GHANA

Sweet-Oh

We entered Ghana in the far north western corner through the Hamile border post. It was great to be able to communicate in English again and with the positive vibes we were getting from being back, we were sure we would have a great time.

We had been told by other travellers that the Ghanaian police would constantly ask for money and gifts, but after passing many road blocks and not even being stopped we wondered whether this could be that same country.

We had decided not to go to the Nazinga Game Reserve in Burkino Faso and instead had opted for the Mole National Park in Ghana’s northern region. We were told at the border post that the road down to Wa was good except for the first 50km. Indeed this was the case and we made quite good progress although, as per usual, it took us longer than we thought. Just before we reached Wa, we struck a goat that decided to shoot across the road. Unfortunately, the goat was instantly killed but there was really nothing we could have done to prevent that accident, and the locals knew it. From Wa we headed southwards to Sawla which is where the east access road to Mole National Park begins. We naively hoped that it would be a tar road because the park is a major tourist attraction. When we found the road it was a rough laterite road that had been damaged by recent floods. We had no other option and being conscious that it was now late afternoon, and that driving on such roads in fading light would be tough on Proper Job, we pressed on. The road was one of the roughest we had driven on since Gambia and 3 hours later we arrived with relief at the gate to the Mole National Park.

The map of the park shows a number of camps but it soon became apparent that these were inaccessible so we opted for the spectacularly situated Mole Lodge which was a couple of kilometres inside the park. The lodge is perched on a hillside and overlooks a large watering hole. Theoretically this should be a great place to see animals but as we were in the rainy season it was probably better to go out on safari to look for them.

As it was a weekend, the lodge was alive with volunteers and NGO’s from all over Ghana so had the chance to meet lots of them and do some information gathering. We dumped our things in the room and headed to the swimming pool for a quick dip. Jane and I were keen to try a cold Star beer after so many years away from Ghana so we got stuck into a couple or three bottles (big). After a good Ghanaian meal we headed for the room and planned to do a safari the following day. It was our first night back in Ghana, and at midnight the park was hit by a tremendous thunder storm. I always enjoyed the big storms that swept through the Ashanti area, but I recall these normally lasted for just an hour or so. The storm that night raged on through the night and only stopped at 8am.....a nice welcome back to Ghana.

All safaris were cancelled that morning so we opted to go on a walking safari in the afternoon. I wondered around the outskirts of the lodge and noticed the prolific bird life. There are over 350 bird species at Mole and it is worth keeping your eyes open for some truly beautiful birds. We met some very nice people at the lodge and in particular we enjoyed the company of Stephen Kelly from Ireland who is working as a volunteer and also Aggie and her mum from Canada. We have to thank Aggie for giving us some great tips on where to go and what to see in Ghana. All her recommendations were excellent and she exuded the kindness that Canadians are renowned for. At 3pm we headed out on a walking safari and saw a few types of antelope and lots of warthogs. We did not see any elephants and, as Jane was desperate to see her favourite animal, we decided to go on a driving safari the following morning.

That morning we found the vehicles had been overbooked, so as I had seen loads of elephants on other African safaris, I volunteered to stay behind. Plus, I remembered a story of a German in Zimbabwe who had stayed at camp whilst his animal loving wife headed out into the bush. He ended up seeing the Big 5 (Lion, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard) from the camp bar that overlooked a watering hole, whilst she saw very little. I headed over to the restaurant for breakfast and as I finished, there was some commotion as a bunch of elephants had just come down to the water hole. Jane returned from her safari a little disappointed as they had only caught a brief glimpse of an elephant. She was delighted when she found out that there were some around the watering hole and we joined a group that were heading there by foot with an armed guide for a close encounter. We got within 30 meters of the elephants that were in the water and got some great close up shots.

We planned to leave the following morning and I arranged to go on a two hour early morning bird walk. We went far into the bush and saw many nice species, including some malachite kingfishers. On the way back to the camp, we stumbled into a herd of 6 elephants and got very close to them...in fact so close I urged the guide to increase the distance between us !

The drive westwards to the Tamale-Kumasi road was reported to be just as bad as the road we had taken to get to the park, and we soon found out that indeed it was,. Some hours later we got to the main road - shaken but not stirred - and headed southwards towards the Kintampo Falls in the Brong Ahafo region. Arriving in the town of Kintampo we found a mango-addicts dream market. There were mangoes of many different sizes, including a giant variety (the size of a soccer ball) that they called a papaya-mango. The market mama told me that the medium sized ones were the best and to prove the point offered me a free taste. I obliged and, a bite later, bought a bag full of some of the nicest mangoes we had yet found on our travels. We also grabbed a couple of nice big pineapples for the ‘pineapple loving’ Jane.

