At the end of our time in Ghana, we traveled east once more.

At the border with Togo, near the town of Hohoe, lies the village of Wli, home to the largest waterfall in West Africa.

Nearby is the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary, home to Mona Monkeys. The monkeys are very friendly and sociable (especially if you have bananas).

After that, we took a motorcycle taxi to Amedzofe, which is the highest settlement in Ghana. There, we climbed Mount Gemi, the second highest mountain in Ghana.

6 weeks in Ghana are inevitably coming to an end... 😭

13.11.25-15.11.25: Larabanga & Mole National Park

10.11.25-13.11.25: Kumasi, capital of the Asante

11.11.25 Kejetia Market & Mankyia Palace (Asante Museum)

12.11.25 Adinkra Village, where Kente cloth is woven

05.-10.1125 - Accra

28.10.-01.11. - Akuse & surrounding areas

03. & 04.11. - Adeiso

Busua is a small village with a dreamy beach and a hotspot for surfing.

From Busua, we took a tour to Cape Three Points, the southernmost point of West Africa. The three capes form the number 3.

Nzulezu is a village that is completely built on stilts. You can only get there by boat.

Trigger warning, this was hard for us to digest..

First, we entered the Male Slave Dungeons, where enslaved individuals were kept imprisoned by the hundreds. Damp, dark, and oppressive. There were about 10 of us, and it already felt very cramped. The tour guide explained that we stood on the trampled remains of 400 years of cruelty.

Enslaved individuals who resisted were put into an even smaller cell, completely without light. There, they were left to die. The bodies simply remained in the cell. When the guide briefly closed the door, you could see nothing at all. It was grotesque...

Next, we went to the Female Slave Dungeons, which were similarly structured to those of the men. However, there was a barred window here through which soldiers selected women to be raped. If a woman became pregnant, she was allowed to leave the dungeon to give birth and was then brought back afterward.

...

Some of the women were then brought to the governor. This was also our next stop. The rooms are located on the upper floors. The contrast is just too stark. Huge rooms, bright and well-ventilated, high ceilings, and a feeling of freedom. It’s a good place to live. The view from the window is a dream.

On this level, there was also a church that was located directly above one of the dungeons. Being close to heaven and praying to God while hell lies beneath you.

The Door of No Return. This was the last gate through which the enslaved individuals were brought. Passing through this gate meant losing their roots, identity, family, friends, and homeland. One can see the idyllic beach on the other side. There, the enslaved individuals were taken by small boats to the large ships to be shipped across the Atlantic. Many enslaved individuals took their own lives on this journey by jumping into the sea and drowning. Nowadays, on the other side, there is a sign that reads: Door of Return.

October 18, 2025 - October 21, 2025

October 18, 2025 - Trip to Cape Coast

October 19, 2025 - Strolling & Cape Coast Castle (see another post)

October 20, 2025 - Kakum National Park

October 21, 2025 - Elmina Town & Castle

This time we docked very early. I disembarked with Craig at around 8:00 a.m. A shuttle bus took us into the city. During the trip we got a glimpse of Ghana. The positive thing was that there were plenty of ATMs. The negative thing was that the city was dirty and consisted almost entirely of crumbling buildings.

Craig and I tried to get some cash, but we only managed to get it at the second ATM. It had started to rain and the rain became a torrential downpour. Craig made his way back on the shuttle bus while I braved the rain.

I had planned to try the authentic local cuisine here. This turned out to be surprisingly difficult. One after the other, I headed to three supposed restaurants that Google Maps had shown me. None of the restaurants seemed to exist anymore.

Only the fourth restaurant actually existed. The place was called "Hot Ernesto Fast Food". At least it had a few bar stools in the dry and the short menu included the dish I wanted to try: Jollof rice with chicken. And a yogurt drink. Since it was still relatively early, I had the dining room to myself and was able to tackle the large portion undisturbed. The rice and chicken were spicy, and an additional sauce made it even spicier. I liked it, but I only managed half of the rice. I had overestimated my hunger.

On the way back to the bus stop I looked for things I could buy with the rest of the local currency but found nothing. The shuttle bus took me back to the ship. We left this desolate town in the early afternoon.

I didn't feel like doing much else, so I just had a cocktail with music from our string trio. I skipped dinner and other entertainment.

58 days go by so quickly. It all started with absolute snow chaos in Munich...

