Coco Beach Accra Ghana - Alison Harmon

For a free day in Ghana we decided to visit Coco beach.  We grabbed some free fruit for breakfast from the hotel lobby and hailed a cab to the beach.  We thought that the Ramada Inn would be a nice location to be dropped off at, that way we had access to food and bathrooms when necessary.  We rode in a cab with out a meter and got a barging price of 12 GNC for the ride. 

Once we got there we were so excited to be on the beach! I wouldn’t wait to lay out and read and the boys couldn’t wait to swim.  One reason we chose Coco beach as opposed to other near by beaches is because we heard the ocean was cleaner in this area. Once we had sat on the beach for hours, we were starting to get hungry for lunch.

We went into the hotel and ordered two heart shaped pizzas for lunch.  We also ordered waters to keep us hydrated since we were going back out in the sun.  This lunch was only 32 GNC.   After lunch we decided instead of going back to the beach we were going to crash the hotel pool. This turned out to be a great idea! It was so beautiful and we still got to enjoy being outside, with out having to deal with the sand.

For dinner that night we went back into the Ramada Inn restaurant.  Where I had a dinner of a roast beef type meet, green peas, carrots and potatoes.  I don’t really like green peas and carrots, but the meat and potatoes were good! The boys all had something similar to my dinner, this meal cost our group a total of 170 GNC

After that we caught a cab back to our hotel and again got a bargain price, but this time for 14 GNC.  We called it a night early so we could be prepared to enjoy the last few days on our whole journey.

Total cost for the day: 228 GNC   

Natural Activity In Ghana - Alison Harmon

While we were in Accra we had heard of a botanical garden about an hour away called Aburi Botanical Gardens.  Many people choose to spend an entire weekend at the gardens, as there is a ‘rest house’ on the property however we are only staying for the day.  To start our day off we got room service breakfast so we could spend time getting ready.  We each got an omelet, toast, and kielbasa on our plates along with pitchers of hot coffee and hot tea.  This breakfast was somewhat expensive, as room service normally is, costing us 87.88 GNC for just one meal.

Once we had eaten this we were ready to catch the trotro at Tema Station in Accra.  The whole hour trip there we were looking forward to see what the botanical gardens had to offer.  When we arrived we were taken back by the large welcoming palm trees lining the entrance.  We paid our fee of 175.80 GNC per person and went to meet our tour guide.

 We learned a lot about the gardens within the first few minutes we were there, our tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful when it came to questions we had about the area.  It was over 100 years old, and covered more than 160 acres of land.  He then told us about all of the attractions at the site, they have the bush house, a rock garden, lovers lane, the historic ficus tree and a school of horticulture.  He also went into detail about the use of plants in medicine in Ghana, most native people create their own medicines using herbs that are native to the area, many of which are found in the botanical gardens. 

Of all the features of the botanic garden we looked at, I think my favorite was the bush house.  The bush house is just an open shed with stone pillars holding it up, however weekly it is decorated with red clay, a practice done in rural Ghana.  The front of the house is beautiful, with bamboo surrounding it and holding up many beautiful flowers.  The ficus tree also does not go unnoticed.  It has taken over the yard behind the bush house and almost swamps the house itself.  

Once we had walked around the garden for a good bit we decided to rent bikes and ride on the trails.  We were not particularly hungry for lunch since we had had such a big breakfast, so we thought we could handle the trails, as the guide told us they typically take 2- 3 hours.  We each rented bikes for 14 GNC apiece (56 GNC total) and were on our way.  We took our time on the trail, stopping often to take pictures or just to look at a pretty plant or watch for animals.  Three hours later we returned the bikes and waited for the trotro to arrive to take us back into Accra. 

When we arrived in Accra we considered walking to a little restaurant to grab some dinner, however I was dyeing to take a shower after such a long day outside that I convinced the guys the best thing to do was to eat at the hotel after we took showers.  This ended up being a great idea! After our showers we met at the cocktail bar for some drinks before dinner once we had worked up an even bigger appetite we transferred our tab to a table in the hotel.  I preferred eating at the hotel because they have a wider variety of food that I recognized to choose from.  I ended up ordering the “Ghana Flag Salad” which was a combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet yellow corn in a vinegar based dressing.  It is called flag salad due to the red, green, and yellow color of the salad, just like the Ghana flag!  After dinner we paid our bill of 147 GNC and were all so tired we retreated to our rooms and went to bed to prepare for our next day. 

Total for the day 993.2 GNC

Back to Raleigh

Today we are getting ready to go home. We all had to get up early this morning and pack our belongings and things that we had purchased during the trip. This morning was kind of bitter sweet because we were all anxious to get back home to our friends and family, but we were definitely going to miss traveling around the world together. After grabbing breakfast, we headed out to the Kotoka International Airport to get there in time to catch our  10:00am flight in which we had already booked a few days ago. Security was extremely slow today because there were so many people in front of us having to go through more than once because they kept setting the detectors off. When it was our turn to go through, we had to go through a few times as well. Once we got on the plane it was almost time to take off! Our tickets ended up costing $4316.