We continued southwards and went to the Kintampo Falls which were delightful. The water is very clean and we jumped straight in and sat under the cool cascade for a couple of refreshing hours. Our destination that evening was Nkoranza, where the Hand in Hand hospice for mentally handicapped Ghanaian children is situated. This establishment has nice comfortable chalets which are reasonably priced. I wish that I could have such accommodation throughout my African journey and I highly recommend Hand in Hand to other travellers. Thanks to Aggie once again for pointing us in this direction. In addition, the money they get from the chalets all goes to an extremely good cause. Handicapped children in Ghana are treated with much suspicion, and are thought to be the product of the Water Spirit having secretly fertilized a woman. These children are generally abandoned and left by the rivers to be reclaimed by the Water Spirit. Hand in hand was set up many years ago by a Dutch medical doctor and the establishment with its kind volunteers is very inspiring.

The following morning we went to visit the monkey village called Baobeng Fiema. The people here believe that these monkeys are sacred and that is why they are protected and it is illegal to hunt them. They even have a monkey graveyard where they hold funeral services for departed monkeys. The guide told us that the monkeys actually come into the village to die. The walk through the reserve was nice and we saw two different types of monkey, the black-and-white Colobus and the Mona.

Our plan today was to get down to Obuasi where we were to meet Doug Hayes, who had arranged a tour of the Obuasi area and mines for us. On the way we wanted to stop at the Kumasi Club near to the old Fort. This is where we used to always come for lunch whilst visiting Kumasi from Obuasi so it would be interesting to see how it had changed. Kumasi is a busy place and we soon got lost and ended up driving through the central market. It was total chaos in the market but we managed to get through unscathed and eventually found the Kumasi Club. The outside has not changed much and I did not easily recall what the inside was like back in the old days. Jane however, has a much better memory than me so she was able to describe the differences. We had hoped for a lunch but found they did not serve food anymore. We were determined to have lunch there so I popped around the corner and found a couple of roadside food stalls with plantain and groundnuts. I also grabbed one of nice big pineapples that the barman kindly offered to cut up. Lunch finished we jumped into Proper Job and headed southwards towards Obuasi, where we arrived an hour later. I have written a separate Blog on Obuasi, so from here I will skip straight to the coast of Ghana.

The drive from Obuasi along the road to Cape Coast was very pleasant and we passed the hours away reminiscing about the old times in Obuasi. Our jubilant mood however has been tempered during the last few days as news that Tony Silvey, one of our best friends in Perranporth, Cornwall, had been diagnosed with a tumour on the brain. I think of Tony daily and desperately hope that he will be well soon. It was Tony that procured from out local pub the Proper Job beer pump badge that is on the front of my Landcruiser (named Proper Job).....and I will try to make sure that the badge makes it all the way back with me so we can return it to its rightful owner (Bolingey Inn).

It was really nice to get back to the coast again and the cool sea breezes. The stretch of road between Accra and Dixcove is notorious for its speed traps so we proceeded carefully. We were stopped a few times at police check points, but after some good humoured banter about the World Cup football tournament, we were waived through.

We arrived at Busua in the late afternoon and found sea front accommodation called Busua Inn. This place is run by a French couple, Olivier and Daniella, and was recommended to us by Xavier, our French friend in Bobo Dialoso (Burkino Faso). I was keen to check the area out and see how it had changed from the early 80’s. Back then there was just one lodge (a restaurant/bar and 7 basic chalets) situated in the middle of Busua bay and Busua village at the far end of the beach was a very traditional African village with no block buildings. We used to go down and watch the fisherman come in with their catch of sailfish, manta and shark. Busua has changed a lot, and there are now dozens of lodges and small hotels. The old Busua lodge has been transformed into a posh resort with 50 or so modern chalets. The old restaurant bar building is still there but is not in use anymore. The beach front between the lodge and the old Busua village has been filled in with buildings, but has not completely lost its charm. We went down to the village and met some fishing boats coming in with their catch. Today though, like many parts of the world, the fishing has been hard hit and they only seem to catch sardines. The foreign fishing fleets (Japan, Russia, China etc) have moved in and this has resulted in a fish depletion that puts the viability of coastal fishing villages in grave jeopardy.

