The Return Home

               For one of my last posts I would like to rate all my different experiences in Ghana. It should be interesting as well as extremely informative to future volunteers or tourists who want to know what were the most interesting experiences I had. Everything I did in Ghana was worthwhile and I wouldn’t take any of my experiences back for anything. But some parts were better than others so here are the ratings. 

Accra               B+

        I did not love living in a big city such as Accra because it is hectic and the very crowded. The worst parts are the traffic and the trash. However it does provide for plenty of places to explore and interesting things to do. Some of the places to definitely check out are Osu (although it is Obroni central), Tema station, Circle, Lascala, and Teshie-Nungua. Also try to check out Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum to learn about Ghana’s very influential first president. We did not get to go which I regret.  

        Labadi Beach Reggae night                    C-

            I went twice and did not really enjoy it. There is live music and often performances but it doesn’t start till 11 pm on Wednesday night which is inconvenient for most volunteers. Also it is flooded with Rasta’s enjoying some “herbs” and Obronis (often also there just to enjoy the herbs). 

      Accra Art Center                                      F

                I am not an art enthusiast but the merchandise here is very nice. Unfortunately all of the vendors are incredibly pushy and aggressive and the prices are outrageous. You can find the same quality things other places in Ghana although with a bit more effort. 

        Global Mommas                                      A

                An NGO started by some volunteers that teaches jobless Ghanaian women to make clothing and other crafts. The store then sells this high quality merchandise and a portion of the profits maintain the NGO. The prices are a bit higher but they have some very cool gifts that you won’t find anywhere else and it goes to a good cause. 

        Jamestown                                               B-

            Most guidebooks will tell you to visit the lighthouse and fort in Jamestown but it was pretty unimpressive. Go to Jamestown or Ushertown and walk around if you wish to experience extreme poverty and have a reality check but it is not a tourist destination. 

Volta Region              A+

      Volta region is amazingly beautiful with much fewer people and mountains all around. It is also the least visited region in Ghana, so you can escape all the tourists. The best parts are Wli (Agumatsa) Waterfalls, Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, and the Bead Market in Odumase-Krobo (trotro to Kpong). There are plenty of other places to visit that sounded incredible but I did not get the chance to do. Check out Likpe Caves/waterfall, and Amadwofe Mountain.

Eastern Region           A+

      Eastern region may have surpassed Volta region in its beauty. Go to the capital Koforidua, which is only a short 2 to 3 hour trotro from Accra (Great for a day trip!), and walk around the city a bit. Also a must is the Akaa village and Umbrella rock. The people are wonderful and the views can’t be beat. If you are willing to drive around a bit then check out the six-headed palm tree near Mamfe as well. There are 3 or 4 different waterfalls in this region as well including Akaa, Boti and   , which would be worth it as well although I only saw Akaa falls. 

Central Region                       A-

        The main attraction of the central region is Cape Coast. Definitely a necessity to go and visit the Slave castles in Cape Coast and Elmina. One of the main tourist attractions is Kakum National Park. It was an interesting experience but very busy and expensive so I don’t know whether it was worthwhile. More interesting was the Monkey Forest Resort located just down the street where you can see lots of African animals (although unfortunately not completely wild). Also a good time was Wassa Domama rock shrine although I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a full day and a burning desire for adventure. Lastly I didn’t make it to Hans Cottage but for about 5 cedi you can see crocodiles up close and personal which I think would be worthwhile. 

Food

      Fufu                                                               C (Akaa village Fufu though… A)

        Banku                                                          D

        Ground Nut Soup                                        B+

        Light Soup                                                   B

        Okra Stew                                                   B-

        Pepe                                                             D-

        Jollof Rice                                                   A

        Waakye                                                       A-

        Fried Plantain                                             A+

        Fried Ginger Plantain                                A++

        Redred                                                        B

        Grilled Street Corn                                     A

        Boiled Corn                                                B+

        Fried Yam                                                    A

        Bofrut                                                          A+++

        Alvaro                                                         A+

        FanIce/FanChoco/FanYogo                        A+

Infections in Ghana

               I had the chance to get a firsthand look at medicine in Ghana over my last 2 weeks in the hospital. I shadowed an Obstetrician, a physical therapist as well as spending some time in the medical laboratory. It was an incredibly interesting experience but also quite sad. It is not so much that there is any more suffering by the people who came into the clinic, but the fact that they did not have the means to fix it. The hospital itself has the expertise, staff and resources to diagnose and cure most people but the people who came into our clinic either could not afford the treatment or were not in a position to change the circumstances that got them sick in the first place. This is saddest and most sobering fact of all.

