After 9 long days at sea, we knew something was up when, through the fog at 1am on February 6th, we could see a light off in the distance. We could not make it out for certain, but it appeared to be a lighthouse which meant that the continent of Africa was close by. Finally, for the first time in my life, I stepped foot on a part of this planet not directly connected to North America!
The port of Takoradi proved to be less than we expected. The walk to the end of the pier was long (thankfully replaced by a shuttle for the last few days) and dangerous due to equipment. This was definitely a shipping port rather than a tourist pier. At that point we were literally "attacked" by vendors, obviously trained in the market of Accra. We didn't visit Accra, but others who went said the market scene was agressive mayhem. Our small taste at the port was enough for me.
We went for an overnight stay in the city of Winneba, a college town where the University of Education is located. This is the state college which focuses on education and the arts. They put on several drumming, music and generally good fun programs for us while there. These experiences almost made up for the 3 hours (each way) on overloaded buses without air conditioning. We were not quite ready for that! Also, the markets in Winneba were not agressive at all, in fact friendly and welcoming.
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| Along the road to Winneba |
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| Seaside village |
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| Our group with the Winneba Chief |
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| University of Education School of Music and Performing Arts |
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| Native drumming and percussion sticks performance |
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| Drumming group |
The next day I left bright and early on another 3 hours ride (A/C thankfully) to the Habitat for Humanity worksite where we worked on a few houses in the village. It was a blast, even though very hard work, and left me wanting more.
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| A finished H4H project nearby |
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| Our H4H site |
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| Sarge made the trip and helped |
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| Our "extended family" daughter Rikki went on this project with me |
I returned to the ship that evening to learn that due to a problem getting replacement water in Takoradi, there was going to be no water (except for drinking) on the ship from 10 pm until 7 pm the next day. And then 700 showers all at once??? Who knows what would happen after that, so Liz and I decided to take a cab ride to the city of Elmina (a place we had planned to go and see the castles and dungeons from the slave trade days) and find a hotel to spend the night. We ended up at the Coconut Grove Resort right on the beach and luxuriated for the evening and following morning following our castle tour. We loved this little (yeah only 800,000 population) fishing city.
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| This cab ride reminded us of the Amazing Race |
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| Coconut Grove Beach Resort |
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| Coconut Grove Beach Resort |
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| Coconut Grove Beach Resort |
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| View of the Castle from the top of the next hill (Portuguese church) in Elmina |
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| Fishing is their economy. Lagoon off of the ocean |
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| Coconut Grove Beach Resort sunset |
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| Elmina Castle |
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| Elmina Castle |
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| Elmina Castle - the Governor had the entire top floor to himself |
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| Intake cells - Left side cell was for the incorrigibles |
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| Women slaves would be chained to the cannon ball if they refused to submit. |
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| One hundred and fifty women slaves would occupy this space |
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| Entranceway to the "door of no return" where slaves would load onto ships |
The castle tour ended up being heartbreaking. It was difficult to imagine humans treating other humans this way.
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