Travelling
Well…we very nearly didn’t travel at all given that our 2pm
bus didn’t arrive until 3.45pm! You
would think I’d be used to “Ghana time” by now but still I get caught out! Once on board though, the overnight journey
to Accra was easy…which was not adequate preparation for the bombardment of the
senses on arrival in the centre of the capital city where all systems are in
overload and it’s still before 8am!:
The noise: traffic – worn out engines, honking horns; hawkers
vying for attention; workmen making their wares at the street sides;
stallholders plying their goods; mobile phones singing to be answered; people
shouting and generally communicating at full volume.
The smells: those worn out engines again! fumes and petrol;
the rancid open drainage system cooking in the sun; street food stalls.
The sights: the traffic jams with hawkers weaving precariously
in and out of the queues; people, rainbow-dressed, jostling everywhere; market
stalls, crammed with goods, in every available space; half built houses and
offices with heaps of sand and bricks piled ready for you to trip into; broken
pathways and litter.
You really need your wits about you at all times to avoid
being attacked by the many hazards: traffic, people, building sites, open
drains…
Fortunately we were sufficiently awake to survive traversing
Accra to reach the required bus station for tro-tros to Kokrobite, 30 miles
further west. The next challenge was
working out which of the dozens of tros was going the right way. There are no signs, bus stops, timetables,
labels or indeed any form of helpful communication. Passers by offer conflicting advice. So, eventually, you opt for the most likely
option (possibly the tro which looks least likely to break down) and hop
aboard. Suffice it to say that we did
reach our destination relatively unscathed!
The return journey was even more stressful given that we
travelled via a different route and nothing was booked, indeed, we didn’t know if the buses/connections would
be running. Once again there are no
websites to browse and telephone information is
non-existent/incomprehensible. I’m not
convinced we got the best deal but it’s impossible to tell. And we did reach Zebilla with only a few more
chewed off finger nails!
Travelling in Ghana is difficult (there’s an understatement
for you!) for someone who likes to plan and organize; not an activity to be
undertaken lightly!
The
Destinations
Kokrobite
is
a resort of two halves. Firstly, along
the shoreline, there are hotels and large villas. Of the three hotels we visited, the two more
successful ones are both managed by Europeans.
Customers flock there for the food, drink, music and entertainment as
well as the accommodation. All tastes
are catered for but the majority of the clientele is white (many volunteers!)
or more affluent Africans. The third
hotel (where we stayed) was more modest, more run down and much less vibrant (i.e.
dead quiet).
Kokrobite Garden Hotel: a pleasant garden retreat
The second half of the resort is the town itself, in stark
contrast to the relative comforts of the hotels. Here the rickety dwellings jostle for space
along the open drains and unmade roads.
Despite the squalor, every morning the matriarchs are out in the street
organizing the sweeping and tidying of their bits of space, clearing away
yesterday’s rubbish and ready for a new day.
By daylight the town is calm and quiet though not deserted. Come the evening the same streets are alive
with street trading, music and relaxing in the local bars. This is where we sampled our first tilapia
fish, fresh from the net, eaten with yam chips!
So, despite the general air of poverty the community spirit
thrives and it was a pleasure to flit between these two halves!
Cape
Coast
Here in Zebilla there is a mixture of housing ranging from the
traditional, thatched round buildings spread around a central, shaded
courtyard, to a variety of rectangular huts and houses ranging in structure and
quality. Often the dwellings are
surrounded by farmland thus generating a feeling of openness and space. Not so Cape Coast!
Views of Cape Coast
Cape Coast was at one time the capital of the British Gold
Coast Colony and retains many old, though now extremely run down, colonial
buildings. Squashed between these and
throughout the city are a selection of slum-type dwellings put together using
any materials found to hand and stalls with barely walking room between. The
atmosphere is busy and bustling with strong competition to get your custom but
very little idea about customer service; in one shop the cashier was most
disgruntled when we disturbed her TV viewing with our trade!
The city was a little too overbearing for my taste, much preferring watching the fishermen hauling in their huge nets on a wide open beach, keeping time by chanting traditional African rhythms.
From Cape Coast we also visited Kakum National Park with its
star attraction of a long canopy walkway.
It calls itself a rain forest though in fact it has a dry season (which
a true rain forest would not have). I
was a bit disappointed not to be surrounded by trees full of monkeys but then,
any self respecting animal would hide deep inside the forest away from all
those interfering, noisy tourists! It
was nevertheless enjoyable as was the nature walk we took afterwards. It’s a pity there weren’t a few tracks you
could walk unaccompanied – a future project perhaps!
The trip was interesting if not wholly enjoyable. We travelled the length of Ghana, passing from the arid dryness of the north, through the savannah and scrub of the central regions to the green, lush, semi-tropical rain forests of the south. We witnessed the change in living conditions from the round thatches to the cramped semi-slums. We have seen the traditional fishing methods of the coastal regions. We have gained a great wealth of impressions and experiences.
But,
wherever I wander…there’s no place like home!!
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