                The vast majority of people who I saw in the hospital were diagnosed with malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that is passed to us by mosquitos. It is virtually non-existent in much of the developed world but still kills millions in the developing world. It is most often easily treatable, and also preventable with mosquito repellent and a net while sleeping. Unfortunately these measures are still unattainable by the people who need them the most.

                The second most prevalent problem was hypertension (high blood pressure). This was the last thing that I expected from a culture that has not yet known the joy (sarcasm) of a McDonalds. However in many poor countries including Ghana, hypertension is a major problem. The majority of their food is fried with palm oil and even their soups (light soup, palm nut soup, groundnut soup) have oil in them. People in poverty eat fried food for the same reasons high school or college kids eat so much fried food, it is cheap, and easy. Unfortunately they are not constantly bombarded by anyone else but their doctors (who most rarely see) about the dangers of hypertension. Even when they are diagnosed many don’t want to or can’t pay for the everyday medication(s). And when they can they often don’t take them because they feel worse when they are taking them or they cause unwanted side effects. While I was in the hospital I saw patients with blood pressures that were so high they couldn’t even be read by the machine. And often the people with hypertension were in their 30s or 40s, younger than the average American with hypertension.

                The biggest problem of all, however, is anemia (iron deficiency). I don’t even mention this as the most prevalent thing I saw because it was rare to see someone who was not anemic. It has been estimated that as many as 80% of Ghanaians are living with anemia, many with severe anemia. Most children and pregnant women suffer from anemia, the groups that need to be healthiest the most. IT is a constant battle for the physicians to keep them taking iron supplements and making sure that their diets contain iron. Malnutrition is the foundation of many other diseases in underdeveloped countries and Ghana is no exception.

                I saw many more diseases while I was in Ghana but the three problems I mention above account for the majority. I did not even mention HIV/AIDS, Sickle Cell Anemia, Gastroenteritis, and Intestinal Worms. All of which are also major problems in Ghana, but less prevalent or unheard of in the U.S. Unfortunately these problems are part of everyday life in Ghana and only exacerbate the other difficulties produced by severe poverty. Finding a solution to any of these problems could save millions of lives immediately as well as relieve a lot of suffering of the most downtrodden people.

Return to Volta

I made a return trip to the Volta region this weekend with some of our newer volunteers Takeru, Emily, and Lucy. I have been planning on going back ever since I first saw how beautiful the region was and I was excited to show it off to some fresh eyes. I took it upon myself to organize the trip, making the travel plans and booking all the accommodations. It was rather stressful since nothing in Ghana ever goes according to plan but as long as you have a sense of humor and are willing to make adjustments, it always works out.

                We left Friday night for Kpong (pronounced Pong), a small city that is about 2 hours from Accra. We had to wait a while for the trotro to fill up so we ended up traveling at night yet again. It is not an experience I would recommend since the drivers go around 80 mph on a crummy one lane road. There is also a quite real danger of armed robbers stopping the trotro and relieving us of all of our belongings (so real in fact that it even worries Ghanaians). I always end up staring wide-eyed out the front of the trotro as we narrowly avoid accident after accident, using my imaginary brake to no avail. We ended up arriving safe and found the place I had booked us to stay. The next morning we went to the Bead Market in nearby Odumase-Krobo. It was 50 yd² of tables on tables of beads, bracelets, necklaces and jewelry. The beads are made locally the old fashioned way (not with machines) and so we all got tons of beads either for ourselves or as gifts. One highlight was the fishbone necklace that my housemate Mica picked up.

                Afterwards we continued on to Ho, the capital of the Volta region. We briefly saw Ho which is a rather large city but much more laid back than Accra. After walking around a bit we made our way up to Wli. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it; the sun was shining, big green mountains were all around and several waterfalls were visible high up in the hills. We started to make our way up to the falls. I was telling my housemates all about the falls when the guide decided to head back. He decided that since I had been there before there was no use for him, and he might as well go home. I decided that I could finish the tour myself so we continued to the falls. There had not been as much rain this time around so the falls were not as strong as the first time around. But this allowed for a bit more enjoyable experience, allowing us to actually see the falls and take some pictures without getting pelted with water.

                The next day we caught a trotro to Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary so I could visit some old friends. There were a few more Obronis feeding the monkeys this time around but it was enjoyable none the less. So we all fed some monkeys and took a short ride on some motorbikes before heading home. Yet another great trip to the Volta region.Check out some of the incredible pictures as well. 

