Can You See The Beauty?

May 30, 2017 by Roni Filed Under: Accra, Ghana

What do you see when you look at these pictures? I was taken by the colors and the elegance of this Ghanian woman. She was getting her money together and taking care of her business (that box on the rock was on top of her head).

There is something so striking about her that she caught my eye when I was driving by in a taxi. Yes, there is dirt. Yes, there is trash. However, those items pale in comparison to the class that exudes from this woman.

When I see her I see an extremely dedicated and hard working woman doing what she needs to do in order to take care of herself. Not many of us could carry a heavy box on our head filled with goods and stand out in the hot sun all day and look this beautiful.

Look beyond the dirt roads and see the true picture of elegance and grace. Don’t get caught up in the aesthetics but focus on the story unfolding in front of you. When you travel to countries that don’t have as much as you are accustomed to seeing, remember that most of the people you see work harder than you ever will and instead of pity, give them honor.

When you travel, do you try and see the beauty behind the poverty?

Massages In Accra, Ghana

November 9, 2016 by Roni Filed Under: Accra, Ghana, Travel, Western Africa

Don’t you just love massages? I do and I was pleased to find out there are several places to get great massages in Accra, Ghana. We (my mom and I) made our way to Allure for foot massages. We didn’t have an appointment so we had to wait about 30 minutes which passed very quickly and then we were headed for bliss.

Check out those palm trees! They are all around the city.

The next three pics are of the waiting room, don’t you love the purple?

That is my mom’s therapist, she was very nice and my mother was extremely happy with her massage. We were in the same chairs as you sit in when you get a deluxe pedicure, so we had the massage chairs going while we got our feet and legs rubbed.

They wrapped our feet in hot towels after they had massaged them for a little while. The towels felt great. And you can’t get mad at seeing a big screen TV in front of you (even though it was football, I’m totally not into that sport).

The service was good, the ambiance was lovely and the people were friendly. For just walking in off the street I can’t complain at all about anything. They have a wide array of services such as deep tissue massage, swedish massage, hot stone massage, and reflexology, just to name a few. If you are in Accra and want to be pampered, why not try this place?

Do you like getting your feet rubbed?

Bojo Beach In Accra, Ghana

September 15, 2015 by Roni Filed Under: Accra, Africa, Ghana, Western Africa

Bojo Beach

One of the things I loved most about Ghana was the beach. The beaches in Accra were amazing and the water was so clean and warm! These pictures are from Bojo Beach which is about 30 minutes outside of Accra and definitely worth a visit. You have to pay to enter and you can stay all day.

In order to get to the beach you have to cross over a bridge and take a boat. The boat has no motor, a Ghanian man will take you across. Please give him a tip as his job is a strenuous one and it’s very hot in Ghana.

I was in Ghana with my mom, she’s a great traveling companion. We laugh tons and she’s always cracking jokes.

There is a place to get something to eat and drink while you are there but no place to get towels, you need to bring those yourself. Make sure to pack your sunscreen because the sun is extremely strong.

Do you notice how clean the beach is? It’s extremely well kept and it was a pleasure to spend time there. Most people probably don’t think of fabulous beaches when they think of Ghana but the coast of Ghana is filled with lovely beaches. Did you know there were phenomenal beaches in Ghana?

Cleanliness In Ghana

September 7, 2015 by Roni Filed Under: Accra, Africa, Ghana, Roni's Reasons, Western Africa

I was riding in a taxi in Ghana when I spotted this woman on the side of the road. I was constantly looking out of the window because there was so much to see while driving on the streets of Accra. What struck me about this picture was the way she is handling the fruit. Can you see what I see?

The images we normally get from Africa are almost always poverty and pictures of people that are not clean. Or at least the appearance that their situation isn’t a hygienic one. But look at how she is cutting that fruit. She has it on a clean surface, there is plastic around her hands so she doesn’t touch the fruit and I noticed when she bit into the fruit she then took that plastic bag off of her hand and got a new one then started cutting again.

It’s a very small thing but to me it speaks volumes about her and how she was raised. Even though she is selling food on the side of the road there is nothing shameful about the way she is making her money and certainly there is honor in the way she carries herself. A lady is taught to keep things clean around her and this woman exhibited behaviors that showed she is a true lady.

Can you see the towel underneath the fruit and plastic bags? See how the tray behind her on the right is sitting on a clean bench? Even though there is lots of stuff on this table the fact that everything is clean and she is cutting fruit to be sold in an extremely clean manner is beautiful to me.

It’s so important to see past the poverty when you travel. When you do, you will understand that people all around the world no matter what color they are or what continent they live on, have more in common with you that you think.

What types of things do you notice when you travel?

Things To See In Ghana – Jamestown

April 16, 2014 by Roni Filed Under: Accra, Ghana, Travel

Jamestown in Accra, Ghana is one of the poorest sections in the country. You can find out all kind of information about how poor it is and how the people live. In this blog post, however, I want to show you a different side of it.

Yes, there is poverty but the people living in this section of town are elegant, beautiful, and clean. Just because someone lives in poverty doesn’t mean they are anything less than anyone else. This post is filled with pictures and my hope is that you will see the life that’s in them and not focus on the poverty. This is part 1, I’ll post part 2 later.

One of the outfits I packed in my carry-on bag. You can get a similar skirt here.

That’s my mom talking to a resident of Jamestown. She isn’t fond of taking pictures so I figured these two pics would work for her 🙂

Is Africa on your list of continents to visit?

Have you entered my giveaway?

Incredible Ambience Inside A Plane In Accra, Ghana

March 13, 2014 by Roni Filed Under: Accra, Ghana, Rentals, Travel, Western Africa

Check out that tan!

Have you even been inside an airplane that was a restaurant? I hadn’t either until I ate dinner at La Tante DC 10 in Accra, Ghana. It was one of the coolest things I have seen and I hope it isn’t the last time I get to eat inside of an airplane restaurant!

I don’t have much to say about the food as it wasn’t exactly the best meal I have ever had but they get huge cool points for being such a fabulous place. I would recommend getting a drink here while enjoying the ambiance then go somewhere else for dinner.

I took these pics with my cell phone because I was Queen Dork that night and totally forgot my camera at the hotel.

That’s me and my mom. Isn’t she lovely?

I LOVE the purse I was carrying that night. It was handmade for me by Julian of Moruka Designs which was a perfect bag for traveling. Big enough to hold the essentials yet small enough where it wasn’t a pain to carry.

This sign was at the entrance of the restaurant after we walked up a long flight of stairs, pretty funny, don’t you think? I don’t think I was indecent, how about you?