August 5th

Happy Anniversary us! Arranged trip to Nzulezu Village for tomorrow. Today, sat in sun and read. Met PDX native at "BLack Star Surf shop" next to ourh ortel who lived in Ghana for 2 years. He suggested heading west. We will see what happens with the weather. Still cloudy- seems sort of weird to be sitting on a gorgeous beach when it's overcast. Let's explore while it's overcast and enjoy the beach when theres sun!

Read Revolutionary Road and wandered around town. Shopping here is uninspiring and looks like Village Merchants. Kente cloth is a hot comodity, however, it is sold at ridiculously unaffordable prices. Especially considering that a meal costs 60 pesewas or .40 US. Buyinrng and resale does not seem to be a lucrative process here for arts and crafts.

On the other hand, the way of life is still fascinating and picturesque to me. People are sitting in "squalor" in a backk alley sucking down bags of fufu (starch sticky) bargaining for their fish and building their homes and boats from bamboo and marking their livestock by cutting off different parts of the sheet or goats body while wearing knock off Gucci flipflops.

One thing that continues to baffle me is local "tour guides" telling you that pohotos are okay, but locals yelling (not only at you, but at the tourist guide) when you do. Getting yelled at once is enough for me (per town at least) burn your bridges whne you're leaving, not when you 1st arrive!

We watched locals cooking dinner in Byusua Village in their homes (mud huts or bamboo constructed). Most smoked their fish. Looking down the streets from a hotel balcony is a great "secret" venue for photos. While some might think twice about photos in this culture, it is not reportedly a "cultural problem" to take pictures. No one thinks it will steal their soul. According to tour guides and guidebooks, it is "pure obsstinance".

I, on the other hand am wary to accept either explanation. Given the frequency and number of whiteys or "Yavoo?" (translated directly as "silly dog") I bank on the explanation that white people are just plain silly dogs! We walk around ginning sheepishly with our overprice REI sandlas and mosquito repellent gawking over collectibles, such as Rasta teeshirts and bracelets while trying to shoot pictures.

On the other had, they revere us dress (Ghanians are surprisingly high fashioned= New York style) and music. #Especially the bad music "Barbie Song". When I laugh at Barbie, they p,lay it again! When they laughed at us, we are sheepish and walk away. I tend to attribute this to Ghanaian apparent lack of sarcasm. People mostly laugh for real here and play for real. There is no play on word, simply a direct nature that is rather charming and naive, but refreshing. They say we are all silly dogs, it's as simple as thinking that white people are silly dogs. I'd like to hear a Ghanaian opinion on this.... Anyway, I digress.

My point is...

Got a tour of Busua village by the lagoon. Nana from the German named, "Zweite" restaurant wook us through backyard (where we felt like intruders) and insisted we take pictures. But when the fisherman saw our cameras, they started screaming at our guide who in turn told us, "they are just kidding with me". Whatever Nana. Well, one of the coolest scenes that I've seen in Ghana was here. I'll do my best to describe because I couldn't take a pic. 50 locals gathered on the edge of a lush lagoon, sun just peeking through- people haggling over 4 huge fish - a shark, swordfish, catfish and a sting ray! Children danced around and highlife music played while women clad only in bras and wraps smoked small fish. The smoky smells were delicious and stinky all at once and the air was heavy with smells from the sewer two feet away.

That sounds a bit cheezy, but for my overstimulated brain, that's the best I can do right now! I'm trying to type all this 5 days after the fact to keep up!

People went about their lives, not paying attention to us. It was a great, exhilarating feeling to be a part of this.

Dinner at Frenchie restaurant Busua Inn. Lobster! Yum yum