Bloodsucking Road Demons, Tro Tro Evangelist and 'A Tro Tro Killed my Kindle'

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Heading to destinations North today.  The STC is a super nice way to do a trip to Kumasi but as it starts in Takaradi my chances of getting a seat are limited, as they don’t do pre-sales for the Cape Coast to Kumasi leg.  The tro tros leave from Tantri station not far from my hotel and right next to the Indomie Lady

Me and My Tro Tro, Takati Station /  Cape Coast, Ghana

Got a nice cramped spot at the back of the tro tro and began the waiting for it to fill.  As we waited a very round woman with a bright turquoise dress began chanting and praying on the bus.  It was so loud it actually hurt my ears.  I came to find out that the ‘dodgy’ forms of transportation in Ghana (maybe all over Western Africa) bring a religious person on to pray for our safe journey.  I have no clue what she was saying as it was in Twi but I am thinking it was something like ‘God will protect you from the blood sucking road demons…. and on and on’.   After about 15 minutes of praying for our safety on the crappy tro tro our Tro Tro Evangelist prayed, asked for donations and left.  I will experience this again and again and again.

The 3 1/3-4 hour ride to Kumasi was fun.  The driver was channeling Mario Andrei and weaving in and out of Mac Trucks and passenger buses as the rain pounded us (leaking into the cab and into my pack).  We made good time and because of our Spiritual Healing back in Cape Coast we survived. 

Arrived in Kumasi around 5, jumped in a taxi and got to the Treasure land Hotel in no time.  As usual the power was out but the hotel turns a full on generator on at dusk that even runs the ac.  Pretty cool. 

I had a small dinner and a beer in the Summer Hut (a little outdoor hut with a table and chairs).  I decided to open my Kindle to unwind as a gift to myself after a long travel day…as it turns out the tro tro ride was a bit bumpier than I thought.  ‘A TRO TRO KILLED MY KINDLE’.  I keep my important things like my camera and laptop on my person when I have travel days but didn’t really worry much about the old Kindle.  The inky, computer generated goo that makes your screen look like a book broke (I guess that would be an LCD screen). Very sad state of affairs.  Looks like I will be reading crap ass books I find along the way.  As it turns out I was right…High School Musical 2 Exercise Book is about as good as I have found.

Walk to Busua, Dixcove.....Shark Fins, African Heat, Beaches and Banku! (Ghana, Africa)

Path to Busua, Ghana

Must have walked close to 8 miles today.   The walk from Butre to Busca was a long, hot one but well worth it.  Once you reach the top of the hill you can see the sleepy town of Busca with its beautiful beach. Busca is a larger village/town about 4km over the hill from Butre.  Busua’s beach is just as nice as Butre but there are actually people on it.  If the Hideout Lodge weren’t so amazing I would for sure have stayed in Busua. 

Once we finally hit the town we decided to take a break (we had been waking for an hour in the scorching African heat) for a Fanta and to play a game of pool at the African Rainbow Resort.  Met a couple older Canadian men traveling around Ghana.  I have meet very few travelers.  All the Westerners I meet are volunteers.  For a few seconds I was so excited as I thought one of them was Willie Nelson.  To my disappointment it was not Willie Nelson….I will have to keep waiting for that dream to come true.

Next stop on our journey was to eat Banku with fish at a tiny street stale.  I am not a fan of Banku…I think it is because it has the texture of a banana, which is my most hated food; but it’s cheap and does the trick. 

Dixcove / Western Ghana

Next stop, Dixcove.  Dixcove is another 20 minutes walk from Busua through another tiny village.  Dixcove is full of run-down alleys and a bustling fishing area.  We wandered around the maze of boats, nets, and huge metal bowls of fish.  I wish I could have taken a bunch of photos but it is just so obvious to do so.

 Walking the streets I saw fish of all kinds and the one thing I didn’t expect to see…. shark fins and lots of them.  I have always thought of this practice as an Asian thing not African.  Looking at all those fins (there must have been 30 at one location) I wondered where the meat had gone, as I have never seen it on a menu. 

We eventually ended up at Fort Metal Cross, which had great views of the town on one side and children swimming in a cove on the other.  Must admit I am getting over done in the mid day heat at this point but we still need to walk back to Busua.

Caught a taxi to Agona about 15-20 minutes away so we could catch a tro tro back to Butre.  Before we jumped on a tro tro back we wandered the colorful market of Agona for a bit. 

Beach at Busua / Western Ghana

The tro tro back took maybe 30 minutes (1.3 Cedi) and stopped at a few small villages along the way.  I did grab a couple bags of water and papaya out the window.  After a long day in the African sun I ended up drinking two bags of water like I was taking a breath of air. 

Ended the day with a well-deserved beer and chilling in the shade back at the beach. 

