Happy greetings from Accra!
I came for a few weeks trip to Ghana and have already came across so many exciting topics to write about in this blog! Ghana is such an inspiring environment!
At the moment, I'm visiting my Finnish friend Eeva who has lived in the capital of Ghana, Accra, for years. It's early Saturday evening and I feel pretty lucky blogging in her peaceful balcony, sipping fresh coffee and listening to people singing and drumming in a church nearby.
I spent the start of this week in Takoradi city in the Western Region, truly enjoying the timeless life on the city's beautiful beaches and breezy, green hills surrounding the city center.
Last night I planned having a cold beer in one of the street bars in Osu, Accra but ooooops... I accidentally fell asleep for good FIVE HOURS. The weather had got really stormy during my sleep so no wonder I had such a good and long nap! There's nothing better than sleeping with the sounds and the smell of the rain, feeling that cool wind blowing in through the window (note: normally the temperature is around 28 - 30 celsius degrees even in the evening time). So, no beer for Hanna last night but I might try again tonight!
And this morning we planned spending a sunny day at Labadi Beach Hotel poolside with Eeva but just after having our delicious breakfast and getting ready to leave the house, it started raining cats and dogs again. The rains here tend to come out of nowhere, lasting for a while, and then passing by as fast as they come, so we decided to wait a little before giving up on our plans. The sky stayed dark and we made our minds to visit a couple of cute little shops in Osu instead:
1. Tree of Life - Ghanaian natural beauty products
This little gem is located in 6th Street, Osu, and there's another, original Tree of Life boutique in Dworzulu.
The shop's selection includes different organic food ingredients e.g. nuts, chia seeds, moringa and baobab powder, cocoa butter, coconut oil, honey and a variety of exotic tea blends. Additionally, there are super lovely beauty products for pampering the hair and skin, like essential oils with mint, lemon grass, tea tree etc, whipped shea butter with cotton, orange and charcoal, exfoliating gels, black shampoo and much more!
"These high-quality products are Fairtrade and beautifully packaged. I'm in love."
The staff here is friendly and happy to assist whenever requested. The products are obviously more expensive than similar type of stuff sold in the local markets, but the Tree of Life products equally offer new twist and lux for the lovers of natural cosmetics. The product prices range from 20 to 80 Ghs.
2. Global Mamas - Fairtrade handcrafts made by Ghanaian women
This shop is a bit hidden in a fenced garden alongside Adjoate Street, behind Koala Supermarket in Osu. However, there are several sign boards around to help find the place. Global Mamas is a community established in 2003. The core idea of the community is to empower, create jobs and generate income for low-income women with traditional handcraft and arts skills, and to support these women to take care of their families, health, their children's school fees and secure their future.
All the products in the shop are currently produced in 9 different Ghanaian communities by almost 600 women! You'll find introductions of the mama's and their handcrafts here.
You can get batik clothes for ladies, men and children, recycled bead jewelry, bags, shea butter, games, books and all kinds of cute little things from this wonderful boutique! I found something nice for myself too.. :)
Burgers, snacks, smoothies, cocktails, desserts...
Nana, the restaurant manager recommends the Smoky Joe burger and Purple Rain cocktail for us with his three years of experience here. However, we end up ordering Crispy Chicken with Nachos with Eeva and well.. just look at the picture below and you'll get an idea of how delicious it was! Hmmmh! There's a really nice atmosphere in this restaurant. It's neat and relaxed, a place to be when you crave some upgraded junk food!
There are tables indoors and outdoors, and there's a live house band, Jollof Balz, performing in the restaurant garden every Friday night. On Sunday afternoons the place turns into a child-friendly hang-out eatery with play and games plus there's even nannies around to give a tasty break for the parents.
Burger N Relish is open from Sunday to Thursday 12pm-23pm and on Fridays and Saturdays 12pm - 1am. The restaurant garden can be rent out for private occasions as well.
I highly recommend anyone visiting Accra to pop in to these cool places. More gems to be revealed in the next blog post!
Br,
Hanna