The Vuvuzela Diaries

Accra is a city that grows on you. It’s sweltering hot, humid and the traffic rivals Joburg rush-hour during a black-out!!! But these things aside, the vibrant and expectant atmosphere is encapsulating. Before we knew it, Grant and I had were donning Black Star soccer shirts and eating traditional groundnut sauce and rice from a variety of street-vendours!

Our first taste of home came as a welcomed surprise as we ran into a Shoprite on our drive into the capital. It was as if Bafana Bafana had just won the world cup! We skipped around the store ooing and aahing at the sight of Black Cat Peanut Butter, Pronutro and Simonsberg feta cheese! We left begrudgingly clutching packets of Simba chips, Beacon White Easter Eggs and Cadbury chocolate.

We were fortunate to know friends of friends in Accra and they kindly put us up for 3 nights in what we would describe as luxury 5 star accommodation. After 6 weeks of non-stop camping we were spoilt with air-conditioned on-suite bedrooms, DSTV and meals prepared by Chef Michael! Chris and Alet were the perfect hosts and true to their South African roots organised a fantastic braai for us on the Wednesday night!(Pap and wors nogal!)

As is the case in most capital cities, time is predominately dedicated to doing admin! Accra is perfectly suited to this despite the traffic! The Accra Mall fortunately was just down the road from Chris and Alet’s and equipped with a Shoprite, Game and an Apple WiFi Cafe so we were able to catch up on e-mails and restock our fridge and car supplies!! There was even a Woolies down the road but much to our disappointment they didn’t stock chuckles or biltong sticks!!! Both cars needed a visit to the doctor (minor injuires) and we happened to find great mechanics, Trust Hands – ( GPS: N 05°34.607 W 00°16.616) who were inexpensive but incredibly professional and helpful!

That Thursday was Neil’s birthday. It just so happened that a friend of his had a contact at Accra Brewery (owned by SAB) and he kindly invited us on a brewery tour that afternoon-a perfect birthday gift! The tour was excellent, Greg the MD and Richard, his technical advisor, gave us a personal tour of the entire beer-making process from brewing to bottling! We even got to taste their latest brand of sorghum beer, Chibuku… definitely an acquired taste! Following the tour, we sat out in their beer-garden and cracked open a Club Gold, their premium brand. Some were also brave enough to try the Ghanaian favourite, The Chairman¸which was 10.5 % alc and comprised of beer, spirits and ginger. Best not to be mistaken for a Stonies!!

The next morning we bade a sad farewell to Chris and Alet. The next round of The Vuvuzela Adventure was calling….

Keeping with the tradition of the trip, we celebrated Neil’s birthday in 2 phases!! We saw his birthday in (not quite, but close!) with a South African Braai followed by apple-crumble ‘cake’ on the Wednesday night. The next day, was the actual BIG day and Mik organised a breakfast with muffins. ( a real treat for us travellers!)

As if this wasn’t enough, lunch was followed by a chocolate cake courtesy of Shoprite, where Neil blew out candles that Mik had bought all the way from London!

The cherry on the top was the Brewery tour that afternoon- not a bad spot to spend your 29th B.day hey Neil! It’s tough in Africa!

Two months into our trip and it really does not take much to impress us! So when we arrived at the Green Turtle Lodge we were blown away! Palm trees, white sand, beautiful blue sea and a bar made from a large pirogue – what more do we really need? The lodge is run by a young and incredibly friendly English couple (Tom and Jo) who are aided by their New Zealand friend, Steve, and it can be found just past Dixcove. Our routine over the next six days mostly revolved around the delicious meals served under bamboo umbrellas dotted in the sand around the lodge: breakfasts of muesli and French toast soaked in honey with fried banana’s; lunches of sandwiches, paninis, pizza’s, salads and thick-cut chips; dinners of fresh swordfish and kingfish!

Why not have another G&T?

We broke our routine of eating, sleeping and reading to explore the surrounds. To the east we could walk for a good hour on the beach without seeing a single person. And a 20-minute walk to the west led to the local village, mangrove swamps and an old fort perched on the peninsular. We took a pirogue ride with the locals up into the mangroves and walked to a secluded beach. We were also fortunate enough to have Danielle’s parents, Alain and Helen, join us from South Africa for the week. Not only did they bring a welcome addition to our topics of conversation, but also supplies of chocolate which made Easter feel much more homely!

We were keen to continue handing out footballs and, according to Tom, the local team (who had recently renamed themselves to the “Green Turtles”) would be a worthy cause. So one afternoon we jumped onto the back of the Green Turtle bakkie and headed out to football practise! To get to the field we walked through the bustling village to the screams of “Obruni” (white man) from the local children who seemed to be congregating in their hundreds around us (and in particular Paula, who seems to have a knack of attracting cute little children!). We delivered the football and then joined the Green Turtles to play a gruelling hour of football – when we weren’t tackling each other on bare earth we were hunting for the ball in thick grass!

