Our first full weekend in Accra

We arrived here on the evening of August 24th, thus this past weekend was our first full one in Accra. Knowing that we were both going to start back to work full time on Monday, we decided that we should get out as much as we could. This was quite acceptable to me now that I work from home, so any chance to get out of the apartment will likely be welcomed.

Friday evening, we decided to walk a few blocks to a restaurant called Firefly Lounge. We found it online and noticed it got pretty good reviews. We had actually tried to go there a few days before but it was closed for some unknown reason (first obligatory use of #thisisafrica). We walked in and were the only people there, though a few trickled in while we were there. It surprised us that we were the only folk out and about as it was about 7:30 and we expected the after work/happy hour people to be out in full force. We decided to try somewhere else, ending up at an Italian place called Bella Roma. Again, very few people out and by now it was close to 8:30 or 9. We had some wine and shared bruschetta and a pizza. Decided we'd try one more spot before calling it a night. Off we went to Shisha Lounge (photo below). Shisha was SLAMMED... packed to the brim with people celebrating, eating and drinking. We had a nightcap and headed home around 11:30 but cars and people were still piling in. Apparently, people go out late in Accra and Shisha is a happenin' place.

photo credit: here

Saturday was a lazier day. We slept in, worked out, and watched some College Gameday and football on the Slingbox (see previous blog post about Slingbox's glory). That evening, our new British friends, Robin and Hannah, texted to meet up. We went to a lovely restaurant called Bistro 22... photo below. We were shocked to see an extensive wine selection and that they actually took reservations. We decided to sit at the bar and chatted over a glass of wine and some appetizers. The guys then decided to take us to another bar. I'll be honest. I have absolutely no clue what the name of this bar is, it was only referred to as "the place with the tower beers". So the four of us went and shared some beers and had a lovely evening.

Bistro 22 - photo credit: here

Sunday brought our last morning of sleeping in, partly due to having to start work the following day and partly due to the previous evening's tower beers. We decided we needed a relaxing day when we were invited to hang out at the pool of a nearby hotel (photo below). A few of the hotels in the area open their pools to the public. They all charge a fee but it's still a nice option to have for a change of scenery. Hannah mentioned that each hotel's pool has a different vibe so we will likely check out others as well. Spending a few hours in the sun by the pool was a nice way to end our weekend and recharge for our first work week here in Ghana.

So far so good! Sunday's post will be a little about some of the lessons we've learned thus far. Stay tuned! (Note: I know I promised apartment photos but we have not yet secured the lease so you'll have to wait just like we will haha)