Waiting for us on the dock with our luggage in place was Sam in his red Ford van. Sam's van was significantly smaller than the 20+ passenger bus we used the first two days in Accra, but it was perfect. Barbara rode shotgun; I shared the second seat with Mensah and was able to elevate my foot by placing it on the cooler below the center console; Paula and Didi sat on the third seat, and Valerie was able to elevate her foot on Barry in the 4 seat.
Sam is Ewe (Didi's people) from the Central region of Ghana and drives part time for Sunseekers Tours and he could really handle a vehicle! He drove us with confidence and sometimes at speeds that made even me, who loves speed on the highway, to reach for my seatbelt!
The roads in Ghana get a mixed rating. Sam, however expertly negotiated the many potholes, bumpy unpaved clay roads and highways. He added information to Mensah's narrative; helped negotiate deals with merchants and of course was always there with a helping hand.
A race of sort developed between Sam and Frank, the driver for the group with whom we hitched a ride. Invariably that group's departure time was an hour later than ours. Yet, out of the blue, Frank would over take and pass us.
Hand signals from taxi drivers on the road let indicated whether it was safe to pass or not, whether there was a round -about ahead, if police were present and whether to slow down. Mensah said these signals are mostly still used by older drivers (we'll talk about his concept of what older means later).
Two challenging incidences for Sam were provoked by the police, actually the highway patrol. He was cool and unruffled each time.
On the highway as we made our way to Kumasi, we were passed by Frank and suspected that another tag competition had begun. What had been sparse traffic, began backing up and finally slowed to a standstill a couple of miles down the highway. Vehicles were parked along the side of the road and at least a hundred people were on both sides of the highway. Traffic from both directions was stopped. To the right just ahead was a firetruck on its side just at the edge of a grassy area. Mensah jumped out of the van to survey the situation and after speaking with one of the officials, waved Sam around the stopped line of vehicles. He adeptly maneuvered our van into the oncoming lane and passed not more than five vehicles, when a crowd of shouting , some angrily shaking their fists approached the van. I was more than a little concerned!
A tall, muscular mocha-skinned man whose scowl contorted his otherwise handsome face walked over to the van and shouted: "What do you think you're doing, do you want a slap? I'll take you out of that van and slap you. Where do you think you're going??" The military-style uniform in which he was dressed probably gave him the authority to do just that! He continued to shout and motioned Sam to back the van up to the back of the line, which by this time must have extended more than a mile. Sam kept his cool, backed the van into the space we originally left then got out to go over and talk with some of the men who seemed so upset.
After about 15 minutes the traffic slowly began to move forward. Both Sam and Mensah returned and explained that there had been a terrible accident about an hour earlier . Three people had lost their lives. As we move forward, the wreckage of the firetruck, which has apparently fishtailed on the wet highway en route to the accident site, was a battered mess lying in the ditch to our right. Two other vehicles stood mangled beyond belief; both cabs were flattened and twisted like a pressed accordion. We observed a moment of silence.
Sam further explained the crowds anger. They felt he was being disrespectful and trying to rush through this place where three people had just lost their lives. Yet, it was a uniformed authority who had originally given the clearance for the van to pass.
The other incidence also involved the police at the entrance of Kankun National Preserve. We were stopped at the entrance and directed to pull over. Sam was asked for his license and immediately complied by producing a photo copy, explaining that the original was in another vehicle. He was ordered out of the van, but in a few moments we were on our way. These authorities were responsible for ensuring that poaching and taking wood from the forest did not occur, yet they sometimes expand their power. But, a little 'dash' goes a long way. (dash=cash)
It was interesting to later learn Sam and Mensah worked together for the first time during our tour. Together they were dynamic -always had each others back!
