It will be difficult to convey sincerity within this entry, but let me say that I do hope that you are not reading this entry, or looking at the pictures, whilst feeling the promise of winter in the chilled, autumn air. I decided to open with this picture in case you thought I was getting any sexier in Ghana, and just to level the playing field a little (since most of the pictures are of everyone and everything but me!). It gives me a modicum of comfort to note that at least I am not beached. Suffice to say that this will not likely be the cover shot for Sports Illustrated swimwear edition, unless of course they are looking to fill (pun intended) out a shot with some marine life. But enough about me, let's have a word or two about weekends in West Africa! As you can see, even Cuyler wants me to get on with it.
In Accra, there are dozens and dozens of resorts and hotels, some of which are on the ocean, and some of which are not. Most of these have outdoor pools, poolside restaurants and/or bars, and are surrounded by palm trees along with a lush variety of other tropical plants. For a fee, anyone can use these facilities, much like a public pool. We had read about a number of good places and so we have started to try these out. Eventually, we may even buy a yearly membership, if we find one we want to use often enough. The first three pictures were taken at the Royal Granada Hotel, which is not on the ocean, but is very close to where we live. It also cost us a mere 14 Ghana Cedis for all of us to spend the day poolside. We were able to order a moderately priced meal, served poolside, and we pretty much had it to ourselves for the day.
The other resort that we checked out is soon to be a Ramada Hotel and is located right on the ocean. It is still called the New Coco Beach Resort for now, and its pool area (above) is at least as impressive as its location (below). Again, we don't really get to enjoy more than a stroll along the beach as the water is always pretty rough in these parts and our kids have not yet internalized the difference between success in swimming lessons in a highly regulated, supervised pool, and the terrifying tide and current of the Atlantic Ocean (which, incidentally, does not care if you have your "little shark" badge).
New Coco had two separate "kiddie" pools and should soon have its playground open again (currently part of the renovations). The pool was pretty busy compared with the Royal Granada, but it is massive, so we never felt we were in anyone's space. With six of us, that in itself is saying something. For all six of us for the day, it was a whopping 20 Ghana Cedis. The most we have heard of would be for La Palm or the Labadi Beach Resort, and these would run around 40 Ghana Cedis. One of the best parts was surely the fact that one of the resort restaurants is called the "Pizza Hut" and they served fresh, authentic pizza that we were able to gobble up seaside.
In essence, we can have all the safety, relaxation, service, beauty and convenience of an oceanside, urban resort, without the bother of a rather steep overnight charge. Imagine Jamaica within a short drive of Winnipeg--you get to enjoy the balmy tropics poolside, and then sleep in your bed. We will try others for sure, but the two we have checked out thus far both offer their own advantages.
We're back from another Saturday spent wandering the Ghanaian landscape that lies within reach of Accra with another set of snaps and memories to show for it. The highlight of this walkabout was definitely the Shai Hills Resource Reserve so I will save that for a separate entry and cover the day's other moments here. The above picture of Twin Rock is taken from the roadside in the Greater Accra Region, shortly after leaving Tema. The landscape is remarkably lush as one approaches the Volta Region, with rocky formations jutting out along the way. We could not help being reminded of "Pride Rock" from the The Lion King when we first laid eyes on one! To the west were the hills near Aburi, where we visited previously.
This region seems to be known for traditional bead-making and had we taken a different route, we would have taken in Cedi's Bead Factory. The unit of currency used to be the small cowry shell, called a cedi, hence the origin of the name today. We stopped at a spot where there were a couple of market stalls run by the women who made most of the jewelry they were selling. We can quickly get overwhelmed by sellers who pick up the kids, place clothing on them or give them toys or souvenirs, depending on the market, but this one was unique in that we were allowed to browse. For about ten Ghana cedis, we bought two bracelets, two necklaces, and two key chains. To be honest, I think we overpaid, but that is a relative matter of perspective. Cuyler even selected a bracelet and then proceeded to change his mind roughly 70 times in the span of a minute and a half. Below are brass pieces that would be more in keeping with that which was worn by the Ashanti people, though they used gold, not brass.
The turnaround point for our journey was the Akosombo Dam in the tourist village of Akosombo. The village itself was a pristine, gated community that is thought by many in Accra to be a jewel in Ghana's great crown. The village was originally built as a home for the hundreds of workers who constructed the dam. One is left with the impression, rather ironically, that for many in the surrounding villages and rural areas the dam is a rather cruel and constant reminder of the power shortages they face in the long shadow cast by hydro towers that don't seem to be there for their benefit. With an election on the horizon (more about this in a later entry), this is a significant issue. We saw more than a few makeshift, roadside signs that declared: No lights, no vote! This might explain why those in rural areas are a little less quick to boast of the splendour of the dam.
The dam is an impressive monument to industrialization and development in much the same way that the Hoover Dam is. We spent the same duration admiring it as we did at the U.S.'s version--roughly the amount of time it took to snap the above picture. The region is (admittedly) a finer, greener tribute to what is one of Kwame Nkrumah's greater contributions to Ghana. One cannot deny the impressive, sustainable impact that the massive Volta Lake has had on agriculture and development in much of Ghana. Below is an example of the Volta's ecoregion and a section of the largest manmade lake in the world. 
By the time we had arrived and looked around a little, the day's heat (and the earlier explorations in Shai Hills Reserve) had taken their toll. As has become our custom, it was time to seek a poolside refuge to quell or spirits and our imaginations. Worthy to the task today was the Afrikiko Resort, a little south of Akosombo. It cost a mere 12 Ghana cedis for all of us and we had, as the picture foretells, the entire pool to ourselves for the afternoon. The pools in Ghana almost always have a kiddie pool and I must say that each time we dip our toes into a tropical oasis such as this one, our family's sanity--always in jeopardy on a heat-infused roadtrip--is immediately restored. All of the children are becoming pretty darn comfortable paddling around in the water. Of course Cuyler and Materia have water wings or a life jacket, and at least one parent within arm's reach. 
The hotel was reminiscent of something one might find in the Lake District (without the dreary rain, damp cold and whopping prices!) and one could once again imagine spending entirely too much time here. On the way home, we enjoyed a round of Fan ice cream which comes in a little pouch that you bite the corner off of and then squeeze out the creamy deliciousness. The sellers ride bikes that cannot resemble Dickie Dee sellers so closely by coincidence alone. They don't have bells but they do have a little clown car horn that sets us to Pavlovian drool in a highly vulnerable hurry! As we had a late lunch and no supper, we also gobbled up a couple of bags of plantain chips, another family road trip favourite that has become the African version of Twizzlers or Old Dutch Popcorn Twists. Hmmm...if only I were paid for such blatant product placements. Who among us doesn't have a craving at this very moment?
