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You are here: Home / Travels / Ghana / Around Ghana

Around Ghana

I traveled across most regions of Ghana during my 3 weeks there (it’s a small country).  Here are some photos from my travels.

You can read more about my experiences in Ghana in the Ghana section of my travel blog.

[Show as slideshow]
A street in Accra, Ghana A street in Accra, the capital (actually in Nungua, a suburb of Accra).
Another street in Accra, Ghana Another street in Accra.

Murals at Aba House, Ghana Murals at Aba House, the place where I stayed in Accra
Concrete crocodiles at Aba House, Ghana Concrete crocodiles at Aba House

"God First Frozen Foods" sign in Ghana It's very common for businesses to have a religious themed name, e.g. "Jesus Saves Automotive". I saw "God First Frozen Foods" on the street and couldn't resist snapping a photo.
Woman carrying brooms on head Ghanaians often carry things on their heads, which is a very ergonomic way of carrying things. However, this woman rather startled me...

Man carrying a bag of laundry on his head ...as did this man. I've never tried balancing things on my head, but now I'm tempted to try...
Woman carrying plantains, again on her head ...plaintains, anyone?

A cow in Ghana. Notice the hump! I asked, "What's that?" My guide looked at me and said, "Haven't you ever seen a cow before?" Well, yes, but not with a hump...
The main market in Accra A view (from above) of a busy market street in Accra. This is Accra's main market, approximately 5 acres of tiny little stalls selling everything under the sun, in a crowded warren with barely enough room for two people to squeeze by. "You are in a twisty little maze of market stalls, all alike."

opening coconuts Coconut oil is an important part of Ghanaian cooking. Here Bobbo the weaver (whom I stayed with for five days while studying Ewe weaving) and his family are cracking coconuts to be made into oil at the mill. This huge pile of coconut meats (including the full bag in the foreground!) produced one large tub (7 or 8 gallons?) of coconut oil. Coconut oil is clear, viscous, and smells wonderful.
making coconut milk Here the woman is mixing ground coconut meat with water, and letting the resulting coconut milk drain into a basin.

coconut cream rising to make coconut oil She lets the cream rise in large pots, then skims it off and boils it to produce coconut oil.
Market day in Ghana Market day in a small town near Aflao.

Woman in the market A woman in the market, selling some kind of meat/offal. I wasn't sure what and she didn't speak English, so I couldn't inquire.
Goats at the market in Ghana The goat market in a small town near Aflao. Adult goats are quite small, about the size of a largish dog. They're very cute.

Goat in a loom I can't weave, Ma, there's a goat in my loom!
Cotton growing wild near Lake Volta, Ghana Cotton growing wild near Lake Volta.

Charcoal-stoked iron A Ghanaian iron, stoked with charcoal. I'd never seen a non-electric iron before!
Cassava plant and cassava root in Ghana One of the big staple foods here is cassava. Here, a plant has been uprooted to reveal the cassava root.

Fufu Cassava and green plantains (or maize, or yams, or other starches) are pounded with a giant mortar and pestle into fufu, a Ghanaian staple. Fufu is cooked without water and eaten with the fingers, usually mixed with some kind of soup or stew. I tried fufu, but didn't like it much...too messy to eat and I'm not fond of Ghanaian soups.
mud huts in Ghana A small town on the way to Tamale (northern Ghana). Note the mud huts.

more mud huts in Ghana I'm told that the mud/adobe houses are actually quite practical, as the thick walls keep the heat out during the summer, so it's nice and cool inside.
Town in Ghana Another photo of a small town. Many of these have no water supply, so they must walk to the nearest lake for water. I often saw young women/children with cans of water on their heads.

Mud wall Closeup of a mud wall. It has been partially covered with some kind of plaster, but the original adobe is on the left.
Cacao tree in Ghana Cacao (the bean from which chocolate is made) is Ghana's top export crop; they are the world's second-largest producer of cacao. Here is a cacao pod growing off the tree. Cacao trees are unusual in that the fruits grow directly from the trunk, not hanging from branches; this is called cauliflory.

The traveling tiger with a cacao pod The traveling tiger decides he likes cacao pods!
Tien in a Ghanaian loom. Me in a Ghanaian loom.

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