Saying goodbye to Cape Three Point was surprisingly difficult for me. The sea, the beach and the hope of baby turtles create a great attraction for this place. Even though the constant change of patrols from midnight to 5 a.m. and back is not good for your sleep rhythm, I found them almost magical, especially on the full moon nights. Even slalom running between all the sleeping goats and sheep on the way to the beach was part of the ritual at some point. What made saying goodbye a little easier was the prospect of food other than rice and noodles. And above all, the very frequent power outages are nerve-wracking. In my two weeks here we have had eight power outages, three of which lasted almost an entire day. Aside from the very bad nights due to the fan not working, we also had to throw away some of the valuable food that couldn't handle the warm temperatures. As mentioned, replacement proves difficult as the nearest supermarket is three hours away. Unfortunately I couldn't finish my picture either. In case you were wondering what I got up to in my free time, you can see a picture of my lion above, using paint by numbers. Unfortunately, the brushes gave up the ghost last week and replacements are not available. But I will definitely finish the picture.

However, there was a special parting gift for me. On my last day, a few baby turtles decided to hatch again. After I was the only one who agreed to get up early in the morning, I alone was given the honor of releasing another 26 turtles into the wild. It was once again a crowning conclusion to watch the little rascals waddling laboriously through the sand to then get safely into the sea.

So I said goodbye to the southernmost point of Ghana with one laughing and one crying eye and set off for Takoradi via motorcycle taxi and car taxi. If you remember, I spent Christmas here at the festival. Since I wanted to avoid another lengthy journey with luggage, this time I took a plane from Takoradi to Accra. Another interesting experience. The airport here is probably the smallest I've ever been to after the one in Kruger National Park. Here the luggage is brought to the plane by hand and loaded. The waiting area looks like that of a doctor's office and there is a snack machine for food. However, with my luggage, which was 600g too heavy, they were very strict and I had to pack something in my hand luggage to get under 23kg. Someone should understand that... Exactly on time, which borders on a wonder of the world, we left for Accra within 25 minutes. Luckily I had a window seat so I could enjoy the view of the coast.

Accra is the absolute mirror image of Ghana. Loud, colorful, crowded, chaotic, dusty,… Luckily my hostel was only 20 minutes away from the airport and even though I'm not a fan of dormitories, everything here was so nicely prepared and well thought out that I felt completely comfortable. As strange as it may sound, I was most looking forward to the warm shower. After eight weeks of only cold water and sometimes from buckets, you suddenly really appreciate such a little thing. Otherwise, Accra doesn't offer much in the way of sights. Since I had already been to several fortresses, they were of no interest to me and only a few memorials and the artist market remained. However, I had met a few people in the hostel and so I spent the day with an American, a New Zealander and a Nigerian. Very interesting combination and it made the day go by much faster than expected. Even the American woman's flight and mine were at exactly the same time. So we struggled together through the crowds of very haphazard Ghanaians, most of whom were flying for the first time in their lives.

Thanks to my robust stomach, which hasn't let me down once in the last eight weeks, I was able to enjoy one last typical local dinner before finally heading home late in the evening. First to Brussels and then on to Munich. Thankfully, upon pickup there was my standard welcome snack, apple spritzer and pretzels. Oh how I missed that.

Now to my conclusion of the last few weeks in Ghana. Ghana is my 13th African country, but the first in West Africa. There are wonderful landscapes and the beaches with the warm sea are particularly inviting to enjoy. The country has potential for a beautiful travel destination. Unfortunately, the catastrophic infrastructure currently makes it very difficult to travel and you tire very quickly. Even though I met a lot of very nice locals, I personally find the mentality a bit difficult. The constant tardiness, unreliability and attempts to ask for money make it difficult for me to fully absorb myself into the culture. The project with the turtles, however, was my personal highlight. I think releasing almost 100 baby turtles was a very unique experience. And as is often the case when traveling, it is the interpersonal encounters that stay in your memory. I met people who inspired me, impressed me, encouraged me and simply accepted me. Who knows how one or two encounters will influence the future. I had a great time here in Ghana, but I said goodbye to the country for a long time.

I would like to thank everyone who has read and followed my blog so diligently. I was particularly happy about the many messages in response. It was like a little piece of home every time a WhatsApp came through from you. I hope I was able to take you a little with me on my trip and that you got a feel for Ghana and my time here. Now it's time to get back to everyday life and the near future holds important changes. I hope I see one or two of you again very soon.

Akyire and hopefully see you soon again in real life,

Veronica

Time is flying by here. My last days in Ghana have begun and in a few days I will be returning to Germany.