What a long flight! Finally we are back home in Raleigh at the Raleigh/Durham International Airport. I must say that I learned a lot from this trip, and I also learned a lot about myself. This was definitely an experience that we all will never forget. Once we got our bags from the airport we were greeted by our families who were extremely happy to see us and couldn't wait to hear about our travels across the world. After introducing each other to our families we all were anxious to get home. Unfortunately it is time to go back to the real world. Most likely I will be sleeping in for a few days because switching time zones and going over seas is finally starting to take its toll on me.

Sites 

http://www.skyscanner.com/flights-from/acc/cheapest-flights-from-accra.html

Total Expenses 

4316 Dollars

National Museum of Ghana

Good morning Accra! Unfortunately this is the last leg of our eight weeks trip. Once we all got ready for the day, we headed downstairs to the lobby in the hotel to get some breakfast in our stomachs. Everyone was fairly quite while we ate. I guess it is starting to sink in with us all that we will have to go back to the real world in just a few days. Today we all decided that we were going to the National Museum of Ghana which is in downtown Accra. 

Once we arrived at the museum, we found a very nice nice guide to show us around the place. She was extremely knowledgeable and helpful to us. She explained that the National Museum in Accra is one of the oldest museums in Ghana. Established in 1957, the museum was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent, Britain on the eve of Ghana's Independence. This fairly large museum contains some fascinating exhibits that are a part of the country's historical past. The collection in the museum range from from pre-historic, archaeological discoveries, to colonial antiquities and exhibits of contemporary African art. You will also find a permanent exhibition in the ethnography gallery that contains objects such as indigenous musical instruments, gold-weights, stools and pottery as well as the famous Ashanti gold weights used long ago to determine the value of goods. Apart from this, the museum has objects from other African countries acquired through exchange. Walking further inside the museum, you will come across a series of contemporary Ghanaian paintings in the art gallery. The museum also holds some temporary exhibitions by individuals as well as foreign embassies. Overall, we enjoyed the museum and got a few great photo shots. We definitely learned some interesting fact about the area as well as the culture, thanks to our awesome guide.

For the remainder of the of the day, we spent our time looking in different little shops in the downtown area. We also found different food stands with unique foods that were part of the culture around the area. I must say the food was good but a little different than what I was used to. Once we settled down for the night we had a couple of bottles of expensive red wine to sip on by the hotel pool.

Total Expenses:
938 GHS
653 Dollars

Sites:
http://ghana-net.com/NATIONAL_MUSEUM.aspx

Hiking in Mecca

Today after getting ready and eating breakfast in the hotel lounge for 148 SARs, we headed out for a day of hiking in Mecca. With another sunny and warm day in Mecca, I found it hard to pass up a day of being inside, so the group agreed with me that we should all hike the Al Wahba Crater. 

Situated in the desert, this massive crater measures nearly 1 mile across with 850-foot cliff faces stretching to the bottom of the pit. The crater bottom fills with water in the wet season and turns into a salt-pan in the summer as the sun evaporates the moisture. This area once saw large amounts of volcanic activity, and the sandy plains surrounding the crater consist mostly of volcanic ash. Trek up the side of the crater to the top. Palm trees grow along the northern cliff face, providing shade for tired hikers. Some locals claim that the crater resulted from a meteorite, but it is in fact an extinct volcano.

The cost of our hiking equipment was 1485 SARs. Once we paid for our things and grabbed some food from the local market for the trip we headed out to begin our hike. The trip to the top took around 2 hours and by this time we all were exhausted. After spending about an hour for lunch and chatting with another group of hikers we made our way back down to the bottom which took about half the time it took to get to the top. 


Here are a few photos from our day. 

Once we turned in our hiking equipment, we were all exhausted. When we got back to the hotel we stop in for another meal for 148 SARs and called it a night.
Sites:
http://www.arabiancamp.com/trips/wahbacrater.html
Total Expenses: 
1781 SARs 
475 dollars

Accra Sporting Event - Football

By: Ben

To immerse ourselves in Ghana culture, we decided to attend the premier local event, a football (soccer) match at the famed Ohene Djan stadium. Here is some history behind the Accra Hearts of Oak SC: The club was formed in 1911 and was the second team to be founded in Accra after the Invincibles. They are the oldest existing club in Ghana. The club was, in the most part, trained by Ackom Duncan, who would also become the team's first captain. Other members of the fledgling club were J.T. Ankrah (father of Ghana boxing great, Roy Ankrah), and C.B. Nettey, who was later to become the chairman of the Ghana Football Association. Hearts first match would come on November 11, 1911 against the Invincible^[1].

Here is a team photo of the current Hearts of Oak club:

Hearts of Oak won their first major match in 1922 when Sir Gordon Guggisberg, governor of the Gold Coast, founded the Accra Football League. Hearts won 6 out of 12 seasons in this league. In 1956, Hearts joined the Ghanaian football league and have flourished since^[2]. Their vice chairman was Mr Robert Hayfron.

