NATIONAL PARKS, BEACHES AND TROPICAL WEATHER

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After crossing into Ghana which was very straight forward we headed to a crocodile sanctuary in Paga. You have to pay to get closer to the Nile crocs and they fed it with a chicken. I am scared of them and so avoided getting close as best as I could thank god for the zoom lens, they are not as big as the crocs that I saw in Australia but nevertheless dangerous. We found a bush camp from there.

The next day a stop in Tamale to do food shopping and get some cash from the ATM, I could not believe my luck, there is a Barclays bank and they have an ATM machine so took advantage of that, this is only one of the very few banks that are linked to Bank of America (whose debit card I have) that wont charge me 5 US per transaction. Anyway after getting cash we wondered about in the market, it was hot and so we decided to look for a sit down restaurant and found one next to a gas station called G. I had grilled tilapia and was very good, service was fast as well. On our way back to the truck we saw Enio, the Italian biker we met in Bandiagara, he pulled up next to a bank and chatted with us for a bit .

Bush camped and this is where we will celebrate New Year's eve. Needless to say most of us got hammered, I started with 2 bottles of red wine then had my single malt whiskey drinking it neat and quickly wore me out and during truck quiz I apparently was incoherent, Jo was telling me later. I remember lots of dancing and lots of drinking and somehow managed to get to our tent, Zoe was chatting with me for a bit and when Brian came we had a bit of a chat then quickly passed out. The next morning I feel horrible and was satving off throwing up, did not have the big breakfast and just had as much water I could possibly drink, oh Mark was kind enough to bring me my water bottle the night before but did not get to drink it coz I passed out so now I suffer horrendously. Jo was not feeling well too and a few more of us but not related to alcohol.

Made our down to Mole National Park, the roads were bad so took us a long time to get there along dusty unpaved roads, we stopped for a bit at a well to fill up our jerry cans and the locals hearing of our arrival all went there to gawk and have fun with us, the kids were asking for empty water bottles so we gave them some. When we got to the park, there was no water on taps as they are having a drought and thus conserving it, turning it on only at certain times of the day so the only option to be clean is to jump in the pool with our mucky feet, did not matter as everyone did the same. Lots of tourists in the park met a nice Canadian couple the girl is hot and Bry and Mark and me were checking her out from the top of the truck roof. We set our tents near the edge of the cliff overlooking the man made water hole, The restaurant stopped serving lunch so I have to dig in to my secret sardines stash and had a very late lunch with Raphael. Did not eat dinner, fantastic sunset.

The next day we did a safari walk for 2 hours saw some elephants, warthogs, monkeys, birds, antelopes. Bryan got bored during the walk and played a mean joke on me when he said something about the dead trees in the park, apparently the antelope's urine is acidic and when they piss on the trees it kills them and that they are dangerous as they bite and gnaw, only, they are all lies fabricated by the bored ass hole of a tentmate I have, i will get him later on, why I was so gullible to believe him i cant understand.

Had lunch at the restaurant then left the park. Bush camped again. Bry and I made a mistake of setting our tent up too close to the camp fire as the chatting took forever and we can hear everyone, the topic being about mortal sins, masturbation and sex etc. Needless to say we all know now that no one on the trip will go to heaven, we are all doomed.

Next day a long drive to get to the monkey sanctuary, we had a 45 minute walk and we saw colubis and mona monkeys, they are quite tame and even if the ranger said no feeding, the locals with us on the walk fed it with bananas, good photos but really lax rules as the ranger just stood there and watch. From here we drove to Kumasi, quite polluted and full of smoke, trash strewn about, then we got lost trying to find the Presbyterian church we were gonna camp, we arrived late so we ate at the restaurant, most opted for an upgrade of rooms me and Bry set our tents up and went out to town, Jen and Annabel went with me to check out what is happening in town, before that I realized that Bryan's sleeping stuff is at the door of the tent coz he didnt know the combination to the lock that I put on the tent zips, time for revenge! Anyway had a beer at Baboo's met up with Bry and told him I did not see his things outside of the tent and his face went pale and Jen was there playing along with me vouching every word I said, got him good so were even,the bar closed at ten so we walked down to a local bar where we got to chatting with a local and we will meet him up tomorrow night to show us where the best place to go and have a good time in town, a few night clubs maybe....

