December 2010

Stacy Lyn wanted to dispel the post-Christmas blues. So we, her Traveling Socks, suggested some travel. Hey – we may be just a pair of Socks, but we get the blues, too, you know!

Accra, Ghana (only a four-hour drive from Lomé, Togo) promised luxury, rest, and different scenery. So that’s where we decided to go.

Getting there, however, is not luxurious or restful. Travel around West Africa never is. The “roads” are dotted with villages, which more often than not, spill over into the street, making passing through difficult.

Livestock have the right of way, and we – the lowly vehicle occupants – had to wait our turn for the use of the road.

But once we passed through the crowded villages, a peaceful hush descended upon us. The road was still riddled with potholes – when it was paved, which oftentimes it was not. But this was ok with us because it forced us to slow down and enjoy the sights – like the ubiquitous red sand…

…and children just moseying along the road, heading towards we-did-not- know-where. Maybe this boy was going to visit his grandmother; such a sweet boy he is. Or maybe he is skipping school; such a wayward child he is.

A plethora of pottery was showcased on the side of the highway. A precarious location for such delicate wares, we thought. But clay pots were not the only particulars resting on the side of the road.

Some souls lay in eternal repose there. Though we Socks could not imagine such a site to be restful. We found it to be a most unfortunate place to lie in perpetuity.

This is more like the quiet for which we were searching: a lonesome fisherman on his hand-crafted pirogue who waited patiently for fish to bite as the sun created a haze over all…

…and an unattended vegetable stand alongside the road with no evidence of human life anywhere.

And then we arrived in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Stacy Lyn checked into an air-conditioned hotel – aaahhhh! – with the most unusual artwork sitting in a corner of the lobby.

Time to frolic!

The pool promised fun galore – until the hotel staff covered it with a makeshift dance floor for the New Year’s Eve party.

Stacy Lyn showed us off here at an American-style sports bar. There they served typical American food, like nachos – Stacy Lyn’s favorite appetizer.

The weekend passed all too quickly, of course. And when all was said and done, the restful days spent in the capital city were less memorable than the strange and interesting sights we saw along the way. Oftentimes it really is the journey and not the destination that adds spice to life, though this is not always apparent except in hindsight.