Sandie & Ian’s trip report

My husband and I have lived in Ghana for almost a year, working on a voluntary basis with a chain of low-cost private schools west of Accra.  In our free time we have travelled to different parts of the country, and I believe we have seen all the major points of interest.  We have used your Guide extensively (our copy is well-worn!) and found it immensely valuable.  We have noted just a few points where we believe it is out of date or inaccurate, and now that we are returning to the UK I have listed these, hoping that you may find then useful for a future edition.  They are not in order of importance, just in the order they occur in the book. 

Comments on the Bradt Guide to Ghana

p.69f: Buses may be the safest mode of travel, but we would hesitate to say they are the most efficient.  The STC seems to be on the verge of folding: it now runs seldom on some routes, never on others.  Some newer bus services are excellent, notably VIP which runs frequently between Accra and Kumasi.  They are certainly more comfortable than most tro-tros, although the same is not true of the Metro Mass buses (seating 5 across instead of 4).  But the long distance tro-tros are (in our experience) as fast as buses, and a lot more convenient.

You rightly point out that buses will drop passengers off along their route.  The problem is that they will not pick passengers up along their route – you have to buy your ticket at the original point of departure.  For example, we live some 15 miles west of Accra, in the direction of Cape Coast.  But to get to Cape Coast (or beyond) by bus, we would have to first go to Accra, in the opposite direction!  With traffic hold-ups, this can add hours to your journey – we speak from experience, having done this soon after arrival in Ghana, before we knew better!

The other problem with buses which run to fixed schedules is the difficulty of getting information about timetables.  Websites do not work; emails are not answered; phone calls may be ignored, or switched through to a fax machine.  If by any chance you do get through, you will probably be told that your query cannot be answered (‘we don’t know yet’) or given information which is later proved to be incorrect.

So we quickly learned to take our chances with tro-tros, and found it amazing that (as you state on p.70) you can just turn up at a station and be assured  that there will be a vehicle going where you want to go; no need to find out about times, just go when it suits you!

On the subject of tro-tros, we do not agree that it would be better to wait outside the vehicle until it is ready to depart (p.70).  The earlier you board, the better your chances of choosing the optimal seat.  We were usually quite glad to have just missed a tro-tro if this meant being first to board the next one.  Yes, you would be waiting a while for it to depart, but you would be able to choose the most comfortable seats – if you were really lucky, you might be able to get the ones at the front, beside the driver.  Not only do these offer the best views, they are generally more comfortable – and you do not have to get up to let people on and off!

p.76: As a vegetarian, I have lived in Ghana for a year, eaten out frequently, and experienced no problems at all. You paint an unnecessarily depressing picture.  It’s true that most local Ghanaian food is meat- or fish-based, but you can usually get red red (bean stew with plantains) or jolloff rice (cooked with tomatoes and onions).  And if you go to restaurants advertising ‘Continental’ (i.e. western) as well as local cuisine, you will find that pizzas and other vegetarian dishes are common.  Indeed, many of the restaurants where we ate had a specific ‘Vegetarian’ section on the menu, with at least 3 or 4 options.

p.77: June 4 has not been a public holiday in Ghana since 2000!

p.117: The Hotel Shangri-La is now called the Western Sun, but is currently closed for refurbishment.

p.126: The Tribes restaurant at Afia African Village is excellent, but you cannot see the sea!

p.129: The Centre for National Culture does not close at 3pm on Saturdays.  We visited between 4.30 and 5pm.

p. 138: It’s not really true that the National Theatre is ‘host to regular plays and dance performances’.  Plays are in fact very rare: the theatre is used more often for events such as religious rallies, graduation ceremonies, beauty contests etc, but most nights it is not used at all.   Finding out what is on is not easy.  When we first arrived in Ghana the website was not working, we could get no information by telephone, and even visiting the theatre in person (twice) got us nowhere.   The website is now functioning, but only gives information about the coming week.  There is no way of booking other than going to the theatre in person – difficult if you do not live in Accra.  However, I doubt if there is ever a problem about buying tickets on arrival; when we finally managed to see a performance there were no more than 30 people in the audience.

On that same evening, we planned to eat in the theatre restaurant, recommended in the Guide.  We found that the ‘International restaurant’ offered drinks only, no food, not even snacks.  It was too late to go elsewhere, so we went hungry!

p.150: In Winneba, the cemeteries mentioned are overgrown, especially the Settlers’ (European) cemetery – we could not get anywhere near the graves.  But there are a couple of interesting towers in Winneba which are not mentioned in the Guide.

p.151: The map of Winneba is unhelpful; it does not show the lorry park (tro-tro station), so we struggled to orientate ourselves on arrival.  The road to Lagoon Lodge is shown in the wrong place (unless the road on the map is meant to be the footpath from the Lodge to the beach).

