Some general updates

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Ghana (my first trip to Africa), and I wanted to thank you for your wonderful guide. One thing I was taken aback by was that it seems to be a standard practice for people to ask for donations if you go into a village. This is done with more and less grace from place to place, but I would have appreciated it if there had been a callout box or something in the book about that.

Back in Accra, we stayed at the Blue Royal. I guess you pay for the location. We couldn’t believe that that place cost the same as the Afia, which is far nicer, if not as central. The desk clerks were also unbelievably rude and indifferent.

We travelled with a guide from EasyTrack tours. I can’t recommend them highly enough. They were responsive, very pleasant, and our guide was wonderful. It was very expensive, but bring first-timers, it felt well worth it. We felt very fortunate that whenever we saw something and were curious about it, he was there to explain and translate. Also, there’s no way we would have been able to navigate the roads with anything approaching his competence. (Again, never having been to a country quite like Ghana, we were taken aback at how almost nothing was signposted and the general chaos of people’s driving style.)

So,  I’m not sure how EasyTrack compares to other operators, but they have the distinct advantage of offering payment through PayPal so that you don’t have to carry massive amounts of cash with you everywhere.

Kei

Bribery & driving in Ghana

I love your Ghana guide, which is my bible as I’m here for an 18-month job .  However, the situation vis a vis bribery is not quite as benign as you describe on pp.85-86, 2009 edition.  I work for a US-funded project that is trying, among other things, to reduce the incidence of bribery along intra-regional (West Africa) trade routes.  It’s pandemic.  And at the individual level in Accra…

My first day driving, I was stopped by a policeman when I inadvertently went through a red light (never mind that the taxis do it all too often and the motos more often than that).  I was in the wrong, no question.  But the policeman asked to get in my car, which I let him do, not knowing “the rules”.  Mistake.  He said if I gave him 20 cedis ($14.00, but still outrageous) he wouldn’t arrest me, which would cost a lot more (true).  I told him it was illegal but gave it to him anyway, and he asked for 10 more, which I refused. Threats of “arrest”
and then being asked for $ are fairly commonplace.  You shouldn’t break traffic laws, of course, but you should also know that if you do, the police are on foot and aren’t going to be able to do much.  Drive away and DON’T pay them.

Again, many thanks for all  your and your colleagues’ invaluable advice (I also used Bradt when I was posted in Rwanda).  I talk more about the car culture in Ghana — as well as other aspects — in my blog, http://grammyinghana.blogspot.com.

Regards,
PL