The next day was my birthday and it was nice to be spending it in a place where I have so many good memories from the past. We found a couple of great beach front bars and restaurants and had celebrated in style...with lobster, pineapple, tuna, mango and cold star beers. The kids from the village are extremely friendly and we spent hours mucking around with them and taking photos. The adults in the village are initially reluctant to let you take pictures but once you engage with them in conversation they soon relax and allow you to snap away.

We walked to Dixcove which was another place we used to visit on our sojourns to Busua. We stayed overnight a couple of times in the old fort, but in those days the accommodation was really rough. The old footpath from Busua to Dixcove through the dense bush has gone. Instead there is a dirt road so that is what we took. Dixcove is still a bustling fishing village and, from that perspective, hasn’t really changed that much. One change is that the village dogs don’t chase the white man anymore. The fort has been restored and is in good condition. I remember staying there in the 1980’s with Chris and Justin Warwick and, after the mine truck dropped us off, trying to wake the care taker. He eventually woke up and gave us a room which had insect ridden beds. Didn’t have a god nights sleep and after we ate our breakfast eggs and bread we walked along the bush path to Busua where we had a couple of great days with the Ghanaian Air Force.

The following day we departed and headed towards Ezile Bay lodge which is situated at Ezile Bay, about an hours drive westwards from Busua. The nearby fishing village is called Akwida and it reminded me of Busua in the old days....no development and no electricity. Ezile Bay lodge is owned by Olivier and Daniella from Busua Inn and is renowned for its safe swimming and isolation. The Green Turtle lodge is about a 30 minute walk in an easterly direction past Akwida, but there is no road connection between the two lodges. As it was the low season we were the only ones at Ezile Bay. Unfortunately the weather was not that great and the whole coastal strip was getting lots of rain. For me, being an ardent non-sun-bather, this type of weather suited me fine.

The following day we made a trip to Cape Three Points, the most southerly point of Ghana. On the way back to Ezile Bay we stopped at another coastal eco lodge called Escape, which is being developed by Ketty (a volunteer from France) and Akwesi (whose parents own the Rainbow Hotel in Busua and who was born in Saskatchewan, Canada). They still have some way to go to get fully established, but it is in a super location.

We also wanted to stay for a couple of days at the much vaunted Green Turtle Lodge, which we could only get to by taking a circular route back to Dixcove and then follow a rough dirt road for about an hour. The road was pretty poor in parts but even with the rains the local taxis were making it up the worst sections, so it would be no problem for Proper Job. Along the way we saw a few more spectacular coloured birds, one being an almost fluorescent orange/red called a red bishop. As the weekend was over, the hordes of volunteers who descend on Green Turtle lodge had left so it was just the right atmosphere. Walking towards the reception I noticed a familiar figure that we had met at the Mole National Park. It was nice to bump into Alex ( a Brit) and Veera (a Fin) and we had a great couple of days with them.....including one dinner where we consumed a fair amount of beer. We wish them both the best with their move to Cape Town where Alex is taking up a research post in Oceanography.

Green Turtle Lodge deserves its fine reputation and, with an ultra friendly and efficient staff, it is a place one can really chill out. Watching the World Cup at the lodge was fun as a generator had to be used, that every now and then would run out of fuel which in turn would trigger a quick reaction from the football crazy Ghanaian staff to drive to another village to get some more !! We noticed an old surf board with the St Pirans flag on it that had been made into a sign post. We wondered what the history of that one was but unfortunately the English owners were not there to ask.

We had a great few days on the coast but with Jane’s departure time approaching, and our need to pick up our Nigerian visas in Accra we reluctantly had to leave and head back eastwards. I am not a big fan of the big African cities so we hoped to spend a minimal amount of time there. One of the bonuses for me this time for venturing into a big city was that we could catch up with some old Ghanaian friends. I was looking forward to meeting with Ben Adoo (who I had been involved in a mining venture with) Kofi Adu Labi (the advisor to the governor of the Bank of Ghana whom I had befriended in 1991 whilst doing an MBA at Bradford University) and Carolyn Yarboi (our friend from the Obuasi days).

