We never have any expectations allowing our destinations to blow our mind. At first when we arrived i was frozen in a state of anxiety due to the utter chaos but its crazy now we we seem to slot right - almost, our white skin does still stick out in a crowd. We bargain and negotiate our way through some full on situations and its a really good feeling when you finally safely reach accomodation, sort of an accomplishment. haha.
Sometimes we have to scream at Men 'Mem Piew' i dont like you. This is pretty effective at making marriage suitors and beggars leave. However 'Mem pow' which sounds very similar to 'Mem Piew' means i like you and i will admit i accidently said this to a man and was almost whisked away. I will just stick with 'Mempe Saa' I dont like that, from now on to prevent any other slip ups.
We have been visiting coastal villages and resorts. The white sanded, palm fringed beaches seem like tropical oasis's after being inland in our dusty villages all week. The mornings are spent visiting tourist destinations such as slave castles and national parks on 35m high suspension bridges. Afternoons are spent exploring the fascinating villages each new and exciting and filled with mostly smiling people thrilled to see westerners wearing ghanian clothes, speaking snippets of twi and with braids. We also chill at the very cheap but amazing beach resorts. We have had our fair share of nights in seedy accomodation however.
Last night we stayed at this beach called kokrobite. Its this mad hippie/rastifarian resort. All the guys have dreadlocks and wear red,yellow and green and are pretty chilled. Think Jamaica. They r sooo funny and are actually really nice but its still good to be careful. Its not a good idea to take any valuables onto the beach - 2 girls we were with were actually mugged, but they r fine. We spent the whole day chilling on the beach. It was surreal, we were lieing amongst these traditional boats and fishing nets chatting and playing with some of the village kids - im now a pro at their clapping games. As the sun began setting a reggae band set up and we stayed there watching the sun set and well into the night. We then slept in a massive tent on the beach for $2.50.
Apart from Kokrobite i feel really safe travelling in Ghana. The people are amazingly helpful, friendly and hospitable. People will often come up and help you. There are con artists out there so we are always careful but its really reassuring that people are always willing to help. We are also very careful with valuables wearing money belts etc. but theft in Ghana is strongly looked down upon. If someone steals they will usually be beaten or stoned to death before the police arrive. Obrunis are pretty respected in Ghana so if someone stole from us hundreds of helpful Ghanians would run to our aid. When Chels was hit by the crazy lady many people ran to our aid.
Transport is sometimes hair raising but we grit our teeth. Ive been on a tro tro which would not pass rego in Australia, speeding along a bumpy dirt road crammed with 26 people. There was sweat from the lady next to me dripping onto my thigh. Before i knew it one final passenger had boarded and there was a basket with bloody, foul smelling fish heads in line with my face.
On our way home from Busua - a small coastal fishing village with a strong hippy influence i was in the back of a tro tro when the seat i was sharing with three big african mummys suddenly came to a crash on the floor. I then noticed the boot did not shut properly and feared we would slide to our deaths on the road behind us. When the tro tro pulled over on the side of the road due to rain i informed the driver and we decided that once the rain stopped we would find a new tro tro.
Next weekend we are going to the Volta region and climbing a mountain and visiting some waterfalls. That is our second last weekend away as we will soon be leaving our families for our final 3 weeks of travel. The time has flown and im feeling pretty sad.
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