Day 61:

Accra - Tim and I slept in again on this, our last day in Ghana as there was no one else in the guesthouse and so, no breakfast.  Our mission today was to get the video and photos we took edited by Minnie at the desktop publishing shop in the Christ the King compound.  We arrived shortly after nine and spent the next hour or so viewing the results of her work.  We were duly impressed as she took a random collection of video and photos and edited them, adding music and transitions, to make us look like pros.  She needed some time to perform some edits and to burn some copies of a video and a seperate slide show disk, so we took a walk to Dez Amis restaurant for brunch.  Tim had a meat pie, scrambled eggs, and french toast.  I had tea and a chocolate croissant.

When we got back in I checked on our flight and upgraded our seats to "economy comfort" so we could get four more inches of legroom, making it possible for us to actually recline.  Word to the wise: on Delta international flights the seats only recline by an inch or two and the seats are very narrow and hard as in unpadded.  That was 16 hours of sitting at an 80 degree angle on the way here.  The removal of the space between seats makes it impossible for you to sleep, making the 16 hour flight torture.  In their favor, they do provide a pretty sweet interactive toy where you can learn a language, watch a video, or play a game.  But that gets old after the first four or five hours and you long for sleep.    

I am finishing up cleaning the apartment while Tim is out getting "minerals" (sodas), water, and filling up the tank in the Isuzu. Managed not to cry when saying goodbye to first Charity, then Adeline.  I definately want to come back to see their faces again.  I hope God makes it possible for us.  Thank you Ghana and goodnight!

Day 60: It's So Hard To Say Goodbye

Accra - Today Brandi and I went back to church at Elim International Family Church where we worshiped in the presence of the Lord.  I don't know if it was because it was our last Sunday in Ghana but it was emotional as we sang "How can I explain the unexplainable?  How can I describe the indescribable?"  The music minister Daniel Nete preached, it was his first time.  He spoke around the question, "Who are you?" He said, "I don't mean, what is your name?  I mean, what is your purpose?  Why are you here?"  He meant, why are you on this earth?  He warned us against defining our identity by our positions or possessions.  The church prayed for us at the end of the service, that we will be blessed with safe travel tomorrow.  I encouraged Daniel with tears at the end of the service.  Brandi and I left in silence, unable to describe this emotional experience in words.

We drove through the Makola Market to find the old Accra Ghana Railway Company buildings.  As we arrived in front of the place, two policemen in the street were forcing every passing vehicle to the curb to check drivers licenses.  They tried to make an issue of me driving with a foreign driver's license and were shouting when they threatened to take me to motor court.  Having been in this position many times, I remained calm and let him go through his routine.  Sure enough, at the end, he quietly encouraged me to give him some "gift" and he'd be willing to forget the whole thing.  The whole thing?  The whole what?  I have an international driver's license and it is not illegal to drive in Ghana with a foreign driver's license.  And because we were in the guest house truck I told him we were Baptist missionaries and it was against our faith to pay bribes.  He was taken aback when I used the word bribe and he denied asking us for money.  I was careful not to argue with him but after he saw I was not pulling out my money, he finally gave up and said, "Just go."  I went.

We went across Kwame Nkruma Avenue to the UT Bank building where we found a security guard who gave us a place to park while we walked back to the Railway Station.  Careful to avoid the policemen who were still pulling cars over, we snaked our way through a sidewalk market and through the gate of the old, deteriorating transportation center.  See the pictures below.  At one time this was a vital piece of Ghana's transporation system.  Today, as you can see, squatters are living in the abandoned train station.  Two rail cars sit frozen in time, inhabited by several families.  Having researched the history of Ghana's railroad at the national archives, I plan to write a conference paper about it once I finish my master's thesis for Georgia State.  We were nice to several disabled homeless Ghanaians at the station and we walked away from the area with several children yelling "O'bruni!  O'bruni!"

We had lunch today at the Movenpik Deli on Liberation in downtown Accra.  This late discovery must be added to the best coffee shops in Ghana.  Brandi had a vegetable quiche with a salad and ginger ale to drink.  I had a mince meat quiche with a cajun chicken sandwich, chips, and a pineapple juice to drink.  I had coffee for desert as Brandi ate a chocolate mousse.  We walked around the Movenpik Ambassador Hotel afterwards and thought of the irony.  The standard room at this historic hotel costs the equivalent of the average Ghanaian's six week salary.