The drive to Accra went well and we were not stopped once by the police, and managed to avoid any speeding fines. We opted to stay at a place called Afia Beach Hotel which the Danish teacher friends we had met in Mauritania had told us about. It is owned by an Australian lady and her Jazz playing Ghanaian husband and is also well located for a number of embassies. It is also well priced for its location. Once we reached Accra we continued to follow the route marked on our GPS which heads southwards from Nkrumeh Circle. Unfortunately, this was not the one to take as we found out a few days later. We ended up driving through the busy market and railway station area at snail’s pace. An hour later, with our plans for getting our Nigerian visas applications in, we arrived at Afia Beach Hotel.

I was still determined to give it a go as today was Thursday and I knew that there was no visa applications allowed on Friday which would mean putting them in on Monday.....and I really didn’t want to stay until Tuesday I had read that the Nigerian visa applications requires a lot of supporting documentation (Ghana visa, travel insurance, car insurance, Carnet showing Ghana entry stamp etc). Luckily the hotel had a photocopier so within 10 minutes of checking in we were off to the Nigerian Embassy which unfortunately had recently moved near the airport. We arrived at 1.50 with only 10 minutes to go before the visa office closed. The security was very helpful and we quickly filled in the 3 page application form and rushed to the visa receptionist to formally apply. The receptionist was also friendly but told us we had to pay in US dollars and not Ghana Cedis. I explained that we had recently changed our dollars to Cedis and she agreed to go any change it back for us...but at least the process had started. Another thing in our favour was Nigeria were playing today in the World Cup so the staff were all in a god mood. I am glad the game hadn’t finished as Nigeria ended up loosing !! We sat down to watch the start of the game and after a few minutes one of the African guys asked if he could help us. He was the visa man, so after a bit of banter he went through our forms, clipped all the pages together and told us to come back the following day at between 2.30 and 3pm to pick them up. One thing to note about the Nigerian visas is they are expensive, and ours cost us US$130 each (US$100 for the visa and US$30 for the application process). Not much you can do about it though.

That evening we had arranged to meet Carolyn and when she walked into the hotel lobby we recognised her instantly by her big friendly smile. It was very nice to see her again and she invited us back to her house for dinner to meet her family. Her Husband Peter is originally from Holland and runs a sucessfull logistics supply company. As we chatted we found we knew many of the same people from the mining industry. Carolyn served up some delicious steaks from South Africa and after not having any decent meat since we left Cornwall they were a real treat for us. We agreed to meet with Carolyn again the following day, which was also the day England are playing Algeria.

The following day I had arranged to meet for lunch with Ben Adoo, whilst Jane went looking for Golden Tree chocolate and real Ghanaian peanut butter. I enjoyed a super Ghana lunch (chicken with groundnut stew followed by sweet fried plantain) with Ben and after he kindly agreed to take me to the Nigerian Embassy afterwards to pick up the visas. We arrived in good time to pick up the visas and then I bade farewell to Ben and headed back to the hotel. That evening we went to Champs Sports Bar where we had agreed to meet up again with Carolyn. England had another awful game, but rather than sulk Carolyn and arranged for us to have dinner at the Monsoon restaurant which was famous for its sushi. We arrived to find the place in full swing and Peter also had a number of his friends there which made for a great crowd. Dinner was super and we thank Peter and Carolyn very much for their kindness......hopefully you can put that bill on the company account Peter !

Saturday had arrived and this was Jane’s last day. It would be a shame when she left as she was truly a lot of fun and a value-added member of our team during her 4 weeks with us. Over the last couple of days we had a lot of rain in Accra which seemed to be following us along the coast. I had arranged to meet Kofi and we would watch the Ghana v Australia game at his house. It was great to catch up again with him and his fun wife (who is hilarious when she watches football). Ghana really should have won that game, but they can’t finish....the same problem as the last World Cup. After the game we dropped Jane at the airport and said our farewell. I would really miss her company in the days and weeks to come.

