FIRST DAY IN GHANA!!!!

GREETINGS FROM GHANA!!!!!!

I have had one of the most amazing, most simple days I have had in my life. Today I arrived in Ghana, went to Cape Coast for two hours, then headed back to Takoradi, went to dinner, and went to a bar for thirty minutes. This simple, yet exhilarating day, has been amazing.

Let start with the beginning of the day.

We arrived in Takoradi around 0800. It took about two hours to clear us to get off the ship. I did not wake up until 1040AM for I knew that this would be the case, and we did not get off the ship until 11AM. Hannah, Kelsey, Dennis, Kevin, and I planned to head off to Cape Coast to cruise around and see the Slave Castle in Cape Coast. The immigration officials ended up taking a long time to clear all the passports, which we needed if we are heading outside of Takoradi. While we waited, we headed into the market center to find some Cedis (currency of Ghana). We walked around for about an hour and then decided to head back to the ship to hopefully find our passports waiting for us. We called two taxis, for Veronica had joined us into the city but did not go with us on our journey to Cape Coast, and Veronica, Kelsey, Hannah, and Kevin piled into one taxi and Dennis and I got into another. Our taxi driver decided to take advantage of us tourists and drive us the opposite way of the port (he thought we said “Polytechnic Center” instead of “Port”…….hmmm…..). We ended up arriving at the port, but he had raised the price to 4 Cedis instead of 2 Cedis (the currency exchange is 1.4 Cedis = $1 US). Dennis and I paid it because we did not want to bargain at that point. We got back onto the ship and ate lunch, I had to take my second Malaria pill so it was worth the extra time. Lunch was fantastic, fried chicken and potatoes with éclairs as dessert. Finally, after finishing up lunch, we decided to head to Cape Coast, the five of us. We piled into one taxi to take us to the “Cape Coast Bus Station,” since every city has their own bus station. Side note: EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. in Ghana is the friendliest, kindest, most helpful people you will ever meet. Period. The taxi driver dropped us off at the bus station. The bus station by the way, is a hole in the wall, in the middle of run down buildings, on a dirt path, and in a place you would NEVER suspect there to be a bus station. But yet, there it stands in all its glory, with the smallest buses waiting in front. I wish I had taken a picture but I did not. We walked up to the counter, and I asked the guy for 5 tickets to Cape Coast. He then proceeded to ask whether we wanted a small bus or a big bus. I first asked for a small bus, since it was more personal. He then said, “Ok, two sixty Cedis.” My mind processed this as two hundred forty Cedis. I said in my mind, “HELL NAH!” (it actually ended up being 2.60 Cedis but I did not realize until after we had left) So we asked for the big bus, which was 2.40 Cedis. We bought the tickets and boarded the “big bus.” I put “big bus” in quotations for this reason, it was not a big bus like you would find back in the USA. This bus had twenty seats, crammed together. I proceeded to the back of the bus with Kelsey and Dennis, Kevin, and Hannah sat in separate spaces (when Dennis boarded, this lady on the bus told him to sit next to her, for he was her husband, we all had a good laugh). This was one of the most rewarding, interesting, and awesome bus rides I have ever done. Although we were crammed together (our bus tickets by the way were pieces of paper ripped off from a bigger piece and had 16 written on), baking hot inside, it was still a very exhilarating ride. We passed villages between Takoradi and Cape Coast, had little kids run next to bus waving at us (Ubruni in Ghanaian means “white man.” It is an awkward experience being in a country where you stick out like a sore thumb, everyone looks at you, not because you are a tourist, but for the color of your skin. Having kids look at you as if you are an attraction, an alien almost since white men are a rarity in Ghana. An interesting culture note). The villages we passed were amazing, active and full of jostling and bubbly life. Everyone seemed to be in the greatest moods they ever experienced. Me being the outgoing self I am, made friends with a man in front of me. He described the villages we passed, talked about futbol, and that he lives in Cape Coast. We stopped along the route to Cape Coast and Dennis and Kevin had to get off in order to let people off. Locals tried to steal their spots, but the driver shooed them off, and the driver almost drove off, leaving Kevin and Dennis, but everyone on the bus yelled and allowed the two of them back on. We stopped at checkpoints police erected, to catch speeders and make sure buses are not overcrowded. At these stops, masses of women approached with baskets balancing on their heads the bus and proceeded to sell people items. Water in plastic bags, bananas and plantains. Money was being passed over people’s heads, arguing with how much the prices are and what the change is. A very interesting sight to behold.
We arrived in Cape Coast about 2 hours after leaving Takoradi. The man I made friends with helped us to find a taxi, told us the price, and how to get to the castle. (I found, like I stated in one of my earlier posts, that by saying Thank You, Meh-Dah-Say, in Ghanaian, you make more friends than you can ever have. You have to embrace their culture and attempt to speak and respect their language, and that my friends and family, goes a LONG way) We arrived at the castle about 30 minutes before it closed for the day. We walked around and took some pictures and waited for the last tour to take place (5 Cedis for the tour). When the tour guide finally appeared, we began one of the most affecting tours I think anyone can ever take. (ur tour guide, Francis, would later become a friend, a good friend, but more on that after the tour) The tour consisted of walking the courtyard, explaining why the castle was built, for the Atlantic Slave Trade, who it was built by, the British, and what went on. After explaining and setting up the history of the castle, we toured the Men’s Dungeon. I cannot even begin to explain the rush of emotions that flowed over me as we toured the dungeons. In each room, only three of the smallest “windows,” might as well be cracks, we made to let in light and air. The rooms were crammed with over 300 slaves, and each room had the width to fit maybe 80 people comfortably. There were a total of five rooms, for a grand total of 1,250 slaves crammed into a tiny area. They would defecate, pea, sleep, socialize, and die in these small areas they were crammed into. They would have to wait maybe, 2-3 months before the ships finally arrived to carry them to the New World. The emotions that ran through me…No man, or woman, should ever have to endure what the Africans endured within the walls of this castle. After touring the male dungeons, we headed to the women’s dungeon. The women’s dungeon consisted of one room, three slits for air and light, almost a replica of the male’s dungeon, but a lot smaller. The women and small children were kept in this area. Same thing as the men, they would defecate, pea, sleep, socialize, and die in these small areas they were crammed into. After standing in this room for a little and listening to Francis speak, we walked towards the “Door of No Return.” This door signified that the slaves that walked through these doors, would never return to their homeland, see their families, and live a peaceful life ever again. We walked back into the castle, and for the last stop, we toured the “Death Cell.” This cell contained the slaves that would fight for their independence within the confines of the castle, sometimes killing British soldiers in the process. These brave men, were thrown into this tiny room, with no windows, no cracks for air, nothing whatsoever to give them feeling of the outside world, and left in here to die. They were given no water and no food. Francis turned the lights off after pointing out that on the ground of the cell, were marks, not from years of wear and tear, but from the prisoners, who after enduring so much pain and frustration, took their anger out of the ground, and tore it up with their shackles. I began to shed tears in the darkness, and a little writing this, that is how powerful of an effect this cell had on me. We sat in silence for 10 seconds for the prisoners who died in this cell and for all the others who had to endure such brutal conditions.

