Visas for Togo/Benin, Well Endowed Generator, Back to States for The Bean Dog, Rollin Business Class (Accra, Ghana)

Bella Bean Dog

Of course I met up with Obehi again and yes he was still in the room next to me.  A new café run by a super nice German woman opened on the main drag while I was gone. It’s on the way down to the beach and called the Hayford Lounge.  Over the next couple days I would spend quite a bit of time here eating amazing food and getting out of the heat which is on the rise. 

Only back in Cape Coast for a couple days then heading back to Accra so I can get a visa or two and to cross the border into Togo.  I will miss Cape Coast.  I absolutely recommend a visit here.  I think it might be required when you visit Ghana.

A short taxi ride or medium walk is a place that has Ford Mini Vans with AC and comfy seats that head to Accra.  The price of a Tro to Accra would be 6 Cedi (US$3) and the mini vans are 15 (US$8).  The lap of luxury for me today; this would be considered a No Fanice Ride.  The people who take the mini vans are businessmen, students at university, and a couple well-dressed women.  Instead of basic cell phones they all have smart phones too I noticed.  One other interesting thing about this nice ride is that there are no Road Evangelist for a safe trip.  I guess it is no necessary to be blessed if you ride in a vehicle that meets safety standards.

I didn’t end up making a reservation in Accra and the couple places I called during the ride were full.  Oops.  These mini vans drop off a bit further from the city center.  I found a taxi and got a price set a bit higher than usual because I will have to have this guy drive me around and wait while I run into places until I find somewhere to rest my head. 

I want to stay in Osu this time.  Osu is the heart of the city dinning, shopping and nightlife.  There are a lot of expats living here because of all the food options I am assuming.  The hotels are also about 20-30% higher.  I did find a place for 60 Cedi (US$30) a night and I can’t remember the name of it at the moment.  Great rooms with bathroom and killer ac, flat screen and breakfast in the morning.  The great thing and what I have learned you look for is how big their generator is.  Even though the power is on more regularly now that Nigeria turned the power back on it still goes out a lot.  The place was well endowed in the generator department.

I will hang in Accra for about four days in order to pick up a visa for Benin and Togo.  I plan to enjoy the bustle of Osu District and maybe do a day trip somewhere…but for now it is off to bed for me. 

Oh, and I did go ahead and have dinner at the hotel…the only thing they had was chicken and rice but as it turned out it was delish.

NEXT DAY

Today I just wandered around Osu and had a long lunch with a couple coffees as the cutest little café while I watched the world go by.  Honestly nothing to write about. 

It was around 7ish when I got back and I decided to write in my journal and do some photo stuff while I kicked back with a couple beers.  There was a guy the night before having the same dinner as me but we didn’t chat.  I assumed he has working in Accra or Ghana in general as he just had that air about him…. looked to be late 40’s or early 50’s.

Tonight we decided to have our beers together and I was right late 40’s and has been working in Africa; mostly Ghana for about 20 years.   Like many Brits that have  spent a long time in Africa going back to the UK always takes adjusting to.  It seems a lot of expats just end up staying in Africa in the end.

Over the next couple days we hang out quite a bit wander Osu and Accra in general.  I did check out his new pad once and meet a couple of his friends that are also living there.  The apartments are pretty big…. huge living room, 2 bedrooms and bathroom and big kitchen…Paul’s apartment is on the second floor so he has a wrap around balcony too.  All these places are gated communities that you have to be buzzed into and an outer gate opens for you.  There is also a killer pool and bbq area.   That’s the life.  You would think that even a place like that would be reasonable in Ghana but no…. I think Paul said he pays 2,000 to 2,500 for it

Paul and I spent the next couple of days hanging out eating and chatting. 

Bella Bean at rest

I talked to my mother today and she said that Bella is super skinny and hasn’t eaten in a couple days.  After some time thinking about it I have decided to try and get back to Colorado so I can be the one to put her down.  She is my baby and knowing that I have time to get to her and maybe even spend a bit of quality time before the end makes it an easy decision especially since I have done a number of flights with frequent flyer points so far.  I will have to buy a ticket to come back and continue my journey but for now all I am thinking about is getting out of Accra and to my dog.

