Sowing the cedis of my own destruction

Thursday night was Romeo's birthday. So we all went down to Osu, to watch part of the football match at the bar (Russia v. Spain), and have some drinks before heading to a popular (with the expat crowd) Italian place called Mamma Mia's. Had my first Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (which is bottled in Accra, combining the original Guiness formula with some Ghanaian ingredients) as well--it was really good and surprisingly refreshing (better than the Star). It had the full, characteristic bitterness of a stout but it was not too strong like an ale. And tasted pretty good. Will have to try it again sometime.

Mamma Mia's was great, though it was definitely Western food--at Western prices. Had some rather tasty spaghetti bolognese (in West Africa, who would've thought?) that definitely hit the spot. Most people ordered some of the famous pizzas at the place, and I think all were pleasantly satisfied. This place also had the cleanest washrooms in Ghana. No doubt. We also got Romeo a nice almond tart that the restaurant fitted out with a candle and singing, etc. Good stuff. We even got to meet the owner (an Italian expat) who was really cool and showed everyone else to a nice club/bar afterwards to further celebrate Romeo's birthday. However, I had to be up early today (Friday) to go to Tema to recover my surveys, so I decided to take a taxi back to the University by myself. It was around 11.15 pm.

And so began the taxi ride where I almost died.

First off, I picked up this cab in front of Mamma Mia, and the owner said that he "knew all these guys (the drivers)" and that they were good. So, although I was a little surprised when the cabbie asked for only 3 cedis to get to Legon, I figured it was cool because he knew the owner.

Definitely wrong about that one.

First off, this guy started asking me for directions. Now the University of Ghana is pretty well known (read: it's the only good university in Ghana) and just about everyone knows where it is and knows a dozen ways of getting there. So I told him drive up Cantonments and get onto Liberation Road, which is one of Accra's main thoroughfares. But he starts driving DOWN Cantonments and further into Accra, and doesn't seem to understand what "Turn around! ... Turn around now! ... Turn around here! ... Turn this damn cab around!" means. This guy was utterly lost. Then started turning down some other street before finally going the right direction on Cantonments. But by this time I'd had enough and decide it's time to bail. Yes, in the middle of the night. In an African city.

I tell the guy I'm getting out. And so starts the shouting match. I think there are certain phrases in Twi that I'll need to pick up that shouldn't be elaborated here. But this guy was pretty adamant that he'd take me to Legon if I'd give him the directions. Now I could do that if I had to, but I really would rather not have to deal with a non-responsive (to directions) cabbie in the middle of the night. At this point he demands to know how much money I'll give him (it sounds like a holdup, but it really wasn't ... it was for "wasting" his time), so I'm like "one cedi!". He demands 2, but I basically throw one at him and tell him to F off and jump out of the cab. Which sounds cool, but it was only moving at like 2 mph. Luckily there were other people around so if it actually had come to fisticuffs I could've drawn plenty of attention. But anyways he drove off, and I was able to find another cab that actually knew the way to Legon.

Definitely one of my most absurd experiences. Probably should've just gone clubbing. Oh my freaking Ghana.