Ghana
Day 92 04/04
Prestbyterian Guesthouse, Kumasi
9299 miles
It's Ghana now and we're definitely on Africa time here. At least the language is English which is a nice change from having to battle on in French. The running water is intermittent and so is the electricity supply and the roads are good or very bad.
We've reached the Tropics now - it is becoming a lot more humid but not as hot as it was further north. It is very lush and green here and there are a lot of trees. We spent our first night at a community run Hippo sanctuary and went for a boat ride to see the Hippos in the morning. All you see is their eyes and ears but it is a nice stop over place. We then moved on to Mole National Park which is a famous for its elephants. The motel is perched on an escarpment edge overlooking a waterhole but as there'd been rains recently nothing was visiting. A few warthogs came wandering through the motel grounds and some baboons were very fascinated with our stuff on the roof of the car so we had to chase them off.
We "treated" ourselves to a room in the Motel as they no longer allow camping in the grounds and we though a room with a fan would be more comfortable than the tent in the heat. It was great while there was electricity but it kept going off and then the room was stiflingly hot. There was an almighty storm during the night and it rained for several hours. There was thunder, lightning and winds so it's just as well we wern't in the tent.
We made the most of the noon check out time and planned to head towards the coast but the car had other ideas. The fuse that operated the idicators, brake lights and temperature guage blew. We didn't want to travel far with no brake lights or temperature guage so we headed to Larabanga and a lodge we saw on the way to Mole. The problem turned out to be the radio which was short circuiting due to bad wiring by the bloke who fitted it but easy to fix. By now it was too late to head off so we stayed at Savanah Lodge. It is run by the Hussein Salia one of the Salia brothers who are movers and shakers in the town. He is a really nice man and has just started up the lodge it has a real homely feel to it and you can camp here. A really good alternative to the mediocre Motel in the National Park.
We set off yesterday in the hope of getting to Lake Bostumwi where you can camp by the lakeside but it was not to be. The road from Larabanga is extremely bad for about 80km until you hit the tar. The tar is then very good, potholed or disappears altoghether so the combined condition of the roads and a lunch stop and dip at the Kintampo waterfalls meant we hit Kusami at 5pm. A BAD idea. We had to go into town as we needed to draw money and trying to navigate African towns when there are no road signs is not very easy and at rush hour is impossible. After an hour and a half of trying to find a bank and darkness approaching we gave up and decided to stay the night and do our business on foot. So this morning it's off to the intrnet, shopping and then hopefully out to the lake.
Day 100 12/04
Abanze Beach Resort, Abanze (nr Cape Coast)
9695 miles
What a busy, dusty, hot place Kumasi is. After searching out some bits and bobs we needed and painfully slow visits to two internet cafes we abandoned town and headed for the Rainbow Garden Village at Lake Bosumtwe - Heaven in comparison. The lake is in a volcano crater surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. There are a string of very small villages surrounding the lake so it is very quiet. It is a bit of a trek to get there but well worththe effort. We spent a couple of days just relaxing and swimming in the lake. After the Lake we made a trip to the Bobiri Forest Reserve which is lovely and is home to loads of tropical butterflies. Unfortunately we took a guided walk which was a waste of time as we just traipsed through the forest and the guide just read yhe information signs that had been put up at various trees. A nice place to hang out though. From here we headed to the coast. The road was the usual Ghana standard of very good, potholed and dirt all the way to Cape Coast. It was getting late so we just stayed at Oasis Beach Resort in Cape Coast. As it was the Easter weekend and very busy everywhere we took advantage of OBR's convienient location and got the usuall internet, banking, laundry, etc chores done. We also paid a visit to Cape Coast Castle which was very interesting and contrary to the Forest Reserve the tour was well worth it. By Easter Monday we were fed up with the noisy Oasis so we pack up and headed for Green Turtle Lodge at Dixcove. What a contrast. Camping is right on the beach, between the palms and there is no stereo booming out at full volume. Another couple of lazy days on the beach and in and out the sea and watching the local fishermen. Green turtle is lovely but expensive and a bit remote in terms of stocking up on supplies so we decided to wend our way along the coast to Accra. Abanze Beach Resort is a new operation in a great location, under Fort Amsterdam.
Day 104 16/04
Pit Stop, Accra
9922 miles
After a couple of nights at Abandze, fraternising with the Scottish owners we decided to move on. We went up to Kakum Nature Reserve which is a small pocket of virgin rainforest. They have constructed a canopy walkway here which was very interesting once we'd managed to ditch the group of loud Americans who were in our party. It was great to see the rainforest from a different perspective although there were disappointingly few orchids in the trees. We then stopped at Hans Cottage for a bit of lunch. A great little place which gave us plenty of inspiation for what we might do once we get back to South Africa. As it was now Friday we would not be able to get any of our business done in Accra so we decided to spend the weekend at Big Milly's in Kokrobite. Another great little spot although very busy at the weekend. There is entertainment on both Friday and Saturday evenings so a bit noisy but very good shows by local talent. On Sunday we left and drove up to Aburi Botanic gardens. Past it's best now but still an interesting place and nice and cool up on the ridge ouside Accra. We then headed into Accra to Pit Stop which is a garage run by an Englishman who is a Landrover expert. We want to get a few thing checked out on the car so we're staying here and at the same time getting some visas.
Day 109 21/04
New Estuary Beach Resort, Ada Foah
10309 miles
Car's sorted out, visas in the bag, pantry restocked so it's time to get out of Accra. We headed into the Volta region and spent the night on the banks of the river, just below the dam. A beautiful spot, quiet and cool after Accra. The next day we drove up to Wli and into the hills for the first time in ages, we took a walk to the nearby waterfalls and had a welcome dip. We spent an almost cold night here before heading back to the coast where we will wait for Julie and Kieth to catch us up. We are at the New Estuary beach Resort which is perched on the beach between the ocean and the Volta estuary. A quiet spot, though the facilities aren't great. Spending the days on hammocks between the palm trees and jumping in the estuary to cool off. We'll be here until we've met the others and will then head off to Togo.
Day 115 27/04
Forestry Department Headquarters, Ada Foah
10481 miles
Things never go to plan in Africa. We should have been in Benin now and preparing to enter Nigeria, instead we're about 10 km up the road. Kieth and Julie eventually made to New Estuary and we were all packed up and ready to move on when the Pinzgauer had other ideas and refused to start. After loads of phonecalls and a quick dash to catch up with the two Dutch vehicles and bring them back to help. We even tried to tow the Pinzgauer with 2 Landrovers in tandem but it wasn't budging, so we spent the afternoon kite flying and kite surfing - great fun! The local kids thought so too. Eventually the problem was traced to the starter motor so Kieth and Campbell had a day trip to Accra to get the starter motor reconditioned while Julie and I stayed on the beach. The next morning everything was put back together and just as we were about to leave Francis rocked up saying he knew a guy who maintained a Pinzgauer in Ghana and was trained by the army. 5 minutes later we were phoning Francis for help as the Pinzgauer was making noises. He brought us to the Forestry compound where we could spend the night and kieth could pull the car apart. In the end we didn't need the Pinzgauer mechanic but everybody was very friendly and helpful. With any luck we'll be in Togo this afternoon.
Ghana Summary
We've really enjoyed Ghana, it's a great country - as long as you're not in a hurry. The electricity supply is intermittent and running water is a luxury but everybody just gets on with it. You also feel like a millionaire as the money's worth nothing and the biggest note is 20 000 cedis. you can only take £40's worth of money out the ATM's at a time and that's too much to fit in your wallet. Everybody's friendly and helpful and always smiling.