Although Cape Three Point is so remote, we have done a few activities. For example, I had my first surfing lesson and now I know for sure that surfing is not a hidden talent of mine. The saltwater in the eyes and the somewhat rough impact on the sea floor were a bit too much in the end. However, once again it was the human connection that made it special. The surf instructor saw us when we skipped school. It's his old school that he himself attended many years ago, and out of gratitude for our work for the community, he gave us an extra 30 minutes for free. These are the small gestures of gratitude that make the work a little easier.

In addition, we visited the neighboring town, which takes about an hour to travel to. This is not done by car, but by motorcycle. So we went bouncing over bumps and under the scorching sun to Busua. There is also a fort here with a similar dark history as Cape Coast. Afterwards, there was a little boat tour into the mangrove forests with flying fish. Of course, something went wrong on the way back, as the road conditions are like that. So we had a flat tire on one of the motorcycles. This is solved in a pragmatic Ghanaian way and we simply sat three of us on one motorcycle. I quickly learned that personal space does not exist in Ghana.

The highlight for me this week was the boat trip with a local fisherman who took us volunteers out to see his work. Traditional fishing is done with a trawl net here. Some locals also use dynamite and throw it into the sea along the coast. This all ends in quite a chaos, as birds also dive onto the dead fish. So it's more of a race to get the best pieces.

Unfortunately, there were no further encounters with turtles. We could only find a few traces. However, due to the full moon, the tide is higher and the sand is too wet and hard to bury eggs. Therefore, I am still waiting in vain for a "big" turtle. So a lot of sweaty work was done collecting garbage and painting. But I have found my new favorite spot here. Right by the lighthouse, there is an absolutely perfect place to watch the sunset. There is a breathtaking view right by the cliffs. I come here every evening to enjoy the view and the silence.

I hope that in the last few days here I will still come across one or more turtles, but that's nature for you, you never know when it will happen. Before my journey home, I will go to Accra, the capital. I will of course still report to you from there, probably in my final post.

Warm greetings from the sea,

Veronika

This is my first post at my new location. Cape Three Point, or the Cape of the Three Points, is the place where you can be closest to both zero longitude and latitude on land. It is also the southernmost point in Ghana.

The journey here can only be described as adventurous. First we went to the supermarket in the last big city because we had to buy all the groceries for the coming weeks. The route to the supermarket is long and if you don't want to travel 3 hours for a carton of milk, you have to be logistically prepared. Then the car drove over hill and dale for about 2 hours and we scraped the undercarriage on the path one or two times. Then the road just ended in a village. A few weeks ago there was a storm here and the bridge was washed away. So far there are no signs of repairs. So we went with all our luggage over the footbridge and then on the other side of the river into a Land Rover. But this stopped after about 2 kilometers or at least that was the opinion of our supervisor. Unfortunately, his driving knowledge was limited to automatic cars and the 4x4 really gave him trouble. So what to do in such a situation? That's right, the woman is herself and after a few very skeptical looks, because you hardly see any female drivers here, I literally pulled the cart out of the dirt. With a bit of feeling and good persuasion, we managed to get the car over the mountain to our accommodation.

The accommodation is much more primitive than the last, but the house is right by the sea. So I've fallen asleep to the sound of the sea every evening so far. It's only a 5 minute walk to the beach and it looks like something out of a travel brochure. Miles of sandy beach with not a soul on it. Our turtle station is also here. If turtle eggs are found, they are buried here and protected from animal and human enemies. There are currently 7 nests breeding there. The temperature of the sand determines the sex of the turtle, so half is in the shade and the other half is in the sun. The aim is to achieve the most even distribution possible. Female turtles prefer warmer temperatures and males prefer lower ones. You can see a lot of things we have in common there.

The work here mainly consists of two parts. The first part is about the turtles. Here you can either go on midnight patrol or morning patrol. So that means getting up at midnight or 5 a.m. and then heading to the beach. Armed with red lights, we then search for clues. The main goal is to spot turtles laying eggs or at least find tracks that will lead us to the nests. Unfortunately, turtles are still hunted here and so we dig up the eggs and bring them to safety.

The second part of the project here consists of community work. This consists of farm work, painting the school building and picking up trash on the beach. “Our” beach is very clean, but unfortunately it looks completely different on the other side of the village. Plastic waste is just piling up here. After 3 hours of work, we had only cleaned 100 meters of beach and filled 5 bags.

