From Bamboo to Fufu

Once back in Ghana I did feel happier, Ghana is a backpacker’s haven compared to the other countries and it is one that I know well so I know what to pay, it’s nice to have that familiar feeling. We had some time, so we had decided to spend a few nights along the coast.

Near the Cote D’Ivoire is the Ankasa Nature reserve, a little visited rainforest that has a massive bamboo forest within it. There is no public transport, so we had to hire a taxi to take us out there and then to the village where we were going to spend the night. We got to the reserve and did a walk through the forest. It was interesting, but I have been through a few rainforests and they are all very similar. I am not of the skill level to appreciate the 300 different plant species that live in them so they all look alike. The bamboo forest is called the Bamboo Cathedral and was unfortunately deeper in the forest down a road that only a motorbike could take. We haggled a deal with one of the rangers to take us there on the bike and, so we were off.

The Bamboo Cathedral was spectacular huge clumps of bamboo about four or five stories tall. They all bend over at the top and create a ceiling of leaves creating the feeling of being in a great vaulted Cathedral. It’s hard to really explain it and the pictures don’t do it justice. It was a very different natural feature, one I had not seen before. The light that filtered through was tinted green because of the leaves and the ground was covered in bamboo leaves. The whole place was a bit dreamlike and was very peaceful and calm with a stream running through the middle.

After this our taxi took us to Beyin which is a small village on the coast. It took about one and a half hours because the road very bumpy, so we didn’t get to the guesthouse till almost 19:00. The beach was picturesque, and the room was very comfortable, we had dinner and the passed out.

We weren’t here for the beach though; it is the starting point out to the stilt village of Nzulezo. So, in the morning we had breakfast and then set out to the village. We walked past a small British fort that has it origins in the slave trade; it was being renovated so we didn’t go in and just walked to where we got our canoe. The canoe sails through waterways in the marsh that surrounds the village, after awhile the marsh opened into a lake and the Village came into view.

The village was a lot bigger than I expected, it houses about 500 people and there is a shop, school, church and a couple guest houses. We learnt a bit about how the build the village and the rules on constructing a new house. Basically, the village is built like a row of HHHHHHHs. Each family gets a vertical segment and can build out as much as they want with the horizontal portion being the mail walkway. If a new family comes a new segment is added to the end of the main row.

We spent a bit of time at the village and then took a trip out to another lake that was supposed to have crocodiles; unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any.  So, we headed back through the marsh down a man-made canal that lead almost all the way to the beach.

Back in the village we grabbed our bags and then got a taxi to the junction, so we could get a tro-tro to Takoradi. We were heading for Cape Coast where we wanted to spend the night. The whole journey was a breeze and we found ourselves in Cape Coast at around sunset. So, we found a cheap place to stay and had a bit of a rest.

The next day we just wanted to have an easy day without any traveling. We went to Cape Coast Castle which is a large fort Built by the British for the slave trade and was the largest slave trading center in West Africa. After slavery was abolished it became an antislavery base and then the colonial government seat.

The castle is huge, and its history is as you can imagine not the cleanest. Walking through the old cells and then seeing the church that was right above them or the Governors suite where he lived in supreme luxury. There is a museum and a guided tour, both of which were quite good. It compares to Elmina Castle 15km to the west that the Dutch built for the same reason, I visited that one with Cath in January.

After the castle we just spent the rest of the day relaxing, I had Fay try fufu for the first time, not sure if she liked it. In the evening Fay took me out for a nice meal at a restaurant overlooking the sea, we had a really good meal and a few drinks. It was our last dinner together as I was heading home the next day and Fay was going to spend a few more days on the coast before flying to Kenya.

So, in the morning we said our goodbyes and I set off on a bus back to Accra. I had a few things to do in Accra before I got the night bus back to Wa and was Home the next morning. I was happy to fall into my own bed after being away and it was nice to see my friends again.

The whole trip was quite a diverse one and was very interesting. I wouldn’t describe the trip as a fun one, it was entertaining and an adventure but as with the last trip it was a lot of work. Which I guess is all part of the point, going through countries where most won’t tread is part of the draw. It was a lot more expensive then I hope but I suppose when there isn’t any tourist infrastructure and the foreigners that are around do have a lot of money (UN, and NGO workers) this is normal. It does make me appreciate being home in a place where I know all the variables and I am always very happy to get home.