Beautiful (Ghana)

Postscript (April 2009): The man I referred to as 'driver' from when I went back to Accra from Kumasi, his name is J(oops! I decided to make it private again Aug2011, for his sake, lol). I did most of my wonderful travels in Ghana with him. I kept his identity private coz I thought it was what he preferred. But I found out he didnt mind, even took offense that I just called him 'driver', heheheh. If he looked at the title of this blog, he would have realised I named it after him - his name meaning 'beautiful'. This blog was written and dedicated to him. So I am letting it be known much more clearly now. :-)

I wish I had more spare time, could type fast, and was more journalistic, so I could express fully and properly how much I experienced, learned and valued my visit to Ghana.

I would always cherish this trip, and keep it closest to my heart. It was also there where I recognized a moment where I felt happiest… fulfilled… and it has been a while since I have personally felt this good.

I have met many interesting people. I ate deliciously prepared dishes and fruits. I saw beautiful landscapes and waterfalls. I witnessed the country’s “outback”, city life and its history. Most unforgettably, I experienced unexpected heartwarming generosity, and humbling acts of kindness without expected returns/favours, from people of various walks of life.

I went there with very little expectation, simply because I didn’t know what to expect! For example, I knew my accommodation will be better than mud huts, but I prepared myself to sleep in a small bedroom with lots of people and no air conditioning. I brought a permethrin-treated bedsheet and a mosquito net to use, just in case. I prepared for “hard yakka” – or living very simply. I cared little about standard of accommodation, food, climate and activities. But I paid attention to keeping myself healthy (vaccinations, sickness preventions, etc) throughout my trip. I disregarded those issues (except health matters) that usually concerned travelers and even prevented tourists from visiting a country. I threw caution to the wind! I just wanted to experience “it” myself.

I realised (after this trip) that most people who only hear about Africa have several negative impressions about the continent. Their prejudices are quite strong- out of ignorance, society’s generalisation, media's gross misrepresentation, and lack of active willingness to find out if the stories they hear were really true, or not. I am hardly the person who can enlighten you and clear you of those prejudices, but I will try to write truthfully how I felt about those concerns.

So in snippets, I hope I will be able to convey well some of my experiences and impressions of/in Ghana….

- People, including I until I was made aware of it, think of Africa as a country, rather than a continent. Oh, I knew Africa had many countries. I also wanted to visit Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, if my finance would allow it. But somehow when I first arrived I was talking about Ghana like all of Africa is the same!! It’s like saying Taiwan and Indonesia are the same - in culture, language and food! It’s the same ignorant generalisation people have when they call all Asians or people with slanting eyes as Chinese, then they verbalize Japanese phrases!! Tsk tsk tsk! I thought I knew better, but there I was, embarrassingly guilty of this in the first week of my trip to Ghana. (….It just pushed my desire to visit more African countries to personally experience its diversity….)

- I wanted to travel as much as possible safely around Ghana and even to surrounding countries like Cote D Ivoire, Togo and Benin. I was also looking forward (a little bit) to watching the African Cup (soccer). Unfortunately, I did not get to visit the neighbouring countries, too much civil unrest, robberies (and friends were worried about voodoo!!!), and the visa charges quoted to me by embassy staff were exorbitant I choked my way out of their offices in Accra. I wondered if I was quoted the actual charges or the “obroni” (white man) price…?

- Ghanaians are peace-loving people. I asked if there were any existing tribal wars or possibility of one starting. The replies were varying degrees of, “unlikely”. However, (I was informed several times that) since Rawlings left presidency, his security service changed profession, joined forces with outlaws from neighbouring countries, and took to kidnapping and armed robberies. Poverty, poor economy, corruption and introduction of imported narcotics in the community have expectedly created problems in the country, much like what other countries with drug-related problems are going through. Similar stories are told whereby in the past houses were left unlocked and there was no need to hire bodyguards. Nowadays, people reminisce about those peaceful times lost, and try to optimistically hold on to neighbourly trust as much as they can, ‘cause it is too important to lose.

- The possibility of being kidnapped or robbed was high, especially at night as we headed home. Police checkpoints were actively introduced to combat the robberies and drug trafficking, but the ‘baddies’ could still be waiting between the checkpoints. So after each of the 3-4 police checkpoints we passed on the way home, we were speeding as fast as we “safely” could to make sure we weren’t followed. I was glad the driver felt very competent and I felt safe even though we were going up to 180km on city roads, and running red lights! I know it sounds extreme, but when you’re considering what you are trying to avoid, it definitely felt safer for us to speed!! We used the car as our weapon. Once we believed we were followed after the last checkpoint, thankfully nothing happened. Other than this problem when traveling at night, I was completely at ease.

