It’s been raining and raining as I’ve talked about before and it rained last night as I was leaving in my taxi. The normally crowded but OK road that you would take to get there was jammed..my taxi driver Joseph decided to take a short cut. This route which took an hour and a half (but normally should have taken less than 30 mins) was truly unbelievable . We wove through neighborhoods on muddy roads with huge potholes that scraped the underneath of the car. We did all of the things you aren’t supposed to do-drive through standing water, drive on the left hand side of the road, drive on bushes and driveways And on unlit roads…many times the water level was half way to the door handle, our tires spun in the mud…. I was sure we were going to break down. I figured that Joseph would somehow get me home …but I would be sad to miss bowling. Well the King Pin Gods must have been looking down on us because we made it!I met my 4 friends (Rebecca and 3 researchers-Drew, Karen and Jenn) and immediately had a STAR beer to unwind from the trip! We ate in a lovely restaurant.
There were probably 20-25 tables, all beautifully set, all completely empty. We had pizza although it also had a full Chinese menu. (There was definitely a Chinese ‘theme’ to this place.) There were 5 of us, a waitstaff of 5, a full bar and a bartender. After dinner we walked into the bowling alley from the restaurant. There were 10 lanes (fairly new) and they were all empty. There were 2 Ghanaians playing pool in the back. There were 5 or 6 ‘helpers’, a bartender (full bar), and a shoe lady. Off of the bowling alley was a huge (empty) room full of games a la Dave and Busters and I think some slot machines. There was an attendant in that room. We figured we had a 3-1 ratio of employees to customers ;)
The staff looked overjoyed to have someone there. We got our shoes from the shoe lady (the sizes on the shoes had nothing to do with our actual shoe sizes) and she gave us ‘disposable socks’. 
The ‘helpers’ got our balls for us, brought us drinks and then positioned themselves behind us (sort of at attention) and cheered for each of us as we bowled. They applauded and smiled when we made a good shot. 
The actual bowling was fun and interesting. Each time you bowled the ball came back with a brown oily film (from the machines) and the pins often randomly fell down. 
The scores were electronically recorded and there were little animated Chinese videos if you got a strike or a spare that usually involved the bowling ball attacking the pins with military weapons. 
We decided we were bowling for the ‘Fulbright Cup’. Unfortunately I lost this great honor and came in second to Rebecca. The staff was sorry to see us go. I wondered what they would have done if we hadn’t come…I’m not sure bowling has really taken off in Ghana yet but it was great to have a little taste of home!
2 comments:
Ahhh, your first introduction to the Bush Road. And you lived to tell the tale! Ayekoo!
I'm glad you had the guts to try the bowling alley out. Sounds like a lot of fun. Will have to plan a summer outing there for me and the kidlets.
Barb
Thanks for "checking out" the bowling alley! Coming from Milwaukee, you had to guess that when I heard there were lanes in town I was thrilled. Now all we need is a sheepshead league (google it if you're not sure) and I'm set!
Post a Comment