After finishing the tour, we stood around with Francis afterwards talking about where we are from and what we do. We told him our plans for the rest of the night, how Dennis, Kevin and I were heading back to Takoradi (since we had Habitat for Humanity today, September 23 [the first half was written last night when I got back from the bar, I wanted that “fresh off the press” and I am now finishing up now]) and that Kelsey and Hannah were staying in Cape Coast for the night. Francis was so kind in that, he took us to the front of the castle, hailed two taxis, told one to take the two girls to a great hotel within Cape Coast, and the three of us to the bus station. Francis decided to ride with us and make sure everything went ok. He went and asked at the bus station if there were any buses, which there was only one left but 2 seats available and about an hour away from Cape Coast. He suggested we wait, but that we were taking a gamble that someone would get off and another seat would clear up. So the three of us decided to take the taxi back to Takoradi, which ended up being 35 Cedis, very cheap, and 5 Cedis to the bus station, so 40 Cedis total. Francis decided to ride ALL the way from Cape Coast to Takoradi and back to Cape Coast with the taxi driver, Ramsey. I thought this was one of the most amazing aspects about the Ghanaians and Francis. The Ghanaians will help you no matter who you are, it is as if you are a long lost friend that they have not seen in years. Francis and I conversed on the way back to Takoradi; we talked about schooling (he is a Tourism major in Cape Coast) in Ghana, what the government is like, how the economy is doing, the history of Ghana of its independence (Ghana was the first African country to gain its independence, and did it without conflict), and many other topics. Francis said that he is making his way into the USA within the next couple months and was hoping that Dennis and I would help him out in his travels when he comes, so we swapped information, we gave him our e-mail addresses and face book and same with him to us.

After arriving in Takoradi, another group; Amanda, Amy, Jen, Kate, Bria, and us 3 decided to eat out at a place called Captain Hook’s, here in Takoradi. This place was supposedly the hideaway for Ernest Hemingway. It was kind of pricy, but it was great food all in all. After finishing up dinner, Jen, Amanda and I headed out to a bar across the street, Ocean Bar. It was not that fun, we left after about 30 minutes. The very first minute inside, I began to drench myself in my sweat. SASers had already been here for a couple hours. It was mass orgy on the make shift dance floor the SASers had created. I even got hit on by the prostitutes stationed in the bar. She piched my elbow, winked at me, raised her eyebrows and nodded her head towards the door. It was an experience. Jen, Amanda and I left soon after.

That was my first day in Ghana. One of the best days I have ever had. I love Ghana and will fully enjoy the entire time in this wonderful country. Tomorrow I will write about what happened today (September 23^rd). I hope all is well to whomever reads this.

Until my next post,

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
-Mahatma Gandhi