I found a frequent flyer flight in business class leaving tomorrow and after lots of talk on the phone with a representative (I had to trade in my Congo ticket and use most of the rest of my points) I got booked for tomorrow night’s flight.  I won’t know that I have a seat for sure until morning but there you go.  I spent the rest of the day wondering if I did the wrong thing by doing my trip when Bella was getting so old.  I realized that I couldn’t beat myself up about it.  Bella has had a spectacular life and it’s not like I left her at a kennel for two months…she has been with loving family.  I just hope I get at least a few days with her.

Paul and I went out for delicious Indian food tonight.  Actually one of the best I have had anywhere.   If I get back to Accra I have to hit this place up again.

The next day I just killed time until my flight.  Paul drove me to the airport.  It is a very odd feeling to be leaving.  I am almost two months into my trip and I am not ready for it to end but I want to get back.  Sometimes I am ready to head back from one of my big Sabbatical for several reasons.  I do love and miss my family and I am usually out of money. 

This time I am going back for only one reason; to end the life of my beloved dog. 

Rolling Business Class again.  Note to self:  I need to write a entry on how to get Business class for less than Economy when using Frequent Flyer points. 

I must admit that rollin back in business class does make the hurt a bit easier to bare.  Sipping champagne in a fully reclined position while stuffing my face with gourmet food gives me time to think about how amazing my dog is and how lucky I am to have found her.  Instead of dwelling on the fact that I am about to lose her I decide to think about all the  awesome times and how much fuller she made my life.  She is 15 and old age is unavoidable.

I am back and I will get several beautiful weeks with my baby dog.  Taking a break from my trip and losing a chunk of money is nothing to me now.  I would have been absolutely heartbroken if I had not come back. 

Good Bye Beyin, 3 Tro Tro/One Fan Ice Kinda Day, Big Blue Yutong Short Bus, Big Boobs and Yutong Preacher (Beyin, Ghana)

AND ANOTHER NEXT DAY

good bye Beyin

There are two choices for leaving Beyin.  There is a direct tro tro to Takaradi at 4am.  What, 4am, hell no.  I would rather take 5 tro tros and accidentally end up in Cote d’Ivoire than leave at 4am. 

As you might have guessed I choose the long way.  I had to take a tro tro to the ‘cross roads’ so I headed out with my pack in that direction just waiting to flag down the next tro heading my way.  Some guys at a chop bar told me to grab a tro going the other direction into the next town where I would get on another to Takaradi.  Apparently it takes longer to get to the town as you are backtracking but there is more chance of catching a ride.  Decided to kinda hang out and to just jump on the next tro no matter which direction it was heading.  The longer way won. 

The first tro took maybe 45 minute to get to somewhere.  There I jumped off and jumped on one going to Takaradi.  As usual the locals on my first tro made sure I was set up on the next one before they left.  It’s an entire country of nice people.    The next ride was a couple hours and I asked then to drop me before the station if they saw rides heading to Cape Coast along the way. 

I got dumped off on a street corner where there was a Big Blue Yutong Short Bus almost full.  Yippee for me and all on board…between myself and one other  and the beast was full.   This mini Yutong is actually going to Accra but will pass through Cape Coast.  Hope they remember I wanted to get off. 

A heavyset woman with a baby was sitting next to me.  Her boobs were gigantic.  Granted I am a wee thing and a C cup seems big to me.  Her baby was fussing because he was hungry and she was having trouble in the crowded bus with breast feeding so I helped her out a bit.  Just gave her my elbow to rest her tatas on to make things easier.  I felt so needed at that moment.  The Yutong had some ac and was only a One Fan Ice Ride. 

