Green Turtle Lodge Cape Coast

6th - Stopped in Wa to change to local currency before heading to Mole National Park, passing through Sawla and Larabanga. A few people went for a game walk in the evening, while the others went to the pool. Martin and I managed to watch the Champions League semi final match of Chelsea vs. Barcelona at the bar, missing the football matches a bit whilst traveling. Our camp was raided by a family of warthogs and a baboon, Ian found out the wrong method to get a baboon to move away. Dist cov. = ...

Since we last wrote we have travelled to Cape coast, about 3 hours east of Accra. Every one raves about it, but we really weren't that impressed. It has a stunning castle right on the beach which is now a rather grisly museum, telling you all about the slave trade. Cape coast was one of the main slave trading posts in west africa, and the castle was actually used as dungeons to store the captives before shipping them to America. It was quite horrifying to learn what the english did out here, ...

Oooh, it's hot and humid in Ghana - people pay good money at home to sit and sweat in a sauna like we're doing. First stop on the tourist trail after crossing the border from Burkina was Mole National Park - a chance to see some more wildlife and enjoy the luxury of sitting around a swimming pool during the heat of the day, the whole event made more interesting by the fact that a local baboon has realised that entering the camp is a very easy way of getting food and drink (a bit scary when he...

Greetings from Ghana, I hope that you all enjoy this update. You'll realize that we really do work while we're here! Stay well and have a fun summer, especially you Yoopers! TODTWD TODTWD is "Take Our Daughter to Work Day". It's a program that Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana do to encourage girls to continue their education past primary school, avoid getting pregnant, and above all, to DREAM! There are four schools in the Sibi area in which I could choose only eight girls who would get to par...

Last night Tom left me with the first batch of arrivals from the airport at a really good restaurant in Accra, called Venus. Everyone seemed to think I was the expert as I had the most Ghanaian experience in the group, having been there one entire day. We had a good time but the second set of arrivals didn't get to the restaurant to join us until close to 11pm. Tom, Peter, and the newbies managed to get a dinner order in though. We didn't stay long after they were finished their meals as we h...

I rose early today and read my book while waiting for breakfast. It was so hot last night that it was a bit difficult to sleep. I would wake up in a sweat and then have to shuffle around and try to cool down before sleeping again. After breakfast we walked to Akwidaa village, about 25 minutes walk up the beach, where we visited three schools. We talked to the head teachers about the parade we were organizing tomorrow to make sure everyone was prepared. Everyone was not, but hopefully after ou...

As we'd hoped, a week at the Green Turtle Lodge on the west coast has rejuvenated us and renewed our hopes for our time in Ghana. Certainly, the idea that "less is more" is in play here at Green Turtle - eight thatched huts facing the beach alongside a thatched bar/dining annex. We're "off the grid" here; solar panels on each hut gather enough energy to power lamps for a few hours each night. Toilets are self-composting and shower water is caught so that the surrounding plants are watered. We...