Had a hot shower last night! Ramiz, the owner of the Niagara called an electrician in at 11pm, long after we were in bed (I had already organised a shower in the room next door, by then) so we started the day off well! Breakfast was another omelette and Nescafe with Ideal milk, but this time we got a "happy cow" cheese too! Love that stuff... will stock up when I get home.
Visited Tema, and another bunch of shabby hotels. Crisman Hotel stood out, with its tiled floors, monkeys in cages (why, I have to ask!) and uniformed staff. It has a pool, gym area (well there is an old rusty exercise bike and a weight's bench next to the pool) and big screen TV in the pool bar. DSTV in all the rooms, as well as a fridge, aircon, COFFEE MACHINE and even a safe. Of course the nightly rate is in keeping with all of this.
The lady who showed us around had been for Miss Universe training, I'm sure. She was so poised, her words so carefully chosen, as if she were presenting the residence of royalty on a tv show. "The room which I will show you first is on floor three. We will now proceed to floor three." Turns, leads the way, and then stops, turns back to face us. "We are now on floor three." In the smoothest voice ever. She got 10 out of 10 for presentation! We did manage to stop her from demonstrating ALL the available channels on the TVs....
Kim's next meeting was with a representative of Greet, the Ghana Rural Ecotourism and Travel Office. Uji is an Ethiopian girl who grew up in the States and joined the Peace Corps. What a beautiful girl! Wearing the loveliest flowing smock top – navy blue embroidery on white. (I asked if it was local – no such luck, it was sent to her by a friend in the UK!) She gave Kim a list of community projects and names of people to contact on our travels.
This evening we took a stroll through the streets of Accra (well we crossed a road, with the help of a policeman, and turned a corner) to find some supper. Did I mention that this part of Accra is just like our own Saltriver? But with livestock as well as hooting taxis and crowds? Mr Big was about all we could find, so we sampled the chicken in palova sauce again, as there didn't seem to be much choice. Wow it was hot!!!!! Ate what we could before our mouths went numb, then walked back to the hotel for a G&T. Apparently it's good for mozzies; clearly the fact that they have run out of tonic and gave us bitter lemon is to blame for all the bites that night.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
14th August - Aburi/Accra
Day trip to Aburi planned – inland. Plans to visit Traycourt Leisure Resort, Mount Krobo Community Reserve, Stone House Lodge, Shai Hills Wildlife Reserve.
Getting rather tired of cold showers and lumpy pillows, not to mention the noisy Bliss Nightclub! Don't these people ever sleep? And those that do are up at the crack of dawn catching taxis for work! Seemingly with cackling hens in tow....
Shai Hills – savannah grasslands, magical hills, ancestral caves, bats, wild deer – reminded me a little of parts of Zimbabwe countryside.
Lunch was at Star Villa in Kpong. Chicken in palava sauce, with boiled yams – delicious! A slight curry flavour - Palava sauce is made from cocoyam leaves. The plant looks like what the Aussies call the Elephant Ear.
We then headed on, and found a new conference centre/restaurant called Hilbury.A family affair, owned and run by a father and son team, it is the smartest place we've seen here! Equal at least to somewhere found on the Camps Bay beach front, it has large gardens, a pool area, two restaurants and conference facilities. They are planning to add rooms at a later stage, and will definitely be charging above average rates! So if you're looking for 5 star treatment, try here. The owners are very fussy about good service, so they will not cater for anything larger than the staff can handle. (They did charge us for our drinks though, after a lengthy interview...)
The Palm Hotel, on the other hand, was at the end of a very potholed dirt road in a shabby area of town, but what a surprise! Advertised as "the best hotel in town", it wasn't too bad actually. I can't imagine many people going to the trouble to find it though.
Supper this evening was a very average but huge spaghetti bolognaise back at the Niagara Hotel, which in spite of sharing one serving we managed to waste a whole lot. Patrick is despairing; he can't accept the wastage so he's following us around polishing off all our leftovers...
Getting rather tired of cold showers and lumpy pillows, not to mention the noisy Bliss Nightclub! Don't these people ever sleep? And those that do are up at the crack of dawn catching taxis for work! Seemingly with cackling hens in tow....
Shai Hills – savannah grasslands, magical hills, ancestral caves, bats, wild deer – reminded me a little of parts of Zimbabwe countryside.
