God bless our homeland Ghanaaa

Hello all-

And good evening from somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Tick-cock, time flies when you are having fun, right? Well, the Semester at Sea clock must be breaking all kinds of records because it’s flying faster than the speed of light. Here I am, day 88 with just 20 DAYS left. What is happening here people?! To any and all parents reading, I now understand how it must feel to watch your children grow up oh so fast. My hat is off to you. And I send my deepest gratitude to you, my dear blog followers. For those of you who have stuck it out this long and have kept up on my hundreds of words of mindless dribble then your impressive stamina shall not go unnoticed! And to those of you have quit on me well…well you’re probably not even reading so shame on you. Alright, enough babbling, let’s talk Ghana!

Ghana, Ghana, Ghana, where do I begin? We arrived in a timely manner (despite our late departure from Cape Town) and I did not have a single minute planned. I stepped off the gangway having no idea as to which direction I was going to walk next. However, despite our plans- or lack thereof- I had a phenomenal 4 days. On day 1, a friend and I took the one-hour shuttle to Accra (we were docked in Tema) and explored the city on our own by foot before meeting a few other friends who had met a local guide. This guide brought us to a ton of great, low-key tourist spots including his home village and a stop to his mother’s house. Given the Ghanaian’s kindness and hospitality we were warmly welcomed and served a delicious local snack and homemade drink (made from a flower imported from the neighboring country of Cote d’Ivoire). That night we stuck around Accra for a bit, celebrated my 21 years of life from the day before, and enjoyed drinks with some locals.

The following morning I had signed up for an SAS day trip to the Shai Hills Game Reserve and Akosombo Dam, two exciting stops. At the game reserve we mingled with a community of baboons and other animals then hiked up a small hill to a massive bat cave. Although Christian Bale was not there, the cave was beautiful and packed full of hundreds of insect feasting bats, un-phased by our intrusion. To escape the blazing heat and humidity, we had a delicious lunch at a local hotel on the banks of the Volta River. Ghanaina food consisted mostly of chicken, beef, plantains, and rice, i.e. very appetizing stuff. After lunch we bussed over to the Akosombo Hydroelectric dam whose massive size provides Ghana with most, it not all of its electricity. Unfortunately, the insides of the dam are not opened to tourists and due to our special access security was strict and photos from the inside were not allowed. However, one the outside we were able to walk across the top of dam and admire the stunning Lake Volta, the largest manmade lake in the world. It was quite a treat to see this area, especially since that dam has been the center of heavy controversy since its construction.

On day 3, being the capricious travelers that we are, 4 of us loaded in to a cab and headed to the town of Kokrobite, a small beachside village. Some friends recommended us this place after visiting the day before and we were knocked off our feet. It’s almost too difficult to describe without visual aid but I would describe it as the simplest but purest form of paradise. All along this coast were soaring palm trees and thick bush sheltering thatched roofed huts and bamboo patios. Even our guide was floored because he had never been there before. Walking along the beach, a friend and I met a few local fishermen which was the job most commonly held by the local males. After a little persuasion they agreed to take us for a ride on their boats and what a treat that was. Just imagine a wooden boat some two or three times the size of a standard canoe, packed with fishing nets and a small outboard motor. That’s what we were in fighting the mighty waves of the Atlantic. Although we didn’t get to fish for red snapper or lobster (it’s an all-day process) we did get to stop and swim for a while. After taking us back to the coast, we headed in to their local village where we had a dance party with the children and played soccer in the streets. It was just endless amounts of fun. Before leaving we met the chief of the village who officially welcomed us to their town. By 9:00pm we were on our 2-hour trip back to Accra, jumping on various “tro tros” (that spelling might be very wrong), which was the Ghanaian bus system. And by bus I mean a small, beat down old van with 4 or 5 rows of seats packed full of passengers zipping about the city. It would have been totally un-navigable had we not been with our guide. It was a very fun and very cheap way to get around.

On our last morning, my plans for what would’ve been an exciting adventure fell through due to the looming realities of returning home. Instead of going to a village to provide basic first-aid to children at a medical clinic, I found myself at an Internet café in the local mall registering for my CU classes for next fall! Although I was oh so close to joining those students, I was reminded of the difficulties that can arise from course registration and felt that took precedence. Unfortunately, due to the one-hour cab ride back to the ship in Tema and our mandatory “on ship time” of 6:00pm, most of my day was spent at the computer. It was ill-fated timing yet I felt that I had made the absolute best out of the prior 3 days. By 5:00pm I was back on board and, believe it or not, was fast asleep no later than 8:30pm. When traveling to these beautiful countries with such limited time, it becomes second nature to run on fumes!

Now our mighty ship is pointed to the sands of Salvador, Brazil as we approach our final port. It’s a struggle to even type those words much less accept them! Rather than fall victim to the inevitable gloom brought on by this journey’s end, I look with optimism towards our future as I plan to make the most out of our final stop. A 3-day trip planned to Rio de Janeiro looks to be yet another thrilling time! However, until then friends I must burry my head in the books in an attempt to make a dent in my ever growing mountain of work. After a time change tonight I will awake tomorrow a mere 3 hours ahead of the US’ east coast time! I do declare that I am very excited to be home again but making this voyage a memory of the past will be a challenge indeed.

Thank you all for tuning in and please check back soon for pictures for Ghana photos and a mid-sail update. I send my best to all!

 

- Chris