West Africa Odyssey 2012 - Ghana

Ghana: Accra and Takoradi, 2 Days At Sea

April 13 – 16, 2012

Aboard National Geographic Explorer

Friday, April 13 found us docked very early in Accra, Ghana. Its first European contact was with Portugal in the 15^th century and the British established the Gold Coast Crown colony in 1874. The Gold Coast gained independence from the UK in 1957 and was the first sub-Saharan African nation to become independent. They took back their old name of Ghana. Accra is the capital with a population of over 2.3 million. English is the official language.

We chose the Accra Highlights tour for the day and our big bus had a motorcycle police escort everywhere we went. It was a little embarrassing, but it did help in the heavy traffic. The first stop was a children’s orphanage opened in 1949 by Norwegian missionaries. It now houses 170 children ages 5-26. The next stop was the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park built to honor the first president of Ghana, who died in 1972. There was also a stop at the National Museum of History and Ethnology.

Lunch was served at the lovely Labadi Beach Hotel where we had a lively cultural show out on the lawn. It depicted the installation of a new king.

In the afternoon we visited the Artist Alliance Gallery where I was able to finally purchase some more West African Trade Beads in the form of bracelets. 

There we saw a large selection of specialty caskets made by a local casket maker. They were in all kinds of shapes from fish and trucks to a Coke bottle. The next stop was his workshop where he was working on a chicken-shaped casket, which would take him three days to complete. He had just been to Portland, Oregon for a workshop at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. Small world.

For the evening Recap in Accra, Ghana we were to have hosted the ex-president of the country. Unfortunately, because of a recent spine surgery, his doctor wouldn’t let him attend but his representative came aboard for dinner and conversation afterward. It sounded like we will be having other very interesting people come aboard later in the trip.

We had to say good-bye to one of our guest speakers, WadeDavis, and his daughter, Tara. He was such interesting fellow who has done so much and written about his experiences. We gained a new specialist who boarded to take his place, Harvey Feinstein. He was definitely not the dynamic personality and speaker as Wade, but was interesting. There were a number of ex-Peace Corps members aboard and also a number who had lived and worked in Africa.

Dinner was a special treat as we joined Jack and Rikki Swenson in the Chart Room for a more intimate dinner setting with two other couples. This was our third dinner in the Chart room; one with Richard White and one with Doc Mendosa.

Saturday, April 14 was spent in Takoradi, Ghana. Our first stop was the Albert Busomtwi-Sam fishing harbor. There was lots of activity, with the boats off-loading their catch and buyers bartering over prices. Although we needed permission to take pictures, a little flattery and cajoling usually won approval.

Cape Coast Castle, Swedes in 1650s

The next stop was the Cape Coast Castle built in the 1650s by the Swedes. It has changed hands between the British, Portugueses, Swedish, Danish and the Dutch like many other slave castles. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the West African Historical Museum created by the Smithsonian Institute. It was sobering to walk through the dungeons where the slaves were held before going out through the “Door of No Return” to awaiting ships to take them to the New World. Along the beach just outside was a very busy fishing village, which was very active with incoming catches of the day.

From there we went to another fishing village where we met the Chief and elders and were shown around the village. They specialize in smoking the small fish they catch. The kids from the local school came to see us and perform songs and dances. As usual we had a chance to dance with them. Again, the ship donated school supplies on our behalf.

Elmina Castle, Portuguese in 1482

Lunch was served at the Coconut Grove Beach Resort, a very good buffet, and then we made our last stop to see the exterior of the Elmina Castle, the oldest and largest European structure built in sub-Saharan Africa. It was built by the Portuguese in 1482 and was used as an auction market.

Each day of the trip was completely full from morning to night. Sometimes we returned to the ship just in time to jump in the shower briefly before heading to the lounge for the evening recap and then dinner.

Sunday/Monday, April 15 – 16. We were really ready for the next two days at sea, even though they were busy with lectures. 

Sunday afternoon there was an announcement that our Security Team (4 guys) was going to have to dispose of their ammunition and guns because they cannot have anything on the ship when we enter either Liberia or Sierra Leon. They fired off all their rounds from the back of the ship, dismantled the guns and dropped them overboard. When they finished, Andy, the head guy, showed me the paper that stated exactly how many rounds they shot off and the exact latitude, longitude and depth of water into which they dropped the dismantled guns. They stayed aboard until Senegal but by then we were out of dangerous waters.

There were some dolphin sightings on Monday.

Next to Liberia where we were the first passenger ship to visit in over 30 years!!!

That's it for now. Grace and Paul