But now we come to the part that everyone is eagerly waiting for...baby turtles. After 5 days of not even seeing a sign of a turtle, we finally got lucky one morning. A whole nest of turtles had decided to hatch. There were a few baby turtles in the enclosure. We carefully collected these in buckets and released them onto the beach. Not too close to the water so that the little ones could find their strength. 63 baby turtles were successfully released into the sea. The photos can only show a fraction of the cuteness. It was one of the sweetest moments I had the pleasure of experiencing as the turtles waddled towards the sea. Of course, I don't want to withhold these moments from you, so you can find a few videos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-0U1af5HYNbwSTg9gGm47OH5ugl6HZ_z

For me, this was definitely a unique experience and I really hope that I get the opportunity to experience it again. Of course, I'll keep you updated on how my last week here in Ghana goes.

Kind regards from the turtles,

Veronica

Before starting my new project. I made a stopover on the coast. More precisely in Cape Coast. On the one hand there are some sights here and on the other hand it is about halfway to my final destination. I wanted to save myself a 12 hour drive on Ghanaian roads. As a birthday present to myself, I treated myself to a personal driver and was able to avoid the chaos of public transport with luggage. This turned out to be doubly lucky, because unfortunately my otherwise unbeatable immune system failed me and I developed a high fever shortly before my departure. And suddenly the topic of malaria came up. After a short visit to the doctor, during which they unfortunately missed my vein three times and then simply collected the blood that was running down my arm, luckily the test result was negative. So, pumped up with paracetamol and ginger, I set off for the coast.

Cape Coast is a nice little town that isn't too chaotic. However, there is a certain tourist touch here. I saw twice as many white people here in one day than in the previous six weeks. You can also clearly see that the sight of white people is nothing unusual here.

The fortress is definitely worth seeing in Cape Coast. This has a very long and unfortunately very dark history. First built by the Dutch, then it became Swedish, Danish and finally British. Like most other forts on the so-called "Gold Coast", Cape Coast Castle served as a prison for locals who had been captured for sale and transport as slaves to the European colonies and often spent months in the fort's basement dungeons waiting for the next slave ship before they were finally brought to the beach for loading through a narrow cellar passage through the “Gate of No Return”. Places like this are definitely important reminders of the past so we can make the future better.

The other highlight here is the Kakum National Park. This extends over almost 400 square kilometers and the rainforest is home to thousands of animal species. So the attraction for us is a treetop path. This consists of 7 suspension bridges that lead from tree to tree at a height of 40 meters. Definitely not for the faint of heart or afraid of heights. But the view from the top is definitely unbeatable. In the end, however, everyone was happy to have solid ground under their feet again.

Now it's finally time for my new project. Please keep your fingers crossed for me so that I can see lots of baby turtles and of course share the photos with you.

See you soon with hopefully animal photos!

Veronica

My time in Aduamoa is over. It's crazy how quickly the weeks have flown by. After a somewhat bumpy start, I really enjoyed my time here. Some of the other volunteers have grown close to my heart and I will miss one or two of the locals very much.

Last week it was really tiring in the projects. Our nursery had to move because we didn't have enough shade for the seedlings. This meant that over 2,300 seedlings had to be moved and an additional 1,500 bags filled with soil still needed to be planted. The new place for the trees wasn't far, but it was quite a bit uphill. That was a lot of traveling uphill and downhill with a heavy load. My biceps have definitely grown significantly during my time here. Don't even get me started on the blisters and calluses on my hands

Planting is also underway on the farm. To do this, all fields must be plowed and cleared of weeds. That means a lot of work with the machete and long distances to get water. On average I cover around 10 - 12 km every day. So if anyone still thinks they're vacationing here, they should know better by now. But the results we see every day make all the hard work worth it. It is a very satisfying job if you can see the development from sowing to harvest. What is perhaps a little unusual is the fact that significantly more girls do farm work and reforestation and the male volunteers go to school to teach. But with teamwork and female power, every plant has been watered so far.

What I will probably miss most, however, are the morning walks. Since my second day here, I have left every day with a different volunteer, Kevin, at 5:30. Yes, I know it's inhumanly early, but you get used to it very quickly and since work started at 7:00 a.m. we had to leave on time. We always walked the same distance of around 5 km. Sometimes just the two of us, sometimes a few children accompanied us. Whoever was always there were the hundreds of bats. We talked about God and the world or sometimes hardly talked at all. Our reward was the wonderful sunrises. Unfortunately Kevin left last week. I tried to keep the tradition, but it's not the same.

I had a good time in Aduamoa, but it's a good time to say goodbye and move on to the next project. More on that next time.