Oh, just remembered on big thing.  The Yutong Preacher singled me out to yell Amen.  Everyone was quite amused but I do what I am told.  It very well may have saved our lives that I did that plus I sill had my Good Luck Preacher Stone from that Big Yutong back in Kumasi.  Get me there safe and I will give you all the Amens I can muster.

Got back safe and sound, grabbed a cab to the Prospect were there is still no water and grabbed a bit to eat with Obehi.  He is like family now, the Nigerian brother I never had.

Happy Homeless Beach Dogs, Eco-Tourism and Canoe to Stilt Village

After an amazing, leisurely breakfast I headed to the beach for a few hours.  The resort has about 10 short tables with thatched umbrellas and lounge chairs.  Unlike many resorts this places if well off the beaten track near the border of Côte d'Ivoire so only a few locals passed during my chill time. 

Saw a group of four dogs running on the beach. 

lounging at the beach

First thing I noticed is that their tails where up and wagging, which is not something I see often in the third world/developing world.  I assumed they must belong to someone but the owner never appeared.  As they got closer I realized they were a pack of homeless beach dogs and they were well fed and happy as hell.  This is a first for me; happy, homeless beach dogs.  Watched and took pictures as they frolicked and dug for crabs then chased the crabs.  I felt honored to have witnessed this. 

Happy, homeless beach dogs playing with crabs

Around 10 I headed over to the Nzuezo Tour guide area and the guy from the bus ride in was there.  He would be my guide to the village.  Ghana has embraced eco-tourism and works hard to find a balance between preservation and tourism.  The silt village can only be accessed by canoe and you are required to take a guide.   Again I am the only tourist in town so it’s just the two of us.

It is the dry season at the moment so we have to walk about a half an hour to where we get the canoe.  During a large portion of the year you walk a mere five minutes to the canoes.  The first bit of the walk is a huge grass field.  There were men working to repair fences but these fences were haphazardly placed.  My guide said these were fishing fences.  During the rainy season the area were are walking is a shallow lake and those fences capture fish.  In about a month the rains will start and this meadow will become a lake.

Really wish I could come back and check it out in the rainy season.  One of my favorite things is to see a place, especially a place with extremes, in different seasons.  The best one yet was Russia.  I was there for a month in July camping and then did the Trans-Siberian and a month between Moscow and St. Petersburg in the winter.  What a difference.  Really must write about that one someday.

The canoe ride down the small river was very cool.  The entire trip was covered in a canopy of foliage and dragonflies and other water lovin’ bugs were abundant.  The river opened up into Lake Amansuri and I could see Nzeuzo in the distance.  Nzeuzo was created over 500 years ago and around 450 people live on the stilt village.  The village consists of two churches and a school complete with football pitch in the dry season.  

football pitch and school

Would love to take pictures once on the village but they no longer allow photography, which is great actually.  Can you imagine having daily tourists arriving at your home and in your hood snapping pictures? 

We only spent a half hour or so on Nzeuzo but that was all one really needs.  I did see there is a guesthouse there are well...that would be a pretty cool experience.  Since it is the dry season there are chickens running around in the mud that is the ground on the parts of the village that are closer to land.  Turns out that during the rainy season the chickens are put in floating chicken houses.  I bet they enjoy these months of dry.  The trip out was 20 Cedi and I gave a donation as well then tipped my guide 7 Cedi.  Typically he would have to walk the extra 10-15 minutes back to the tourist center but since it was just me I told him to go one home as I am more than capable of getting myself back.

Nzeuzo Stilt Village

Ate a super tasty pizza served on a ceramic cooking dish…. covered in tomatoes, onions, capsicums and more)…and as is the Ghana way the electricity went out in the middle of the night.  Another night with the door open…. will wait and tell my mother that one later.

NEXT DAY

I did stay another day here but there is absolutely nothing to tell.  Ate good food, read a good book and sat on the beach.  Hells Yeah!

