Bus Ride Home

So after my night at the TSO I got up, grabbed my things, and headed for the main bus station. Just outside the TSO a cab pulled up and asked me where I was going. "Taxi rank" I told him
Ok. I take you, you pay 4ghc.
Hah! The line rate is 35 pesewas, no way
Ok you pay 2 gh cedis
I will not pay more than 50 pesewas
Ok. Good luck. At this time, noone will take you for that rate
Ok thanks. I'll try my luck then.

He drove off cursing me. I got out to the main (hospital) road, and the first cab that pulled up took me for 5o pesewas. Which brings me to another note about Ghana: a small amount of information gets you long way. Another perfect example was a few hours later during this same trip when the Tamale-Kumasi bus (which I was just now on my way to) dropped me in Kumasi. I needed a tro to Koforidua to return to the training site. So realizing that Kumasi is a big city, and like Accra there are multiple large tro-tro stations around town, I hailed a cab and told them I needed to get to the Kof station. 5 cedis. Next cab. 4 cedis. None dropped lower than 3 cedis. I was like screw this, I just paid 7.5 cedis to get halfway across the country tamale-kumasi, I wasnt about to pay 3-5 cedis to go within the same city. After 8-10 cab drivers took off yelling at me a lady explained to me that the Kof station was actually some far off roundabout location, but if I "just go to kejetia station" I could get a tro to Koforidua no problem. The very next tro-tro to pull up:
Kejetia station.
OK get in, 30 pesewas.

That's much more like it...

So back to the Tamale portion of this story. At about 4:30 I arrived at the station, and it was a classic example of what my dad calls "people talking for the sake of talking". EVERYONE had an opinion about where I should be and where my Tamale-Kumasi bus was parked. Not a SINGLE one was right. It was infuriating. Finally at 5AM the bus pulled up, at least it was on time.

Wrong.

Although I was holding a 5AM ticket, this was the 4AM bus. A full hour late. At 6AM my bus showed up,(also an hour late) and while I couldn't understand all of the words in Twi/Dagbani I got the jist. The driver opened the door, and shortly everyone in the line got heated.

Driver: blahblahblah--Look at the time!
Passenger: That is not our concern! We are holding tickets for bus #2!

After some classic Ghanaian violent yelling, followed by an immediate cool-down (with zero memory of the life threatening tone in their voices) we started boarding. At about 7:15-7:30 my 5oclock bus left. At about 4:45 I sent Julie a sleepy "Deciba" (Dagbani for good morning) text. I figured if I was up that early I'd share the pain. At about 9AM I got a reply. After we talked for a while she concluded with

"Hope your trip gives you a good story."

Which I found hilarious. Not "safe journey" or "hope all goes well". It seems that in only 2 months some of my closer friends are already getting to know me pretty well. That's exactly what I was wishing for as well! The last time I was on this bus we plowed through a sheep, how can I top that!

The driver treated us all to his Phil Collins cassette over the bus speakers and when that was done he put in his Bob Marley. It was a very relaxing ride with green all around; and I have to point out that hearing "Africa Unite" while driving through it's rainforests in a bus filled by it's natives really puts a certain feeling inside of you. A way to hear and feel the song that I had never really understood before.

It was amazing.