Warm greetings from the warmth to the cold!

Veronica

Time just flies by here. My last week here in Aduamoa has already begun. We spent the last weekend on a wonderful day. Ranch on Bosomtwe Lake. This lies within a meteorite crater. At just 1.07 million years old, it is one of the youngest crater lakes in the world.

This time almost all volunteers were on tour and the whole thing almost felt like a school trip. On the way to the ranch we had to change trains in Kumasi, so we took this opportunity and visited the largest market in West Africa. This is located in a former parking garage and extends over four floors. From fish to fruit and vegetables, shoes, cosmetics and fabrics, you can find everything here! It's quite a hustle and bustle and there's a lot of activity on the streets. Even taxis and trotros still squeeze through the crowds. The market is definitely impressive, but I ended up buying all the little things I purchased at two stalls next to our parking lot. Sometimes the best things are just around the corner.

After we were all a few souvenirs richer and Cedis poorer, we took the trotro to the ranch. I've often talked about the poor road conditions here, but this route was a new level. The term street is not worthy of the piles of dust and dirt. It went from one pothole to the next and with 20 minutes for 6 km we set a new slow record. But as is often the case, in the end the whole ordeal was worth it. The ranch is located directly on the lake and, with a few cabins and a huge terrace, is a really rare gem here. The whole area with lots of banana trees, fishermen on the lake and just a few isolated villages exudes a wonderfully calming atmosphere.

In addition to hiking, swimming in the lake and relaxing on the terrace, the biggest highlight was the horseback riding. Eight horses can call the ranch home. So on Saturday there was a short ride with the whole group and then another for me on Sunday at sunrise. Both times the horse Omega rode and despite the name I was allowed to lead the group. Despite the occasional snack interruptions, merchandise management quickly became a well-rehearsed team. She knew the way and I was able to fully enjoy the scenery. Above all, enjoying the beautiful sunrise on horseback made the morning the best in Ghana so far.

All in all, it was a great weekend and I was definitely able to recharge my batteries a bit. While we're dealing with the heat here, I hope it's not too uncomfortably cold for you.

Best wishes from Omega and me!

Veronica

I have already written an article about my personal challenges here in Ghana. Now the second part follows.

Eat:

The food here is good, but quite monotonous. If you break it down radically, there is rice with sauce and side dish. Sometimes there is also pasta as an alternative, but the rest remains the same. The fresh fruit makes up for it, but you often long for potatoes, pretzels and whole grain bread. The worst, of course, is the complete absence of edible chocolate. Dessert in general is almost a foreign concept here. Good thing I still have a chocolate bar left from home. But this will be saved until my birthday…hopefully.

Language:

Even though English is the official language here, it is very difficult to find someone who is truly fluent in it. Basic communication always works somehow, but you can't have real conversations. Unfortunately, Twi is too complex to build up a meaningful vocabulary in a short amount of time. English only became the official language because people could not agree on a common local dialect. This means that a language that only around 20% of the population can actually speak is an official language.

Attention:

Tourists rarely go to Ghana and hardly ever go to the Kwahu region where I live. That's why all the white people you see here are volunteers from us. As soon as you walk onto the street, you hear “Obroni” shouts from left and right. This means nothing other than white people. This is in no way meant to be racist, but simply a form of address, just like the locals use the word “Obibini”. About half of all adults and definitely every child call out to you when you are out in public. This is very nice, but it can become a bit tiring in the long run because the calls only stop when you give the other person proper attention. This ranges from just waving to short conversations to hugs. This results in you walking through the village waving like Queen and taking at least twice as long to complete one route. If, as in my case, you spend a relatively large amount of time with locals, everyone knows my name without me ever having met the person myself. This is sometimes quite confusing.

Equipment:

The projects are all mostly fun. However, the sometimes very poor and missing tools make our work very difficult. So we have too few machetes for all the volunteers assigned to work with them. In addition, they are so blunt that you hardly have a chance against stubborn weeds and grass. We also don't have shovels and dig up the earth with half plastic bottles. This works surprisingly well, but it probably could have saved me a blister or two. Additionally, one of our watering cans has too many holes in the wrong places and you have to be very quick so you don't lose the precious water. To carry water ourselves, we sometimes made improvised buckets made from canisters cut open and ropes as handles. The calluses on my hands could tell many stories about how painful it is to wear them after a certain amount of time.

Despite all the challenges, I make the best of every situation. Some are just unusual and others are, at worst, annoying. So just go with the flow...