Later that evening I touched base with Bill Hussey, who is a friend of mine from Cornwall (we seem to get everywhere !) who is based in Abuja. Bill had kindly offered to let us stay with him and help us get our visas for Cameroon, DRC, Congo, Gabon and Angola, That is a lot of visas to get though, so I will try and pick up a couple of these whilst in Togo. Bill enquired whether I had yet called his good Camborne friend Angelo Massimino, who was based in Accra. Angelo has been in Ghana for 35 years and he would certainly be able to help get our darned air conditioner fixed. I had literally forgotten, so with Bill’s prompting, I called Angelo and although I wanted to leave Accra on Sunday, I agreed to extend my stay by a day and meet up with him on Sunday afternoon. And I am really glad that we did that, because as soon as I met him I instantly liked him. He even agreed to loan me US$1000 to top up my foreign currency fund for the trip through Cameroon, Gabon and the DRC. He has no worries that I will pay him back as I wouldn’t want the Camborne mafia after me...ha ha. We went to Champs for Sunday roast that, whilst not as good as a Bolingey Inn roast, were a welcome change. We had a few cold Club Gold beers and then Angelo insisted that we went to Ryans Pub. I could see that this was to be a long day (and night). After a few beers at Ryans we headed to Captain Hooks and had some of the best sea food we had yet tasted on our African trip. The owner is German and is a lot of fun. After sinking a few more beers we agreed it was time to call it quits and head back to the hotel. We had a brilliant day with Angelo and I thank him very much for his kindness and help......now all he has to do is go and find a good gold project that we can partner up in !!

The following morning was a Monday and we opted to leave Accra and head northwards to the Volta Region. We didn’t get our air con fixed either, banking on the fact that for much of the rest of our journey to South Africa we will be in the rainy or cool season. We may regret that decision, but we will certainly get it fixed in Cape Town.

Our first stop in the Volta region was Akosombo, which is where the huge wall for the Lake Volta hydro dam was built. Today Lake Volta is most expansive artificial lake in the world. The drive from Accra took three hours and the scenery got better and better the further north we drove. We stayed at the Aylos Bay lodge which is situated on the Volta river bank about 500m from the Volta Bridge. The lodge is set in an attractive shady garden and is really picturesque. We immediately liked the place and were able to chill out for a couple of days. The Volta river is large and with no crocodiles around it is safe to swim in. The lodge has a pontoon at the end of a wooden walkway that provided a great spot to catch up with my Blog. After a couple of hours of writing a quick swim in the surprisingly warm river was called for. We didn’t visit the dam wall itself, but instead opted to drive past the dam and head around a part of the lakeshore. The narrow road led us through some lush landscapes and past a number of small homesteads. We noticed a couple of these had big dead rats for sale and stopped to ask them how they caught them. Apparently the meat is good, but it didn’t tempt us to buy one to try. After a couple of days we decided it was time to move northwards again.

Our next destination was the Wli waterfall that is 25km to the east of Hohoe. On the way we passed through a village called Fume and noticed there were a lot of mangos for sale. We had not seen too many of our favourite fruit recently so we took the opportunity to stock up. A few kilometres on we were stopped at a police check point and after some banter about the Ghana football team and some advice on the best route to Wli, we continued northwards. The next police stop was at a village called Golakuati, but they gave us completely different advice on the best route. Anyway, we decided to listen to them and went to Wli via Hohoe. Actually, it was not a bad route but the one via Golakuati and Gbledi was much more interesting and scenic. We found this out later as we took that route on the way out of Wli towards Mount Afadjato.

We stayed at the Waterfall Lodge on the fringe of the village of Wli. The lodge has a nice view of the waterfall and surrounding hills, and is well run by Sabina from Germany. The following day we arranged a guide to take us to the upper falls which took about 4 hours in total. Take your swimming costume with you as the walk up the mountain through the thick humid forest to the upper falls is hard going and you sweat profusely. Once we arrived at the falls we jumped straight into the cool water. The walk back down the mountain was also difficult as the forest path is slippery and one wrong step could result in a nasty fall into dense bush. It surprised me how very quiet it is in the forest. One would expect it to be teeming with birds and small mammals. However, if you looked carefully there was a serious amount of insect life. Watch out for the ants as they have a hell of a bite. The evenings were spent in the village at local spot bars (cheap Star Beer) and in the Waterfall Heights Lodge where we ate tasty Ghanaian food and watched the World Cup.

