Back at the volunteer house Katie and I made coffee and tried to jazz the bean balls up with a bit of mayo and powdered Parmesan cheese we snaked from their kitchen. It wasn’t that bad but I think it’s because the toppings masked the cardboard flavor just enough
At 9am we had all taken a quick shower and headed out the door to meet our friend who was giving us a glass bead workshop. The workshop was brilliant, he showed us each step then let us have a go. First we we’re shown how the glass is pounded and siffed into a powder. The next step was to prepare the molds for the beads.
We all were given two molds, cassava sticks and exacto knifes. The cassava sticks are held in the middle of each mold and then cut off so its level with the plate. Once the molding is filled the cassava sticks create a hole in the middle of the bead so they can be strung. Before filling the molds we paired into groups and picked a color to share; I chose red. You then mix the color with the glass fill the molds and place them carefully into the clay oven to cook for 5 minutes. After they have been fired they are taken out and have to cool for quite some time.
While we were waiting I checked out his workspace and took some pictures. I asked him what he does with the molds that have broken, he replied and said he usually throws them away so I asked if I could take some with me and he said of course. I tried to find a broken piece for each size of bead; I’m hoping that I might be able to give bead making a go and if that doesn’t work it’s a sweet keepsake.
Once the beads had cooled off we laid them out on the table, separated the colors and then fed them onto string to make bracelets. The extra beads we didn’t use we divided up and took with us. Finished with the workshop we hailed a tro tro, said our thank you’s and goodbyes and headed to the bead market where even more fun was awaiting us… shopping!!
To get to the bead market we had to first walk through the everyday market which is always hectic and overwhelming. Once we had made our way through we arrived at the beads. Everything there was a bit more laid out, open and organized. We went from stand to stand and admired all of the beads, all so pretty. The price range was anywhere from 20 pesewa to 200 cedi. The older a bead is the more expensive it will cost. Cost also depends on what type of material it is made from. My biggest purchase was a single bead made from coral. I also got two strands of bauxite which can be pricy but I worked a deal with the madam to get the price lowered small small.
I think we all could have spent all day at the market but at one point we all felt we had to leave or else we would find we wouldn’t have any money to return home with. So we headed back out the market and tried to find a tro tro that would take us all the way back to Accra. This took a little bit longer than usual but we found our tro and headed on our way. On this ride there was a baby sitting next to me which kept kicking my legs and at one point had kicked off its shoes and started pinching my legs with its big and second toe; surprisingly it hurt quite a lot. I don’t think she liked me all that much but as time carried on she warmed up and we became friends.
We took that tro tro as far as we could in Accra; we then (with some help of course) found our way to another tro that would take us to Cape Coast. Along our way Katie and I both had to use the wash room so we made friends with a vendor, bought some drinks and then asked her if she could take us to the toilets. She did willingly and for the toilets, there are no words. It’s nothing at all that bothers me but I laugh when I think about what other people would say or complain about. If markets weren’t so intense I would love to be able to take pictures for everyone.
We had to walk far to get to the Cape Coast tro tros but after going through several different markets and tro stations we finally found a ride. Unfortunately we had to wait quite a while for this one to fill up. When there were only two seats left the tro driver tricked us all and opened up the back row which meant we would have to wait for an even longer amount of time. This really upset some of the Ghanaians and there was a verbal fight that us ‘bruni were literally sat in the middle of. For lunch I found my new favorite vendor food which is a hardboiled egg sliced in half and filled with a spicy sauce and onions. It doesn’t give you the nicest smelling breath but the taste is well good. After three hours of watching vendors we were filled up and ready to get on our way.
This last tro tro was the worst. For some reason it lasted forever and every thirty seconds we hit speed bumps with never the right amount of speed. It was like that the whole journey which gave us all headaches. Fortunately though we found out that our tro was going to Tackradi which meant we didn’t have to get out in Cape Coast and hail a cab back to Elmina and that we would be able to get dropped right at the Elmina Beach Resort junction. This little surprise saved us both money and time, something at this point we could all appreciate.
Walking back to the house we noticed everyone was still sitting at Eli’s so we stopped to say hello and let them know we were back in town. Once we had settled in and had a few bites to eat, Nick Katie an I walked over to Sea Top to relax and have a drink. We met Tom there who invited us to come over and watch a movie and babysit Aubrey’s children tomorrow night. We agreed and thought it would be nice to bring Sarah along since Thursday is her birthday and she loves kids; also I think we’re going to do pizza and popcorn which everyone loves.
After all this traveling today it was so lovely to crawl onto my Fancy latex foam mattress and fall asleep, it didn’t even bother me tonight that I don’t have a top sheet.
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