- On the positive side, when I arrived by bus back to Accra from Kumasi, I could not be picked up from the bus terminal. I had to find my own way!! Picture a lone, tired, young-looking female obroni, carrying a heavy, large pink suitcase and a large bulky backpack, in the middle of the night, not knowing where I was heading, and could not speak their dialect!!! I didn’t even know where or how far away the place was! The person meant to pick me up was not at all worried about what I was about to do, and trusted his fellows. I knew about the robbery and kidnapping epidemic, so obviously I was freaking out and wanted to cry!!! Praying, and using some street-smart, I asked the bus driver to help me (he was religious, prayed before we started our journey, and played gospel songs the whole 6hr trip). He found a taxi driver; told me how much I should be charged (I asked him earlier so I could negotiate); and he convinced the taxi driver to not take advantage of the situation. Then the taxi driver took his directions over the phone and off we went. The whole trip (30-45mins) I was making casual conversation but my heart was in my mouth, on high alert, especially when we passed some dark, ghetto-hood streets to avoid traffic, but we were the only vehicle passing there!! He said if we stuck to main roads, I’d be in the taxi with him at least another hour. When I started recognizing the streetscape (2mins to our destination) I almost hugged and kissed the taxi driver (Frankie) out of gratitude!!! I was extremely relieved! I gave him much more than the agreed fare, plus all my coins. We were both happy!!

- People used to always give rides to hitchhikers, but fear of robbers made them stop. We gave a ride 5 times, even though we were strictly told not to!... First ride was to 2 school girls going home, on our way to the beach. If they walked, their little feet would have taken them hours to get home! The rest of the hitches were up to/from Northern Ghana, also to people whom would have had to walk hours to get to their destination. Of course we risk-assessed, we were far from home! But I loooooved that we did, and found out so much about various people’s lives this way. I made their day too apparently coz some of them have never seen or spoken to an obroni before. So when we dropped them off, their neighbours saw them and would chat/gossip about it. Cute funny!

- We chatted to 2 teenagers we gave rides to. They lived very, VERY simple lives. The next town was like another country to them. Both didn’t know how old they were. The girl was asked why she didn’t ask her mother, she said it wasn’t important. IT WASN’T IMPORTANT!! Wow…. Her statement (reflecting her life) struck me. The boy was so hugely-built, obviously from manual labour. He was so grateful for the ride home (he would have had to walk approx 8hours to get to town, where he can get a ride to go home) he was giving us the yams he was going to sell in the market for free! What they didn’t know was that we were grateful to them because they can confirm we were heading the right direction….

- Ghanaians have no concept of time. They say, “I’ll be there in 15mins” but arrive 1-2hours later, and not apologize for being late. (Hahahah! I mentioned in my previous blog, I think African and Asian cultures are very similar.) Also, it doesn’t seem to matter if they are in Ghana or overseas, some still follow this… habit.

- I realised Ghana was an off-the-beaten-track country for most people to visit. Even my Ghanaian friends did not believe I was going to their country until I actually bought my ticket! When tourists think of Africa, they go to Morocco, Egypt, South Africa or a safari trip in East Africa. Not Ghana. But Ghana is also beautiful, rich in culture, and very safe (albeit many travel vaccinations and precautions beforehand, which applies to most of Africa). It’s a pity that the country is not being actively promoted as a tourism destination, especially when the African Cup was held there. I didn’t see any advertisement/promotion about the Cup or Ghana outside the country.

- Talking of ads, I was on TV, hahahah! I was interviewed in my full Ghana get-up during one of the soccer matches. A few people recognized me. It was really fun to get into the spirit of SOCCER. It took over the whole nation!

- Ghanaians love to talk about politics and soccer.

- Ghanaians are very… passionate… when expressing their emotions, usually with a loud voice and lots of body/hand movements. One hot day I was left inside a car blocking many buses way out of a terminal. We were disrupting flow of business there, which was already chaotic! We were told to park there by the way, to pick up a package. Imagine lonely me, in yet another tense situation. It quickly got to a point where after about 10mins of tension, the hot-headed men surrounded the car (at least 20), shouting and likely cursing in their dialects, hitting/slapping the windows and the hood, trying to open the doors!! I managed to speak to someone in English after telling everyone I will only speak to him (he was the ONLY one telling another guy to calm down, so I quickly pointed to him to ask if he spoke English), worked out the problem, and quickly asked him to move the car for me! Now, I would have moved the car myself, but it was manual, and the place was packed bumper to bumper full of people, goods and vehicles (buses, trucks, vans, cars)!! One bunny hop from neutral to first gear, I definitely would have hit someone or something, which was the last thing I wanted to do there. I was glad the keys were left in the ignition! The funny thing was, as soon as I was having a conversation to the guy in English, everyone (everyone!!!) went quiet and listened and even smiled/laughed in agreement! Like they weren’t ready to kill me 30 seconds ago!! Then it was dealt with, so people went their own way. Just then the driver arrived with the package in his hand and took me away from the awful (awful!!) place (after I thanked the other guy). It took us more than 1hour to drive in and out of a street that was only approx 100metres long!! It was a hair-raising, crazy experience!! It shows that the culture is just very vocal/expressive, but afterwards things are not taken to heart, unless what was said was very offending of course. Another African-Asian similarity, talking like they are fighting, but you look at their faces they are actually joking and laughing! Africans tend to be much louder in volume though, and they can talk like this anywhere and with anyone. Asians tend to be this loud only in private settings like at home or amongst close friends.