We went on to the Accra Mall . . . one more time.  Brandi found fabric for about ¢14 per yard.  She bought lots.  We stopped by the Wild Gecko while we were out there but they are closed on Sundays.  Back to the Guest House.  Kofi let us in the gate and I parked the truck under the covered car park.  We started packing our things for tomorrow night.  Laying out all the treasures we found over the eight weeks we were here.  With some sadness, we prepared for our flight home.  We had planned to attend the Ghana Baptist Convention's Golden Jubilee Celebration at Black Star Square tonight but we just found out today that the event had been cancelled.  The 50th annual session actually concluded this morning at Calvary Baptist Church in Shashie.

Kama Conference Center and home of the Elim International Family Church in Accra

Minister of Music Daniel Nete who also preached today at Elim International Family Church

Two thirds of the congregation at the Elim International Family Church of Accra

The initials in the Gate of the Ghana Railway Company

Frozen in time, the old railroad clock tower is motionless above a public space that now houses several homeless Ghanaian families

These tracks are silent, showing the way the trains used to go from Accra to Kumasi and Takoradi and all points in between.  Notice the clothes drying on the ground.

Rail cars now house homeless families and serve as a place to hang wet clothes after washing.

No trains and no power in these lines.  Was it am or pm when the clock stopped?

Movenpik Cafe

Vegetable quiche, salad, desert, and Royal Club ginger ale

Fu Fu

Chocolate Mousse with a white chocolate topping

The Ghana National Theater from the front door of the Movenpik Hotel 

Brandi at the Deli: Food the Way You Like It

Day 59: Witches, Wee Biscuits, and Watchye

Accra - Today Brandi and I slept in until 8:30, it being Saturday when no breakfast is served at the Guest House, and after morning devotionals we went to the Marina Mall because Adeline needed bread for the kitchen.  Since we were at the mall, we had breakfast at D'Cafe, one of the top three coffee shops in all of Ghana.  Brandi had mozzarella, tomato, and pesto sauce panini with water and coffee while I had turkey and cheese with water and coffee.  We had bofos for desert.  We were in the mall by 9:30 and at that hour on Saturday there are not many people around.  Stores were just opening and most of the customers were O'brunis.  Having finished our breakfast, Brandi went shopping at Aftershock, a London boutique.  She didn't buy anything but Aftershock sells some high end dresses, accessories, and handbags for those shoppers among our readers.  Stores like this in Accra sell to a very thin market of upper class people so, as you can imagine, markups can be pretty high.

With just two days to go in Ghana, we got the bread and moved on the Goethe Institute, a German cultural center, where Brandi tried to return two books she'd previously borrowed from the library.  Since they were closed, we'll have to go back there on Monday.

On the way back to the Guest House we stopped to buy newspapers.  At the time, it was looking like rain and we were thinking of staying in to read.  In Accra there are four major newspapers and we bought one of each for only ¢8.  The Daily Graphic is the best source of international news but it's owned by the government so most stories are slanted to keep the ruling party in the best possible light.  Their headline today was "Workers to go on strike Thursday: But govt calls for Dialogue."  See what I mean?  The Mirror is a very social newspaper with the best entertainment, celebrity, and pop culture coverage.  Their headline was about Dr. Bettina Ama Boohene-Andah, the first female physician to the president of Ghana.  The Spectator is the sensational paper, most like the National Enquiror.  Their lead stories included "Cargo Driver Wanted - Kills Grandmother for Allegedly Being a Witch" and "Tragic End of One-Year-Old Baby."  Finally, my favorite paper and the smallest is The Ghanaian Times.  Here, today, I found factual coverage of "Pastor Causes Pupil's Saking - for allegedly spreading witchcraft" and "Wee biscuit on the Market."  Apparently witches are a hot topic these days and Rev. Benson of the Obuasi community complained to the headmistress of the Presbyterian Primary School because he felt his daughter was being harassed by another girl at the school who claimed to be a witch.  The accused witch has been suspended from school while the school board conducts an investigation.  And wee biscuits.  Wee biscuits are crackers made with marijuana.  They are illegal but are being sold in local stores, particularly in the Ashaiman community.  The Narcotics Control Board has taken notice because, the report says, some school children bought some on Friday.

