A Tour of Ghana

    I have had so many amazing experiences in the last two weeks that I don’t even know where to start.  A couple days ago the other interns and I got back to Kumasi after a 10-day trip all around Ghana.  Just a few days before we started our trip, the World Cup started.  I watched the opening Brazil match at our neighbor’s house with some Ghanaian AIESECers, the other interns, and a Brazilian girl who was an intern here last year and came back to visit the Local Committee President of AIESEC KNUST, who is now her boyfriend (AIESEC, oh AIESEC).  Since then I have watched dozens of World Cup matches in many different settings, and have had to miss some matches due to power outages and other obstacles.  The German intern and I went to an outdoor viewing of Netherlands vs Spain during a blackout and, after waiting 20 minutes for the generator to be fixed, the TV turned on just in time to watch Spain score a penalty shot. Thirty seconds later, the TV broke, and we had no choice but to walk home in the dark.  The interns and some locals also squeezed into a small room in our neighbor’s house to watch Ghana vs USA, and I have to admit that I was rooting for Ghana. 

            The first part of our trip was a three-day excursion to Mole National Park, about five hours north of Kumasi. We hired a driver and got a van that we affectionately called our private tro-tro.  Mole is a giant national park is home to many wild animals such as monkeys, elephants, and antelopes.  We were very lucky to spot three elephants as soon as we arrived, and we quickly arranged for a park ranger to bring us closer. We ended up following the elephants through the forest, getting within about thirty feet from them.  

That night, I had to bribe the bartender to keep the bar open past its normal hours so that we could watch the Italy vs England match.  A group of about fifteen British girls showed up just before the match, so there was some tension in the room (which didn’t go away after Italy won).  The following morning we went on a 7am safari, sitting on top of a jeep and driving along bumpy roads through the national park.  We were again able to see monkeys, antelopes and elephants from up close.  The views of the park and its water holes and vegetation were also beautiful.

            Our next destination was the Volta region to the east, home of the second largest man-made lake and other attractions.  We were supposed to get there in half a day…but it ended up taking us two whole days.  One of the Ghanaian AIESECers helped us find a rental car and offered to drive us around. The plan was for us to meet him in Koforidua, about three hours by bus from Kumasi. Due to a really bad tro-tro accident on our road, our bus was delayed and ended up taking five hours.  Kweku, our friend and driver, was also caught in traffic, and we had to wait in the bus station in Koforidua for three more hours for him to arrive with the car (luckily a shopkeeper invited me to the back of his small clothing shop to watch a soccer match while we waited).  By the time we got on the road in our rental car it was dark, and the roads we were unpaved dirt roads with potholes everywhere. After driving over one of the holes, our back bumper fell off, with only one corner still attached to the car.  After a few failed attempts to reattach it, we came up with the idea of ripping the traditional cloth that one of the interns had bought in Kumasi into long strands, and using it to tie the bumper to the car. It worked perfectly, but we had lost so much time that we had to stop a nearby guesthouse for the night, not even halfway to our destination.

            After getting the car fixed in the morning (for a cost of about $10usd), we got back on the road towards Amedzofe, the highest settlement in Ghana. Driving up a skinny bumpy road, we got an amazing view of the town and the mountain. Continuing our streak of bad luck, it started pouring rain as soon as we parked our car in Amedzofe.  We tried to wait for it to pass, but we had to leave in order to get to our final destination before it got too late. I was upset that we were not able to hike to the top of the mountain and enjoy the view from above, but I hope I will get a chance to go back in the future. We left Amedzofe and headed towards Wli. I made a slight mistake in navigating us with the GPS, and we ended up on small dirt roads rather than on the main road.  I tried directing us back towards the main road, but the dirt roads were really bumpy and wet from the rain, and our car got stuck in the mud just a couple miles from the main road.  A bunch of boys from the nearby village immediately ran over and tried to help us push the car forward, but we soon realized how useless it was.  We worked at it for hours, even after the sun went down. Several teenagers and a few men came and tried to help us put wood under the tires and push the car, but we were seriously stuck.  We were fairly sure we would have to just leave the car overnight and come back and try again in the morning, so a man with a motorcycle drove me to a nearby guesthouse to check if they had any open rooms.  However, when I got back the other interns had come up with the idea of lifting the car up using a carjack, shoveling out some of the mud, and placing planks of wood under the tired before lowering it back down. And so, after three long hours, we were finally able to push the car out.  Enthusiastic cries and celebrations followed. We gave our helpers some money, and got back on the road.  It was 10pm when we got to our hotel, and we were all exhausted and covered and mud. Despite the struggles of the day, we had a fun night watching some World Cup soccer and dancing AIESEC Ghana roll calls.  A new intern from Singapore joined us that night.

Wli Waterfall

            The next day we did a six hour hike to the Wli Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in West Africa. We climbed to the very top of the mountain, and then along the side of the mountain to the waterfall itself. The view as we climbed up was incredible, and when we stood on the peak it felt like we were on top of the world (or of West Africa, at least). It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  The waterfall itself was incredibly strong. We all entered the water and stepped slowly backwards towards the falling water, and we felt water spray against our back. When I put my arms out to the side, I felt like I was skydiving. 

Ada

         The next day, we drove six hours south to Ada, a beautiful town right on the coast. Our “beach resort” (essentially a series of straw huts on the beach) was on the thin strip of sand where the Volta River meets the ocean. We had a fun and relaxing day on the beach, followed by a fun night of dancing to Ghanaian music with some other foreigners at the resort.  After we left Ada, we stopped in Accra, the capital city, to watch the Ghana vs Germany match in an outdoor bar. Watching the match in this crowded, noisy setting was so much fun.  Shouts and celebrations came with every single offensive chance that Ghana had during the match (the German intern swallowed his pride).

Our last two days were spent on the beaches of Busua, in the Western Region.  We walked several miles along the beach and then up a hill to find the ruins of Fort Batenstein, an old Dutch fort.  We had the entire place to ourselves, and we explored and climbed all over the ruins.  On our very last day of the trip, we tried to drive to from Busua to Cape Three Points, the southernmost point in Ghana. However, the roads were very bad and muddy, and at a certain point we decided not to risk getting stuck again, and so we turned back towards Busua. On the drive back to Kumasi the following day, we stopped in a small town and watched the Italy vs Uruguay match with some locals.  Eventually we made it back to Kumasi, and our trip was finished. I have to say that, despite the endless delays and complications, it was an amazing ten days that I am sure I will never forget.  I have now seen seven out of the ten regions of Ghana, and I have so many stories to tell.    

        













    It feels nice to be back in the Kumasi, and going back to teaching.  When I went back to school yesterday I was greeted with my students shouting “We missed you!” and “Thank god you made it back safely!” I only have about 10 days left here, and I am going to try to make the most of it.  I am disappointed that Ghana has been eliminated from the World Cup, because I would have loved to be able to watch more Ghana matches while I’m here.