At Lagoon Lodge itself, it is impossible to see the sunset from the bar (which is surrounded by a high wall).  And even if the wall was knocked down, the bar would not overlook the Muni Lagoon.  We walked some distance looking for the lagoon, but found only dried up mud.  If the lagoon still exists, it must be some way from the lodge.

p.153: In Mankessim, we managed to find the famous posuban shrine, but it is not on the same road as the tro-tro station.  In fact, it is about 500 metres up the road to the right from the roundabout, coming from Accra.

pp.164 and 178:  We could not find shared taxis between Cape Coast and Elmina at the places mentioned, but dropping taxis were cheap.

p.173: The Canopy walkway at Kakum National Park now costs 30 cedis each – a big increase on the 9 cedis mentioned in the book.

p.196: The map is misleading.  The scale indicates that it is about 2km from Agona to Busua, but in fact it is 10 (as stated on page 197).

p.207: We were disappointed with Ankobra Beach (‘almost breathtaking perfection’): it is so narrow, there is very little sand between the resort and the sea.  We thought the resort was quite expensive too.

p.226: It is possible to get a tro-tro direct to Ada Foah from Tudu station in Accra (there is a booking office specifically for tickets).

p.227: The Manet Paradise Holiday Resort is closed (for refurbishment?)

p.228: In one respect the facilities at the Maranatha Estuary Beach Club have improved on your description – they now have some flushing toilets!  Our problem (not stated in the Guide) was that there is nowhere at all to wash, shave etc.   The other beach camps were all closed when we were there in August.

p.263: We were not impressed with the Kekeli Hotel in Ho.  There was no water at night, and no mirror in the bathroom for shaving etc.  It was very noisy on Sunday morning, even before the church service started!  There were lots of children running around, and one even burst into our room.  We had chosen to stay there partly because the Guide mentions that car rental can be arranged for a fixed and apparently very reasonable price.  When we enquired, the receptionist said that we would have to negotiate with the taxi driver.  She arranged for him to come and meet us, but was otherwise not involved.  We had to return to the hotel to meet him (and he was nearly an hour late).  The price he asked was extortionate, but by that stage we had no alternative.  We bargained, and he agreed to lower his price, but not by much.  What we paid was far in excess of what we paid anywhere else.

The Freedom Hotel is now called the Bob Coffie.

p.264: We tried two of the Ho eating places listed in the Guide.  The Mother’s Inn offered only banku and fufu; the White House had no food at all.  We ended up having lunch at what we believe was a new restaurant; it was called the Royal Farm, it was close to the Kekeli Hotel, and the food was excellent.

p.268: At the welcome office in Amedzofe, the local guide said that there were two options: the waterfall walk and the mountain walk (as per the Guide).  He that we would be able to climb Mt Gemi, but would find the waterfall walk ‘too challenging’.  We are in our 60s but very fit, and as we had gone to Amedzofe mainly to see the waterfall, we insisted.   The guide was not kidding!  The first part of the walk was flat and easy, but then it plunged steeply downhill, and lost all semblance of being a ‘path’ – it was a long scramble over slippery rocks, clinging to a rope.  We managed it (with help from the guide) but both the descent and the climb back up were very difficult.  We wondered why there was no hint of this in the Guide – surely a warning would be appropriate?  Re-reading it afterwards, we wondered if we had in fact done a different walk, since we did not ‘come out at the three knee-deep pools separating the upper and lower falls’.   We ended up at the base of the lower falls – the ‘more ambitious’ walk mentioned?  But if there is an alternative (easier) walk, why did our guide not offer this – especially as he felt the waterfall walk would be too challenging for us?

p.284: The Wli Water Heights Hotel is a lot more than 50m from the turn-off for the tourist information centre.    A sign at the turn-off says 300m, and having walked it several times, we would say it is at least that.

p.291: We had to laugh when we read that the road between Accra and Kumasi ‘follows good surfaced roads in its entirety’.   On the contrary, much of the journey is on rough dirt roads; the bus has to travel slowly, with much jolting, and the trip takes 6 hours.  We found it amazing that the road between the capital and second biggest cities was in such bad shape; some people we talked to maintained that this was a deliberate political decision to keep business and finance in the south.