Having saturated ourselves with everything going on in Ghana, Brandi made some watchye for lunch.  We washed it down with pineapple flavored kool aid from Mega Mart.

Brandi at D'Cafe, Marina Mall, Accra

Aftershock London, Marina Mall, Accra

With no laws in place to protect copyright, American celebrities are regularly used in advertising here without, I'm sure, the permission of the famous person.  This sign outside the Dubois Center uses Denzel Washington to advertise visa photo service.  The shop is also one block from the U.S. Embassy.  Other celebrities seen regularly include Beyonce, Rihanna, Little Bow Wow, and Ludachris is everywhere!  It's also common to see Disney and Looney Toones characters advertising everything from toothpaste to home insulation.  Knowing how protective Disney is of it's image . . . really?  Do they know what's going on here?

Day 58: Fort Chasers Inc.

Accra - Today Brandi and I woke at the Sanaa Lodge in Cape Coast and took our breakfast before leaving for the Cape Coast Cultural Center.  They have many different things there at various times but today we saw an art exhibit featuring the work of art students from a local college.  After leaving the center we drove around the campus of the University of Cape Coast.  Then we started chasing colonial forts.  We saw both Fort Victoria and Fort William in Cape Coast before leaving town.  Victoria is visible around town but no less difficult to access.  While Cape Coast Castle sees hundreds of visitors each day, few venture up to Fort Victoria.  It's a small fort northwest of the castle and built to serve as an early warning of invasion by hostile forces, particularly the Dutch.  We parked at the Mighty Victory Hotel and hired a guide to take us up some high, steep steps to the fort.  We were advised visiting the fort can be dangerous without a guide and sure enough when we arrived at the top we found a man described only as a "hoodlum" by our guide who protected us.  He said if the man had tried anything he would have "sacked" him.  This from a small, older man who was very confident in the face of a larger, younger man who seemed to be living in the fort.  The fort had four cannon, one pointing in each cardinal direction and two rooms for captives.  A rusty ladder was the only way up to the main platform.

Fort William is larger than Fort Victoria and is today used as a lighthouse.  It was, however, in colonial days another early warning and defense point for the British held up in Cape Coast Castle.  We parked on a very steep street which led up the hill and then, having chock blocked our truck, walked up to the fort.  We were greeted by a friendly young man and boy who gave us a tour and only asked for a donation.  They were happy with ¢5 each.  Back down the hill, we stopped by the washroom at the castle before driving next door to Victoria Park where we saw both the bust of Queen Victoria and the town square.  Satisfied at that point we had seen as much of Cape Coast as our schedule would allow, we left town on the Coast Road and drove east toward Anomabu, Kromantse, and Saltpond.  At Saltpond we took a roadside picture of Fort Amsterdam.  Brandi was afraid to go up because it would have required us having to pass through a congested village and the guidebook warned us that the fort is open but not organized for tours.  Hawkers, beggars, and thieves sent us on down the road.  Fort Amsterdam, nonetheless, dates to 1631 and was the first fort built by the British on the Gold Coast.  The slaves held in Fort Amsterdam, sold mainly to Caribbeann plantations, became known as Cormantins, because of the nearby village of Kormantse.  The name travelled with them across the Atlantic.  Louis Armstrong traced his family tree back to Fort Amsterdam.

Past Mankessim, we took the road to Apam, looking for Fort Patience.  A short drive off the main road brought us to the cozy village of Apam.  We drove through town and them came to the base of the hill upon which we saw Fort Patience.  The road was narrow, rocky, filled with ruts and potholes.  Brandi emphatically commanded me to park the truck so we could walk up to the fort.  I however took this as a challenge of my driving abilities and with the four wheel drive Isuzu in my hands, I crept up the rising path.  No problem.  And at the top we found six Virginia students who had walked up.  We also found the local guide who, for ¢15, showed us around.  His English was extremely limited, however, so we mostly guided ourselves.  Everytime I asked him a question he said, "Yes" even if the question was not a yes or no question.  This fort is also known as Fort Leydsaamsheid.  It was built by the Dutch in 1697 and captured by the British in 1782.  It was returned to the Dutch in 1785 but handed back to the British in 1868.  Now it serves as a resthouse.  You can actually spend the night in this one even though Brandi said, "Not for a million dollars."  Fort Patience is the smallest fort in Ghana still standing.  Mostly likely never used to house slaves, the most impressive thing about this fort is its location.  From the fort we took fantastic photos of the town of Apam and the coastline in that area.  Lots of fishermen.

