Sachets of Things!

One of many things that I love about Ghana is the ability to purchase certain items from any given location.

Picture this: you are in car or tro tro and stop at a traffic light, more probable in a traffic jam, and find yourself dying of thrust from the hot Ghanaian sun. An easy fix is to simply get the attention of one of the sellers by hissing and they will come to your window and sell you a sachets of ice cold pure water from a container on top of their head. Price: 10 pesewas (about 5 cents), Experience: Priceless!

Water Sachets:
If you can't find a water sachet from the top of someone's head, another key indicator is to look for a blue or brown cooler on the side of the street as they are sold on almost every block. I find this very convenient because I don't like carrying around a water bottle plus, by the time I am ready to drink the water from the bottle it is too warm. Sachets waters are conveniently sold in 500mL bags and all you do rip into one of the corners with your teeth and down it back.

Ice Cream Sachets:
The FanMilk company sells delicious vanilla (FanIce) and chocolate (FanChoco) ice cream from sachets along with strawberry yogurt (Fanyogo) and citrus juice (FanDango). These FanMilk products can also be purchased at random during your daily routine. There are a few options for purchase, the best I like to call the FanIce dic-a-dee, which are guys that ride around on FanMilk bicycles and honk their horns to notify you that you can buy a refreshing treat. The other option, like the water sachets, is to purchase your treat from a tall box balanced on the top of someone's head.

Liquor Sachets:
Another favourite sachet option is your choice of liquor in a sachet. I like to opt for sachets of gin which can be purchased for 50 pesewas each (about 40 cents) and mixed with a cold coke or sprite from a bottle. This is my favourite option aside from Ghana's popular beer, Star.

Coffee, Tea and Milo:
Something I've just recently discovered is coffee to go which means it is poured into a plastic bag for your "convenience". You can also purchase tea and Milo (hot chocolate) in to go bags on your morning commute if you find yourself with a lack of time for coffee preparation. When drinking coffee from a plastic bag there are two main things that you should take into consideration before ripping into one of the corners like a water sachet: 1. the bag and its contents are HOT and 2. the bag is very flimsy allowing for ample room to spill all over yourself; proceed with caution.