One year into our Ghana adventure. And despite the power
cuts, water shortages, traffic, open sewers, angry landlady, idiots at
Vodaphone (etc.), it has been fantastic fun. Ghana is not Africa’s most
spectacular country, but it is green, hilly, friendly, safe, developing fast
and will prove a happy home for another year.
So on to next year. An election coming up, thrown into
uncertainty with the recent death of Prof. Atta Mills. A move for us to East
Legon, Accra’s up-and-coming trendy district (or so we are told). A planned
trip to Ivory Coast, and hopefully a Burkina Faso–Benin–Togo road trip,
logistics permitting. More walks with the Mountaineers and more nights out with
our friends. And hopefully no more fufu.
Here are some highlights of our first year.
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| Elmina harbour |
This small town is not as famous as its neighbour, Cape Coast, but the fort was more
interesting, and wandering around was more
enjoyable. Small and colourfully formed.
Beer
In true expat style, many nights ended with a bottle of one
of Ghana’s fine beers. Gulder is my favourite, followed by Star, and Club is
drinkable too. All best served cold and three (large) bottles is the minimum.
Green, hilly and lots of walks. Need I say more?
Ghana’s premier attraction, at least in the south, and fully
deserving of the accolade. We stayed overnight in the treehouse and were
rewarded with the sight of watching monkeys feed from the canopy walkway.
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| +233 jazz club |
+233
This is our favourite live music venue in Accra. It markets
itself as ‘the place to hear Ghanaian jazz’, so it was a surprise to hear
‘Careless Whisper’ as the opening song on our first visit. But it’s a lively place,
with musicians of all types from across West Africa. If you want to see a
Burkinabe beat out a rhythm using a pair of spoons and some empty tins, this is
the place.
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| Red red at Labadi beach |
Food
Not Ghanaian food, obviously; nothing there for vegetarians
to enjoy. But Accra has many good places to eat, a bright spot in a city
without bundles of cultural highlights. Our favourites include the Tandoor for
Indian, Bella Roma for Italian, and La Bouquet or Commodore for Lebanese. (I
would write about Accra’s eateries, but this blog does it better.)
Marvels
This minigolf club was around the corner from our flat in
Dzorwulu, and was our ‘local’ for the past year. I spent many hours watching
football, using their wireless when mine had (once again) failed, and enjoying
the waffles with ice cream. Mentioning that I’m a golf club member is also
handy in certain expat circles.
A starry night, a full moon, potatoes in the fire, and bird watching
in the morning. To be repeated.
The coast
A weekend at the coast is one of the best things about living
in Accra. From Bojo Beach on the edge of Accra, to Fete, Butre, Akwidaa and
Beyin, every place we have visited has had its unique charms. And there are many
more places to explore next year. Hannah’s favourite: Fanta’s Folly for the
food. My favourite: Green Turtle Lodge. Because it’s named after a turtle.
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| Sunset at Mole |
A breath of fresh air in Ghana, literally and metaphorically. A lively, friendly bunch who love
walking up a hill and sinking a beer afterwards. Not sure about the obsession
with 5am starts, though.
It took a while to get there, but it was worth it. Seeing wild
elephants from a few metres away was my highlight of our first year in Ghana.
