London Bridge

When compiling a list of important travel accessories, one cannot afford to overlook the omniscient travel guide book. So before I left America and all of her great qualities (to include, as I’ve discovered, but not limited to: wine and cheese, quiet time, the GOP) I decided to invest in the gift of knowledge, purchasing the Bradt Ghana travel guide.

Through trial and error I have come to learn that on (nearly every) occasion the narrative of the guidebook is telling only part of the story. It’s as if the author thought it would be clever to withhold information so the reader could experience Ghana in an entirely different way. For example, Bradt informed me that it would cost $5 to participate in the Canopy Walk at Kakum National Park. Bradt forgot to mention the one that precedes the five. $15 and empty pockets later, my cohort and I learned the art of hitch-hiking to the local Barclays ATM.

So when, on a weekend excursion, I read that we were close to London Bridge, I couldn’t resist suggesting a visit. Bradt described the bridge as a rather odd and unimposing little bridge dating to the late 19^th century and appropriately garnished with painted United Jacks and the like – it’s worth crossing if only to have a fruit juice at Baab’s juices. After some discussion as to whether or not the walk in the heat was worth the fruit juice at the end of the bridge, we agreed to take our chances.

Unimposing it was. I didn’t realize I had crossed the bridge until I found myself outside of Baab’s juices (closed for the day). Turning around, I realized that the gutter I had stepped across was, in fact, London Bridge. I can only wonder if the reason Baab’s juices was closed on such a warm afternoon was due to juice junkie’s unwillingness to cross the unimposing little bridge.