It was nearly an hour, 3:30pm, before the press finally arrived. Thru security and onto the tarmac, Air Force One towered above us as it was towed into position next to the stage where, a mere three hours later, the president would say his farewells.
It took maybe fifteen minutes to escort the press to their spots. Roughly half set up cameras on a small platform to one side. The rest climbed up onto a flatbed truck and sat in folding chairs to take notes and still camera pictures. I found a folding chair for myself and settled in for the wait, chatting with colleagues.
Text messages kept me abreast of the latest happenings. One friend was in the airport proper, finding out that her departure to Amsterdam that night would "only" be delayed an hour. Another was standing in line outside the VIP area with a ticket, hoping to make it inside for the president's speech -- she did. Another was out at Cape Coast, signaling when Marine One finally headed back on the 30 minute flight to Accra.
Uniformed Secret Service stood on various trucks scattered around the tarmac, scanning with binoculars. Ghanaian military ringed the entire area. Police lined the barricades. The crowd filed in slowly as they cleared the security check at the main gate.
Marine One showed up around 5:30pm, and there was an audible stir in the crowd, turning to puzzled chatter as the president and first family were escorted off the tarmac and back to their hotel -- an unscheduled short break for freshening up before the final speech.
Ghana's military band marched into place. The barricades had been set up too close to the stage, and there wasn't enough room for them, so they extended the barricades a bit, but this closed off the passageway between the video and print press sections. This was eventually sorted out. The president of Ghana arrived to loud cheers, and accompanied by other senior government officials. There was a section of barricades for the diplomatic corps, for the Peace Corps, for other VIPs, and for a traditional drumming group.
For all of these, there was no shelter from the sun, and the public was not allowed to bring umbrellas for shade. Fortunately, there was a thin overcast, and it had to be one of the coolest days of the year, no more than 25 C (75 F). Even in my suit I was comfy. It had rained fairly steadily for the entire seven days before the president's arrival, and today was the very first day with no rain. All were astonished. There was talk of a "blessed" visit.
Stage lights mounted around the tarmac were switched on. The motorcade returned at dusk, around 6:15. The drummers began their drumming. The dancers began their dancing. The two presidents made their speeches. Loudest applause was when the president offered homage to the Peace Corps.
After the speeches, the departure was swift. A quick working of the rope line, then President and Mrs. Obama mounted the steps to Air Force One, gave a wave, and disappeared inside. Within 15 minutes, the plane taxied off and they were airborne.
7:15pm. Plenty of time left in the day for the After Party.
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