It’s difficult to choose where to start with our time in Ghana. It’s an extraordinary place that captured my heart. No doubt, I’m still digesting our experiences. So here goes…
One of the first things I noticed in Ghana was the multitude faith-filled signage. “God is Big” struck me for many reasons, personally and culturally. Many of the store names proclaim their beliefs, such as “Humble Work Furniture”, or one of my favorites, “Jesus Loves Fashion.” (For those of you who are interested, I will list at the end of this post more signs that I saw!) About 70% of Ghanaians are Christian, and the remainder affiliate with Islam or traditional African religion. From what I observed, they embrace their religion as the foundation of their lives.
We arrived at Ghana on a Sunday, and we learned that most churches offer three, 3 hour services to choose from on any given Sunday! So many people walk in Ghana, particularly rural areas, as their main mode of transportation, even along the highway. On Sunday afternoon, the women were dressed to the nines. The typical Sunday best was fitted 2 piece matching top and long skirt, which looked like a dress from the distance. The were all short sleeved with modest necklines and a slight flare at the ankle that gave it a flowy ease. Every single woman walked regally, outfitted in vibrant, colorful patterns or striking black and white. Some had little details like applique, sequins, etc. that made each “dress” enchanting. This fascinated me endlessly for the 1 1/2 hour ride we endured in the blistering heat that day.
We walked off the ship at the port to a maze of industry: trucks, gigantic Cats, forklifts, mountains of gravel (that we found out later was manganese and boxite). It ended up to be more than a 1/2 mile trek past warehouses and railroad tracks to the port security. We dodged semi trucks loaded with cocoa beans, hoping we were heading in the right direction. As with Manaus, the smells create firsts impressions as much as the visual landscape. I caught a whiff of bitter, smoky-sweet chococlate when we passed the cocoa warehouse; it came to be an aroma I treasured over the next 5 days.
With each port I’m doing more research before we arrive, asking more questions, and taking more careful notes in global studies class and the pre-port lectures. Usually there are guests from the upcoming country who sail for a portion of the voyage such as a university student or dignitary. I’m trying to pick the brains of people who have more knowledge or experience than me, which isn’t too difficult to find! This time two Ghanaian college students visited the Dependent Children’s Program to teach the kids some key Twi phrases. Everyone speaks English in Ghana (Ghana has been independent from Great Britain since 1957), but about half the population speaks Twi as their native language. And there are close to 50 other tribal languages that the other half may speak. I won’t lie – I felt a real sense of relief knowing that we wouldn’t have to struggle with the language barrier like we did in Brazil.
We had planned to travel with Marshall and Ellen, a couple in their early 50’s with three grown children. Ellen is a professor and this is their second S.A.S. voyage. We’ve gotten to know them through the running club. Our plan was to travel overnight to Cape Coast, about 1 1/2 hours east of Takoradi. Walking to port security and then negotiating a taxi took some time while we got to know some Ghanaians first thing. The people of Ghana are the most friendly, open people who possess a joy and zest for life. They wave, immediately come up and introduce themselves, ask how you’re doing, shake your hand. They love to laugh and to engage in conversation. We garnered lots of stares (this is not a very touristy port), especially from Ghanaian kids who are also very outgoing. The downside of this was all the vendors (that grew steadily at the port as the word got out about our ship) whose persistence becomes pesky quickly!
After a stop at the ATM, we arrived at the “bus” station. As we discover each day on our travels, everything’s relative. The bus station was actually a dusty parking lot filled with vanagon-type vehicles, aka “Tro Tros.” Luckily I had read about these in the guide book. A day later William shared his wisdom: “Mom, it’s called a tro tro because it starts with a T like taxi and it rhymes with Go.” Yep, that’s pretty accurate! Tro tros are considerably cheaper than taxis, but you have to wait around until they fill up. After about 20 minutes of broiling under the late morning sun (unbelievably Ghana is hotter than Brazil) we climbed on. There were 11 visible seats in the tro tro and by the time we left, 19 people including the driver and three small children on laps, had cozied into the van!! I’ll give you one guess if the tro tro had seat belts or air conditioning!