Finally, we intended to visit Fort Good Hope before returning to Accra but once we came to Kokrobite we realized we had missed the turn.  It was too far and there was too much traffic to go back.  This is the last fort built by the Dutch on the Ghana coast.  Built in 1704, it was expanded in 1724 for use in the slave trade.  It was handed over to the British in 1868 and was in ruins by 1957 when Ghana gained their independence.

Back in Accra by 4:15, Adeline and Gifty were outside to welcome us home.  There were eight souls here for dinner: baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, pineapple, and sweet ice tea.  Ummm.

Brandi's breakfast at the Sanaa Lodge in Cape Coast: Scrambled eggs with vegetables and toast.

Entrance to the University of Cape Coast.  As I stood to take this picture, the ocean was at my back.

Our Fort Victoria guide Henry at Fort Victoria in Cape Coast

For William

The Catholic Church of Cape Coast from Fort William

Our guide Godfrey at Fort William

Bust of Queen Victoria in Victoria Park, Cape Coast

Fort Amsterdam near Saltpond with football pitch in the foreground.

Brandi at Fort Patience with fishermen of Apam in the background.

Entrance to Fort Patience

Methodist Church of Apam with fisherman statue in the foreground.  The photo leaning up against the base of the statue is a representation of photos which are common all over Ghana.  When a loved one dies, Ghanaians print their picture poster size and place it all around the area where the person lived.  This notifies friends and family of the death but also assures the person will be remembered.  Brandi says you know you're getting old when your family has you dress up for a formal solo picture.

Day 57: Bridges and Barricades

Kakum and Cape Coast - We started our day with a long drive to Kakum National Park.  Unlike the other parks we have visited which were more savannah, this one was an actual rainforest.  Surprisingly, I was not scared while walking the seven narrow rope and cable bridges called skywalks.  Some are as high as 40 meters off the ground, about 120 feet.  I simply followed some young people from Australia and did not look down.  We had climb about 78 steps/210 feet just to get to the skywalks.  At the top we met two Australians and their two adopted Colombian teenagers, one American and her Ghanaian friend, and a German woman with her Nigerian boyfriend.  It was a diverse group.  Afterwards we had lunch and purchased some souvenirs before heading to Cape Coast Castle.

Kakum forest canopy

Kakum sky bridge, one of seven

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Cape Coast castle was larger, more beautiful, and had almost no hawkers, beggars, and thieves.  We drove up with no hassle other than the man who "watches" your car for you.  We were sent to an upstairs museum where we ran into the German/Nigerian couple we met at Kakum.  After about 15 minutes of viewing the museum, we were assembled into a tour group of ten.  Again, a diverse group with respect to ages and nationalities.  Half the group was Ghanaian and there was one Belgian in our company.  Emmanuel our tour guide did a better job of explaining the fortifications, the materials used during construction, and in describing the experience of the captives in the dungeons.  He also regaled us with tales of how rebellious slaves were dealt with, both male and female.  Both Elmina and Cape Coast castles had inner courtyards where soldiers and the governor could view the female captives and make their selection.  In Elmina the rebellious females were chained in the inner courtyard and made to stand without food or water.  In Cape Coast there was a small windowless cell where they were locked away. Both castles had solitary confinement rooms that were unventilated where rebellious captives, already weakened from weeks of an overland journey, were locked away until they died.  Again, our guide took care to show us the church that was constructed over the male slave dungeons that actually had a hatch whereby the captives could be spied upon next to the church entrance.  Cape Coast Castle had a very long, undulating, unlit tunnel from the male slave dungeons to the door of no return, punctuated by lookout hatches used by the soldiers from up above.  This was to confuse and disorient captives.

Solitary confinement cell.  Emmanuel, our tour guide, locked us in.  This door is the only door left in the castle which is original to the slave trade era.

The coastline looking west from the Cape Coast Castle.

A group of Ghanaian school children touring the Cape Coast Castle.

One of the male dungeons, each of which held 200 captives awaiting shipment to the Americas.

This is one of the trenches built into the floors of the dungeons to carry human waste away from the cell and out to the sea.