Beads at the Odumase-Krobo bead market

Mona Monkey at Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary

Taking a motorbike ride back to the main road

Just over that hill is Togo

The Wli waterfalls a little more tame this time around

The morning after a crazy amount of rain in Wli. I kept waking up to see if the water was coming in under the door.

They definitely remembered me from my first visit

The Wonderful Akaa Village

I am sure that many of you reading this have heard of the Akaa Project but for those who haven’t, check it out (http://theakaaproject.org/). I finally made it to the Akaa village, located in the upper Eastern region of Ghana. I am so glad to have had the opportunity but I could not have imagined beforehand just how incredible this little village is.

                My adventure began when I met Rasta Tataguan at Tema station in Accra. He had on a bright green shirt with matching neon green headwrap over his enormous bundle of dreadlocks, and neon green sunglasses. Needless to say I didn’t really know what to think, but we boarded a trotro heading for Koforidua. After some jollof rice and a short taxi ride we arrived at Akaa falls. The falls are beautiful and definitely worth a trip if you make it to Ghana. We continued on another 20 minutes and finally arrived at the village. Akaa is spread out over a small valley, with around 20 or 30 houses in several small clusters. We went to the first cluster of houses which includes the Chief’s house. I met the Chief, the Queen mother, their son and several other people from the village along the way. After a short meeting with the Chief we put our stuff down in his house and went for a walk. We met some of the kids from the village along the way as they yelled out, “rasta, rasta”.

                We came upon Umbrella rock which was much more incredible than I had anticipated. It is in fact one giant rock balanced on a much smaller rock (see the pictures to understand). But even better is that you can climb up on top of the 30 foot tall umbrella rock and get a great view of the valley below. The ladder that leads up umbrella rock was handmade from bamboo and string. After I came back down we walked down a steep rocky path to the river that runs through the valley and some nearby caves. It was quite the hike back up and probably the hardest workout I have had in months. We headed back to the village and decided we would play some soccer with the guys. We played on a patch of dirt between some houses and a hill with rocks set up as our goals. But it was the most fun I have had in a long time. If a Ghanaian or any African for that matter ever asks you to a pickup soccer game, don’t miss out on the opportunity. They are all really passionate and talented. When it started to get dark we had to call it quits so we headed back to the house. I was soaked to the bone with sweat and so took a quick outside bucket shower before making dinner. We prepared a meal of noodles and meat sauce over a coal fire. The village people gave us some extra fufu as well. I don’t normally like fufu but this was amazing, it had the consistency of cookie dough but without much flavor. If I ate that fufu all the time I am sure I would love Ghanaian cuisine.

                The next morning we woke up and did a little work for the village. I got to take a machete to some of the weeds growing on the hill behind the Chief’s house and plant some flowers. It was quite fun until we ran into some fire ants that took issue with us cutting up their house. I was glad to do a small bit for the village since they had shown me such a wonderful time. Afterwards we took a walk to the other parts of the village and met everybody from Akaa. Unfortunately it was about time for me to go back to Accra so we walked the 5 miles back to the main road and caught a trotro. I spent a very short time, only about 24 hours, in Akaa but I can’t wait to go back.

Pictures from Cape Coast

Takeru, Mica, Emily and Myself waiting for the Canopy walk at Kakum National Park.

Canopy walk at Kakum

Walking through the trees in Kakum

This is what the inside of a Cocoa plant looks like. The beans are covered in a sweet cocoa butter that you can eat but the beans taste terrible until you lay them out in the sun for a couple days.

This monkey, named Spock,  at Monkey Forest Reserve was pretty interested in Emily's Cocoa

Baby Crocodiles at Monkey Forest Reserve

Small African Cat called a Civet

Baby Antelope at Monkey Forest Reserve.

Hanging out on some stumps on top of the hill at Monkey Forest Reserve

Rosa and Myself walking through the trees

Spock at Monkey Forest Reserve

Rosa and Emily out back of the Cape Coast Castle

The cliff on which Cape Coast Castle sits

Pounding my Fufu dinner in Cape Coast

The docks at Elmina, a fishing village near Cape Coast

Championship celebration for some Division 2 Ghanaian soccer players. The fans and players most definitely love their futbol

We went through some Cocoa groves to get to the Wassa Domama rock shrine

Wassa Domama Rock Shrine

Tired, wet, and dirty but we made it to the Wassa Domama Rock Shrine

Vine Climbing at Wassa Domama