The following day we headed southwards along a narrow dirt road towards the village of Laite Wote which is very close to the Togo border. It is also near to Mount Afadjato which is the tallest mountain in Ghana. Part of the road had been cut up by the rain but it was mainly in good condition and was surprisingly better than many of the so called tarred roads we had been on. We decided to climb the 885m mountain with a guide from the Ghana Wildlife Society in the nearby village of Gbledi. The reason being the money would go to a good cause and also because the reserve had some uncommon species of birds so hopefully the guide would be able to find some of these. The Afadjato Guesthouse in Laite Wote is simple and well run by a Ghanaian lady called Pat. The food she serves is excellent and there is a couple of small bars up the road where you can get a cold bottle of beer. That afternoon we hiked along a bush path through a dense valley to the Tsagbo falls. The falls took 45 minutes to get to walking at a brisk pace. We arrived hot and in need of cooling down so once again jumped in - even though there was a sign saying no swimming. I later enquired about this and was told it was to discourage Ghanaian children as they tend not to be particularly good swimmers. During the night it rained quite a bit and only eased off at 6.30am. We had arranged to meet our guide at 7am to climb Mount Afadjato. The walk through the thick forest was interesting but you can never truly appreciate the surroundings as most of the time you are watching the pathway. Occasionally we heard a bird call and even saw the rare Green Crested or Guinea Turacao. However the guide, who was supposedly the bird specialist, did not know that much about his topic so we gave up on trying to find any more.

The next morning we again headed southwards towards the beautiful Avatime Hills, which are between Lake Volta and the Togo border. The dirt track from Laite Wote to the main road (the one we should have taken coming up) was a very enjoyable drive that passed through some very lush green bush which, in parts, was teeming with bird life. We again stocked up with mangoes when we reached the village of Fume, which is where the turnoff is for Biakpa (a scenic village perched on a hillside high up in the Avatime Hills). The unsurfaced road from Fume to Biakpa is quite steep and is rough in parts, but was no trouble for Proper Job in low range. We stayed at the Mountain Paradise Lodge which is nicely situated overlooking the dense forest and facing towards Mount Gemi. In the evenings there is a lot of bird noise coming from the forest below and Tony, the manager of the lodge, has done much to help restore the bird life in the area. A few years ago Tony assures me there was not much wild life around. The area does not have a reserve status but relies on the goodwill of the local villagers and farmers for its protection. Tony works with them to ensure some of the benefits of tourism filters down to maintain their support. We went on a number of walks into the forest and valleys and observed an impressive number of bird species. The first evening at the lodge we watched Ghana beat the USA to go through to the quarter finals. That night, after a great victory, the drums in the nearby Biakpa village were beating vigorously into the early hours. Unfortunately, the following day, England were put out by Germany....the ref should be shot for not allowing Lampard’s goal. That changed the course of the match without a doubt. Oh well, we still have Ghana to support.

In the morning we were still unsure of whether to try the Xofa Eco Village on the shore of the Volta Lake. The guide books say it is (was) a great place but has been recently neglected. We tried to contact the manager but to no avail. In the end we decided to take a risk and check it out, estimating that the diversion would be about 80km. The alternative was to go to Kilakpa Reserve and camp at the entrance, but as we had seen a lot of the bush recently we opted for Xofa and the lake shore. The dirt road from Biakpa was not too bad and after 20km we hit a new surfaced road which led to Ho. The guide book gave a good description of how to get to the lodge and after reaching the village of Bodo, we headed down a narrow track. The track got narrower and narrower and soon we were driving through 4 foot grass with just the faintest of tyre tracks visible on either side. We started to seriously wonder what had happened to Xofa as it was obvious that not many people had been there recently. What was noticeable were the prolific bird life, mainly due to the cassava farms and the hundreds of fruit trees that the owners of Xofa have planted. We eventually found the lodge and our concerns were justified....it is pretty much defunct. There was a care taker present that pleaded with us to stay and we would have if we could have parked on the shore and pitched our tent. Unfortunately, there was no way to get there and I was surprised when the care taker offered to cut some trees down so we could. I know he meant well but I told him he shouldn’t do this in an eco site. We decided to leave and crawled back to the main road. By now we were pretty tired and decided to drive 50km southwards and check into Aylos Bay lodge near Akosombo for the night. We had stayed here a week ago and were looking forward to chilling out on the river bank.

The next day it was time to leave the inland Eastern Region and head to the coast. I was really impressed with the east of Ghana and would have to say it is my favourite part of the country. The people are very welcoming and it is very scenic.....and enjoys a cooler climate because of all the high hills and large expanses of water. On the way to the coast we stocked up with pineapples and mangoes. Alas it appears that the mango season is all but over. The sellers tell me that and so do the prices, then again it is still cheap compared to what you would pay in Europe and the quality is vastly superior.

