Hello Everyone,Sorry for the delay in the blog update. During the time since the last post, we moved to Accra and exchanged our rural village experience for the bustling city life. In Accra, Jon and I returned to a desk job to help WIP prepare to launch a new fair trade ecommerce website. It was a difficult transition from our time in Krobo. No longer the celebrity “obruinis” in town, we had to readjust to the differences in culture and lifestyle. We also had to readjust to using utensils, bowls, and napkins with our meals instead of drawing our food from a hole in a plastic sack. After indulging in western meals and gaining a few pounds back, we were happy to finish our project in Accra and leave for our third location.
We are now in Cape Coast to work on a cost and wage analysis for the fair trade apparel. Cape Coast is a gorgeous ocean city a few hours west of Accra along the rocky shoreline. Jon and I have been enjoying our morning runs with the ocean breeze, but were shocked to find the sandy beaches littered with human feces. The problem is so bad that it is impossible to run on the beach without playing hopscotch to avoid the messes. The lack of public toilets is a major issue throughout this country. It is tragic to witness the beautiful natural resources being spoiled because the government hasn’t invested in basic necessities and policies against pollution. In many cities the garbage is pumped to sea and trash decorates the shoreline. Instead of building larger soccer stadiums, why not build an infrastructure that would support the growth of the tourism industry? In the areas along the coast where the villages have kept the beaches and ocean clean, there are fabulous resorts that are prospering from tourists.
Cape Coast is also home to two strikingly beautiful castles that are an eerie reminder of a past that was once anything but beautiful. These castles once held thousands of slaves before they were shipped to America during the days of the slave trade. We plan to tour the castle in the next few weeks to learn more about this time in history.
This past weekend we were able to take a safari in Mole National Park which is about a 20 hour journey to the northern part of Ghana. In the north the landscape is very different. Large mosques and circular huts replace the Christian churches and square homes. The locals dress in traditional muslim attire and the call to mecca blares from loudspeakers at the daily worship times.
The trip to Mole was quite an adventure for us. After traveling all day in uncomfortable conditions, we were finally a few hours away when our tro-tro broke down on a seldom traveled dirt road. Darkness began to settle around our group as we waited for them to repair it without success. Luckily, one last vehicle of the night passed by and we flagged the truck down. It was filled with marketwomen and their produce, but they agreed to take us the rest of the way. We hurriedly fit 16 more people and bags into the back of the truck and rode the rest of the way under the stars.
After finally arriving at the hotel around 10pm covered in red dirt from the road eager for a shower, food, and sleep, we discovered that they had given away our rooms. Despite 3 phone calls to confirm the room during the week, they assured us that they had no record of any such thing. After an hour of begging and minor extortion, the receptionist decided she would ask the community for mattresses and charge us to sleep on the floor of an already occupied room. That night we all shared mattresses for a short night’s sleep before the morning safari.
Daylight was kinder to us as we left for a walking tour to see the animals. On the safari, we saw several elephants, monkeys, baboons, and waterbuck from just a few feet away. In the afternoon, we went deeper into the bush on a jeep safari in hopes of seeing different animals. While we didn’t see anything new, it was still a cool experience to sit on top of the jeep and roll by the wildlife in their natural habitat. We returned to the hotel for the night and relaxed in the pool overlooking a dipping pond where the elephants were cooling themselves. Later when we were in our room with the door open, a monkey almost came right inside our room, but he quickly left when he found out he’d have to sleep on the floor.
It was one of those weekends where all you can do is laugh at the situation because you know these experiences are only in Ghana.
Link to more pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15177460@N07/sets/72157605789225277