Next morning mostly internetting after having breakfast at the camp restaurant, Amanda was still feeling ill.Spent hours at the internet was not able to upload photos here quite annoying, slow connection and it got worse as more people use the net, finally Bry and I gave up and went to the big bustling market with Jen, it was hot and the alleyways are quite narrow felt a bit claustrophobic, we found some food at the same place we had a few beers the night before, good Jolloff rice and chicken! Off to the campsite again chilled out and then later on went food shopping.Tony our driving is feeling under the weather, stomach flu maybe and we are not leaving Kumasi until past noon to give him time to recover.

Drove a long time and finally found a decent hotel to camp out for the night at a Botel with a pool. Simon lost his tent poles so poor thing has to sleep in his mozzie net for awhile until he finds replacement. it was very hot and humid night and our group decided for a quick meal of macaroni and cheese, for the first time too we used the mini fan i bought for this type of weather to get the air circulation going in the tent. We were to leave at 8am and have to find Simon who opted for a room, he overslept.

Drove to Kakum National Park where we did a good canopy walk, Zoe who is afraid of heights tried but failed after one leg only, some of us saw some monkeys and birds amongst the canopy I did not because I hurried through the walks. It was fun... From here went to Cape coast castle where the slaves way back were shipped off from Africa to every part of the colonised world. I opted not to do the guided tour and just hung out in the truck and walked around it and took photos, the local touts are annoying, hassling you all the time.

Off to Busua camping at the Alaska campsite hotel thingo, camped next to the beach. i helped out cook group 4 to cook the adobo chicken, left it for them to finish up and went and socialized at the bar where I met a couple of young Cornell Uni kids doing some volunteer work for 2 weeks, The boy is from Medford which is just next town to Malden. We had a good chat about malaria and all, they are dispensing mozzie nets to the poor, lots of Americans here in Ghana mostly students, dont know why. We pitched our tent next to the beach, I love the sound of the ocean at night it lulls me to sleep until Brian started farting and we had a long night laughing and suffocating each other to death as we take turns. Marky is next door and upon hearing the first fart he knew it is gonna be a long night..

Next day spent most time on the beach,played frisbee and made a workout out of it by doing push ups if you did a bad throw or not catch the frisbee, did lots of swimming and just sunbathing, Raffa taught me the basics of the capoeira and Stew added some self defense moves as well, having escaped him i ran to the beach and joined the rest for a swim. Lounging around the whole day we decided to go for a run with Audrey, me, Bry,and Dave, about a km and a half run and Bry was panting as he sprints past everyone, sitting in the truck the whole day is not healthy so from now on we decided to be fit and do some runs and upper body work out for how long we can last we have to see. We also played ultimate frisbee, it was tiring and up till the end of the game I still am confused and not totally understand the game rules.Dinner at the pancake man's restaurant, spiny lobsters with rice, quite good but little serving, me and Bry hurried to the campsite and ordered more food, fries. Met the American Jo again at the bar and had a chat, chilled out with a few beers with another fellow, Chris from Canada and then went to bed.
The next morning we head off to Elimina another slave trade castle. This time I made a point of doing the guided tour, it was interesting and depressing but I admit I hate guided tours and was in lala land, in my own world staring blank on the wall after 5 mins. I did learn about the history of the place though and is quite a sad reminder of the slave trade from ages ago, a few on the tour shed few tears as we visit dungeons.

