Day 21 2016
Another extremely comfortable night… i just can’t understand it ! One of the things i was dreading about this trip is the measely horrible pillows! I even almost brought my own pillow i was so worried … last time it was one of the bummers of the trip :) This trip has been Pillow Paradise … every place has these new beautiful plump pillows… awesome!
The outside world was already in full swing even though for me it was very early … around 6:30 am or so… From the hotel’s porch you could watch all the comings and goings.. Even though you can’t see it anymore just on the other side was a hug teaming fish market.. And the big dugout canoes were coming in with their catches ….
We had breakfast and then decided to go for a walk… we went over the bridge and had to pay a toll to get into the fish market. Not just us but everyone … The sea is bountiful – there was every size and shape of fish imaginable, and other sea creatures which was hard for me to look at too closely. How is it possible that this misused, polluted sea could be so giving? Fish and fishing is obviously the backbone of this community and when it is broken so will this hardworking stretched-to-breaking point community … In all of Ghana, it is this area that screams ‘Too many People!’ It is an area that has a palpable aura that makes my heart be in my throat.
The story of the puppy sums it up for me… We were going for a walk along the beach. I was really ok. There was a soccer match starting on the beach, the teams were facing off. Then we saw two youngster with this small scared little puppy . They were grabbing it and flinging it into the ocean. Seeing this just brought everything to a head for me – i was crying for this puppy, for these boys who looked so cruel, for all the people here. And crying because there was nothing i could do.
We continued walking and then it was time to turn back. I wasn’t sure i could stomach going passed these cruel boys again. I had myself in hand however. This time as we were going by i could see the two boys poring over this poor shivering baby… they were busy de-fleaing it … just like i did once so long ago with kittens that our cat had given birth to outside.. We had to get the flea in between our fingernails to crush them. These boys were patiently taking each flea away from puppy and drowning them in water!! Suddenly the whole scene took on a whole new meaning… these young boys in this polluted and unforgiving environment had found something to love and care for. And that’s the way it is here… grinding poverty, harsh environment yet gentle smiling faces always welcoming you, loving you. Another humbling moment when love of my fellow human filled my heart.
We were off again in the car leaving Elmina behind and going to Cape Coast so Lisa could do the tourist thing and see the Cape Castle. We left her to do the tour on her own … i just can’t go in that terrible place that hold in place such a terrible time in human history. Instead i went around the small Cultural Center which is just beside the museum … Dela was busy with Queenie … apparently all that shaking and baking had shook a wire loose and now the lights in the car wouldn’t turn off which would drain the battery if left…
Lisa didn’t seem to enjoy the tour of the Castle much. I remember how the guide droned on and on belaboring every point … she finally got fed up and came out and joined me.
It turned out to be quite a boon as there was lots of beautiful Mud Cloth. I had just taken for granted that it was from Mali. We had the good fortune to run into ……. who was from the North and extremely knowledgable about his wares. This Mud Cloth is made in Ghana outside of Bolgatanga in Congo he told us. I got Dela to not all of this down for our next excursion. This kind of information is worth its weight in gold!!! Ghana might not have great tourist exhibits but it has an amazing cultural heritage that to me is so exciting and worthwhile.
Then we were back on roads from Hell and got the hell bumped out of us all the way to our next abode… Coconut Grove.
Sigh.. Everyone is going to love this place. It is like we are suddenly on a different planet and not in Ghana at all. The hotel grounds are green and lush and pristine. Our rooms are so comfortable without being ostentatious … and the ocean is frothy and frolicing… and the beach is clean white sand as far as you can see… (Sadly you take one step off the grounds of the hotel and the garbage is back but in this alternate reality everything is pristine and could be any tropical paradise in the world!!) ooooh-la-la…
A swim in the pool to soak away the day … a long solitary walk along the frothing ocean being occasionally soaked by a particularily strong wave… true heaven.
Then dinner with the ocean breeze and the sunset over the water …. aaah!
