Today is our last day at the Anomabo Beach Resort, in fact it is our last day (most of a day) in Ghana. I arrived in Ghana about 7 weeks ago - some days it feels like I just got here and others (generally when sitting down to a meal of chicken and rice) it seems like longer. The last few days at the resort have been quite wonderful as we've generally walked on the beach, read (more books in 4 days than in 4 weeks!), talked, and slept! I know, I know... real party people!
I can tell that I was ready to move on two days ago when I started pulling out the guidebooks for Italy - which is where we head today. However, before I get too far ahead of myself I thought that I would leave you with some lasting impressions about Ghana and her people (for some reason I think of Ghana as a woman - perhaps it is her strength, the resiliency of her people, or perhaps it is because the weather can be bitchin' hot or cool and moody).
Ghana is a world a contrasts where you have huge concrete and marble homes and hotels next to homes with mud walls and thatched or tin roofs. Villages in the north often remind me of little smurf houses or perhaps Peter Jackson's vison of hobbit homes - just not so green). You have the most derelict trotros and taxis stuck in traffic jams, that makes Vancouver traffic almost enjoyable (we Canadians really need to use our horns more often - here they are often used as signal lights as well as communication mediums), next to the latest SUVs and sedans from every line but most notably Porche and Mercedes!! You have folks selling fruit and veggies on the street next to the Kola grocery store in Accra (really should be called the Obruni Store) where you can get just about any product you want from home! FYI: anyone who likes chocolate like I do (yummy) you can buy cadbury chocolate from the UK in Kola...hello flake bars!! Back home we are always talking about the gap between the haves and the have-nots - here that gaps is wide and explicit. Those in the "have-not" category here are some of the poorest but often happiest people I've met; however, you can see that they are also one natural disaster or economic/environmental policy away from complete loss.
Another thing about Ghana that you should know before visiting - the term 'free range' here has nothing to do with the chickens! Regardless of where you are someone, generally in your line of sight, will either squat or urinate! One of my favourite signs in Ghana are the "please do not urinate here" signs! Of course the reminiscent sent of a porta-potty on a hot August long weekend suggests that some are unable to read those signs! Walking the beach next to local communities (whether they been near resorts or not) can be like walking through a minefield a feces! Don't let this deter you from visiting though as you simply get used to watching where you walk!
Going to restaurants in Ghana is always an adventure - the first thing I learned is that they tend to have extensive menus (e.g., you can order Baked Alaska in Sunyani); however, it is unlikely that many (most) of the items are actually available. In some cases they bring in the items when hosting conferences (presumably with many obrunies), and I think that in other cases they simply want to appear as it they are catering to travellers' wants! Ghanaian food is widely available and some like it a lot. I've managed to get my mom to try Red Red with Plantain (bean stew like dish) and Palava and Yam. You'll notice that Fufu and Banku are not on those lists and that I indicated that my mother tried these dishes! I am a self confessed "picky" eater and so generally stick with the chicken and rice (though I do switch between plain rice, jollof rice, and fried rice) with the occasional pizza or chicken and sauce with rice! My favourite meal here is grilled cheese (brought from home but you can buy cheese in Accra and cheese like products in Sunyani) and avocado sandwiches!! While I've tended to avoid the roadside vendors there is a smorgasborg of street-meat options; that being said many of those options are really street-carbs! Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) joked about the "no carb left behind" diet in Rome (looking forward to that I must say) but that description really fits the diet here too!
Another lesson that I learned about Ghana, although I do occasionly forget, is that everything is up for negotiation! I was once told that if I don't like the answer to simply keep asking as eventually we'll come to a mutually agreeable decision. In some cases this makes me feel like too much of a bully (or cultural imperialist!) so I'm not so good at it. That being said I have greatly improved my skills at haggling over prices and have even got to the point where I simply say - Wow... Do I look like I've just got off the plane? What is the non-obruni price? I also invoke the presence of my "sista Amanda" and even start off with the little Twi that I know...it seems to lower the price dramatically. In Cape Coast I ended up paying 50% to 40% less than the original quote...which for me is almost free!! Taxis are something that you'll definitely want to confirm the price for before getting in as they can really vary with the tone of your skin! A ride from S-Poly to FFRT is about .60 if you do the line taxi (like switching buses) and $2.00 if you do a drop (values in Cedis). I stopped one taxi and he quoted me $5 GHC!!! I explained to him that I was not new to Sunyani and that he shouldn't try to cheat me - the price was immediately $2 but I went to the cab behind at paid him my $2!!
Sitting here typing is making me miss my colleagues and the students that I've worked with and I haven't even starting packing! I hope that you have all enjoyed following along on this year's Ghanaian adventure. Don't stop reading now as the next leg of the journey is just about to start. Tonight we leave for Genoa and we should arrive there around 1400h Thursday (note: Genoa is 9 hours ahead of Van Isle and 6 ahead of ON). The hotel we are staying at has free Wifi so I should be able to upload a few more pictures. We leave on our cruise on Saturday and here is the general itinerary: Genoa, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Tunis, Tunisia; Valletta, Malta; Messina, Sicily (Italy); Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Genoa, Italy. We leave on Saturday (Ghana's next world cup match for those faithful who are watching) and return the following Saturday. We will head back to Vancovuer (via a 5 hour layover in Paris) on the 28th and will arrive back on the island on the 29...I may then sleep for a week!
I hope you are enjoying life as much as I am! Aggie
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