We are on our way to Kokrobite 30 odd km from Accra, we decided since Jamie and Danielle are leaving us there, to have a truck party while driving, cups were fashioned from empty plastic bottles and before you know it drinks are flowing, people getting trashed pretty quickly, me and Marky Mark DJ'd switching from one I pod to another, we all had a great time except for 2 people who did not appreciate us being rowdy and drunk but hey 10 weeks in the truck and this is our first big truck piss up on the go, after all we are on holiday. We stopped for a pee and the girls were falling all over the place cant even sit to pee, Tony our driver came up the back of the truck pissed off at our antics and told us off, Zoe got sick in the truck and luckily we had a bucket for that situation. W made it to Big Milly's the campsite in Kokrobite, we set up our tents and went to the bar to get more pissed.
By this time Tony had calmed down and I was among the few who apologized for our behavior, all good after that. We met 2 lovely American girls at the bar had a chat with them, they gave us tips on the best beach and were the internet is, after they left we went really drunk and posing silly for photos, most of which I don't remember. All I remember is going to bed my head spinning. The next morning I took it easy, did laundry and basically just chill. Lunch time was at an Italian restaurant quite good, the best Italian for me in a long while, there ,a couple of London nurses talked to me about their volunteering experience so far here in Ghana, not very positive but it's still in the early stages.

We came back that night there for dinner, Chrissy recounting their experience getting to the city of Accra to get our Nigerian visa applications, lots of requirements to comply so the next day we got busy filling up forms and such, for Brits and Uk citizens we have to pay 100 US! Chrissy also had a bad experience at the post office trying to collect packages and poste restante, none of them were successful, you need a tracking number etc, and when they did get the number it is not in the system because of back log, the postal system here sucks! To all reading this doing this trip in the future, do not send parcels here, instead try Cape Town.

We went to town to internet and do errands, me, Annabel and Amanda, we took the tro tro bus then another bus to center of town all in all barely a dollar! WE had a fabulous lunch of Jollof rice and chicken then found the Busy internet and got busy right away, it has been a long time since we had a good speed internet connection. The city of Accra reminds me so well of Manila where I grew up, lots of traffic congestion, pollution, humidity, touts selling things on the road and the residential areas looks like Paranaque or Quezon City.

We hurried to get back in the camp so we took a taxi for 15 dib dobs roughly 15 US, we are trying to catch up with Jamie and Danielle before they go to the airport. Danielle missed her flight she got the dates wrong so only Jamie is leaving, lots of sad goodbyes, she gave me her left over malarone, thanks for that Jamie! Dave, Chrissy and Simon went to the airport with her to send her off. Bry and I went to bed early, it was a challenge sleeping it is hot and noisy as we are close to the bar, I have to make sure to move our tent again tonight as the weekend tends to be rowdier. If we get to pick up our passports at the Nigerian embassy we leave tomorrow Saturday for Togo, did not have photo of Accra because i cant b bothered to take my camera, nothing really special if you ask me, lots of trinkets being sold relating the Africa cup happening here next week, My next blog will be about Togo....



WIKI INFO:

Kakum National Park is one of the best known national parks in Ghana; it is in the southern part of Ghana, in what is known as the Central Region. The Park was first established in 1990 from an area of 350 square kilometers to the north of Cape Coast and Elmina near the small town of Abrafo. The entire area is covered with tropical rainforest.

In the Park gamekeepers were specially trained to make accessible to the visiting tourists some important tropical plants on the grounds and their relevant medicinal significance. Besides the impressive plant world, which partly also comprises rare species, the Kakum National Park presents rare animals, including the very rare and endangered Mona-meerkat, as well as pygmy elephants, forest buffalo, zibetkatzen, and a highly developed bird world. Still, the observation of animals in this forest is extremely difficult because of the dense rainforest. In the course of the development of tourism, authorities and park managers plan in the future to add water holes or clearings, to make better observation possible.

Kakum National Park has a unique tourist attraction: the only round tour over a hanging bridge in the forest canopy level in all of Africa. Beside Kakum there are only four other round tours of this type. From the so-called Canopy Walkway, at up to 40 meters height, the visitor can approach the plants and animals in their living space which would otherwise be inaccessible for people. The Canopy Walkway passes over 7 bridges and runs over a length of 330 meters.The Walkway is definitely unique,however this is the only highlight of the park,if you are going there for wildlife spotting think again as this is a rarity at best , most of the animals have long since migrated to other more remote parts of the park,this quote coming from one of the parks rangers.

ELMINA CASTLE:

Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast). It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, and therefore the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. First established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Dutch seized the fort from the Portuguese in 1637. The slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1873 when the fort became a possession of the British Empire. Britain granted the Gold Coast its independence in 1957, and control of the castle was transferred to the nation that was formed out of the colony, present-day Ghana. Today it is a popular historical site. The castle is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Monument.

