Ghana the Great

Ghana....

Ghana was warm, kind and giving to us. We were welcomed with smiles and hospitality. Walking down the street we were constantly told "Welcome to Ghana"! Billboards had Obama photo on them and Obama biscuits were sold in the market.

The first day in port we walked through the markets in town. The market was filled with food, clothing, and everyday wears. We took a tro-tro to Cape Coast about an hour away. The drive was along the coast in certain parts and the coast with lined with palm-trees. Once we reached Cape Coast we went to the Cape Coast Castle. We went on a tour of the slave dungeons which was a sobering thing. The Castle was built for the trade in timber and gold. Later the structure was used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Afterwards we walked back to the tro-tro station to try and return to Takarodi before sunset. On the way home the tro-tro stopped and let out several passengers along the way. Instead of filling the empty seats with people we pulled over the side of the road and filled the large van with hundreds of watermelons. Tommy and I were moved from the back seat so our seats could be filled with watermelons. The rest of the ride watermelons were hitting our seats and rolling under our feet. When we stopped at check points we got pulled over by the police and questioned about the watermelons. We asked the tro-tro assistant what happened and he said "we took care of that"... haha what an adventure.

The next day we made plans to go out again but the rain was too heavy to want to go far. So we walked around the markets and saw the sights. The people were so friendly, children were coming up to me and giving me hugs and everyone was wanting to stop and chat with us. Tommy ate lunch across the way from the ship and had FuFu. That evening we all went out to dinner and I had Red-Red, a delicious rice and beans dish.

The third day we went to Kakum National Park. It took us two taxi rides, a tro-tro ride, and a walk to get to the park. We ate lunch at a hotel which had a crocodile pond below. Once we got there it was pouring down rain as soon as we started hiking to the swinging bridge. Kakum National Park has a long series of hanging bridges at the forest canopy level known as the "Canopy Walkway." The walkway is 130 feet height, and passes over 7 bridges and runs over a length of 1,080 ft. It is secured by a series of nets and wires for safety, although I was plenty scared throughout the walk. The rains poured throughout the journey across the walkway.

On the last day we went on a Semester at Sea trip to Father's Home, a home for children. We spent the day with the kids who came all over Ghana and lived there as a new family unit. The sense of community and compassion among those in the home was wonderful to witness. The older children looked after the younger children and were so loving. We played soccer and played drums, games and cards. Simply spending the day with the kids and getting to know each other. They invited us to all come back whenever we wanted. It was a wonderful day.
http://www.fathershome.org/284.0.html?&L=2