An Unexpected Vacation in Ghana

My fellow Mali Peace Corps volunteers and I arrived in Accra, Ghana on Sunday, April 8th for our four-day 'transition conference.' During that time, we were pampered at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, a strategy which seemingly tried to use luxury to 'shock' us into accepting the circumstances. The expansive, buffet-style meals were especially incredible after eating millet and bark sauce every day.

On Friday, I took advantage of being sent to Ghana and headed out with some friends to experience the country outside of the hotel walls. It was an 'accidental' vacation under less than ideal circumstances, but we still had a great time.

This is a country which wears its religion on its sleeve. Just about every shop is named using some kind of religious/biblical saying. This shop was along the main road outside of the monkey sanctuary. Other examples throughout the country include 'God Is All Things Shop', 'Sit and Pray Spot' (a 'spot' in Ghana is a bar), and 'God's Timing is Right Auto Repair.'

In many ways, Ghana is strikingly different than Mali. For one, being an English-speaking country makes being a tourist much easier. Although the locals primarily speak their native tongue, Twi, amongst themselves, the majority of people you encounter can speak English rather well.

Additionally, while Mali is primarily a Muslim country, Ghana is primarily Christian. Billboards throughout the country speak of upcoming rallies by American evangelists, and just about every single business is named using some kind of religious/bliblical saying.

Transportation in Ghana is far and away faster, simpler, and more comfortable than in Mali. We took over ten public transportation vehicles during our excursion, and not once did we have to wait for more than five minutes to leave.

On our first ride on a 'tro tro' (Ghana's version of Mali's bashé), I got on last after watching over our bags to make sure they were loaded properly. I climbed aboard and my friend Mario called me over to a seat next to him. I sat down, but the women next to me kept yelling, 'four-four, it's four-four.' I was the fifth person in our row. They kept calling for me to go and sit up front, and when I went forward and found no seat, I returned. A woman promptly scooted over to block me from sitting down.

The apprentice ended up giving up his seat for me up front and he stood for the entire ride, but the situation really hit the point home. My American friends and I were so used to public transportation in Mali that squeezing five people in a row was nothing to us. We would even consider this a 'comfortable ride.' But the Ghanians would have none of it, it was utterly unacceptable.

But above all, Ghana is much, much more developed. I had expected that, outside of the major cities, all of West Africa would generally consist of the small, poor villages of mud or thatch construction that I had experienced in Mali. But in actuality, most buildings, even in the bush, seemed to be made of concrete blocks. And just about every village I saw enjoyed the comfort of electricity. Additionally, the variety of food and personal products available for sale was quite staggering when compared to Mali. It really slammed home the point for me that Mali truly is a very poor country, even regionally.

We first took a 'tro tro' east along the coast to the small community of Ada Foah, staying in tents at a small beach-side resort. We spent Saturday on a long walk exploring the coast and the small town nearby.

Along the beach at Ada Foah, men and boys play an intense version of tug-o-war. This is actually how they bring in the fishing nets from the sea. A group of men take up positions on rope affixed to each end of the net and pull it in for over an hour.

A couple of nicely-decorated fishing boats along the coastline of Ada Foah.

A small fishing village outside of Ada Foah. Note the concrete block construction.

A footbridge spans over an offshoot of the Volta River, connecting two sides of the small village.

On Sunday, we took a 'tro tro' back to Tema, a major transport hub, in order to take another 'tro tro' up to Ho, the capital city of Ghana's scenic Volta region. The ride up was beautiful. The well-maintained road meandered through mountains  and valleys covered in lush, tropical vegetation, and frequently passed along the immense Lake Volta. After being in Mali, I didn't think such a place existed in West Africa. We stayed with Moses, a Ghanian man whom Mario had been told by a friend to contact. Despite being complete strangers to him, he treated us like family. He put us up in his house, brought us to his village, and gave us food.

We headed out on Monday, first thing in the morning, on a 'tro tro' up to the monkey sanctuary in Tafi Atome. Back when the locals practiced animism, the Mona monkey was respected as 'king of the forest' and was considered sacred. But once Christianity took root, some locals got away from this philosophy and began hunting the monkeys. The community, however, saw the value in these cute little creatures and set up a sanctuary over 15 years ago. The community now affords the monkeys protection and offers tours to the public.

The sanctuary was a very cool experience. Once we got into the woods, our tour-guide began making noises to beckon the monkeys closer. They immediately could be seen climbing and swinging through the woods to our right. We then took turns holding out bananas for them. The monkeys would try to just take the banana from you, but if you hold it out with a firm grip, they actually peel it open with their own hands and break off a piece.

Paula feeds a banana to a monkey as Lukas looks on.

A monkey peels a banana as I hang on. Karmen stands at the ready, coaxing another monkey over.

Two adult Mona monkeys scavenging for more food.

A group picture in front of the information center. Lukas, Max, and myself (top row). Karmen, Paula, and Mario (bottom row).

A small mountain community in the lush Volta region.

Following the monkey sanctuary, we endured a long day of transport, taking three subsequent vehicles south and west past Accra into the small coastal community of Elmina. We stayed in a dorm room at a small beach-side resort just outside of the city.

A view of the colonial architecture along a street in Elmina. Fort Coenraadsburg, built by the Portuguese and later conquered by the Dutch, looms large over the city on St. Jago Hill.

Along the coast of Elmina is São Jorge da Mina Castle. This castle was originally built by the Portuguese for gold trading, but was expanded soon-after to become one of the primary stops on the trans-atlantic slave trade. Its a omnipresent and stirring reminder of the horrific effects colonialism has had on this region.

The coast along Elmina is always bustling with activity. The city has a thriving small-scale fishing industry.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to linger on the coast. Tuesday afternoon I left my group to take a cab back to the large, nearby city of Cape Coast, in order to meet up with other volunteers also flying out of Accra Wednesday night. We had a relaxed night, then took a bus back to Accra in the morning.

Our vacation in Ghana may not have been planned, but it was enjoyable. The country is beautiful and its people are good-humored and welcoming. Despite all of the differences, Ghana does share these traits with Mali.