Our destination was the Volta coastal delta region and the village of Ada Foah that was recommended to me by a friend Jed Richardson from Toronto, Canada. Ada Foah is located on a peninsula which has the ocean on one side and a large fresh water lagoon on the other. It is quite stunning and has an ambience that you rarely find in today’s world. When we got to the village we asked directions for Maranatha Beach Camp which lies a few kilometres along the beach near to Kewunor village. There is no connecting road so we drove along the back beach. There is a sign saying Driving on Beach Disallowed, but the locals will show you the part that you can drive on. Maranatha consists of 20 beach huts with flags of the world painted on the doors. I was immediately impressed with the area and Maranatha so thanks Jed for pointing me in this direction. The camp was set up by a Ghanaian man called Winfred and any extra income goes into the local community where he has built a school. Winfred also has a number of worthy projects ahead, including installing eco lavatories for the local villages and ridding the beach of the dreaded plastic bags. His sustainable camp-support-community theme has certainly worked and he has now started another in the town of Keta further along the coast. The location is something special and with the cool sea breezes blowing through this will become a major stop over for overlanders. It is as good, if not better than, the well known Green Turtle Lodge. Maranatha is a gem of a place that unfortunately is not even in the Lonely Planet !! One could easily stay here for a week or two. To contact the camp call Winfred Dzinado (Director) on 0243528248 or email win.fred@yahoo.com or administrator Gershon Awusa on 0241477260 email senyagershon@yahoo.com. You will not be disappointed.

The following day we arranged to go on a fishing trip into the tidal lagoon with a local called Prosper who has a small speed boat. He has all the fishing rods and gear and his charge for a 6 hour trip are excellent. We went out at 8am to fish the falling tide and within an hour had hooked into a nice fish. After a 20 minute fight we reeled in a Yellow Tail and the local villagers watching all cheered when we boated it. When we got to shore we weighed it in the village and it set the scales at 36 pounds. Not bad for a start and we had great expectations for our evening session. You may have guessed what happened next......not one bite in the evening. Anyway, we were well pleased with our one fish and we shared it with the camp staff and anyone else that wanted some. That evening we had Yellow Tail with groundnut stew and it tasted divine.

The next day was National Day (July 1st) and this meant a big beach party and much jubilating (as the Ghanaians call it). The Ada delta area has lots of visitors from Accra and Tema and by midday the party, Ghana style, was in full swing. The music was mainly hip hop and I wondered what had happened to the country’s well known Highlife music. The day was a lot of fun and we even had the leader of the NDP party here boogying away. By 9 pm the party on the beach was over......but not the party itself. We had struck up good relations with the staff and we accompanied them on the company pirogue into Ada to a club called Rubstone. We had a lot of fun and the DJ taunted the mainly Ghanaian crowd that the only two people supporting the Ghana Black Stars were two brunies (white man), Sam and I (as we had worn our Ghana football shirts). Eventually we called it an evening and, after the pirogue boat captain failed to pick us up, we jumped on some tro-tro motor cycles and got a lift most of the way back to Maranatha Beach Camp. The last 20 minutes of the journey entailed walking through very dark quiet villages....I hope we didn’t wake anyone as it was 2 am.

The following morning we had originally planned to move on and go to Keta, which is also on the coast and about 50 km by road from Ada. However, with our late night antics we decided to stay for an extra day, which is not too hard a decision to make as Maranatha is such a great place, and certainly our favourite place to date. It is a pity Jane could not have stayed for another week as she would have loved this part of Ghana. Actually, it is a good job she didn’t as she may not have left at all. After a relaxing day we watched the Ghana v Uruguay quarter final, which unfortunately Ghana lost. They need to change the rules in football, as it doesn’t seem fair that Ghana were denied that match winning goal through blatant cheating, which meant that they then had to take the risk of scoring a penalty....which they didn’t.

It was time to move on to Keta Lagoon and then the Togo border. We reluctantly said goodbye to this wonderful place and the people associated with it. We wish them the best with the camp and their future projects.

Our plan to go to Keta however did not materialise as on the way out of Ada, whilst driving slowly past a group of boys playing football, someone threw a stone which smashed our back door window. I was not very impressed, but I guess every town or village has its hooligan element. We decided it would be better to get the window fixed in Accra where we were sure our friend Angelo from Camborne would be able to point us in the right direction. A telephone call later and we were on the way back to Accra. Upon arrival Angelo had his guys ready to assist and two hours later the window had been replaced. That evening we stayed at Angelo’s big house and enjoyed fine pasta and red wine. A big thanks to Angelo for all his help. The following morning we said farewell and headed to the Togo border.