On the 4th of July around 4:30pm, my quest for adventure started when I sent my last tweet to my
telling my followers that I had closed from school and it was time to go home...I met an old schoolmate
Diamond at the Tema station in Accra after Rowland, my classmate dropped me off.
It was a long queue, two buses left and we were still in the queue and the thought of boarding the train
home crossed our minds because the traffic on the road was nothing to write home about.
We walked all the way from the Tema station through TUDU to the Train Station in Accra. It was quite
an adventurous walk: walking through moving cars and people, i noticed the pedestrians had taken half
of the road. The filth alone was heart breaking as i saw people queuing to buy food close to these filthy
places, with the policemen&women busily directing traffic...
We found ourselves at the Train Station and I couldn't believe what I saw; the place was such a mess.
May be its because of the down-pour the previous night.
We bought our tickets of GH1.00, walked through an all human security check point: only God knows
what they were checking...
I was shocked to see the Red-Gold-Green painted train that I have been so anxious to get on.
I got on the train and all the seats were virtually taken with peoples bags and tickets lying on the seats
which certain passengers used to reserve their seats while they were no where to be found.
A concerned passenger told us to sit anywhere whether the seats have been reserved or not which
surprisingly turned into a hot quarrel..you don't mess with the Accra market women. Apparently, we
had to stand on the train.
Thinking that the drama was over, I peeped through the window and saw another nerve racking but
serious row going on there. This time round, the argument and story was between a drunk guy and a
down syndrome-woman. Apparently, she had pooped in the open i.e very close to the urinal where
everyone could see so the drunk guy was actually driving this mentally-ill woman with a stick to go
and clear it up...
Personally I felt what the down syndrome-woman did was unpleasant, but the drunk guy pushing and
driving here with a stick to go and clear it up was another thing. Honestly I couldn't judge who was
doing the right thing.
Before I realized passengers on the train were throwing insults at the drunk guy as in why should he be
maltreating or hitting a mentally-ill woman..I realized everyone was sympathizing with the mentally-ill
woman and didn't understand why the guy was trying to get her to clear the poop...lmao
The drama went on and on until it was 5:30pm when the train left Accra and I couldn't believe the
interesting things I saw along the railway.
Among the this I saw were, little children with half or no clothes on, running around and chasing the
train as it passed by. I also saw people rearing cattle on a free-range, urinals situated in stagnant water,
people living in slums with filth, no proper drainage systems, improper disposal of refuse i.e. right in
front of houses or kiosks in which people lived as they were busily preparing dinner in the open.
Honestly I was really amazed at the things I saw...the funniest part of it was when we saw a guy taking
his bath in a wooden structure by the railway which could have perfectly complemented the 'Vaniado
Commercial on TV' about bath tubs..lol... I saw churches with funny names like 'House Of Prayer
Chapel'..etc
It was a fun trip I must confess because I kept asking my friends “ so, have I been missing all this
drama all this while...?”
Finally we got to a stop where lots of passengers alighted and we finally got empty seats to relax on
on...
We got to Tema very early and tired but i was quite an interesting ride home...when we got to the last
stop at Meridian in Tema, my friends and I got off the train and as we were taking some pictures a
policeman approached us asking if we were students, we answered him that we were and he told us not
to pay the train fair the next time we get on board because it is free for students...that was a good tip he
gave us...but umm that means I have to take my student ID card with me anytime I want to board the
train...anyway...!!
We walked through the dark bushes and some junkies till we got to the streets to pick a cab to our
various homes...!!
The railway system in Ghana has just been revived so I do not blame anyone for all these
inconveniences but I strongly suggest something is done about the ticketing,the sanitation at the various
train stations, seating arrangements on the train but i must say this is what makes Accra and I am proud
of my country and proud to be a Ghanaian....
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