the tro-tro game

i stood near the bus stop as tro-tro after tro-tro rolled by with mates twirling their arms out the window, vaguely waving them around and around and calling "sick sick sick" (indicating travel to "circle" a.k.a. kwame nkrumah circle, a main intersection near accra). i was heading that way, but which one to take? there always seems to be an infinite number of tro-tros from which to choose along any given road, so today i made a stab at creating a quick numeric guide.

first, the basic visual inspection is a must. four good tires, no screaming brakes as it pulls over, no big dents, good doors, and no obvious wobbles or i am a no-go. fortunately, this first pass actually doesn't eliminate too many vehicles. now comes the fun part.

(A) rear-window stickers: anything in Twe (i have no idea what any of it means, beyond "welcome") = 0 (neutral); anything having to do with miracles, redemption, salvation, resurrection = -1; blank, subtle, slightly commercial or slightly religious = +1.

(B) driver: nice shirt, relaxed looking = +1; hunched forward and muttering = -1.

(C) mate understanding of "efficiency": stuffing vehicle = -1; getting moving = +1; telling you to sit down = 0 (unclear which of the previous this portends).

(D) seat availability: front two benches = +1; outside seats = 0; back inside corner = -1.

(E) music: news or HITZ 103.7 (beyonce...ghana hearts beyonce) = +1; gospel = 0; radio preaching = -1.

(BONUS) nice mate who doesn't try to rip you off and is kind about stopping, letting you out, etc. = +1

today i scored a 6.