My weekend retreat

June 4, 2012

Friday morning began with our usual breakfast at 7 am. Today, Bless's six year old daughter was in the kitchen but was too shy to talk to "abalones" or white people. Pam did get manage to talk to her for a bit though in the kitchen.

Today we were leaving for Coconut Grove Resort in Elmina which is about 5 plus hours from St. James Guesthouse. We were going there for the weekend. Isaac and George were driving us in an air-conditioned van. The drive began by going towards Accra so we were seeing some of the same scenery that we saw before but it still intrigues us. In Accra , traffic stalled to a crawl and Isaac's van developed a problem. After stopping and having a mechanic do some minor adjustments we were off again but without A/C. There were many several toll booths that caused traffic to snarl and come to a grinding halt. At one place, some students almost kept up with us by running along side the van.
We did have a pit stop at a nice gas station where we could stretch our legs. At about 3 pm, we arrived at our resort.

The Coconut Grove Resort was a good place to relax and enjoy the ocean. It is a nice treat for two weeks of semi hibernation in Senchi Ferry. Saturday, we had a tour of the Cape Coast Castle by Mark. We learned a wealth of information about the Slave trade which was started by the Portuguese and the British. Walking into the dungeons where enslaved Africans were held for three months and then taken by ship to Brazil, Caribbean or North America was difficult to imagine even today. Hearing about how they were treated, like living without light the whole time, or the human waste or the branding , it was hard imagine that anyone could survive. I think I remember that out of the 5 million slaves, only 40 % survived which then were forced to live as slaves in another country. A very sad and horrible era of Western history.

In the afternoon, Ann and I went to Kakum National Park. We went on an hour and a half nature walk. The park contains lots of mammals, birds, and butterflies but we saw only a few things, yet it was a wonderful hike through a tropical rainforest. Our guide James did a good job of telling us all about the plant life in the park. Lots of hardwood trees many of which are protected. One part of the park has a canopy walkway which I didn't do because of my phobia of suspension bridges but I did look at it.

The drive back to the hotel took some time because of traffic even though the driver had the peddle to the metal whenever he could. The countryside shows me the poverty, the difficult of eking out a minimal existence. I see only basic small rectangular adobe or cinder block houses, some with a communal water pump or wells. Goats , chickens, and sometimes sheep all graze freely for any vegetation. Some people smile and greet you while others remain stoic. None can escape the oppressive heat but all tolerate it with little complaining.

We ate another nice dinner at the hotel. I had the chicken curry which was quite spicy, the way I like it. Also, I had a big bottle of Star beer. It tastes so good in this hot climate.

Sunday morning, after breakfast, I walked on the beach. I met one local young man who told me he had a full scholarship to a college in Kentucky and was leaving in August. He seemed eager to talk and learn about the U.S. As I continued on my walk, I could see many very poor shanties, with thatched roofs or plastic tarps for roofs. The contrast of the local village and the resort didn't escape me. The sand on the beach next to the village looked black , maybe oil soaked and open sewer pipes running from the lean-to's. Other places had huge wood boats used for fishing as I could see people working to untangle the fish nets.

By noon, we were on the road back to Senchi. Traffic wasn't to heavy so only a few congested spots. Isaac, the driver took every opportunity to speed even after Pam's continual warning of "Slow Down". I did see lots of signs warning of "overspeeding" and signs saying the number of people who had died at different spots on the road.

At about 4:30 pm we were back in our guest house. I decided to go for a long walk. I met several of my students along the way and other strangers too. Many are friendly and helpful. One man I met was the former Mayor, Samuel Opoku. He thanked me for coming to his community which was very nice. Another student asked for my phone number but I don't have a phone here. Another told me they were coming to the guesthouse to visit me tomorrow. I will see if he shows up.

One more week to go in Ghana. It has been great so far. I would love to come back again, see more and do more. Often, the local people ask me if I will come back. I feel very blessed in my life after being here.



Thought for the day : The darkest hour is only 60 minutes long. Light a candle and do not curse the darkness.


- Posted while traveling the world