p.307: The book says there are 8 STC buses daily between Accra and Kumasi.  There are now hardly any (STC seems to have declined considerably, with few buses going anywhere).  But there is an excellent new company called VIP, which has a bus station not far from the main STC station.  You buy a ticket which specifies a bus and seat number.   Buses leave as soon as they are full – generally about every half hour.

p.312: On the map of Kumasi, the Sambra Hotel is in the wrong place, as is the Manhyia Palace (it is much further from the town/market than the map suggests).

p.313: The Four Villages Inn was pleasant enough, and the breakfasts were excellent.  But we considered it very expensive compared with what we usually pay in Ghana.  On our second visit to Kumasi we stayed in the Sambra Hotel which cost about a third of the price, and was more conveniently located.  It also has an excellent restaurant.

p.315: We were not able to find Aseda House, but there was a large hole in the ground where it is shown on the map, so perhaps it has been demolished.

p.320: We went to the Adae Festival in Kumasi, and it was certainly worth seeing.   What you said about photography was accurate, but the time given was not: the ceremony started well after 12 and was still in progress when we had to leave about 2pm.

p.355:  Entrance to Kintampo Falls now costs 7 cedis for non-Ghanaians.  We were there at Easter, and could not get near the Falls owing to the crowds of people wading, dancing and generally having a good time in the water.  The atmosphere was amazing – it’s obviously the place for locals to go on public holidays!

p.377:  We thought the Larabanga mosque was beautiful, and we did not suffer any of the problems reported by your readers.  We enjoyed a brief but hassle-free visit.

p.397:  The Hotel Myaga at Navrongo was very limited in terms of food.  It amused us that the price for a double room included only one breakfast!

Sandie & Ian

News from Green Ranch, Lake Bosomtwe

We would like to update some information regarding. the activities and services offered by the Green Ranch.

First of all, accomodation is now available for our horses’friends in a mud-brick tatched-roofed bungalow and costs 30 GhC for one person and 25 Ghc per person from 2 up to 4 persons including breakfast. Full boarding is available for an extra GhC 20 (excluding drinks) and includes a local food lunch plus a 3-course dinner.

The Green Ranch vegetarian table proposes not only an amazing view over the lake and mountains but also some very personal delights such as natural drinks, a wide range of salads and of course, its homemade yogurts and cottage cheese. All our food is meant to be made of highly quality local produce (i.e. Volta brown rice, peanut butter…) together with our organic home-grown vegetable when available.

And of course, the horse-back rides…………you will have to experience it to know what it is like to ride around the whole lake in a ….9-hour-journey that takes you into the local cocoa farms, up to the thick bush of the mountain, down to the waterside jungle and through the stoney 22 villages that are located around the lake. Oh yes ! it is a unique experience indeed !

Our prices are now such :
First hour starts at GhC 30
Additional half hour GhcC 15
Extra hours GhC 25
Around the lake (advanced booking only) GhC 150

Thank you,

The Green Ranch Family

+233 20 29 17 058 and +233 20 35 34 870

email: sistaelo@hotmail.com

Vegetarian kebabs

Many towns sell “soya kebobs” in the trotro stations. Look for the girls with a rectangular plastic container on their head selling kebobs! They should be 1000c = 10pesewa each and they are DELICIOUS (some of the best soy product I’ve ever had). I also kept a baggie of groundnut paste (peanut butter) and some bread for quick meals.

Krista & Rick S

Various updates

 

A miscellany of comments, criticisms and updates from a reader who clearly doesn’t much like Ghana (or my guidebook) and has asked to remain anonymous:

 

My biggest concern is that you repeatedly mention how “friendly” and “hassle-free” the country is compared to other African countries. “As travel destinations go, Ghana is difficult to flaw” is a pretty strong statement and hugely misleading in my opinion. I traveled all over Ghana, as well as in the neighboring Burkina, Benin and Togo and I found the constant catcalls, hassling and forcing to buy or donate money in Ghana extremely tiring, and a far cry from the promised hassle-free atmosphere. In fact I found the neighboring countries to be much more hassle-free and easier to travel in, even though my French is limited. In fact I consider Ghanaians to be quite rude at times and nowhere else was I called a racist simply because I refused to buy something or didn’t agree to a certain price. I constantly felt like being seen only for my money, not as a human, or a ticket to Europe or a sex object. I have lived in various countries, including developing countries such as India and Ecuador, but never before have I experienced this kind of behavior to this extent. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy my time in Ghana and I did meet some wonderful people who didn’t expect anything in return. But these were a small minority. I think readers should be made more aware of the hassling, the “walking ATM” -phenomenon and that there indeed are many tourist traps. In fact I think it should be stressed that no-one can be trusted, not even the hotel people, and to be vigilant at all times in regards to money in particular. Also, something you touched upon, that the tourism personnel really know nothing and locals are clueless in regards to time and distance are strong facts which again should be perhaps emphasized more. Overall, I feel you are misleading in your praise of a country which actually isn’t that great. And I am not alone in my opinions; the majority of the other foreigners I spoke to about the subject, and who had been in Ghana for a longer time, agreed with me.

