roadside vegetables

so i haven’t had too much time to be a tourist in ghana.  most of my days have been tied up in interviews and background reading, or stuck in a car on the way to meet with some government official.  the car rides have afforded me a welcome glimpse of the ghanaian countryside – palm trees and banana plantations in the south, open savannah in the north.  it’s tricky to take pictures from a moving vehicle, but my driver likes to stop to buy vegetables from roadside stands.  each time he stops, i get out and take a few photos.  i give you: still life with roadside vegetables.

the view from the road is rather scenic once you’re out of the city.  too bad i don’t have time to visit the parks or hang out in the village.  traveling by car is pleasant, but it makes me feel removed from everything.  i remember in rwanda i used to deride those aid workers who traveled around in land cruisers – now i’m one of them.  i peer through the windows, hidden behind sunglasses and the undp logo on the car door.  i am not squished into a minibus, shoulder to shoulder, sweating in the heat, with chickens and babies and bags of rice crammed in the back.  and i miss it.  who would have thought i’d miss that?

~ by aliciawolcott on January 22, 2011.