A Tro Tro Adventure

A typical type of public transportation here in Ghana is the "tro tro." A tro tro is a van that has enough seats to accommodate about 20 people. So, early this morning, a friend and I got on a tro tro headed fo Wa. It was a pleasant 2 hour trip. It wasn't too crowded, only about 18 people. But, on the way back, it was another story. The tro tro had seats for 20. Theoretically, by law, everyone must have a seat. There were at least 25 people, plus their purchases. The windows were held together with tape and you could feel every bump and stone in the road. Even though it was a bit crowded, it wasn't too bad. About 4 kilometers from Lawra, the tro tro pulls over. The driver talks to a bunch of people on the road, then, tells everyone to get out of the tro tro. He then loads up with all these other people. They paid him well to take them & their stuff to the river. They were planning to enter the bordering country illegally. And, there we were, sitting under a mango tree. We ended up getting a ride to Lawra from a friend of my friend. My friend reported the driver to the police. When the tro tro finally made it to Lawra, with it's original passengers, the police went after the driver. The driver knew he was at fault and took off, leaving a trail of dust...just another typical Ghanaian day!