 

Your prediction that it would be difficult for the locals to adjust to the new currency was bang on, and two years on, only the young generation seems to have adopted the new way of speaking. Therefore I think it might be an idea to mention this in the next edition and also ways to get around it, i.e. 3 000 = 30 pwa etc or alternatively always take away four zeros. This is because I have a feeling this will be an ongoing problem.

 

You mentioned how Ghanaians’ English was very good. However, I found this not to be the case, and the women’s English in particular (possibly due to lack of education). Even in bigger towns such as Tamale, the level of English was surprisingly bad in my opinion. 

 

My multiple entry visa to Ghana from the UK cost me 50 pounds, not 30-40.

 

Out of personal experience, I wouldn’t recommend Egypt Air, since they lost my luggage and I had hell with them afterwards trying to get some kind of compensation. Afterwards I have heard other similar stories with the same airlines.

 

It might be worth mentioning for vegetarians that at least in bigger towns (Accra, Kumasi, Tamale), soya meat kebabs are being sold on the streets. And they are delicious. Talking of food; I was surprised at your praisal of Ghanaian food. I have traveled in various countries in varius continents and usually am pretty open to all sorts of foods. But I have to say that some local foods (Kenkey, TZ and sometimes the pungent smelling fish) are some of the grossest things I’ve ever faced. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy a variety of other foods, but e.g. compared to the gastronomical delights of the neighboring countries Benin, Togo  and Burkina, I wouldn’t precisely call Ghana a culinary paradise. And this is an opinion shared not only by me, but many travelers I came across.

 

In the “What to take” – section you mentioned that sanitary pads are hard to get by, yet at the Women travelers section it was stated that “sanitary pads are available in most towns of any size.”  This to me is a bit of a contradiction. In my experience, the latter is correct.

 

In the Health section the word prophylactics is mentioned many times. I had never heard the word before and would have appreciated either a definition or a different word used instead since it is not an everyday word. Also, you mentioned that rabies vaccination is relatively painless. In my experience it was the most painful vaccine of all! Instead, the others were painless to me.

 

Every other guidebook I have read on developing countries always advices against giving to beggars and street kids. Therefore I was very surprised that you seemed to encourage it. In my opinion it only creates more problems, since a) only God knows how the children will use the money or whatever they are given and b) it certainly won’t make the begging and “give me money/pen/water/whatever you have” situation any better.

 

Bywel -bar in Accra is spelled Bywel, not Byewell as on page 127.

 

During my visit to Kakum I didn’t see one single mammal and only a few birds and butterflies so I think it would be good not to create too many hopes for the visitors, or alternatively state the ideal times to visit to possibly see some animals.  Also, I’m not sure if the Solo Forest Monkey Sanctuary is worth mentioning in the book, if, like in your experience, there were no monkeys at that specific time. Seeing the animals tends to be the key reason to visit these places. Granted in Kakum there is the canopy walkway but it would still have been nice to see something else.

 

There are three buses to daily from Accra to Tamale (at 7am, 8am and 9am); not two at 9am as stated.

 

The biggest phone networks seem to be, at the moment, Zein, Onetouch and MTN (which is bought over by Vodafone).

 

The banking hours in general seem to be until 4-5pm, not 2pm.

 

I’m not sure why you recommended taking a cheap plastic bowl if eating with fingers feels difficult – wouldn’t a fork or a spoon be a better option?

 

In Kumasi the entrance fee to the Arned Forces Museum was 5 cedis and the Manhyia Palace 7cedis so the prices have really gone up in the past years it seems.

 

In Tamale Barclays is the only bank that deals with Travelers Cheques, Standard Chartered doesn’t. However, Barclays seems to have issues with exchanging foreign currency unless you have a bank account there. Having said that, a few times when I smiled nicely I did get service, but I wouldn’t count on that. I wouldn’t recommend the palace of Gulpke Na, since it is little more than a series of dilapidating huts with piles of rubbish scattered everywhere, a malnourished horse with its hoofs tied together in one of the huts munching on hay and a group of village elders sitting in the shade. So much for the palace.