Out of the open lake

 

Pizza at Beyin Beach Resort

Beyin Beach Resort, Stellar Mac N Cheez, Alone at a Resort, Happy Soul

Beyin Beach Resort

Yeeeha! Back in a Tro Tro to Takaradi (6 Cedi).  Once I got to Takaradi I had to grab a taxi to another Tro Tro station to get to Beyin in the far west near the border of Cote d’Ivoire.  Ended up paying 4 Cedi, which is too much but I really didn’t care.   

 The station for destinations West was pretty crazy…loved it.  Once again I was the only white chick around and as usual everyone was incredible helpful.  Everyone assumed I would likely be heading to Beyin so they led me to the correct ticket booth.  In no time I had sorted a ticket and found my Tro Tro for Beyin (6.5 Cedi). 

One of the young guys waiting or the Tro Tro spoke pretty good English and is a guide to Nzuezo, the stilt village that makes this area famous.   It is a much smaller destination and it can take a long time to fill a Tro but I got lucky and it was full in about a half hour.  Grabbed a couple chocolate Fan Ice for the road cuz it was scorching hot and it was a two Fan Ice kinda ride. 

The ride to Beyin was super hot but lovely.  About an hour or less out we hit a dirt road for the rest of the journey.  I felt like I was getting well away from it all.  At one point a huge clear-cut area appeared with construction going on.  It didn’t take long to figure out it was a Chinese outfit.  It was insane the amount of building going on so far off the beaten track.   I later found out it is yet another oil drilling project.  

 As it turns out Beyin is a sleepy little coastal town.  Only way in is a dirt road for a good half hour.  As we rolled into town I knew there would be limited trips back out.  I was the last one on the Tro Tro and the driver was kind enough to drive me to the edge of town where the Beyin Beach Resort is found. 

After jumping out of the truck and following the direction of the driver gave me which where something like ‘go that way and have fun’.  I headed towards the beach on yet another dirt footpath and asked a couple people where to go and Voilà! I was there. 

my hut

The resort is absolutely gorgeous.  An elevated, wooden footpath leads to an open-air bar/reception area surrounded by thatched roof seating areas with tables for dinning.   I am the only guest as it is the off-season and the middle of the week...a resort to myself.  Apparently this joint was packed out just the day before with weekend vacation seekers. 

Following the wooden footpath leads to shared toilets and showers and eventually to the sleeping huts.  I booked into a two person shared hut but I remained the only guest so didn’t have to share the digs.  Thankfully each room has a fan but like a lot of Ghana the power was out about half the time.

The deal with places like this is you put in your dinner order before five so it’s ready to go by six or seven.  The Beyin Beach Resort has a stellar menu so I decide to do something I haven’t in a long time…each Western food.  The first night I order up some Mac N Cheez.  Time will tell if this is a good decision or not. 

Two hours later…. OMG the Mac N Cheez is off the hook.  Such a happy tummy.  

Spend a bit of time enjoying the ocean night sky before heading to bed.  The power was off again and even though I was alone at this remote resort at night I felt comfortable leaving the door open for that cool ocean breeze to act as my fan.

Jeep Safari, Bruised Back, Forest Elephants and A Pet Wart Hog as Dinner Guest

Yummers!  After breakfast I sat in front of my room, which overlooks the watering hole.  Some tiny antelope creature passed right in front of me just now.  Only had a few hours to chill before our Jeep Safari.  It was a lot of fun but I have to be honest that I enjoyed the walking safari more…not to say that I didn’t love the jeep safari.

The best part of doing the jeep safari is that you sit on the roof of the jeep.  The one the six of use used didn’t have any safety bars on the front where I sat and my back was well bruised by the end.  It made it all the more exciting especially over the bumps with nothing to hold on to.  Let’s see we say huge elephants wandering the Forest, wart hogs prancing about, some monkeys and birds galore and of course lost of antelopes of all sorts.

The cost was fantastic for what you get.  120 for the truck split by 6 and 5 per hour per person for the guide.  There really wasn’t anything amazing about this little adventure but I wouldn’t have passed it up for the world.

