Christmas in Ghana

Instead of giving in to the temptation of going home for Christmas, I decided to explore Africa a bit more and headed West to Ghana.

The flight itself showed me just how big Africa is - Rwanda to Ghana is a 5 hour flight. When I landed, I felt as if I was on a totally different continent. Even though it was the evening, the air was hot and sticky - not like the cool evenings I am used to in Rwanda.

It was great to see the sea again, having been in a land-locked country for so long. I thoroughly enjoyed spending Christmas day on the beach, eating lobster and drinking pina colados and fresh coconut milk. My homesick-pang and desire for turkey quickly evaporated when the lobster turned up in front of me.

 

Another highlight of the trip included swimming under the beautiful waterfalls in Wli (Volta Region). After a 2 hour hike to reach the upper falls, a dip in the breathtakingly cold water was much needed. It was just a shame we couldn't swim again after hiking back down!

 

I also enjoyed visiting the castle at Cape Coast and found it very interesting to learn about the slave-trade. We visited the dungeons and went through the 'door of no return', which would have lead the slaves to their ships in the past.

Many hours in Accra were spent walking around Shoprite and Koala, two big supermarkets which have lots of western delights that Rwanda is lacking. I did my usual trick (similar to Sainsburys when I was at home last year) and walked up and down every aisle staring aimlessly at all the delights, not knowing where to start! Then I pulled myself together, treated myself to a diet coke and got to work. Having a few kg of luggage to spare, I happily stocked up on muesli, dried fruits, coconut milk, shampoo, cheddar cheese and pasta sauces - lots of little luxuries which I have already been enjoying in Kibungo.

So the trip was a huge success; I managed to relax, enjoy Christmas and explore another African country with some excellent company. However, the humidity, traffic and bad smells mean that I am happy to continue calling Rwanda my home. I somehow think I landed on my feet when I was posted to this little African country    :-)