What Would You Do for a BLT?

In Lawra, there is definitely a shortage of recognizable meat. One of my stand bys has been bacon, which is unheard of where I live. "Bacon, what is that?" "It is pig meat." "Oh!" Bacan can be used for so many things.But, my favorite is a good BLT sandwich. Since I had been so sick and also busy during Christmas and new Year's Day, I decided to take a few days and go to Tamale. In Tamale, I could get BACON and an excellent BLT sub. 

So, on Tuesday, I got up at 3:30 am to prepare, leaving my house at 4:10. I walked to the station and boarded Yaro's tro tro. We made it to Wa in time for me to board the new Metro Mass Transport bus which was headed to Tamale. We should have arrived by noon. Notice I said, "should have." Yes, it was a new bus. Bright, cheerful, with air con. Yet, a half hour into our journey it glided to a halt. The warning beeping started...the annoying noise that lets you know something is wrong. The driver got out to check on the problem. He couldn't find it. So, he called for a mechanic. Over an hour and a half later, the mechanic arrived, no tools, just holding on to a piece of wire. He tried and tried to find the problem and fix it. An electrician was called. But, wait, the mechanic fixed it! The motor was running...two and a half hours on the side of the road. We started moving. Then, after about three minutes, we stopped again. But, this time, no annoying warning sounds. We were waiting for the driver. Apparently, he went somewhere as we waited on the roadside. Twenty minutes later, he arrived, got on the bus and pulled out. We were now on our way to Tamale and my BLT sub. 

Finally, at 3:00 pm, in front of me sat a most delicious BLT sub. Mmmm...heaven on earth. You now know what I would do for a BLT. What would you do?

Bus Travel the Metro Mass Transit Way

 

 

When I travel in Ghana, it is usually on public transport. I love living in Lawra, but, it is not the easiest place to travel to or from. When I need to travel ANYWHERE except Wa, the day begins long before the sun comes up. I leave my house at 3:30 in the morning, carrying my baggage to the bus "station" in downtown Lawra so I can get a seat on the Metro Mass Transit bus going to my destination . Some mornings the bats are swooping down as I walk, sometimes not. Once, I walked through a torrential deluge. Needless to say, I was soaked way before I entered the bus.

Once on the bus, I look for an empty seat and settle in for the duration. It is comfortable at first, the sun is not up, so the heat is not yet stifling. We stop many times along the way, picking up passengers and dropping them off.



People bring whatever they can on the bus. Room in the boot is limited, so the aisles are frequently full of all kinds of things: luggage, yams, paint, chickens, Big 50kg bags of rice or produce...When we have a rest stop, it is challenging to make it to the door. The facilities at the rest stop are usually behind a building, parked vehicle, tree or some other vegetation. But, that is not always the case. Once in a while, there is actually a urinal or maybe just an open space where I take my cues from other women on the bus. The rest areas that I am used to as an American, are not even a dream here. (That is why I quit drinking most everything 6-8 hours before I travel.)



 

 When it is raining, one has to be careful. If you have a window seat, you most likely will get wet. Once, I was on a bus where the water came up through the floor every time we went through any size of a puddle of water. It made for an interesting ride!

After a long day of heat, dust and bumpy roads, my destination is reached. Praise God! In the midst of  a smooth or bumpy ride, heat or rain, break downs or not, I have always reached my journey's end safely. Metro Mass Transit...Moving the Nation!