Market

A shoe vendor


Snach shop


Cloth shop

The market experience here is an interesting one. The first thing that greats you when you step off of the tro tro is the smell of open sewers, and street vendors trying to get you to buy anything from plantain chips to shoes or nail polish. Once you make it to the market you are faced with crowds of people and vendors tugging on your arm or calling out Abronie (white one) trying to get you to look at their merchandise. Once you do find something that you like you then have to barter with the seller to try to get a good price…now that’s when it gets tricky especially if you don’t know how much the item should really be. Some merchants will try to charge you way over and you have to talk them down to sometimes less than half of what they are asking for. But then there are those who don’t try to rip you off but it is still culture to at least try to bargain with them so you offer then a Cedi or two less then what they are asking and usually end up meeting them halfway. I have learned after being here for some time that it truly pays to be able to speak a little Twi. If you greet them in Twi and exchange a few words it’s like your friends for life and they will give you great deals on just about anything you want. Now I have never been brave enough to take pictures in the market because I had a guy tell me about getting arrested when he tried to take a picture of a Yam and had to pay $100 American dollars just to get his camera back. Well my housemate is much braver and so I finally got some pictures of the market.

For more pictures check out: http://picasaweb.google.com/Sweet2thaT