For the next hour and a half, the tro tro chugged along the rural highway to Cape Coast through roadside villages. There’s so much activity and living happening right next to the road. Lots and lots of people are always out walking between villages. Each village consists of small, crudely constructed shacks with corrugated metal roofs and covered “porches.” All the homes and stores look similar; the yellow sign seems to be the distinguishing feature between houses and businesses. One or two villages we saw had homes constructed of clay with thatched roofs. Most of the women carry a load, either balancing an enormous round tray of goods or metal bowl on their heads, packing a baby wrapped in a swath of fabric in the middle of her back…or sometimes both! The girls learn to balance objects on their heads at about Vivian’s age. One young girl we met on the beach showed us how she swirls a T shirt on top of her noggan to anchor the tray. Pretty incredible. Â
Except for village life and green vegetation, driving on the highways isn’t particularly scenic in western Ghana. The air is extremely smoggy due to all the smoke. Anyone who wants to burn can and does. They burn garbage or brush to clear land and plant crops. We saw a couple of blazing “bonfires” roadside!
The tro tro dumped us off in the middle of chaos in downtown Cape Coast, sweaty and hungry. Before we visited Cape Coast Castle, checking in to the Mighty Victory Hotel and finding something to eat were main priorities. Marshall and Ellen had a confirmed e-mail reservation but we didn’t. According to my research in the Lonely Planet guidebook, it described Mighty Victory (don’t you love that name?) as “Cape Coast’s closest thing to a boutique hotel. Cool, modern rooms with crisp white sheets.” Remember what I’ve said before, everything’s relative! We knew the price was about $50 so our expectations were in line with that. Thankfully, Mighty Victory had received our e-mail inquiry and saved the “family room” for us: two spacious adjoining rooms with a private bath and ceiling fans (no a.c.) that didn’t really keep the rooms cool. It was clean enough and the hillside location was quiet except for nocturnal trilling of birds. The kids were absolutely thrilled with every aspect of the Mighty Victory. It was rejuvenating to experience a change of scenery (overnight) from the ship. Even though we’re so privileged with the amenities of the MV Explorer, we learned how refreshing it can be to take a break from the routine. Just like at home!
We ended up eating lunch, dinner and breakfast at Mighty Victory’s simple restaurant. All six of us relaxed at the same table in the middle of the lobby for each meal, the only patrons until breakfast. We enjoyed the tasty American/Ghanaian menu and reasonable prices. William ordered macaroni and cheese and I chose the chicken jollof, a traditional dish of red rice flavored with chili powder and other spices.Yum! Our brief stay at Cape Coast was a magical shot in the arm and served as a turning point for our family as independent travelers. The kids really impressed Jason and I with their tolerance for physical discomfort, respect for people, and engagement with the experience. It’s exciting to witness the transformation.
If you’ve read to this point, you deserve an award for stamina! Coming in the next post: Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, historic forts from the slave trade 400 years ago. And here’s the sampling of religious signs I saw:
Anointing Tailoring Shop, Jesus Helps Everything, Tis God’s Enterprise, God’s Grace Welding Shop, Believe in God Hair Salon, God is Able Electronics, Let Others See Jesus in You (back of a tro tro), Jesus Never Fails, In His Time.
well done
Thanks, Mattie! How are you and Sarah and the kids?
Loved it Jen! God is good. Love how your family is growing and changing too. Very exciting.
Absolutely love the last photo of the kids! Priceless! Your description of Ghana is lovely. It makes me want to visit.
You should some day, and I will come with you!
My favorite post so far. Really brought me into your journey.
Thanks, K-K! That means a lot!
God IS Big! Fabulous post as always. You are seeing a shift in your family and the way that you are taking in each new experience, and we – your readers – are witnessing the same shift. Each post just keeps getting better & better!
My literacy class loves these posts! I read them to the kids as soon as they come and we have a map marked with your travels. Thanks for this, Jennifer. IT’s been great. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time.
Liz
Jen,
Such an amazing picture you created in my mind. I read it first without the photographs and then went back to your website. I absolutely love the last two photos–especially of William & Vivian looking out onto the ocean.
Thank you friend!
Mindy