You know that deserted, sand-strewn paradise that the marketing gurus unabashedly exploit to get us to invest/sip/stuff/spend (
feel free to substitute your favourite consumer behaviour)? Well, it exists in Ghana. And the best part? So long as you can get yourself there, rent on the place--which includes hammock, basic shelter, tanning chairs, and your choice of the deafening awe of the Atlantic, or the warm waters of the Volta River--is merely the price of a cold, 1.5 litre bottle of Voltic Ghanaian mineral water and a Star beer! For the record, the proces were a little inflated, so the drink bill was just over three Ghana Cedis (equivalent to the same in Canadian dollars!).
For our first trip outside of the city, and into Africa, we decided to drive into the Volta Region, named for the river and lake. Within about an hour and a half, we had covered a lush landscape, spotted with mighty Bao Bao trees, to arrive at Ada, a small community on the banks of the Volta River. We saw poverty and environmental prosperity as we travelled. I cannot help but wonder and worry about what the future holds both for the people and for the landscape.
The Volta River stretches between the base of the lake, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Volta Lake was created when the Akosombo Dam was built, which was yet another of the many projects of the biggest of Ghana's "Big Six" forefathers, Kwame Nkrumah. Today, it is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world and it nourishes roughly seventy-percent of Ghana with its reach. It is also a great source of income for Ghana as they sell electricity from the dam to neighbouring Togo and Benin (this does not mean, however, that power outages are not common!). We hired a boat (45 Cedis return fare for seven--we took Douglas, the driver, as he is the son of farmers and wanted to go on the boat--and for a tour of the estuary region) that took us out to the massive sand dune that is the Ada Foah Estuary.
On our way out to the estuary, we passed a number of fishing villages. Both the people and their boats were of great interest as we moved past. It felt as though we were intruding for a couple of moments as the river serves as a natural bathhouse, particularly at the end of a long day of hauling nets!
Ada Foah Estuary...Paradise Found!
There are a few makeshift resorts there, but we were honestly alone. You can rent a small hut, complete with queen size bed and mosquito netting, for around 10 Cedis a night. They also have bonfires, music and dancing when people want it and when the sea turtles arrive to to leave their eggs in a couple of months, they wil wake you in the mroning to witness the spectacle. As an aside, I love the wry symbolism (intended or not--though I'd like to think intended!) in the picture above of the tattered Union Jack flapping in the ocean gusts above Cohen's head as he combs the river bottom for shells and crabs. We filled many contaners with shells, including a small conch and a sand dollar.
All in all, it was a wonderful day and we will not soon forget it!! I have a hunch it is just the sort of day that will set the bar for all of our future excursions.
Akwaaba! I truly hope that our repetitive accounts of an assortment of Ghana's finest and utterly deserted beaches and resorts do not become mundane or tiresome for the one or two readers who may have hung on to this point. Of course, these spots are neither mundane nor tiresome for us, so we'll just carry on sunning, frolicking and snapping shots, if it's all the same to you! This latest batch of family photos was captured at Till's Beach Hotel at Gomoa Fetteh, west of Accra, in case you're puting push pins in your map of Ghana. It is worth noting bluntly and right out front, that this was by far the cleanest and most accessible stretch of beach we have seen to date in Ghana.
Our latest discovery happened (you may be delighted to hear at this point) after being shunned at a rather posh resort called White Sands. We drove for about an hour and a half (approx. 89 minutes of which was spent getting out of Accra) to be told in an almost-sympathetic tone that the resort was for members only. Their version of pity amounted to a consolation offer of 25 Ghana Cedis a head (yes, that's a whopping $150.00 Canadian!), so we almost-gracefully declined and zipped around the corner, quite literally, to Till's. We were not to be disappointed on this day as our plans broke in the most extraordinary way.
They did not charge us for entry, but that may be because we ate at the restaurant, which was pretty darn good and had children's meals. The service was excellent all round and the view from the restaurant (pictured above) was stunning. There is mini-golf, life size chess (Clear Lake style!) and outdoor ping pong and checkers. They were generally kid-friendly and we'll likely return soon as the ocean was manageable, even with the kids. The picture of Cohen and Bronte does capture some of the force of the ocean in these parts and the older two are pretty aware of the danger. This may have something to do with our hyperbolic attempts to instill terror into their swimmer's hearts. Materia generally plays it safe, but the following picture will offer a glimpse at the growing concern that is Cuyler "Superpower" Land as he breaks for the wake. As soon as each wave knocked him squarely on his "little swimmer" diaper, he bounced back up, giggling like a drunken sailor with a crush, ready for the next hit. Carmilla and I took turns grabbing him by the pants and hoisting him to his feet, at once faithful pub bouncers for our little saltwater swilling ruffian. 
I said to Carmilla that it was the first place I could imagine us (affording to) spend a week at. We halfway considered a spontaneous overnight but that is a bit tricky with the clan in tow and while the rooms were both reasonably priced and stylishly appointed (each with a private balcony opening to a view of the ocean), we headed back to Accra to "enjoy" the traffic. While you may resent us for gloating, please at least give us credit for sharing this location--the temptation to keep it all to ourselves was difficult to resist. Now you know!