 

Another contradiction or rather a baffling comment was about the Cultural Arts Centre in Tamale. First on p. 352 it says: “Near to the palace is the Centre for National Culture, mentioned prominently in every piece of travel literature about Tamale that I’ve come across, but I have no idea why.” However, later on p.375 it is mentioned to have been “recommened as far better than most in the country” [for curios]. Doesn’t that answer your question?  I personally think it’s ok, definitely better than some other places I’ve been to. Obviously not comparable to Kumasi or Accra but still ok. However, in my opinion the mention of Forsmuel Internet Cafe in every travel book baffles me since I thought both of the Forsmuels (now there’s two) are one of the worst in town. Much better is e.g. Jarazamax Cafe next to the smaller Forsmuel. There’s really nothing to see in Tamale though and in my opinion it’s not a very pleasant town, so I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go there unless for a specific reason or en route to somewhere else.

 

The classes at the Tamale Youth Home Centre are a bit suspect. The drumming classes are ok as an introduction but for anything deeper I wouldn’t recommend them. The dance classes shouldn’t even get a mention in the book. The VRA swimming pool doesn’t serve food, only a small variety of drinks.

 

It should be worth mentioning that the Kalpohin Cultural Exchange Program takes the visitor only to two villages, so you will see some of the mentioned activities but not all. I.e. I would have loved to see how groundnut paste is made but saw pottery, cotton spinning and shea butter making instead, which was all very interesting but I was under the impression that the tour covers everything. So I would mention that, so that future visitors could perhaps choose where to go, if they have any preferences.

 

I was lucky to have relatively good experiences in Cape Coast and Larabanga in terms of hassling. However, the renowned Salia Brothers Guesthouse was a big disappointment. In fact, I am surprised of all the hype. Yes it was great sleeping under the stars but the fact remains that the place is little more than a shithole (excuse my language) and I think this should be mentioned in the guide (maybe not in those exact words). In addition, my question about meals was met with blank stares and there was no form of shuttle service or any other kind of service to Mole (bikes, rides etc). I was lucky enough to meet a guy who knew someone with a motorbike, but without this guy I would have been utterly helpless. Also, I doubt I would ever have gotten my change back for the payment for my stay if I hadn’t specifically asked for it. The Salia Brothers weren’t present at the time and instead the place was run by someone else, which might explain the level of service. But in any case this doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a huge letdown.

 

The safari walk in Mole is at 7am, not 6am. I was eaten alive by flies which, as opposed to the guidebook, weren’t painful at all to me; in fact I didn’t even feel them until it was too late so I would definitely emphasize putting on loads of insect spray and long-sleeved shirts while in the park. The Mognori “Eco-Village” as it is called these days seems to have developed in the past years. They do indeed offer (a completly overpriced though although I managed to get the price down) canoe ride in the Mognori River.. Also, I spoke to a few locals who seem to have a strong position in the society, about the ongoing problem of tourists and the hassling, and they said it’s an issue that is being dealth with and resolutions are being sought so that’s a good sign.

 

The road to Mole was indeed quite uncomfy to say the least, but I still think the road from Tamale to Wa takes the biscuit

Veggie eatery in Accra

Vegan and vegetarian travellers: there is a vegan restaurant in Accra called “Assase Pa” (previously located near Circle)that serves excellent Ghanaian and veggie dishes at a very reasonable price. It is located off High Street, past the Nkrumah memorial towards Jamestown, at the juntion of Ghana Commerical Bank and the Judicial Court, half a block down a side street that leads to the beach, directly behind the AMA parking lot. There is NO SIGN so ask around (we have suggested a sign). Excellent dishes include soya kebabs covered in spice (less than 40 cents each) and groundnut soup loaded with okra and eggplant served with brown rice (around $2.00). Open Sunday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., CLOSED SATURDAY and may close early on Friday as well.

Lots of new Ghana updates

This January, we  spent a wonderful three week holiday in Ghana. A loyal companion along our way was the Bradt guide. We were fortunate having taken it with us, as the guide was of much help, was nicely written and it just had the right length (meaning amount of information), but we have a few personal remarks about places, hotel, people and so on.
Accra: The paloma hotel was okay but clearly overpriced

Kakum NP: It was the beginning of our trip and we didn’t know how much to pay the guide. We’re embarrassed to admit that we paid 30$ for 3 hours. To our defence: It was not clear to us if the price mentioned in the guide is for a walk as part of a group or for the guide (independently of the group size). We did get on the canopy walk before it was officially opened so we saw some monkey jumping from tree to tree. Later during the walk on the ground we these amazing long-tailed monkeys.

