Kumasi

Kumasi calling! I have learnt yet another thing: before you get on the bus, check with the DRIVER that the bus is actually heading for the destination it says on the ticket and even if there is only one bus leaving at that time... Otherwise you risk end up at another destination, say Cape Coast (which was gorgeous with it's sandy white beaches and palm trees...) instead of Kumasi. More concrete: i spent 12 hours on the bus that day, a ride that should have taken 4-5 hours... And on the second (luckily the right) bus i was aggrevatingly listening to some (they managed to squezze in three!!) Nigerian films. For those of you who have never seen any one of these productions, a word of advice, don't. Drama drama screaming drama. On top of it, the bus driver was insane, i was seriously wondering if i would make it. Terrified. At one point i thought the bus would tip over. Normal people would slow down when meeting people or other vehicles, not this one... Hit the accelerator, yihaaaa!!! No need to say, if the same man is driving back, i'm not getting on that bus. Once i arrived in Kumasi, two very sweet receptionists welcomed me and showed me my room where i have stayed for two nights. Yesterday i took a taxi around town, lots of traffic, lots of people, low houses, beautiful cathedral... I wanted out. So after an errand in the city i took another taxi to the National Cultural Centre. I strolled around, bought beautiful african art and a leather bag i couldn't resist, which the nice receptionist at the hotel both approved on:) Good leather apparently. I then went to the internet cafe but after the electricity went out twice i decided to go back to the hotel.
Today i had a meeting in the late morning with a representative from Kuapa Kokoo, the cocoa cooperative! She was very nice and she gave me the history of the cooperative, i asked questions and i found out i can only visit the farms with reps from Kuapa Kokoo. She will look at my questions and get back to me. Hopefully we'll go out next week. But maybe we'll only go once... That came as a surprise. But maybe that's it. I'd like to visit a farm in the south as well that i know is open for tourists. So maybe, good friends, i'll come back earlier than expected. But one thing at the time. This gives me time to see more of this beautiful country.
I have now found a new hotel where i'll be staying tonight. Tomorrow i'd like to go the Univeristy of Kumasi. They have a botanical garden and an archeological site that i think can be worth a visit. Unless i go south again, but i think need more time before i get on that bus again...
I'll tell you of a, to me, odd phenomenon as well. Several people approach me here "wanting to be my friend", at first it was only young men, but yesterday a young and very cute school girl sat down next to me while having lunch. Basically they ask for your phone number, and then they call you. And they call you. And they call you. This morning someone called me at six?! I ignore these phone calls, part from the girl that is. I have learnt my lesson.
This morning i met a very chatty american family from New York in the breakfast room, it was nice though to speak to them about their experiences! For example how we all had woken up early by what appear to have been some christian equivalent to the muslim morning prayer... I woke up at 4.45 by the singing followed by an aggressive speech and then some more singing, they were still going at it by 7.30, when i gave up the attempts of trying to get some more sleep...
I'll see what happends in the next couple of days... Hopefully i'll visit the cocoa farmers soon...
Take care and many hugs!