We have not yet had the opportunity to see Accra because the college campus we are staying at is about 40 minutes (depending on traffic) from the city center. I have enjoyed being in one, enclosed, safe place but I am getting a little bit restless to get a better look at what life is like in Ghana. Just in the nick of time, the professors that we have been working with invited us out to dinner in the city tonight. We are going to a restaurant called “Old Bob’s” – sounds questionable but apparently it is delicious. I hope that it is a suitable birthday dinner and that, somehow, they have magically imported a birthday cake from Sweet Lady Jane’s.
2. Even a Star cannot beat a Tusker
Having developed quite the Tusker habit in Nairobi, our waistlines could have probably benefited from a hiatus in Ghana, but as you might have guessed, we will have nothing of it. We quickly discovered the two local lagers, Star and Club. We had a taste test last night in my room over a friendly card game. We can no longer drink (and gossip) in the hotel bar because, in Ghana, all of our participants are in the same hotel as us – so every night will be a mini pajama party. Star came out on top in the taste test but it will never replace my beloved Tusker.
On the topic of beer, we also discovered that Guinness is quite popular here. The small bar downstairs stocks two types of Guinness lager (or we thought they were both lager anyway). On opening night, some of the guests brought their children to dinner. At one point we looked over and saw what looked like an eight year old boy chugging a Guinness. We were relieved when we found out that the Guinness the boy was drinking was “Malta” which is a non-alcoholic malt beverage made by Guinness – thank goodness!
3. You sweat a lot when you run in the jungle
Being on an enclosed college campus, I have finally been able to resume some type of exercise routine. In Nairobi there was a small gym in the hotel with a single bike and treadmill, but it was only open during certain hours of the day, and because I despise the treadmill I only worked out a couple of times. My colleagues and I have run the last two mornings, and although people stare at us like we are crazy, I feel much better now. This morning, we saw two other people running - I got a bit giddy with excitement when I saw them; it seems that we are not alone in the world! Running here is a bit more difficult than at home in Los Angeles because of the intense humidity. After only a couple of miles I was drenched with sweat - that will teach us to run in a jungle!
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