A budget trip to Ghana

One of the most fun bits of the trip was my three day ferry trip down Lake Volta; the most relaxing, time spent on the beaches of eastern Ghana; the most peculiar, the local cuisine.

Quick Tips:

Ghana is on the equator. It is VERY, VERY hot and humid, but also rather dusty thanks to the harmattan, the desert wind which blows in from the Sahara. Be prepared to sweat and shower a lot! Also remember to check up on what shots you need (polio, tetanus and yellow fever spring to mind), take anti-malarial prophylactics, and mosquito repellant. A mosquito net will probably also come in handy.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transport works as well in Ghana as anywhere else in Africa; buses and minibuses go to places regularly, but they only leave when they're full. If you're in a hurry, consider domestic flights, or hiring a private taxi.

The most expensive hotel in Tamale, at $15 a night for a single this is value for money - especially after the long and dusty eight hour drive to get there. With air conditioning, in-suite showers (with hot water and complimentary soap), TV, two bars (one outside with sometime live music), and a lovely restaurant serving continental food (that means chicken, rice, fish, potatoes and, oddly enough, great chinese stir fry!) this is the place government officials and the wealthy choose when they venture north. It's advisable to look presentable on arrival - not that anyone would comment, but you'll feel more comfortable.

Originally the Estuary Beach Camp, the resort moved and switched names after a large part of it was washed away in a flood. It's now positioned right next to a long stretch of beach just outside of town, and it's great. The rooms are made of palm, wih large double beds and good quality mosquito netting, and the price per night is very reasonable (as I remember, I paid about $8 a night for a single).

There is a lovely restaurant on the premises which serves both 'continental' food (chicken, rice, fish, potatoes, fried yams) and local dishes (see my entry under 'local cuisine'). The staff are friendly, and there is a small gift shop on the premises. One on one drumming lessons were also on offer while I was there.

The beach is right outside the entrance, and the water very refreshing - although one has to be careful of the very strong undertow. Remember, the nearest life-guards are in Europe!

My planned two-day stay here turned into five, and I strongly recommend the place to anyone wanting to kick back and relax a little, and just shoot the breeze with whoever happens to drift in.

To get there, catch a long-distance minibus to 'Little Ada' (as opposed to 'Big Ada'), and a private taxi will take you from the bus park to the hotel.

Every budget traveler coming through Cape Coast seems to stay here - I certainly didn't meet anyone in Ghana who'd stayed anywhere else.
The guest house is clean and comfortable, with a quiet roof-top bar that has great views of the town.



There's also a restaurant which does 'continental' food (chicken, fish, rice, chips, fried yams and potatoes) - place your orders early to allow the staff to get what you want from the market.



I was also able to organize a guide for a day-tour of the town through the guest house, which I found quite a rewarding experience. We went to all three of the castles built in the town, and walked through a lot of the back-streets, which is always fun.



Although the rooms are not air-conditioned, each has a fan, and I found this quite adequate (in some ways I prefer fans to air-conditioning - they work quicker, and are much quieter).



It is within walking distance of the local bus park, but it's easier to catch a private taxi, especially if you get there in the middle of the day, when the extra $1 for the cab is well worth it to avoid carrying all your stuff through the midday heat and humidity.

Ghana is renowned for its kente cloth (brilliant, if expensive, woven cloth), but it also produces beautiful wood carvings, notably masks and fertility dolls, and brass figurines, replicas of original figures used to weigh gold, each with its own proverb.

The major craft centres are in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale. The National Arts Centre (see my entry under Accra) is an easy place to buy stuff that you forgot to get, or didn't have place for, while you were travelling elsewhere in Ghana, but shopping there isn't much fun.

If you're in Kumasi, head for the national museum. There are some great shops there, and you'll also get re-directed to other stalls in and around the city.

I found the best curios, though, (and stuff which wasn't available in Accra)in the north in Tamale, in an otherwise run-down cultural centre. It takes some finding, but it's well worth a visit.

Haggling works like anywhere else in Africa; don't pay more than you feel you want to for an item, but always remember that you're probably bartering for a maximum discount of $2. If it's not fun, then why bother? Expressing anger publicly is also generally considered impolite.