Wandering Cape Coast, Ghana

View of Cape Coast Castle

I am staying in the older part of town and decide as I usually do the first day in a new place to simple wander.   It is smallish town with a bustling market and active vendors.  There is a statue of a Crab about a ½ mile down from the hotel on the way to the beach.  This Crab statue will before a location device and meeting place on my stays in Cape Coast. It seems to be the central area and a bit of a round about to boot. 

If you turn left you go over London Bridge that leads you to a road that lines the fishing area.  This area is much more interesting to watch as lots of kids are about playing in the streets as the smell of fresh caught and drying fish permeates the air.  Love that smell.  After less than a mile you end up at the Cape Coast Castle. 

I decided to wait until tomorrow to check out the Castle.  While watching the waves crash against the rocks around the castle a street artist approached to chat.  Often I will try to get out of talking to sellers but decided to see where the conversation went.  In the end my new friend Evans and I talked and walked the beach and town for hours.  He had been hanging in front of the Cape Coast Beach Restaurant waiting for a tour group to finish so he could try to sell his wears.  

Along the beach in Cape Coast pigs rule the manor.  They root around for food and dig down to wet sand to nap in.  I guess the saying here would be ‘Happy as a pig in sand’, not mud.

Walking around fishing areas has always been a highlight for me wherever I am and Ghana is no different.  Actually, the smells here are much fresher than in most of Asia. 

The fishing boats here are long, large and canoe like.  Many are brightly colored with blues, reds and yellows.  All are in varying degrees of disrepair.  When you look across the expanse of 10-20 of these boats it really is quite majestic. 

Red Red

I ate my first Red Red at the Cape Coast Castle Beach Restaurant. Red Red with Chicken is my  new favorite dish ever!!!!! it consists of black eyed peas with a red, palm oil based Ghanaian curry like sauce with fried plantains. For sure my new favorite food ever.    The restaurant’s menu will satisfy anyone.  It ranges from Western  breakfast foods to local dishes and everything in between.  Several pages long in fact.  There is also an excellent selection of spirits.  The spacious, open sitting is amazing especially with that ocean breeze coming in.  One could hang here for quite some time. 

I managed to get myself back to The Prospect to meet Obehi for a tiny dinner.  Nothing on the menu made me happy as my head was filled with visions of Red Red and chicken.  (I am writing this a week or two after I ate that Red Red for the first time and I have had it several times since…and yes, it still makes me as happy as when Bev sends me my 2 minute Thai Noodles from New Zealand). 

A Few Cool Sites in Accra, Ghana

Independence Square also known as Black Star Square is a Soviet-inspired monument to Ghanaian independence. 

Center for National Culture is at the intersection of Barnes Road where High Street becomes 28^th February Road (all these roads are well know and someone can easily point you in the right direction).  You can buy many Ghanaian goods here during the day.

National Theatre is a very cool, modern building that was erected by China in 1992.  Plays and other performances are held almost exclusively on the weekends and I have been told if you are in Accra at the weekend to take in a performance.  They do offer a guided tour for a nominal fee.

Maloka Market in the city center is a fantastic place to wander and get semi-lost in (pretty easy to figure out).  One thing I have found so far in Accra is that it is very safe and hassle free.  I was a solo female tourist and only one group of women tried to get me to marry their brother.  They were lovely ladies and we chatted for a bit.  This market seems to be for locals, as I didn’t see a lot of curio items in there. 

Finally in Africa (Accra, Ghana)

Arrived in Accra just before seven pm and had already arranged the first couple of nights accommodation in case I arrived late.   Immigration was easy and quick which is always nice after a long day of flying.  It was the first time I have had fingerprint scan and face scan.  The Accra Airport is pretty basic but I do remember being pleasantly surprised by the air-conditioning in the immigration hall. 

My driver was waiting for me but we did have to wait another half hour for another person that never showed.  The ride in from the airport took about 20 minutes and the city was shockingly quiet.  As it turns out it often takes up to 1-½ hours to get to the hotel but I arrived on Easter and most of the city was shut down. 

Afia Beach Hotel ($85 a night)  -guidebook from 2010 listed it as starting at $65…oh, how things have changed.  The Ghanaian Cedi has devalued over the past couple years and there has been an oil shortage both of which have increased prices throughout the country. The rooms are self-contained bungalows along the beach and quite fancy for this backpaker.  All have en suite, ac, fan, TV (nothing but CNN worth watching), a fridge and a good breakfast included.  They also have a lovely veranda with table and chairs. 

I discovered the beachfront sitting area on second day.  Wow, could spend hours if not days chilling down there.  It is situated just below the bungalows right on the beach.  You can even feel the spray of the ocean while you sip your drink.  They serve meals and drinks down at the beach front and a couple days later I would do just that. 

There is a nice slightly overpriced restaurant and bar as well.  I am traveling in the very off-season for this area but still quite a few people there.  Seems to be the return spot of quite a few business people and non-profit employees on their first few days in country.

Afia Beach Hotel is centrally located within walking distance of Independent Circle (in next post), Makola Market (in next post) and a number of banks in including (Barclays).