Adventures, anecdotes and advice from three months exploring Ghana
When moving to a city which you've never visited, choosing the right neighborhood is a tricky task. You can do all the research you want, ask online forums, and scour Google Street View, but if you've not actually visited the place, you're never going to know for sure. It's a major gamble, and a wrong choice can really ruin an otherwise perfectly-planned trip. But sometimes luck runs in your favor. And we couldn't have hoped for a better spot to land in Accra, than Adabraka.
The influence and legacy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah extends far beyond the borders of just his country. Not only was he the founding father of Ghana and its first president, but he was also a leader of the movement that brought about an end to the colonial era in Africa. We visited his burial place in central Accra, and learned about his life in the small but fascinating museum found within the same complex.
Our first few weeks in Ghana have been wild. Every time we step from our apartment out into the streets, it's an adventure. Even a standard trip to the grocery store is usually an odyssey filled with bizarre sights, new friends, and at least ten stories I want tell everyone back home about. We've definitely been here long enough to make some good first impressions, and as we travel more widely throughout the country in the coming…
After spending the morning swimming and relaxing, after a great night sleeping at Tills Beach House in Gomoah Fetteh, we found a shared taxi to nearby Senya Beraku. This town is home to the Fort of Good Hope, which looks out over the Atlantic, and was built in the 1660s by the Dutch.
We'd been to Labadi Beach in Accra, and although we'd had a lot of fun, we knew that Ghana had other, more beautiful beaches to offer. One of them can be found in the small town of Gomoa Fetteh, about an hour west of the city. Here, we discovered a paradise of soft sand, towering palm trees, and a total lack of other people. It was the perfect place to relax after our first two weeks in Ghana.
To have a fascinating cultural experience aboard a trotro, you don't even have to go anywhere. The hour we spent waiting for our trotro to leave Kaneshi Station for Winneba was excruciating, but provided a steady stream of entertainment, better than any movie... just too bad we didn't have any popcorn. Oh wait, there's a lady outside the window selling some! Perfect, now let's sit back and enjoy the show!
Soccer has a strong tradition in Ghana, but boxing is the sport in which it most excels. This small country has produced a number of champions, and legions of kids attend class in boxing gyms around Jamestown, hoping to become the next Azumah Nelson or Jospeh Clottey. We had the chance to check out one of the training sessions at the Black Panter Boxing Gym, in Jamestown. We were received warmly by the head coach of the…
We hadn't been too impressed during our initial excursion in Osu, Accra's most popular nightlife spot. But that was because we had limited ourselves to Oxford Street. The moment you step off that main drag, the annoyances vanish, revealing an enjoyable neighborhood with plenty of options for fun.
We were excited to learn that Ghana's National Museum was located just minutes away from our house. But our actual visit turned out to be a disappointment. The museum was under renovation, and apparently has been for years. The tour guides said that it would be re-opening in grand fashion later this year, perhaps even July. But that's a ridiculously optimistic prediction at best, and most likely a lie. This place looks closed for good.
Built by the Danes in 1661 as Fort Christiansborg, Osu Castle has long been at the center of Ghana's commercial and political life. From within these white walls, foreign powers have ruled, slaves have been traded, and presidents have lived. We took an excellent tour of the grounds, learning a lot about Ghana's history in the process.