While it's expected to haggle, I found that prices didn't drop much despite my persistence. Don't expect always to be paying half the starting price.

This was one of the highlights of my trip. The Yapei Queen is a ferry which runs the length of Lake Volta twice a week, from Akosombo in the South to Yeji in the North, and back again.

The ferry is a working ferry, carrying mostly yams (up to 40,000 at a time!!), but also cattle, trucks and people. Downstairs is third class, a large room of benches and tables, and only for the very brave or the local. Upstairs, though, are three first class cabins, which are delightfully comfortable and only cost about $20 for the trip - trust me you want to be in one of these; they are air-conditioned, clean and contain a basin with running water. The shower and toilet are shared with the crew, but are also in immaculate condition. There are only 6 berths though, so it would be wise to make a booking. You can phone the ferry company from the tourist office in Accra. I did this, and although no one on the boat could remember the booking, it did me give me some preference in securing a berth!

The trip south-north is the easier to get on. It leaves from Akosombo on a Monday afternoon, and arrives in Yeji 24 hours later. It does, however, leave you having to spend the night in Yeji, and from the brief glance I got of the hotels there, that wouldn't be much fun. I chose to catch the ferry north-south which, although requiring better timing to catch, and a round-about route throught Tamale, gives an extra night on the ferry, more daylight time on the boat, and a very pleasant 9am arrival in Akosombo.

To get there from the North I spent a night in Tamale, caught the 6am bus down to Makongo, and the ferry from Makongo to Yeji, arriving in the heat of the afternoon. Once there though I simply waited in a hotel and had a cold beer until the ferry arrived. Although we only left at 3am the next morning, I was allowed to spend the night on the ferry - which saves a very early morning wake-up call! The trip consists mostly of leisurely travel down the lake, with lovely scenery on either side, punctuated by several stops to pick up crates of yams. These stops are generally very long - every yam is unloaded by hand from a truck at the stop, carried aboard in buckets and basins by women, and then re-packed in crates on the ferry (there is a forklift on the ferry, but at most of the stops there are no spare crates, so it can't be used). Packing seems to be the man's job. I don't know why. Packing several thousand yams by hand can take two to three hours, and while it is curiously hypnotic to watch, I would advise taking a book.

The crew on the boat are very friendly, and with a little luck you may be invited onto the bridge by the captain or the first mate.

The ferry arrives in Akosombo port (just outside Akosombo town) at 9 on the Wednesday morning. Minibuses are waiting, and there is one for just about any destination in eastern and central Ghana.

Unlike francophone West Africa, Ghanaians didn't adopt rice-based meals after colonialism, but stayed rather with their traditional staples: fufu, banku, kenkey and red-red. Normally I find experiencing the local dishes one of the most interesting aspects of any trip, but these staples I found a little hard to swallow.

Fufu, banku and kenkey are all made from ground maize, yam or a combination of the two,which is then boiled and served with a 'saue' a thinnish soup of goat or fish stock.

While all three appear similar to the starches of eastern and southern Africa, bland but filling, they have one major difference - they are completely wihtout texture; smooth, shiny and sticky! The word 'goop' is the most descriptive in my vocabulary!

I spent much of the first two times I tried fufu feeling it slide between my teeth and gums - it was only later that I discovered that Ghanaians don't even try to chew - it's to be swallowed whole (in small mouthfuls of course)!

The proper etiquette is to squeeze off small blobs of the fufu/ banku/ kenkey (having washed one's hands in the water that ought to be provided - if it's not, ask for some); roll it in the fingers until one has made a ball (this takes some practice; it's easier if you have a bit of the 'sauce' on your fingers to stop the starch from sticking to them); dip the blob in the sauce, pop it in the mouth and swallow - DON'T CHEW!

Banku has an extra surprise - it's left to ferment for a while before boiling. While it looks the same as fufu, it tastes sour. You want to be aware of that. Banku - bland, fufu - sour; or is it the other way around?

Red-red consists of deep-fried plaintains and beans. While its not unpleasant, it sits very heavily and is best washed down with a big bottle of beer.

Be warned that it's not easy to find 'continental' food in many of the smaller towns, so if you're inclined to wander off the beaten track you're going to wind up with feasting on these meals.

Bon appetit.