Shopping Day at the Market.

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Got Onions !

One of the shoe sections of the Bend Down Boutique

I live a 15 minute taxi ride (50 cents) from the largest outdoor produce market in Ghana.  This is the center of the rich and productive farm land of the Brong Ahafo Region.   I went shopping last Friday, the day after the peak market day for buyers from Burkina Faso to the North, Cote D' Ivoire to the West, Togo to the East and from all over Ghana.  You can buy a single onion or a truck load.  Today I bought some onions (bag, half the size of a volley ball, 25 cents) and dried black beans (2 cups, 50 cents) for my dinner of black beans and rice.  

 

Besides produce, the market offers many other items for the shopper.  The "Bend Down Boutique"  can dress you from head to toes in a variety of styles.   Very popular is the wide selection of sports wear, mostly team gear from European football (soccer), but also U.S. hockey, basketball, base ball and some American football shirts.  

 Most items are sold from mats on the ground or from portable kiosks. In addition to the many vegetables and fruits; kitchen ware, woven baskets, dried fish from Lake Volta and the Atlantic, wooden furniture,  a barrel full of assorted remote controls, cell phones, hard ware, beauty aids, toilet articles,  farm tools, palm oil, cloth of all colors and types,  a section of traditional religion stuff (bones, beads, feathers, etc) and much, much more.   This day I even had one offer of marriage.   All prices are negotiable and bargaining is expected .

Tool Man

One of the few shops where all items are marked with the price is this place that sells plywood, nails, screws, glue and a few tools.  During my stay in Ghana, I have purchased many items here.  "Tool man" has taken a real interest in my project to repair school furniture and has become a friend that I stop to visit when I go to the market, even when I don't need anything.   I love walking around a hardware store, but his shop takes no more than 10 seconds.  Still can not help picking up a hammer to feel the weight or looking at his assortment of nails.   His wife took our  picture, the first time she had ever held a camera. She was thrilled.

The twenty two months here has not diminished or dulled the many sensations of walking into this intriguing place of business.