We then headed on, and found a new conference centre/restaurant called Hilbury.A family affair, owned and run by a father and son team, it is the smartest place we've seen here! Equal at least to somewhere found on the Camps Bay beach front, it has large gardens, a pool area, two restaurants and conference facilities. They are planning to add rooms at a later stage, and will definitely be charging above average rates! So if you're looking for 5 star treatment, try here. The owners are very fussy about good service, so they will not cater for anything larger than the staff can handle. (They did charge us for our drinks though, after a lengthy interview...)
The Palm Hotel, on the other hand, was at the end of a very potholed dirt road in a shabby area of town, but what a surprise! Advertised as "the best hotel in town", it wasn't too bad actually. I can't imagine many people going to the trouble to find it though.
Supper this evening was a very average but huge spaghetti bolognaise back at the Niagara Hotel, which in spite of sharing one serving we managed to waste a whole lot. Patrick is despairing; he can't accept the wastage so he's following us around polishing off all our leftovers...
Day 1 ACCRA
After about 5 hours of not much sleep (always a good idea to avoid staying in hotels that are above a nightclub!) we headed downstairs for a much needed cup of coffee. Only to find that the kitchen was closed until 7.30! Damn! Eventually got our flask of hot water, tiny cup, sachet of Nescafe, and opened tin of ideal milk... and an omelette which was more like a pancake with bits of tomato, onions and green pepper mixed into the batter. It was tasty though!
Kim's first meeting was with the local bus company, to establish costs, routes and times. The guy she'd made the appointment with decided he couldn't make it, so we met with a lovely young girl instead. Her name escapes me, surprise surprise... she was really sweet and friendly. She was hoping to meet up with us somewhere along the road but so far we haven't heard from her.
Everyone is so friendly, even the security guards at the bus terminal were coming over to introduce themselves to us.
The drive to and from the buses was nerve-racking! Even worse than SA taxis... everyone just goes, no waiting for anyone else, no obvious rules of the road. But, the drivers don't seem to lose their tempers! Quite a novelty, after all the road-rage back home. Our taxi driver, Richard, explained to us that if there is an accident, the drivers involved sort it all out very amicably, so as to avoid calling the police. Judging by the state of most of the cars around us, accidents happen regularly. I just don't get how people can travel around Accra on motorbikes, with no helmets! They must have a deathwish, I can't see them surviving for long.
We went through an area which can only be described as Ghana's version of Camden Market. People and stores everywhere. Although I don't remember seeing preachers doing their bit through loudspeakers on every street corner in Camden...
Free wireless internet at the hotel kept us occupied for the rest of the day...
Kim's first meeting was with the local bus company, to establish costs, routes and times. The guy she'd made the appointment with decided he couldn't make it, so we met with a lovely young girl instead. Her name escapes me, surprise surprise... she was really sweet and friendly. She was hoping to meet up with us somewhere along the road but so far we haven't heard from her.
Everyone is so friendly, even the security guards at the bus terminal were coming over to introduce themselves to us.
The drive to and from the buses was nerve-racking! Even worse than SA taxis... everyone just goes, no waiting for anyone else, no obvious rules of the road. But, the drivers don't seem to lose their tempers! Quite a novelty, after all the road-rage back home. Our taxi driver, Richard, explained to us that if there is an accident, the drivers involved sort it all out very amicably, so as to avoid calling the police. Judging by the state of most of the cars around us, accidents happen regularly. I just don't get how people can travel around Accra on motorbikes, with no helmets! They must have a deathwish, I can't see them surviving for long.
We went through an area which can only be described as Ghana's version of Camden Market. People and stores everywhere. Although I don't remember seeing preachers doing their bit through loudspeakers on every street corner in Camden...
Free wireless internet at the hotel kept us occupied for the rest of the day...
Friday, November 6, 2009
On our way to Ghana
A road trip on Ghana - 13th August 2009 to 1st September 2009
I needed an adventure, I needed to escape from my dreary overworked-no-time-to-play life...
My Aussie friend Kim, a travel writer, invited me to join her on her Ghana trip, and I jumped at it! It's all part of the plan... get out there and experience new places. (Although I say “invited” - more like a facebook update “anyone up for a road trip in Ghana?” How was I to refuse?)
So, departure and arrival!
Arrived safely, although getting to CT International in time was a challenge! Managed to check in just as they were closing the gates for my flight. I was pretty relaxed though – there was a rainbow to our right en route so I took that as a good sign, as I always do.
