Cape Coast and goatkabobs

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June 9th 2006

Published: July 11th 2006

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Einherjar

Cape Coast

Tons of people!

I'm back in Ghana for a couple of days, so I've been staying up all day to go explore the city of Cape Coast a few hours away from where my boat is docked. Most of my fellow workers decided to forgo the exploring and adventuring in favour of all day boozing. Now normally I'd go join them, but it is not often I get to wander around Ghana. So I hailed my taxi driver from last entry and we took off down the highway at blistering speeds that had me wondering if he was not a professional race car driver at one point in time.

At first it was raining hard as we approached Cape Coast, a downpour of epic proportions soaking everything and everyone. I sent a few curses towards the sky and like magic *poof* the rain stopped and I had a beautiful day to wander around the Cape Coast slave castle and city. I guess the rain gods smiled down at me, or ran in fear at my hurled obscenities. I've seen worse downpours in my time here in West Africa, but I would have been very upset if my *days off* were spoiled by rain.

Cape Coast

View of the shore

The castle was built way back in 1653 by the Swedes but was later conquered by the British. It was first used in the trade of lumber and gold and then later for slaves. The entire inside of the vast dungeon was cramped and the living conditions would have been atrocious for those people waiting to be shipped off to the western hemisphere. A couple of rooms used to house those who were trouble makers were even worse, and it makes my skin crawl to think of how many people died in this very building, wether due to beatings, starvation or worse. Canons of all sizes litter the structure and it reminds me of the forts back home in Nova Scotia.

The shoreline that the castle was built around was heavily fortified yet quite beautiful to look at. Waves crashed upon the smoothed rocks sounding off a thunderous bang heard quite a distance away. It wasn't as hot and humid out as it has usually been, so I didn't tempt myself with a refreshing head dunk in the water. I'd probably be swept away out into the ocean or slammed against the rocks.

After the tour of

Cape Coast

Nice view

the castle me and my cabbie went right into the city of Cape Coast. I had a delicious meal of goat-kabobs, even though the live goats which were probably next in line for dinner were playing about and nipping at my sandals. I did not buy any souvenirs (again), but some of the masks and artwork on display at the local markets were amazing. I probably would have a hard time trying to figure out how to ship them back anyways.

I spent the remainder of the sunlit hours along the beaches and coastlines. They were packed with locals swimming, sunbathing, playing and generally enjoying the nice day. Of course now I had to indulge my inner fish and spirited off to soak myself in the bathtub warm waters. Ahhhh nothing is better than floating around in warm ocean waters I tell you. I'm sure the others back at the dock are enjoying themselves in their drunken stupor, but I'm so glad I went my own way.

I'm really excited because tomorrow I'm off to the Kakum National Park which is hear is fantastic! If the weather is favorable again I may even make a trip out to

Cows!

Moooooo

the zoo before heading back to the dock to booze it up with my coworkers. This so beats working back out in Nigeria, especially since lately all I've heard is multiple abductions and raids of oil installations. To think that just a little over a month ago I was traveling through some of those danger areas too.

I'm off now to catch a few winks of shuteye before getting up at the crack of dawn for more adventure!

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