Ghana

“Your named after a great man” is what my mom told me as a child. “He’s buried in Ghana and you should go visit.” Growing up in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, I never gave it too much thought until I was much older. The opportunity presented itself in the summer of 2011. I was fortunate enough to visit Ghana for 7 days with a few friends from college. I am writing this post a year later after my visit. I have traveled to other international destinations, however this trip to Ghana set in motion a chain of events that culminated with me leaving my job in Corporate America and pursuing opportunities to travel the world long term.

Osei, our driver, greeted us at the Accra International Airport and we swiftly moved to the car only to sit in travel. The travel was terrible to say it politely. It took us about 30 minutes to cover the ½ mile road from the airport to the main road. Once we got to our lodging there was a nice cook named Angela there to greet us. She had prepared a delicious meal of Egusi, Fish, Red-Red, soft-shell crabs and rice. We spent the balance of the evening conversing over Ghanaian “Star” beers. As good as the food was from earlier, I was glad I had brought my traveler’s diarrhea pills to help me sleep.

Below are a list of places you should visit the next time you are in Ghana:

Kakum national Rainforest was one of my favorite attractions in Ghana. Although I do not do well with heights, the views were absolutely astonishing. The canopy walk is a must do. There was an elementary school on a field trip during our visit. The children were very friendly and ready to pose for pictures. My best shots are of some of them.

Unfortunately, the name escapes me at the moment. However, on the drive back from Kakum Rainforest to Accra we visited a small lake with a few crocodiles as local residents. I touched a crocodile. My heart stopped beating for a while but it eventually started back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visits to El Mina and Cape Coast Castle proved to be very humbling. I could feel the gravity of the events that occurred there as soon as I entered. I could only pass through the door of no return at the castle sideways. Our tour guide told us that most slaves were so famish that 2 were usually forced through the door sideways.

It was an honor to set foot on the W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture. Although I do not agree with every principal he stood for, this was a man of great intellect and fortitude. The museum is not the tourist attraction I expected it to be perhaps because DuBois spent only the last few years of his life in the country. Our driver said that he had never visited it before.

Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana. We visited the Kejetia market, which was one of the largest, bustling markets I have seen. It reminded me of Times Square on New Years Eve. The street vendors were friendlier then in other cities. I paid the equivalent of 50 cent for buttered bread and the young lady skipped a way with the greatest smile on his face.

While in Accra I was able to experience a Ghanaian Funeral. The occasional was a joyous occasion. I would consider it a celebration. There were tears but they were tears of joys. The funeral had live music and the attendees proceeded through the streets of the city in happy mood with the band.

For entertainment the venue I enjoyed the most was Bywell’s located in Osu off of Oxford Street. A popular genre of music in Ghana is Ghanaian Highlife. I would consider it an intermingling of jazz, pop, and reggae. The place had a great live band playing Ghanaian Highlife the night I attended. It is a nice open-air place with more of a lounge feel.

Aphrodisiac is the mega club for Accra. It is probably the largest club in Accra. It has heart-pounding music, however it was fairly easy to socialize despite the volume of the music.

Other places you should visit in Ghana:
Independence Arch and Independence Square
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
Monsoon’s (Sushi joint)
Frankie’s (Chinese Spot)
Tante Marie Restaurant (Ghanaian
Labadi Beach
The OFFICE club
Lake Bosomtwe
Accra Mall
Ashanti Cultural Arts Center in Kumasi

 

 

 

 

 

I have never meet people who were so happy and filled with joy despite their small amount of material possessions. I saw young kids playing soccer bare foot on a dirt road with contagious grins on their face. They seemed oblivious to any problems that were in the world. This made me think about the value that I place in possessions and material things. Everyone likes to have nice “things.” These things can become great assets and make life a more enjoyable experience. I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t have my iPod with me during a morning run. However, these assets can turn into great liabilities for some people. A friend of mine told me that she wished she could travel internationally more but that she had to much “stuff” to look after stateside. I asked here what stuff she said and she stated her apartment and 2 storage units. “What do you have in storage?,” I asked. “I don’t know I have had the units forever she sated. This is an example of wear possessions that were once assets have turn into liabilities. “You underestimate your self,” I told her. I then asked her “Are your possessions pushing you forward or holding you back?”