Next stop, Kumasi - the second largest city in Ghana (1.5 million) and very clean, vibrant, and enjoyable. While there is much to do here and traditional Kente weaving, begun in the 12th century, is nearby, 
we only had one full day and spent it all at the Kumasi Central Market. It is the reputedly the largest open air market in Africa so we were very happy to have a guide.Comfort ( our guide - contact her through Four Villages Inn, an excellent B&B - http://www.fourvillages.com/ ) grew up at the market and seems to know about 9,000 of the 10,000 market women there (5,000 of whom told her I must have African blood because I have an African butt).
She first took us to the top of a four story building which houses the market offices and a couple outhouses (on the roof!? and very scary - I "held" it). We we looked over the entire market from above. This was good because we would never have appreciated its scale from the ground. Imagine being a mouse in a 1200 acre maze. I think there are still some tourists wandering around lost in there since 1998.
One feature of our tour was the funeral section of the market. Yes, there are entire aisles dedicated only to funeral apparel, supplies, and gifts. Different outfits are worn to the funeral, burial, and memorial service (which could be on a future annual anniversary of the death). Women wear three pieces of fabric - one wrapped as a skirt, one wrapped as a blouse with one bare shoulder (Comfort and Leslie have their normal shirts on under their demo apparel), and one wrapped around the head. There are also funeral shoes (not that 
Leslie's sneakers don't add a nice touch), sashes in tribal weave to be tied around the waist (although no one sees them), and so much more! Close family members wear black with a lot of red and red-based prints - others wear mostly black or black-based prints. Black and white patterns are for memorial services.Funerals are very expensive with top of the line sound systems turned up beyond their technical limits to the point of vibrating speakers and eardrums. As such, it is traditional for attendees to bring a gift or money to defray costs. The funeral aisle at the market had quite a selection of gift baskets. Year's supply of matches anyone? Got enough toilet paper?
There are some who believe all this has gone overboard and funerals are now exploited as money-making opportunities for the family of the deceased. Everybody and their brother is invited and I have heard stories of the body being shipped to a cold-storage facility for three months to allow for a funeral at a future date so more family members, friends, and acquaintences could make time to attend. If they have time to visit the funeral aisle at the market, so much the better!We also bought Kente cloth, beautifully woven. It comes in a three piece set for ladies or a two piece set for men and is donned in the same way as the three piece (or two piece) funeral outfits - but is only worn on very special ceremonial occasions. We couldn't decide what we would do with it, so we got a three piece set in Christmas colors and intend to make a tablecloth, which I'm sure will violate all sense of respect and decorum regarding the use of this traditionally royal fabric. Nevertheless, as I will be unlikely to wear it in the traditional skirt, "blouse", headdress manner, I am convincing myself the weavers and sellers, if not the culture police, would prefer I spend my 60 cedis on fabric to be used as a tablecloth than not buy anything at all.
The remainder of our purchases included batik fabric, some beads and carvings, and a few other gift items. Pam was tempted by the jawbone of a cow, which we were told makes a nice soup and becomes soft again when boiled long enough. In the end, she settled for a photo. Same with the snails, which are hunted at night with flashlights. That is a 5 pesewa coin beside them, which is about the size of a dime. The snails are quite large. They are alive and are sprinkled with water. If they try to climb out of their shells (one was sitting on top of it's shell), they are sent back into hiding by being whacked on the head by the market
women. Market Women is a term commonly used in Ghana to describe this group of workers, in much the same way we might use the terms "auto workers" or "mail carriers". With many shared concerns, they are a force to be reckoned with and there was much talk of their thoughts and needs during the recent political campaigns.Ah, but I digress. Pam did buy a couple snail shells. They have a very pretty pink edge, but may have been stinking up her suitcase by the end. I think she gave them to Leslie to carry home since Pam is going on to India. Next on Mysteries of the World - will the snail shells make it home or will the smell make Leslie dump them? Hmmm...
XO
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