Circumnavigation: Traffic, roads and speed bumps

Once, I think I was in seventh grade, a teacher explained the concept of deadlock.

I never fully understood how that actually could happen, until I got to Ghana.

While there are areas of Accra that have traffic lights, most of the places we drove did not. No lights and no stop signs makes for very aggressive and very defensive driving.

One thing that helps slow things down is major speed bumps and pot holes; although we frequently travel five in a car, which means the bottom of the car takes a beating.

In all areas there are constant, what Akwasi called, hockers.

Children, from what looked like eight and up, and adults alike sell everything: plantain chips, toilet paper, apples, loaves of bread and gum. As soon as you pull up to the light (or over on the side of the road), then hustle up to the window to showcase their products.

Although I hadn't seen on in Accra, in Tema there were also children dressed as clowns, collecting money on the side of the road in the same manner. Apparently that is a seasonal thing.

Rental cars here mostly come with a driver. To get one to drive on your own requires very expensive insurance. We rented an SUV with 6 seats besides the driver. For a day the car costs 120 cedis, plus twenty for the driver, plus gas, totaling about ~ 200 dollars.

A cheap way to get around is a trotro. These are small vans with as many seats as possible, that pick people up from the side of the road. Similar to a bus, but not as standardized; a taxi on a track of sorts.

Usually there is one guy who hangs out the side of the van calling out for passengers, shouting the destination. The driver and passengers also use hand signals for where they are going, a short ways up the road, a longer ways up the road, downtown Accra, etc.

When the trotro isn't full, it's your best option. It varies, but the couple of trotros I've been on averaged about 20 cents for the cost of the ride.