Some of the wreaths placed in various places throughout the castle.

Castle defense.  Each of these canon had a range of up to 1 kilometer.

These are the steps leading from the infamous "Door of No Return" down to the dock where slaves were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas.

Brandi's dinner at the Sanaa Lodge.  Curry vegetables, salad, and rice.

Brandi's lunch at the Kokum National Park.  Ghanaian salad with boiled egg, macaroni, and beans.

 Brandi with local elders in Cape Coast.  Lee Mensah from the Volta Region, Supi Jojo Ansah, Philip Rwudi Bromyah, and Chief Nana Nyanful Obrenu VIII.

We visited four hotels before settling at the Sanaa Lodge.  I interviewed some elders posted up outside the Cape Coast Hotel.  Four elderly men drinking bitters shared with us information about how the food supply changed since they were little boys.  The Sanaa Lodge we finally ended up at was no lodge, but a moldy, uninhabited, cavernous sad excuse of an outdated hotel with another horrific road leading up to it.  I slept about an hour total as the scratchy bedding smelled of Detol and I kept wondering why they felt like they needed to use such a strong disinfectant on the blankets.  I mean, what was it you were trying to kill??  There was no TV though they claimed to have cable, but the room and bath were ginourmous.  We were told that this particular room was frequented by Members of Parliament.  (What century was that?) But the staff was exceedingly pleasant, bringing us dinner in our room and supplying us with extra Nescafe packets and a hot thermos of water.        

Day 56: Elmina Castle And The Road To Nowhere

Elmina - Well finally we made it to what seems like the most important tourist attraction in Ghana from an American and European perspective - Elmina and Cape Coast slave castles.  I have been avoiding these places for a variety of reasons.  I intensely dislike heavily touristed places because of the sheisty people they attract, and I was worried about how I would feel visiting a physical remnant of the transatlantic slave trade.  Turns out the hard part really was getting there.  Ridiculous moon crater roads (navigated expertly by Tim) and an impossibly narrow driveway (due to construction obstruction) choked with pedestrians and market women greeted us at the entrance to Elmina.  Once we made it through we were treated to about six different men of varying ages asking us in all manner of ways for money.  Some wanted to sell painted bracelets, painted shells, and one guy who we gave a ride to asked for cab money.  This was strange as he initially claimed when we picked him up that his destination was Elmina.  

Inner Courtyard view of Governors Rooms

The infamous "Door of No Return"

Dutch church located on top of male dungeons

View from Governors rooms

Elmina inner courtyard

View of fishing village from castle

The tour was adequate.  I was hoping for more information about the materials used to construct the castle, or about how the inhabitants were actually provisioned.  I was looking to get a feel for the entire industry and that included information about the town that supplied and traded with the owners of the castle.  Elmina was originally built to trade gold, but was later converted to trade slaves.  The dungeons had a greasy look and feel with a residual heavy odor.  There were bats hanging from the ceiling and very little ventilation and almost no light.  The door of no return was really tiny, much smaller than it looks in the photographs. The guide stated that this was to allow only one person to come through at a time.  What the guide did do well was to impress upon us the inherent hypocrisy of Christians who were slavers and who built their church directly on top of the dungeons.  He also took the time to acquaint us with the methods soldiers and the governor used to coerce females to have sexual relations with them, and with how the few who were made concubines were cared for in homes in the town.  Their offspring were educated in the castle itself.  The view of the beach was beautiful, especially from the governors rooms.  

Fast forward to Elmina Bay resort.  I urged Tim to try this resort but at the time we attempted to drive to it we were hungry, tired, and needed to use the facilities.  The road was incredibly rough, so we decided to turn back before we reached the end to stop at Coconut Grove, thinking that nothing good could be at the end of such a primitive road.  Coconut Grove was full, so we had to get back on this really muddy, cratered road.  Incredibly, at the end was an isolated, lovely resort with a truly pristine beach, pool, and restaurant.  The place was built in 2009, had modern concrete architecture and featured bedding and towels much like those one would find in a hotel in the United States. Again, the beach was stunning with leaning palms and clean golden sand.  In most places in Ghana people actually live on the beach.  However, the beach here was too narrow and the surf too strong for habitation.
  

view of beach adjacent to Elmina Bay resort

Elmina Bay Resort