The Accra Experience

Well, when I first booked my flight to Ghana some months ago, I was really proud of myself.  I was planned to arrive in Accra at noon.  This meant I didn't have to spend the night in Accra.  During my last trip to Ghana, my experience in Accra was minimal, but just looking at the city and my surroundings, I considered it a blessing.  Accra is crazy!  So many people, so many drivers and neither of which seem to follow any guidelines of walking/driving within the same vicinity (I still don't know how I haven't witnessed any car crashes or people getting run over).

Thanks to Winter Storm Electra, my well laid plans quickly dissipated.  I woke up the morning I was to leave to find out that my plane was delayed 4 hours.  This was ok, I would still get all my connecting flights, just shorter delays.  As I arrived to the airport, I realized that the delay was expanding.  I spend 5 hours waiting at the airport before I was notified that I wouldn't meet any of my connecting flights and that I may have to wait an additional 3 days to be redirected.

I went home somewhat defeated.  I spend the next day and a half on the phone with Delta to find any possibility of leaving sooner for Ghana.  Luckily, I spoke to a wonderful supervisor in Salt Lake City who not only got me on flights but upgraded me (somewhat - economy comfort rather than economy).

3 flights and a nap in Amersterdam later, I'm leaving the Kotoko Airport in Accra.  Luckily, I was the only obruni so Amissah found me very fast.  I was very relieved to know that someone actually met me at the airport.  I had various concerns about this: 1) my flight schedules changed so much and caused so much confusion I wasn't sure if they knew when I would be there; 2) if they weren't there, was I adequately prepared to find my way to Cape Coast?  None of these mattered, because my "never-on-time" friends were ahead of schedule.  I took an airport shuttle to a guest house for the night.  There I took my last shower for 3 weeks.

The next morning, I was more than ready to get on the road and get to Cape Coast, there were so many people and things that I was dieing to see!  The hotel found us a taxi to Kaneeshi station.  Everything costs more when 1) in Accra; 2) you have luggage (in my case, too much luggage); and 3) you are obruni.  I paid 16ghc to go to Kaneeshi station to get a van with A/C (WIN!).  The Ford van cost 13ghc a person and an additional 15ghc for my three bags.  After a 3 hour, uneventful ride, I arrived in Cape Coast!  I went right from the station (by the way, to people who have been to Cape Coast before, the station has moved from Chapel Square to somewhere by Kotokuraba - I can't tell you where, because I blackout every time I go to Kotokuraba or think about Kotokuraba).  From the station I went directly to Ekon.  I don't remember the taxi fare, I was beat at this point after my 3rd day of traveling and changing time zones 3 or 4 times.  We picked up Lukeman on the way to the room because was apparently my interior designed and the holder of the keys.

How to explain where Ekon is?  For those familiar with Ola or the straight taxis from UCC: Ola is the part of town right before the beach road that passes Assase Pa (headed towards Bakanu).  Ekon is approximately the same distance from the castle as Ola, but in the opposite direction.  It's small, private, comfortable and safe.  I was very happy with the location that Lukeman and Amissah found.  The owner of Coastal Beach has a room there (apparently has has many... Abura, Intotoo, and others) and that is how they found the place.  It is great because I actually paid less to rent this room for a full year that I would've to stay at a guesthouse (even Baobob or Oasis) for the three weeks I was there.  Granted, I would've had a toilet and a shower, but what I lacked in amenities, I more than gained in true Ghanaian experience.  Ekon is one thing I regret not getting a picture of.  The layout of the area.  The area that I stayed in had about 8 rooms in a circle facing inwards.  This is one of the reasons the place was so secure.  There was no chance of theft because someone was always around and you knew who everyone was.  If someone came in to your room when you were not there, someone was always there to ward them off.

Coming and going from Ekon was relatively simple.  During the day, I could walk 100yards and get a straight car to town for 1cedi.  It would drop me near Sweet Gardens.  Coming back to Ekon from town during the day would cost between 1 and 2 cedis (depending if the driver would drop me at the junction at Ekon or go inside to the taxi station).  At night, I would have to take a drop taxi, this would range from 3-6 cedis depending on the day and who the driver was.

Since I dropped the ball on taking pictures of the room and Ekon, this is all I have:

There was a small low beam that Lukeman had placed with two heavy drapes to act as privacy and to separate one room into a common area and a bedroom.  During the day I raised them up, opened the windows/door and put on the fan for all the circulating air that I could possibly get

the ceiling - luckily leak-free, we had one big rainstorm and I swore everything was going to be soaked

the high wall.  The back wall was a bit lower, this allowed for rain to run off.  The crack between the wall and the ceiling is the reason I love Raid.  Although, Raid didn't do as good of a job as promised.  One night I woke up with a roach the size of Texas on my face.

some soft floor covering to cover the hard cement base