Ghana

Visited: February 2009, February 2013

Duration of visit: 15 days

Capital city: Accra

Population: 25 million (2013)

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

• Easy travelling and communication, good infrastructure, reasonable sightseeing in Africa for beginners.
• Fortresses on the Slave Coast with dark history of European exploration of Africa.
• Ice cream, decent hotels and high hygienic standards comparing to other West African countries.
• Chasing elephants on foot safari in Mole National Park.
• Relaxing on a sandy beach, tasting local food and enjoying sweet pineapple, peeled by a machete master.
• The best fish market in the region at

Ghana – Africa for beginners – in the literal sense of the word. Comfortable travel on solid roads, hotels with proper and even hot showers, variety of food, easy communication. One of the cheapest countries in West Africa with an English-speaking population, where authentic sandy beaches give a real sense of security.

Ghana also ranks as one of the most peaceful countries. While many other African countries are engaged in conflicts, Ghana has been able to maintain a relatively stable and peaceful state. Incredible ethnic diversity, birthplace of various styles of music and the seat of a major African kingdom – the Ashanti empire.

It sounds almost like a heaven on earth – but only to rich foreign visitors and a handful of locals. Obviously, there is also a lot of poverty in Ghana, however the standard of living is incomparably higher than in neighboring countries. This is most noticeable in the quality of hotels and variety of food at food stalls, markets or in restaurants.

Since Senegal, travelling through West Africa for over two months, I had not been able to taste a real ice cream. In Ghana it was available at every corner from grocery stores, street sellers or pastry shops. I small delicacy, which can make a big change. At least for me.

My feeling and observations from Ghana are partially based on the experience I had got on the route that I travelled before reaching the Gold Coast. After over two months of harsh conditions in West Africa my appreciation for every-day comfort was much higher than it would be if I had just landed on a flight from a first world country.

On the other side, some typical African highlights were not fully appreciated any more, since I had been through the most colorful markets, rough rides, difficult conversations and negotiations in French or other unknown languages.

One of the most fascinating sight in Ghana is Kejetia Market – Kumasi open-air Central Market.

Kumasi, also known as The Garden City due to its many beautiful species of flowers and plants, offers the largest market in West Africa.

Over 10,000 stores and stalls, where pretty much everything from your wish list can be purchased: gold, jewelry, handcrafts, food, textile and Ashanti people’s kente clothing.

The vibe is great, I felt safe and didn’t have any problems taking photos. Visiting Kejetia Market was actually the only reason for a stopover in the second largest city in Ghana.

Well worth it.

In the northern part of Ghana, I took a morning walk with a ranger in the Mole National Park. Unlike off-road safaris in East Africa, in this national park you walk to find the animals. In addition to a few monkeys and antelopes, by far the greatest experience was meeting a family of elephants heading for a swim in a nearby lake. We were hidden in a bush listening to breaking of branches and dry leaves movement; the noise was getting louder.

Suddenly, a family of elephants passed approximately 25 meters away from us. They were inconceivably elegant, half walking, half running, like jogging – really fascinating.

Observing them in peace from a safe distance and on foot brought my adrenaline to the maximum. Just imagine if a mother elephant had noticed us and she would start running after us, to protect her babies from strange intruders.

Would she have realized that we were just numb observers?

Our guide and guard, equipped with a rifle, would be probably the first person to run and hide in the bush.

I had previously visited some of the most spectacular national parks in Kenya a decade before, but chasing animals in Mole NP was very different, unique.

The Slave Coast is a historical name formerly used for that part of coastal West Africa along the Bay of Benin, located between the Volta River and the Lagos Lagoon. Only a small part of Ghana belongs to this area, but the traces of slavery can be found all along the Cape Coast.

There are some famous fortresses on the coast from where British, Portuguese and Dutch colonizers sent millions of black slaves to colonies overseas.

It is estimated that around 20 million slaves were forced to leave Africa between the 16^th and 19^th centuries, having previously waited in coastal forts squeezed in inhumane conditions for a ship to arrive.

These fortresses were the last memory that slaves had of their homeland before being shipped off across the Atlantic, never to return again.

Ghana was called the Gold Coast due to its vast quantities of gold. From holding gold, ivory and other wares, the castles gradually imprisoned slaves, who were reduced to yet another commodity.

This dark part of the history cannot be forgotten and the best way to understand at least some of the cruelty that slaves had to go through is to visit the dark dungeons, overflowing with misery and despair, accompanied with a local guide. It is a heartbreaking experience, even though it happened centuries ago.

Cape Coast Castle is one of the oldest European structures in Ghana. It was used for the purpose of trade, but eventually transformed and rebuilt to host slaves until their departure overseas. Around 30,000 slaves a year passed through the Door of No Return until 1814, when the Dutch slave trade was abolished, seven years after the British.

I could still feel the hate towards white people when the guide was explaining about the harsh conditions and cruel treatment they received from European colonizers. Guides never mention that slavery existed even before white colonizers came to Africa and it is present even up to these days in most countries of West Africa.

Without a doubt, it is true that Dutch and English took it to extremes. UNESCO has declared many of these castles and forts on the Gold Coast World Heritage sites of great historical importance.

Elmina fish market is the most famous fish market in Ghana, and one of the biggest in the region.

Every day, apart from Tuesday, when fishing is strictly forbidden, hundreds of colorful fishing boats bring a wide variety of fish and seafood from early morning. Strong fishermen unload fish from their pirogues in front of the wooden fish market stalls. Women gather to negotiate the price with the fishermen’s cooperatives, buying the freshly unloaded fish and selling it on the stalls or in huge wicker baskets.

Smoked fish, fresh fish of all sizes, octopus, shrimps and other ingredients to prepare delicious meals are offered at the most competitive prices in the whole Ghana. There are sections where, in small restaurants, fresh dishes are cooked.

Fishing boats are also constructed here. The best carpenters design constructions for new customers, which at the end, quality built and colorfully decorated, will serve as a source of pride to the new owners. In all this chaos, the sellers are friendly and do not protest much if I take a photo of them, of course with prior consent.

There are many magnificent beaches along Ghana coastline that stretches for 550 kilometers from the Volta Region to Cape Three Points. To end the strenuous journey, I indulged in a two-day rest on a dreamy sandy beach and pampering myself in a net under coconut palms.

Ghana certainly offers the most beautiful beaches in this part of Africa: people understand that the beach can be used for swimming, relaxing, strolling around and not as a garbage dump.

What can be better than laying in a hammock after a nice swim in clear, warm water of the Gulf of Guinea?

A delicious pineapple for a dollar, freshly peeled by a machete master in front of you. A perfect place to finish the journey around West Africa and gather thoughts before a return to European reality.

If you want to flavor Africa from the most beautiful viewpoint, Ghana is a place to start. No adventurous, uncomfortable and torturing rides with creeping speed on potholed roads. Colorful markets are surprisingly safe, monuments and tourist attractions are well preserved and easily accessible.

Ghana was not just a solitary destination; it marked the final stop on my West African journey that began in Morocco. This may explain the wonderful reflections and emotions I experienced at the end of my travels. Although I faced stressful and occasionally nearly inhumane conditions, my adventure in West Africa was truly unforgettable and surpassed my modest expectations, since there are only a few tourist attractions to be found in the region.

You can experience it, live with its inhabitants, accept the good and bad that it carries, and learn from it.

One thing is for sure: I am able to appreciate what I have at home and convinced that I am extremely blessed, lucky and doing damn well.