Tragedy

Hearts suffered a great tragedy on May 9, 2001 when 126 people died in Africa's worst footballing disaster while watching a match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. Trouble started when supporters of Asante Kotoko began ripping out seats in an act of hooliganism in protest at a goal allowed by the referee for Hearts of Oak, which they believe should have been disallowed for offside. Police reacted by firing tear gas into the crowd, it has been suggested that this was an over-reaction. Reports suggest that the gates to the ground were locked and that the rush to escape the tear gas was a contributory factor to the death toll. A commission inquiry strangely failed to indict the hooligans in its report^[3].

Since we had never been to professional soccer match, we did not know what to expect. We geared ourselves in Hearts of Oak garb, and got tickets into the stadium. About the size of Carter-Finley, NC State fans could only hope to attain the atmosphere that was present during the game. I'm not a fan of soccer, but I swear that every person inside that stadium cheered as if their life depended on the outcome of the game. After the loudest 90 minutes of my life, is was dismayed to learn that when the home team loses, like they did today, in a 1-0 game, the fans get really angry. Pushing and shoving for about 45 minutes, we managed to get out of the stadium with only minor scrapes and bruises. We vowed never to go to another soccer match again.

After that disaster, we decided to find a bar to drown our sorrows and refuel our stomachs. Still wearing our team colors, we were greeted pleasantly everywhere we went. When we flashed our ticket stubs at the bar we settled on, the local started cheering, and dancing around us. We were flabbergasted by this experience, but so overcome with the local pride for their team, we decided to offer a round of drinks at the small bar to all the patrons. Not really sure if this was an okay thing to do or not, we found out that this small gesture made us even bigger heroes. Someone even produced a small american flag from somewhere, and a huge cheer went up in the bar when they waved it around us. Crazy African cultures can be so much fun!!!

Costs for the day, including tickets, clothes, food: 1300 GNC

information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accra_Hearts_of_Oak_SC

Travel From Alexandria, Egypt to Accra, Ghana

By: BEN

Once we learned the impossibility of entering Mecca, we decided to pack our bags for our next stop, Accra, Ghana.

With plenty of available cash, we booked a flight to Accra through Kayak.com where we were able to find one-way tickets for $528.70 each, even with short notice. This flight was through Egypt Airlines, and was to last almost 8 hours. We were to have a short leg of 45 minutes from Alexandria to Cairo, and then a lengthy 6.5 hour flight to Accra. Total cost of the flight was $2114.80

After landing, we exchanged money from our American Dollars to the local currency.
4,000 US Dollar = 5,786.00 Ghanaian New Cedi

Once we landed in Accra at the Kotoka International Airport, we used our research knowledge of public transportation for the local culture.

Public transportation is the most popular means of getting around accra. While Accra is well connected by rail to Tema, Takoradi and Kumasi, the service is unreliable and unpopular owing to its limited reach.

Taxis

There is a convenient taxi network but most don't have meter system so price negotiation is required between passenger and driver. But there are also metered taxis which are slightly expensive. Taxis in Ghana are painted in two colors: the four fenders are yellow/orange and the rest of the car is in a color of choice. Taxis can be obtained at taxi ranks or along any road in Accra. At taxi ranks, taxis have signs on top of the cars stating the area where that taxi will take passengers. Along roads, drivers will honk at pedestrians to see if they require a taxi.

Trotro

By far the most common form of transport in Accra, trotros are the most efficient and cost-effective way of getting around the city despite their frightening and dilapidated appearance. Trotros stop at any bus stop or gathering of people, and can also be found at lorry (truck) stations, one being the Neoplan station. Waving the hand (palm down) up and down at an oncoming trotro gets the driver’s mate's attention, who in turn will shout out the trotro's destination. There are signals used when travelling with trotros:

• Pointing the index finger of your right hand up means ‘to Accra Central’.
• Pointing the right index finger down and making a circular motion with your finger means ‘to Kwame Nkrumah Circle’, a major circle in Accra.

Buses

In 2003 the Metro Mass Transit Service was inaugurated in Accra as a more comfortable and cheaper alternative to the trotro. While laudable, the services of these buses have not been highly patronized. Recently, plans have been afoot to develop a bus rapid transit system for the city of Accra and its metro area. This project is aimed at an "integrated efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transportation system responsive to the needs of society, supporting growth and poverty reduction" in Accra


Once we hired an option to take us to a hotel, we headed to our accommodations for the week, the RobinHood Inn. Just under 6 miles from the airport, and close to downtown, we were able to reserve two rooms in this smaller resort inn for just $300/night, or $1800 for the week. This was a pretty good deal for a "decent" hotel in the city. Most hotels were over $400 per night per room, unless we wanted to risk staying in sketchy hotels (which there are quite a few of in Accra).

Once we arrived in our room and dropped off our luggage, we headed out for a much needed meal, and some basic supplies for the week. We found an Indian restaurant named Tandoor, which served a variety of cultural foods. We ordered a number of dishes off of the menu. After having our fill of the spicy food, we wandered to a market for various snack foods and toiletries before heading back to our rooms.

Total costs of the day: $3914.80, converted 4,000 US Dollar to 5,786.00 Ghanaian New Cedi
Dinner and travel and supplies - 270 GNC

http://www.accrarobinhood.com.gh/index.cfm?CFID=16833200&CFTOKEN=25135261