On our last evening we played one finally volleyball game with Bash and Justus (two Americans we met who are travelling our same route to SA by motorbike) and then bid farewell to the Green Turtle. On our way to Accra we stopped at the town of Elima to visit the Elima Fort which is the second oldest fort in Ghana. Originally built by the Portuguese, the fort was used to imprison slaves under the most horrific conditions before they were shipped out of West Africa. We were taken on a detailed tour and our guide excelled himself in offering a profound and insightful analysis of the fort’s past. The history and beauty of the Ghanaian coast certainly left an impression on us, and we were sad to move on.

Ghana hits you in the face the minute you arrive. English speaking officials, a duty free shop at the border, school children in uniform, MTN colours on every available space. And the humidity. How a scant border post can contain all of this within the country is unbelievable. We have said goodbye to the dry dust of the Sahara desert and the Harmatan that was starting to pull in. We say hello to lush green scenery, soaring temperatures and insane humidity that I don’t know if I can ever get used to. It comes with reward though, and that is South African products! Our eyes were on stalks when we walked into Shoprite and didn’t know what to buy and what to leave!

After spending a night in the bush after the border we headed for Mole National Park in the Northern section of Ghana. Reputedly the best game park in West Africa, the road to get there was in a sorry state and our poor cars took a beating as we bumped and jostled for about two hours on 80 kilometres. We had the campsite to ourselves (and the baboon troops on their daily rounds of annoying tourists and stealing food) which overlooked the savannah plains. We spent two nights here and went on guide walks and drives, and whilst it was lovely, there was unfortunately not very much game and a lone elephant was our best sighting.

The group then split and Maude made a dash for the coast. The Capetonians were not coping with the dust and needed the sea. The Joburger and our Newcastle delegate were happy to oblige. So back on the terrible road and South we went. We unfortunately misjudged the state of the roads and after a day found ourselves in Techiman at 6pm at night. Techiman leaves a lot to be desired in terms of tourist comforts (let’s not forget we are also in Africa, and are really not asking for much). We battled to find any accommodation and eventually had to settle on Emmanuel Inn. We’re still not 100% if the Inn was aimed at the general public or at the pimps down the road, but we had our fried rice for dinner in the courtyard and headed for our scaffy rooms. Doors locked, each others numbers on speed dial. My favourite part was the suggestion box next to the very grotty ablution block. Doubt I’ll ever be back there, so will keep my constructive criticism to myself.

We then continued South and hit the coast, and what a site it was! We landed up at Anamobo Hotel – a lovely expat vibe resort where even the campers were allowed the buffet breakfast in the mornings. The restaurant was a lovely open air wooden, colonial style deck overlooking the ocean. Our intended one night stay quickly became two nights and we spent a day relaxing on the sunloungers on the beach.

Green Turtle Lodge, on Akwidaa beach, was calling and it was time to head West now along the coast of Ghana. Along the way we did the tree-top walk at Kakum National Park – a lovely suspended bridge system from seven trees and 40 metres above the ground. We also dropped in to Elmina in search of some fresh fish, but had missed the fishing day, but vowed to come back on our way to Accra to have a tour of the imposing Portuguese and Dutch built fort.

We arrived at Green Turtle Lodge late afternoon on the 30th March, where we were to be spending the next 6 nights. We were not disappointed. The beach in front of the lodge is truly spectacular and is now one of my top 5 beaches. The lodge and the owners are so relaxed and the overall vibe was just what we were after. Paradise found.

In Ghana life is public. People evacuate their homes and apartments every day to escape the stifling heat. And much like the patterned cloth worn by market women, the disparate parts and peoples somehow mix and weave together into a cohesive whole. Ghana is home to a number of diverse peoples and cultures, all finding ways to coexist in a rapidly modernising country. You’ll see men and women in traditional clothes text messaging friends and suited businessmen taking offerings to tribal chiefs.

Ghana has no iconic natural calling card like Victoria Falls or Kilimanjaro, but one look at a map reveals a geographic blessing: hundreds of kilometres of coast shared by beautiful beaches, like those at Busua & Dixcove, ruined European forts, such as Cape Coast Castle, the poignant reminders of the country’s importance as a way station for African slaves, and the battered shacks of lively fishing villages. Accra is the commercial and cultural motor of the country, while Kumasi is the traditional home of the Ashanti, and is famous for its crafts. In the Volta region to the east, where the geography was given a facelift by the Akosombo dam, you can still find substantial swathes of forest crawling up mountains along the Togo border. And finally the North, which offers opportunities for wildlife viewing up close and personal, stretches across the horizon like an overcooked pancake to the Burkina Faso frontier.

Compared to other countries in the region, Ghana is stable and prosperous, but this valuation is in part founded on hopes for the future. The country is often labelled ‘Africa for beginners’, and while you’ll likely be welcomed by the people in a hot, sweaty clinch, the same way the sun grabs hold of you the second after you step outside, getting around is by no means easy.

With thanks to Lonely Planet