Independence Weekend

We had 3 weekends in Ghana and got to do some exploring locally and in other parts of the country.

The first weekend was a holiday weekend celebrating Ghana's 54 years of independence.  This gave us 3 days off.  On Friday night half of us went into Accra to a club called Bella Roma.  Francis negotiated with the doormen for the ladies to get in free but funny enough the price for the guys to get in doubled as a result - forced chivalry, LOL : )  It was good people watching and fun dancing.

Saturday we made our first trip into Accra, the capital.  It wasn't the first trip for the team working with ECG (Electricity company) as they had to go to Accra a lot and during traffic which was a nightmare, 1.5-2 hours each way.  Fortunately no such craziness on a Saturday.  We stopped at several artist shops and the Accra market.  This day added lots of color and good photos on market life.  We had an amazing lunch - turned out to be the best meal of the trip.  The local red snapper was amazing and this was the only time I got it as a grilled fillet (vs fried with head or tail and all the bones).  YUM.

Accra Market

Kakum National Park canopy walk

Sunday (early) we boarded a bus that drove 3-4 hours west to Cape Coast.  This was one of the main things I wanted to see in Ghana that I had read about in advance.  This part of Africa was known as the Slave coast and Ghana is one of the only places where you can still witness the buildings (called castles) where they used to trade.  In most of the other ports/countries along the coast they built temporary structures which are long gone.  But before we got to the castles we first stopped at Kakum National Park where they have built swinging bridges to allow you to walk high up in the canopy of this park.  It was fun and a big feat for Kristina!  She conquered her fear of heights and did all 7 bridges instead of taking the short path and just doing a few.

Coconut Grove in Cape Coast

Then came a lovely lunch at the beach, really nice setting and a pina colada that hit the spot...better than the pre-made frozen ones we usually get in the US.  It was made with fresh pineapple juice, had to have 2.  This beach was what Ghana is known for, very beautiful and scenic.

Elmina Castle main courtyard

Last but not least, we toured Elmina Castle.  This was the largest of the buildings they used to trade in human life.  This was obviously a sobering visit and I was struck by the juxtaposition of the sunshine, beauty of the beaches and lightness that surrounded this castle with the darkness of what took place inside.  It reminded me of visiting Aushwitz where I just couldn't wrap my mind around the mass participation that had to take place to make the stories we were hearing true and how one man treats another in such inhuman ways...  Two spots in the castle I remember the most, a small room where as we stood on the floor learned it was for warriors who all died there and the room of no return which was the final exit point to the slave ships.

Final door that led to the slave ships

When I travel I like to read books that have something to do with where I am so am reading a book called "Someone Knows My Name" about a girl who is taken from Africa, sent on a ship to South Carolina and her return to freedom.  I had just started the book and was reading the part where she was captured, marched to the coast and sold on to the ships, so this visit to the castle was perhaps even more vivid in my mind.

On a lighter note, we met the most enterprising kids outside this castle.  They asked our names on the way in and as we left showed up to give us seashells with heartfelt messages addressed to our names.  I had to give them props for good marketing and spelling my name right so I gave them a cedi (Ghana money, 1 cedi = 65 cents) and then got persuaded to donate to their school : )

Independence Day at Labadi Beach

On Monday the original plan was to do a beach day back in Accra but everyone bailed except Jorge and I.  Beach vs staying at the hotel didn't seem like a hard choice but we were in the minority that day.  Really glad we went, it was a cultural shock!  Not the relaxing day at the beach we would have had along Cape Coast but highly entertaining.  Francis and his girlfriend Samantha took us to Labadi Beach which is party central - especially on Independence Day.  I've never seen so many bodies in the water or jammed together on the beach.  I felt like we were in a human version of the Serengetti, watching the great migration of people walking down the beach towards the party.  Tons of soccer playing, people building sand sculptures, dance parties all over.  I also got my first understanding of how aggressive Ghanaian men can be, I learned not to walk by myself in crowds anymore.  The other interesting thing was no one was in bathing suits, everyone was wearing their clothes.  Happy Independence Ghana...