- Not all Blacks are big built and well-muscled. A lot of them are like Chris Rock, short and/or lanky. A lot of them had big guts too, even when they were slim or fitness fanatics. I was told it’s the result of diet or alcohol. I cheekily brought the idea that maybe it’s their physique/general structure (‘cause I’ve never seen regular gym/fitness fanatics with big guts), heheheh! This speculation of course did not sell well. Hahahah! *wink*

- My kindest experiences from locals (not family/friends of people I traveled with) were from areas not corrupted by commercialism and tourism. They were just genuine, willing to help and trying to make an honest living. This is the main reason I LOVE staying away from the high-rise buildings and main cities. Locals become more laid back and less opportunistic in the little villages or non-touristy areas. However comparing this trip to all my travels to other countries, in Ghana I faced the least touts, scams, and people trying to take advantage of my being foreigner. As I keep saying, the people of Ghana are the treasure of the country. It should be one of the main reasons why one is to visit the country.

- My happiest moment was during the trip back to Kumasi from Mole National Park (where i saw a lot of wild animals such as elephants, warthogs, apes, deers, roebucks, etc... metres away or right next to me, while we walked around the reserve).

- People are scared of voodoo. This could be one of the reasons why people are very, very religious. The services are fun and vibrant. Singing, especially at the start of the service, usually goes on for an hour with people animatedly dancing along! Be prepared to hear songs of praise complete with loud microphones, drums, bass, and anything else that makes music at all hours of the day AND NIGHT, NOT ONLY ON SUNDAYS!! Thank God for my ear plugs! My problem was (and I’m sure others must have felt the same way at one point) it was hard to sleep once you heard them or are woken up by them. I know they are proudly praising but I believe some of them have lost the plot. They’ve crossed the line where they forgot to be considerate of their neighbours and instead creating noise. Some churches close to each other seemed to compete on who could make the loudest praise by trying to overwhelm the other with their musical instruments, singing/shouting and microphones, all in full blast!! They are so loud that it was hard to hear yourself think or concentrate on the preaching, especially if the service you attended started earlier so the other churches were still singing while the pastor talked. Sometimes the pastors talked over each other too, with their microphones in full volume. I say God knows what’s in their hearts. God can see their pride. The ‘praisers’ should be aware that by overdoing their intentions they are instead giving the religion a bad image, removing people’s right to enjoy their peace (esp during sleeping times) and lack of Christian unity.

- On weekends, the whole country suddenly starts sprouting locals wearing traditional black (and red) clothing. As a tourist, if you are not familiar, it could feel quite freaky. This is their funeral/wake garb, and funerals are fun events for them, to celebrate the life of the deceased!! So the locals are actually out to party!

- The mosquitoes tried to eat me alive!! They were absolutely lethal! No amount of heavy duty tropical insect repellent could keep them away from me! I still have scars, especially all over my legs. As soon as it was 6pm, they swarmed. I was very thankful I never contracted malaria, which is a common sickness in Ghana, treated like it’s only a simple flu. I stress the importance of taking preventative medications. Ghana is in the “high risk malaria belt”. Malaria is not like dengue fever where you can avoid areas where dengue carrying mosquitoes are (dirty still water, puddles, etc). Malaria carrying mosquitoes are everywhere, no matter how clean the place was, as soon as night struck and sometimes even before daybreak. The only way to avoid them was to keep them outside homes.

- Aids/HIV…. Ghana was one of the first countries to introduce safe sex and condoms to its people. People are very aware of the epidemic within Africa. NO COUNTRY WORLDWIDE is free of people sick from Aids/Hepatitis C/HIV. Ghana apparently has one of the smallest percentage of reported Aids/HIV/HepC? cases in Africa/the world.

- Not everyone lived in mud huts. I never stayed in one and only saw them in rural areas. I was surprised when people kept asking me this! There were plenty of enormous and majestic houses; big compounds and tall gates. Houses were built with cement bricks, glass, wood, and even marble!! My room and bed were always huge!


- It is normal for people to share a bowl or plate of stew or soup, and eat with their RIGHT hands. They know how to use cutlery. But traditional dishes seemed tastier to eat with our hands, so I continuously did it even though I was burning my fingers, especially with the soup.





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First 10 I Will Miss After Leaving Ghana

• Aunt Elizabeth’s fufu with soup
• Aunt Rose’s freshly baked bread with cheese
• Auntie Nana’s salted rice with spicy stew when I had the munchies
• Bojo Beach
• La Tawala (seaside chop bar where I kept having grilled fish, yum!)
• Strawberry aperitif
• Kele wele with ginger
• Eating fresh coconut and drinking its juice almost daily
• Golden Spark
• Not working