Nothing to add about Elmina, the Green Turtle and the Safari Beach. The guide describes this all very well.

Kumasi: The Guestline lodge was very poor value, we wouldn’t stay there again. Even more as there was mould on our breakfast’s bread. The Kejetia market was big fun! The museums were quite overpriced and the guides (no offence) so ridiculous that it was almost comical.

Lake Bosumtwi: We stayed at the Lake point and liked it very much (best housing quality we’ve seen in whole Ghana; good food and friendly staff). One day we walked from the Lake Point eastwards, on the other day westwards till the Rainbow. You should write more about the walks, as especially the one eastwards was very nice, leading along many fields and through villages. The street to the Rainbow was not half as pleasant and the Rainbow itself was disappointing (we only had lunch, but that was mediocre and we were ripped off by asking 10 Cedis for two flavourless, watery pineapple juices).

Tamale: We only stopped there overnight on our way to Mole. There was this annoying, sunglasses wearing young hustler who quickly approached us when we got off the bus from Kumasi.

Bus to Larabanga: We were at 4am at the station, but no body really wanted to help us and people said the MMT bus is already full. However, we hardly got the chance to ask people since this hustler quickly talked to them when we tried to ask someone. Behind the station were another two buses standing(one MMT, one from another company), and the hustler told us (and got some cash for that) to take one of them . At about 6:30am, the MMT bus was finally leaving, taking all passengers from both buses. There were about another ten tourist, all of which were quite unease and confused about the bus.

Larabanga: A pretty nice place to see and no problems at all. We stayed at one of the Salia brothers out of town. We enjoyed talking to his wife, the volunteers and other travellers. We didn’t think the tour guided by the nephew of one Salia brother was worth it, his English was too limited and his stories not so interesting. Probably if one of the Salia brothers had been the guide, it would have been better. We also rented bikes twice to go to Mole – and twice we got a puncture. The bikes are poorly maintained (well, how can you maintain a bike without spare parts), but the bigger problem is that the bikes are just not made for roads like this.

Mole: We liked it (the park, the good guides, the elephants…), how couldn’t you…

Koforidua: You should mention that the STC bus doesn’t pass there on the way between Kumasi and Accra

Amedzofe: We didn’t know what to expect – but were anyhow a little disappointed. I as a view hunter would have liked the view from Mt Gemi very much, but there were so many little bastards (meaning flies), I couldn’t stay for more than 3 minutes. There is a direct narrow and sometimes steep path through the forest from Amedzofe to Biakpa (1 1/2h), also doable (but not easy) with backpacks. Ask the tourist office for directions. We left the Paradise Lodge with mixed feelings. We liked the food but the room had a very poor mattress. But worst, we ordered one breakfast but got two (which we sent back), and then the woman in charge wanted us to pay for the two. As we refused, she wanted to deduct the money from the servant’s salary. We therefore paid half of the unordered breakfast but gave this money to the servant.

Akosombo: The Afrikio looked great but was full – the Volta hotel was okay but for this price you can expect more – we were longing for watching a movie, but there were only 7 channels available of the long list that they promised. The ride on the Dodi princess was not interesting in itself, the island (well, the locals from the mainland to be precise) are spoilt by the tourism. But watching the upper-class Ghanaians and their dancing was much fun. S

Some more things: In the STC buses, we got once or twice the seat in the back. As the journey was long, the AC not properly working and the engine very hot, it was a quite unpleasant trip.

After we were quite fed up with young fellows asking for donations for their football team, we started to tell them that we do not donate to individuals. We gave therefore 50 cedis to a volunteer we talked to and from then on we had a good argument and (maybe even more important) the confidence to stop the donation-talks pretty quickly

We are both vegetarian but didn’t have real problems with the food and actually liked most of it. Only in Amedzofe food was really limited. We ate vegetarian fufu, banku and TZ. Snacks were always present in the form of bananas, cookies, coconut, plantain etc. Certainly not necessary to take protein bars if you are only staying for one month or less.

Last but least, we want to clearly state that we liked Ghana very much!

Kind regards Benjamin Frey & Annemiek van der Heijden