Did I sleep? I don‘t know. I heard people talking, a boy crying, a cock crowing, a phone ringing. It is bright now, I sit up and at once Tani gets up and takes the boys outside. After a shower I go outside and finally see where I am. In the courtyard a man is washing clothes, humming a tune. An old woman is sitting in the shadows and two girls are cooking on a fire. They bring me something to eat and then I am occupied with a little boy who follows me everywhere. I don‘t understand a word of what he is saying. Women are coming, sit down on plastic chairs under a tree and chat. Kids who come to buy something from a table put up in front of the house hurry away.
I need to get a ticket to Tamale so Tani calls a brother to pick me up with his motorbike. My first ride on a motorbike is very bumpy. I can‘t see much as my helmet constantly slips over my eyes but I understand what made the car drive a slalom the night before. I can see people walking along the street, carrying basins on their heads, goats and sheep.They are not afraid of the cars and motorbikes rushing past them. There don‘t seem to be any rules for road-users. On the motorbike we overtake cars both on the right and the left side. We ignore the few traffic lights and lines on the road. Somehow, we arrive at the correct office and after some difficulties we get my ticket.
On our way back, I ask for the name of a fruit that is sold on the streets. It is some sort of coconut. The seller chops off the top with a machete and I drink the juice. It feels good.
We get back to Tani‘s place and she takes me to Kokrobite beach where her uncle is building a guesthouse. While we wait for a bus, a car stops and offers us a lift. The driver is coming from church and obviously in a good mood. We change to a Trotro and next to a taxi. How many persons fit in one car? What are the conditions for a car to drive? At each stop, girls crowd around the car to sell food from their heads. I wonder how the driver knows where to stop. I don‘t hear anyone telling where he or she wants to get off and I can‘t see any signs indicating spots as bus stops. Finally we arrive at the beach and I can enjoy the water. It is not actually cool but still a refreshment after the hot and sweaty time in the cars.
I don‘t recognise any places on our way back and have no idea where we are going and just follow Tani. Big advertisements line the streets and I wonder where you can buy these things. We sit in a Trotro, change the car and suddenly I find myself on a market. At least that‘s what I think it is. There is no time to have a look around as I don‘t want to lose Tani. Then I sit in a bus again, squeezed into a backseat. It is dark when we reach Tani‘s place.
Outside in the courtyard it is cooler than in the house. A little breeze makes the heat bearable. Three guys are passing by and stop to have a chat. English of course, some words in French, Spanish and German. Still, it is not easy. Sometimes I am not sure, whether they don‘t talk in their mother tongue.