CAPE COAST CASTLE:

Cape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later on rebuilt in stone.

In April 1663 the whole Swedish Gold Coast was seized by the Danes, and integrated in the Danish Gold Coast In 1664 the Castle was conquered by the British and was extensively rebuilt by the Committee of Merchants (whose Governors administered the entire British colony) in the late 18th century. In 1844, it became the seat of the colonial Government of the British Gold Coast.

The Castle was built for the trade in timber and gold, later it was used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Castle, or Castle and Dungeon, to give it its official name, was first restored in the 1920s by the British Public Works Department. In 1957, when Ghana became independent, it passed under the care of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB). In the early 1990s the building was restored by the Ghanaian Government, with funds from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), USAID, the Smithsonian Institution and other NGOs.


Inside the dungeon of Cape Coast Castle. Hundreds of slaves would have been held in these cramped conditions before being transferred to boats bound for the western hemisphere.Other Ghanaian Slave Castles include the Portuguese foundation of Elmina Castle (later Dutch) and Fort Saint Jago.


KUMASI:


Kumasi is located in the Rain Forest Region of Ghana and is popularly known as "The Garden City" because of its many beautiful species of flowers and plants. Located in the south-central part of the country near the Lake Bosomtwe, about 250 km (by road) northwest of Accra, Kumasi is approximately 300 miles north of the Equator and 100 miles north of the Gulf of Guinea.

TAMALE:

Tamale (pronounced ) is the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana, with a population of 305,000 (2005). It is mostly populated by Dagomba people who speak Dagbani and are followers of Islam. It is located in the northern part of the country, where the land is savanna, consisting of grasslands with drought-resistant trees. The city is like a conglomeration of villages, with many people living in traditional mud brick houses. While majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. Many of these mud block compounds have TV antennae and electricity wires.

ACCRA:
Accra, population 2,096,653 (2007), is the capital of Ghana. It is Ghana's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic centre. The primary economic activities are financial and government services, communications, construction, transport and agriculture (particularly fishing). Over 70%!o(MISSING)f Ghana's manufacturing capacity is located within the capital area. Accra is located at 5°30' North, 0°10' West (5.5, -0.1667). and sits near the Greenwich Meridian in the Accra Metropolitan Area, in the Greater Accra Region.

The city of Accra has been Ghana's capital since 1877, and contains public buildings reflecting its transition from a 19th century suburb of Victoriasborg to the modern metropolis it is today.

Among the attractions of Accra are the National Museum, with a display of exhibits that reflect the heritage of Ghana from prehistoric times to modern times, the National Theatre with its distinct modern architecture, the Centre for National Culture, Independence Square, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the Accra International Conference Centre, the fishing port at James Town and Makola Market.

KOKROBITE:

Kokrobite is a small fishing village, around 30 km (19 miles) west of Accra, in Ghana. It is located on a long stretch of beach on the Gold Coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and is a popular destination for tourists seeking tropical paradise and sandy beaches.

The major destination for tourists is Big Milly's Backyard, a resort run since 1995 by a British woman and her Ghanaian husband. This integrates well with the local community, with the seafront generally being a mix of tourists, souvenir traders and local fishermen.

Other attractions include the African American Music Academy, which provides lodging, food and weekend dance and drumming shows. Two fine restaurants (other than Milly's) are the Kokrobite Garden Restaurant (Frenco's place) and Ocean View Garden Restaurant (Mary and Gloria's place)..

However, it should be noted that Kokrobite beach can be dangerous at night, so beware of pickpockets and petty thieves. During the day the beach and surrounding villages are generally safe, friendly, and used to visitors.

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Photos

MOLE NATL PARK
SUNSET AMONG THE TREE BRANCHES

PAGA CROC FARM
CHRISSY TERRIFIED OF THE CROC

PAGA CROC FARM
DANIELLE PETTING A CROC

NEW YEAR'S
TRUCK QUIZ

MOLE NATL PARK
WARTHOGS

MOLE NATL PARK
ANTELOPES