To try and save a bit of money we had dinner at a little local spot.  We ordered earlier in the day and when we showed up the walked us through their house to the back area where there was a couple low top picnic tables and a pet wart hog…. at least the hog though that was the case.  Food was only ok but it did the job and we got to eat with a wart hog. 

Back at the hotel a big group of us had beers and good conversation.  I had mentioned my friend Obehi at the table but never by name but Sofie (young Swedish gal and Sam (from the UK) both asked if by chance I was talking about Obehi.  Oh, Ghana is a small place.   Sofie gave him a call and then passed it to me…. wicked funny…don’t think Obehi expected that one.

wandering the forest

Wart Hog as Dinner Guest

 

Happy as a Dung Beetle in Sh#*!t,Happy Elephants, Walking Safari, Gun-Toting Guide and all before Breakfast

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Free to be me...the life of a charmed elephant (as it should be for all)

ALL BEFORE BREAKFAST

Woke up today like an excited kid ready for their first day at Disney Land.  Before breakfast we head out on a walking safari.  Mole National Park is unique in the fact that it is the only easily accessible wildlife park in Africa.  Anyone on any travel budget can do this place.  The walking safari is less than $10. 

There were about seven of us in our group and our shotgun-toting guide was a wealth of information on the park and it’s four legged and winged residents.  Right from the get-go we came across my first ‘African Elephant’.  I have seen many elephants on my travels throughout Asia but never in the wild.  Unfortunately, in Asia, it is difficult to find wild elephants…they are all used as work animals.  What a beautiful thing to see one just doing her thing.  The people who live within the bounds of the national park respect the animals.  The influx of tourist dollars is a driving motivator to the care of the animals of Mole National Park. 

We also ran across a Reedbuck just chilling, taking in the beautiful day.  As we left the village for a trail a car drove by a spooked the elephant.   She took off trumpeting and running after the car.  I could feel the ground tremble, amazing.

We walked the savanna for a couple hours amongst Reedbuck, Bushbuck and many other antelopes.  The birds were too numerous to begin to identify but I did catch site of a few Kingfishers, which I adore.  Our walk led us to a watering hole that is viewable from the Mole Motel. 

There were six elephants bathing and playing at the watering hole when we arrived.  I couldn’t stop snapping pictures.  It reminded me of the first time I say kangaroos in Australia.   I must have taken 100 photos of Roos (back in film days so it cost a pretty penny).  Once satisfied I had grabbed a few good shots I just sat and watched for a long time. 

Dung Beetles doing their thang'

I am more than inspired now to get to Tanzania at some point in the next couple of years and do a two-week minimum safari.  I need to see loins and tigers and more oh my.  On the walk back I saw lots of my personal favorite; the Warthog oh and a Dung Beetle doing it’s poo rolling thing (and yes, I got photos).

Once we got back I ate breakfast and watched the elephants at the watering hole over a leisurely cup of coffee.

Tamale, Bad Biking, Coconuts and Getting Drunk with Crazy Dutch Dudes!

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Laura biking in Tamale, Ghana

Today we got take away breakfast of rice and beans with hard-boiled eggs.  The dry heat of Tamale was actually refreshing and we decided to walk the 5 KM into town.  The last version of Bradts travel guide to Tamale referred to it as a dry backwater not worth going to.  That has all changed.  The roads have been greatly improved and are some of the best I have seen in Ghana.  Most people ride bikes here so there are few cars on the road.  The new roads that have been built here include double bike/walk lanes with a half-foot concrete guard against traffic. 

On our drive in I saw tucks carrying hundreds of bikes.   Every 5^th store seems to be a bike shop too.  It’s like the Amsterdam of Africa.  The folks at the Moon-Light Lodge let us borrow their bikes to ride the neighborhood but said we were not experienced enough to ride into town and navigate the traffic.  I took no offense and they are 110% correct.  My Magic Road Safety Stone doesn’t protect against crappy biking skills. 

