As many who live in the city know, it can be nice to get away. We spent our first weekend in Ghana by heading out of the ever busy city of Accra in search of a beach and a beverage.
A group of us headed to the city centre to find a bus, car or tro-tro that could take us to our chosen destination - Estuary Beach Club at Ada Foah. When we arrived to an African style bus terminal, we were blown away by the organized madness. There were hundreds of vehicles, driving in every direction, men yelling here, women selling there. From a first-timers eye, it almost impossible to figure out even what direction you were facing let alone which vehicle was heading where. The locals, however, navigated around like it was nobody's business.
After attempting to locate signs, time tables or travel information, we finally accepted the guidance of one of the many local drivers who had been nagging and gabbing at our arms to give us a ride. We followed the driver to his car and negotiated a price. For 15 cedis each he would take us all the way to Ada Foah, which is located about 2 hours east of the city of Accra.
Once arriving in Ada Foah, we laid eyes on a busy street market. Similar to those in Accra, locals were selling items of all sorts - garments, tools, fresh fruit, burnt Cds, shoes and more. As we weren't in the mood for spending money we continued on to the beach side, and for an additional five cedis each we were driven directly to where we would catch a boat to the beachfront where we would be staying at Estuary Beach Club - where the Volta River meets the Atlantic Ocean.
As we grabbed our bags and exited the car, we decided to purchase some water to quench our thirst. As we did, we saw what is called a “chop bar” located beside the store, and thought 'Hey, what better way then with an ice cold beer!' Surely enough, it seems no matter where you are in the world, there is always cold beer.
We decided to be adventurous and try a taste at the chop bar, which is a small family run road side eatery. It's nothing fancy, usually extremely cheap and only has one dish on the menu. Today's choice: fufu in soup with meat. Fufu is a dough like substance made from pounding cassava while adding water.
Cheryl, friend and jhr intern, decided to give it a go, which the locals found quite entertaining. We made friends with one of the children as well as the owner, George. Once our meals arrived - feeling not as bold as we did when ordering - gave it a shot.
It was a ball of fufu, a piece of goat (chicken for Megan), covered in a soupy-like liquid. They provided us with a bowl of water to wash our hands and we were instructed to dig in – using our hands as utensils and the fufu to absorb the soup.
The only word to describe it was SPICY. By far one of the spiciest things ever – ever, ever!
We did our best, but unfortunately were not champions. We were unable to empty our dishes, which can be found as quite disrespectful (although clearly not our intention). We explained to the cooks how wonderful a meal it was, but that we filled up fast and, as newcomers, we were not quite used to the strength of the pepe (spice).
The chop bar had won.
We finished our beverages and followed George to the waterfront, where he said we would ride on a small boat, to a bigger boat, which would take us to our final location. As we set off we noticed we were heading towards a dredger ship, which was clearly not the boat that would be taking us anywhere.
As we climbed aboard we were introduced to two friendly Lebanese men who had been working on the dredger for the past seven months and would continue to for numerous months more. Staying vigilant, as always, we accessed the situations and agreed it was safe to stay. We discussed their work, past travel experience and opinions on Ghana.
Soon enough we decided it was time to go, as the sun sets early in Ghana, often as early as 6:30pm, and we wanted to be off the water well before then. We climbed off the dredger and headed towards the beach where we would be staying.
We pulled up and were greeted by a group of our local friends and jhr trainers. We ordered a delicious plate of chicken and rice - the everyday meal staple of Ghana - and enjoyed the sounds of the waves the bongos, the smell of the fresh air and cooked fish, and the company of good people.
Estuary Beach Club was breathtaking. We were surrounded by water and entertained with routines of local dance and music by the campfire.
As always, morning came to soon and it was time to go.
Which is an adventurous tale for another time :)
Ghana jhr crew at the chop bar in Ada Foah.
Owner of chop bar, George and friend.
Cheryl gives the fufu process a try.
The final product: lunch at the chop bar. 
Myself and George on the boat to Estuary Beach Club. 
Waterfront at Ada Foah.
Estuary Beach Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting!
Mn.