So I arrived in Ghana in early April, after a veritable sprint across West Africa, from Guinea Bissau, back up through Senegal, into Mali, Burkina Faso, and finally to enter Ghana from the North – all to skirt around the escalating Ebola crisis in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, in time to meet my good friend Kyle who came to visit me!
It was a short but sweet visit, with an aggressive Kumasi pub-crawl, tons of great food, a taxi-mediated water drop-off during Kyle’s 5am 30K run, and some very official paper-signing to confirm the 4-year leasing of a new office for the Fresh Opportunities Foundation!
Note: clicking any of the photos in each set should open up a gallery so you can see them full-sized with captions!
First morning in Kumasi, looking out from the roof of the Sarfo hotel
My favourite road in Ghana – the road to Nsuta!
Ma making dinner for us obronis
Kyle made a new friend at the clinic, waiting for Ma to have her checkup!
Love these colours
The streets of Nsuta
After Kyle left, I was on my own again. I spent most of my time between Kumasi and Nsuta, and started a 2-month obsession with Yahtzee.
Annual Easter (day-long) football finals
Oh man, so good.
Getting schooled at Yahtzee by the “math teacher”
It’s rainy season, and you see it coming!
The deserted streets of Accra’s Makola Market on a Sunday
Makola Market
The my amazing and lovely friend Alana came to visit me too, and we made a whirlwind tour of all the top spots in Ghana! (After my custom introduction of a little mugging upon arrival!)
First tro-tro ride – the crazy girl couldn’t stop grinning!
A taste of home at the Accra Art Market
Oh, the coconuts. How I miss the coconuts.
Gloomy but still beautiful at Cape Coast
Cape Coast castle
You might notice the nice shade of purple where I was punched in the mouth (twice!)
The fishing community of Cape Coast
The “door of no return” (where you can now return)
An illicit shot of the cannon (as if we were paying 20GHS to take photos!)
On to Kakum in the afternoon!
She loved the knots
Another tro-tro, to Kumasi!
First experience with riceballs and groundnut soup in Nsuta
Dinner with Ma!
Up Prayer Mountain
More yahtze…
The crazy place that is Kejetia Tro station
And kejetia market!
My favourite foods: spicy bean stew with avocado and fried plantains, and ampesi with boiled yams!
Just a bag of tea!
On Metro Mass Transit to visit Romeo in Duayaw Nknwanta! Got the last two seats.
At the Boabeng Monkey Sanctuary
In a taxi to Kintampo
Had to get out and walk the hill. Oh, the rainy season!
Blew a tire on the way to Mole. I provide the most authentic of experiences!
Made it to Mole! Such an exhausting trip.
Happy faces the next morning on our safari walk!
And then the downpour. So much for laundry.
Our HAVEN in Tamale. So clean, so comfortable, so reasonably priced!
AND there was a freezer. So this was not just Fabulous drinking water, but it was fabulous ICE. Sweet, sweet ice. ‘Cause dang, Tamale was HOT.
Made it back to the coast. Feet up at Big Milly’s in Kokrobite. Wonderful.
Off for a little walk
The last breakfast! I converted her into a hard-core beans, rice, spaghetti, and salad for breakfast lover!
And then we stopped for some tea. Across from Koala in Osu, this lady has amazing mugs. Bring on the tea-sweats.
It wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the firehall!
And finally, at the airport on her way home, we finally tried a Malta. And it was kind of disgusting. It tastes like Shreddies milk.
And then it was back to one. Again, I mainly floated through Nsuta and Kumasi, with a couple stops in Duayaw Nkwanta (with a barely-remembered night of Akpeteshie – crazy Ghanaian moonshine – drinking, with a subsequent knee-sprain), and then I headed back up through Wa into Burkina Faso. Though I did need a new passport first, because mine was by then full!
The World Cup Finals were on, so most days were spent with the boys watching, and me.. not. Just wake me when it’s over!
Many new friends were made and as always, I can’t wait to go back.
Picked up my new passport while I was in Accra. Then promptly got it (and myself) soaking wet in a sudden downpour!
Took a walk around the poorly-signed Accra Legon University. It was pretty!
Hanging out with the guys at the butcher’s shop in Nsuta, playing yahtzee, drafts, and rummy.
Just taking the TV in for service..
The infamous DIY haircut!
Hanging out at Poppo’s place in Kumasi (his name is not Obroni)
Poppo’s stealth drinking – mixing K20 whiskey into his Blue Jeans energy drink
Our usual hang-out in Adum area of Kumasi. Many a games were played and many a World Cup final games were (sort-of) watched here. And many beers consumed.
Another spot for watching the games, in Santasi.
Go, Ghana, Go!
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