is slow, the driver inches over to see if he can zoom around the truck before the other car from the opposite way runs him over. The biggest excitement comes when a car wants to pass four cars or trucks in a row. Then added to that fun is the fact that people, animals and motorcycles like to cross at anytime, anywhere. 

Four way intersection with no lights

Then another added factor is the speed bumps. These speed bumps can bottom out a car and can send people flying in the back seat if the driver does not cross carefully. Several times a driver would speed up and pass a car or truck and then they slam on the brakes to go over a speed bump – or not hit a pedestrian.

I quickly learned to watch for these red signs
that warned of a speed bump ahead

For your added enjoyment, every 10 to 15 kilometers are police checks with a barrier across a third of the road for the cars to drive around. They make sure everyone is wearing a mask in the car – because it is a public place – even if the people on the sides of the roads are not wearing them. They sometimes wave cars on and sometimes indicate us to pull over. If they find something amiss, they threaten you to come to court – or just pay them off right there. As missionaries and especially missionary lawyers it would not be appropriate to pay any bribes as it would set up future missionaries as targets. I noted one set of people got stopped at every police barrier. They had matching clothes and were obviously all together. So, every stop they had a “little bite” taken. I am not sure why they were a target, but they were.

The people were fascinating, the countryside was fascinating, and watching them all go by was very interesting! Nathan who is about 13 years-old, but almost six foot likes to watch birds. He can identify birds from all over the place and has very sharp eyes. Every once in awhile he’d want us to stop so he could take a picture. He had binoculars and could see green birds in green trees. It was amazing when he pointed them out. Mostly he would zoom in with his camera.

All villages and towns have places to buy - everything!

The jungle has been carved out for farming

The most interesting road on the whole trip was the dirt road out to Cape Three Points. It was bumpy, hilly and sometimes narrow. I am so glad it was not made of mud. The reason we came at this time of year is because we wanted to miss the mud that former trips evidently had. 

I sat in the very back seat without a seatbelt as I couldn't find a place to click it in. I went airborne twice but never hit the ceiling. I felt like a dice that is shaken in a little box.

Dust from our cars and others coated everything

It was a long 8 kilometers in and a long trip back

Sister Dick rode in the very back on the way back and understood the nature of the getting thrown around the seat. She had a quilting project that I think was impossible to do back there. She worked on it nicely in the middle seat.

I loved this whole adventure!