Alarm goes off at 4am. Lying there waking up, and after 5 minutes, suddenly the lights come on. It looks like they've been out all night. Got all packed up and ready.

We loaded up and headed off to Accra. In Have, Gameli saw a friend on the road, so we picked him up. A few minutes later he saw another friend, and we picked him up also. That made 5 in the back seat, and it looked pretty tight!

We made it to BusyInternet and just a few minutes ahead of Salihou who traveled all the way to see me off. We all checked e-mail and had BusyInternet's version of the classic Ghanaian dish 'Redred'.

The next stop was the art center to pick up last minute things. It can be fairly intimidating to the uninitiated. Sellers all begging you to see their wares. I had plenty of negotiaters helping me, so for me it wasn't as costly as it could have been :-)

After that, we visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Tomb and museum. He is the man primarly responsible for Ghana's independance, the first West African nation to do so. He was also active in Guinea, and helped other nations in their quest for independance. Many pictures taken.

Emmanuel inside the Memorial structure

Next we visited an out of the way hamlet, Akuma Village www.akumavillage.com. It looked inviting, overlooking the Accra beach. There are carvers, drum and dance lessons, and accomodations with a Rasta feel.

The next stop was one of the central street markets in Accra. An intense scene, and this was a low time since Christmas is now over. Gameli was taking me all over looking for last minute things I wanted. I am so appreciative of Ghanaian hospitality!

Now it is time for the airport. I was worried about the weight of my containers, so Gameli took us to a freight terminal, and I put my containers on a load of vegetables and determined that my checked baggage would be fine, but due to liquid containers in my carry on, that could be an issue. So, a little repacking, and it turned out everything would be fine.

First I needed to check in and send off my containers. Gameli was able to come in with me after 'tipping' the officials :-) So comforting having someone assisting since airports can be somewhat stressful.

Gameli was also able to wait with me before the security point for some time, and then it was time for the last goodby. I am already missing Africa, and I've not even left yet.

The journey started off pleasant enough. In Amsterdam, I had an English breakfast in a very smoky resturant while charging batteries.