Machete Wielding Coconut Dude

Wandered town a bit before moving towards the National Cultural Center, which they say, has some wonderful art stalls around it.  Along the way we stopped to have a coconut from a Machete Wielding Coconut Dude (discussed in a previous post).  So good. 

Not terribly impressed with the art stalls so we start to head out when Mother Nature decides to open up.  With little warning we ran to the closest place we could find…. a Rasta Bar.  The pounding rains lasted for hours.  Many drink with crazy Dutch Dudes later we taxi-ed  home. 

Tour Kumasi, Largest Market in Western Africa, Lost on Pimped Out Tro Tro, Best and Worst Tour Guide Ever!

Breakfast at Treasureland Hotel in Kumasi, Ghana

The included breakfast at the Treasure Land Hotel is fantastic.  They give you three Nescafe sackets, Milo, tea, toast with butter and jam, a Spanish omelet and fruit.  What up with that…. love it.

Met Laura (she is from the States and living with her Ghanaian husband in Kumasi…met her in Accra) at the hotel and we took off to tour Kumasi.   I assume that Laura knows the ins and out of this city…. oh, how wrong I was…. and the adventure begins…. Laura is the Best and Worst Tour Guide Ever…got us totally lost several times but that is what travel is all about right…the adventure of it all.  Getting there is half the fun my friends.

Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana with a population around 1.5 million.  It feels much bigger than Accra to me.  It is a busy, active city to be sure.  Kumasi is the only modern capital of the Ashanti Region and was the capital of the Ashanti State for three centuries.  The center of town in called Adum and has a crazy, busy market place than you could and should spend hours lost in. 

One thing I loved about Kejetia Market (the central market) is the old, abandoned railroad track that is now the walking path through parts of the market.  Kumasi is the first place I have felt at all hassled by anyone but still nothing like many parts of Asia.  Kajetia Market is the largest market in all of Western Africa.  There is also a major tro tro station at the market and it is out of control.  Dodging tro tros and Yutongs is quite the feat but good fun in the maze of Kejetia Market. 

The area was so busy that I didn’t want to take my camera out to get a shot of the old, abandoned building painted three stories high with the OMO logo.  It was very cool indeed. 

We decided to go to the National Cultural Center for a break.  Took a tour of the Prempreh II Jubillee Museum (5 Cedi with a guide).  It is a tiny museum but with the guide telling of the Ashanti history it was well worth it.  The grounds of the National Cultural Center are a bit of an oasis in this noisy, bustling city.  My friend Laura spent some time shopping, as there are a number of art markets on the grounds of the Cultural Center. 

We headed up Roman Hill to a beautiful old church and happened to find a tiny tro tro station behind it and as it turns out one of them was heading our direction.  So the deal with tro tro is that you yell or hit the minivan wall or ceiling to let the driver know you want off.  For a traveler like me I don’t recognize where I want to get off so I either find tro tro that finish at my destination or I ask the driver or someone to tell me when to get off.  It usually works. 

I assumed Laura knew where we were to get off as she has done it on a regular basis for several months.  As we passed an area that looked familiar even to me she turns to me and says, “hey that’s Tech” (our stop) as if she is just showing me the sights.  A bit of time goes by and the city has turned into suburbs and lots of green rolling hills.  She has missed our stop by a good 15 minutes and we are well on our way out of town.   We ask a girl next to us and after some time figure out we are on a tro tro to another city. 

After passing through several villages I stop laughing and we tell people on the tro tro that we should have gotten on 30 minutes ago.  After many good laughs by all the pull off the road in the middle of nowhere and put us on a tro tro back to the city but it is broken down and night has set in. 

Not much time passes and another tro tro goes by and we are off again.  It was a wicked fancy tro with what looks like a stripper pole up front (my first Pimp Tro).  Our driver wearing sunglasses at night and driving like a mad man (this is my favorite kind of tro tro driver by the way) we get back in no time. 

Well after dark I get back to the Treasure Land Hotel to have a beer and tell all the tales of my day with the Best and Worst Tour Guide Ever.  Thanks you dear Laura…it was a blast.