Kim and I met up at OT Airport in Johannesburg and whiled away the time before our flight at various coffee shops and bars, specialising in those with free Internet access (although Mug n Bean only offers 10 minutes, no-one can drink their coffee that fast!)
Said goodbye to SA with a Mojito and plate of chips, overpriced as airport grub tends to be. But good!
I have to wonder why they announce a change of boarding gate, from one side of the airport to the other, at the last minute? Once everyone is settled in the queue? That aside, we had an uneventful flight, on a rather empty, spacious plane. No movies, just plenty of space to lie down and read/snooze... a whole row of seats per passenger, isn't that the way to fly?
The landing was eerie! The captain announced the beginning of our descent, then all lights went off (it was nearly midnight), and suddenly there was complete silence! It was as if the engines had been turned off, and we were gliding gently down to earth. I wasn't sure whether to sit back and enjoy it, or be a tad nervous! I went with the latter... but thinking that if we went down, at least I'm happy with what I've done with my life so far! Next thing we were going through a white cloud, which was even more surreal, and at last literally glided to a halt with hardly a bump. All without a sound.
The airport routine was plain sailing, we were welcomed by the customs officials. As well as everyone else we've met since, "You are welcome" being the most often heard phrase. There was a poster warning off sex offenders and paedophiles, though! Telling the that they are not welcome in Ghana, and if they are entering the country with any thoughts of rape or assault, they should turn around and leave immediately! I didn't think I should take a photo of it, in front of all the customs guys...
Patrick, our driver from Alabama Car Hire was waiting outside to take us to our hotel in his spotlessly clean Toyota Landcruiser. The Niagara Hotel was putting us up for the first few nights, at no charge (hey, where possible, travel with a journalist!). By now it was nearing 2am SA time (Ghana is two hours behind), so a quick G&T at the bar, then bed. (Cold shower first.... an energy saving trick of the hotel owner.)
I needed an adventure, I needed to escape from my dreary overworked-no-time-to-play life...
My Aussie friend Kim, a travel writer, invited me to join her on her Ghana trip, and I jumped at it! It's all part of the plan... get out there and experience new places. (Although I say “invited” - more like a facebook update “anyone up for a road trip in Ghana?” How was I to refuse?)
So, departure and arrival!
Arrived safely, although getting to CT International in time was a challenge! Managed to check in just as they were closing the gates for my flight. I was pretty relaxed though – there was a rainbow to our right en route so I took that as a good sign, as I always do.
Kim and I met up at OT Airport in Johannesburg and whiled away the time before our flight at various coffee shops and bars, specialising in those with free Internet access (although Mug n Bean only offers 10 minutes, no-one can drink their coffee that fast!)
Said goodbye to SA with a Mojito and plate of chips, overpriced as airport grub tends to be. But good!
I have to wonder why they announce a change of boarding gate, from one side of the airport to the other, at the last minute? Once everyone is settled in the queue? That aside, we had an uneventful flight, on a rather empty, spacious plane. No movies, just plenty of space to lie down and read/snooze... a whole row of seats per passenger, isn't that the way to fly?
The landing was eerie! The captain announced the beginning of our descent, then all lights went off (it was nearly midnight), and suddenly there was complete silence! It was as if the engines had been turned off, and we were gliding gently down to earth. I wasn't sure whether to sit back and enjoy it, or be a tad nervous! I went with the latter... but thinking that if we went down, at least I'm happy with what I've done with my life so far! Next thing we were going through a white cloud, which was even more surreal, and at last literally glided to a halt with hardly a bump. All without a sound.
The airport routine was plain sailing, we were welcomed by the customs officials. As well as everyone else we've met since, "You are welcome" being the most often heard phrase. There was a poster warning off sex offenders and paedophiles, though! Telling the that they are not welcome in Ghana, and if they are entering the country with any thoughts of rape or assault, they should turn around and leave immediately! I didn't think I should take a photo of it, in front of all the customs guys...
Patrick, our driver from Alabama Car Hire was waiting outside to take us to our hotel in his spotlessly clean Toyota Landcruiser. The Niagara Hotel was putting us up for the first few nights, at no charge (hey, where possible, travel with a journalist!). By now it was nearing 2am SA time (Ghana is two hours behind), so a quick G&T at the bar, then bed. (Cold shower first.... an energy saving trick of the hotel owner.)
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