Shopping: Not Your Typical Grocery Store

Consider this: you're strolling along the aisles of your local supermarket, studying the numerous sauces, gleaming fruit, and packaged meats. Fluorescent lights twinkle overhead, and you're listening to quiet, monotonous music. Sounds familiar? Like an average grocery shopping trip? Fortunately, this isn't Ghana's only shopping experience. Markets in Accra and Kumasi will meet you with a hearty dose of bustle and color. You'll discover dried fish from the Atlantic, magnificent ripe mangoes and luscious pineapples, the vibrant colors of West African clothes, and the melodious tones of people speaking in Twi and Ga.

In other markets, such as the Art Market, which is located adjacent to the tomb of Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, merchants rush in and grab visitors, guiding them to their numerous stalls, which include things like hand-carved drums, figurines of fertility goddesses, and beads.

Choose your own price. Other sellers wait excitedly at the entrances to steal you away to their booths. Knowing how to negotiate is vital in these marketplaces, unlike at home. A good rule of thumb is to start at one-third of the original price and work your way up to half of whatever you want to buy. Most of the time, the merchant will cooperate. If the price isn't right for you, it's magnificent to walk away-in fact, doing so may compel the dealer to sell you the item. This is one of the things about Ghana you should know if you want to shopping in this country.

Note! If the dealer does not come after you, your asking price is most likely absurdly low.