Very many greetings

Veronica

I hope that everyone has had a good start to the new year 2024.

An hour later, like you, I also took the step into the new year. What probably won't surprise anyone is that this time it was significantly different than at home.

We were more carers than volunteers here in the house, as some came especially for New Year's and others left. The young people wanted to celebrate at the turn of the year and therefore traveled to the capital Accra. The rest of us didn't want to miss the big event in the neighboring village. There is a soap box race here that always takes place on New Year's Eve.

To end the year in Ghanaian style, we had the absolute national dish for dinner - fufu. This is a porridge made from yam and plantains. The consistency is very reminiscent of polenta. It is a very long preparation process and takes about 3 hours. Personally, I have to say it's definitely not worth the effort. Fufu actually tastes like nothing. But as is always the case here, the sauces are unbeatably delicious and you don't care what you eat with them.

After dinner we went to Obo, a neighboring town in the valley. The legendary soap box race takes place here. It involves a competition and the children who build the vehicles can win prizes for speed and design. The variety of vehicles ranged from motorcycles to ambulances to helicopters. There was great attention to detail and some even had working headlights. Since there is no gradient in the place, you have to hope for good, fast pushers and then you rush from one end to the other. The word tiredness doesn't seem to exist that night and so the vehicles rolled on until dawn.

It was a very unusual and unique way to start the new year. We have now successfully completed 2023 and let us be surprised by what 2024 has in store for us.

Best wishes and a wonderful start into the new year!

Veronica

I was aware from the start that life here is completely different than in Germany. However, one or two peculiarities here challenge me every day. I have put together a few smaller and larger challenges for myself personally.

Transport:

Let's start with a topic that I've mentioned several times before. The incredibly bad road conditions make every car journey a very unpleasant experience. Above all, it inhibits you from taking longer trips, as even short distances are very time-consuming and tiring.

Added to this are the completely dilapidated taxis, which are the only means of transport in many parts of Ghana. No air conditioning works here, the door handles are broken and there are no seat belts anyway. What makes matters worse is that taxis only carry as many passengers as they can fit in, NOT how many seats they can fit. Our personal record is 11 people in a Nissan Micra. Things are similar in the Trotros, i.e. the minibuses, for longer routes. You have to pay extra for air conditioning, there are rarely headrests, and all luggage is packed inside the car or on the roof.

In addition, the drivers tend to charge us white people far too high a price. It takes a while until you get a feeling for how much each route is actually worth. Taxis are actually very cheap here, but it depends on the driver, the car and the number of passengers.

Water and electricity:

As we are in the dry season, water is becoming increasingly scarce. The tap water cannot be drunk anyway, but sometimes there is not enough even for showering and cooking. I've already had two days where we didn't have running water. Luckily we have large rain barrels and we can get buckets of water from there for the most necessary things. Additional water must be purchased to fill our cistern. However, since this is located at a lower point than the house, the water must also be pumped into large tanks above. Luckily we have a very large supply of sachets for drinking. These are plastic bags filled with drinking water. It takes a while to get the hang of drinking from them without making a big mess.

In addition, there are regular power outages that can last a whole night or day. Luckily we cook with gas and everything works with headlamps for lighting, but the fact that the ceiling fans don't work is really stupid.

Unpunctuality:

Africans generally don't have it like that over time, but I've never experienced it as extreme as here. Taxi drivers are on average 30 minutes late, invitations to dinner are often accepted 1.5-2 hours later and even the start of events is delayed by 2-3 hours. Nobody can be stressed here, which is a good thing on the one hand, but efficient is an absolute foreign word here. For someone like me who is usually over-punctual and hates waiting for others, this is by far the most annoying habit here.

But to quote Ernst Ferstl: “New challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn new things about yourself.”

And that’s how I want to end this year. 2023 was a very stressful year for me and I'm sure the next one will bring many more challenges.

I wish everyone a good start into the new year and hope that you can look back on this year in a mostly positive way.

Best regards

Veronica

I hope everyone had a harmonious and satisfactory Christmas. One or the other probably ate too much and maybe there weren't really great gifts. But at Christmas the most important presents are not under the tree but sitting around the table.

For me, Christmas was completely different. Without the family, high temperatures, no decorating Christmas trees and no big dinner.

We volunteers couldn't quite agree on the plans. The young vegetables were into partying and the older group, including me, didn't want to do exactly that. After a little research, I found a costume festival that takes place in Sekondi-Takoradi over the Christmas holidays. This is the third largest city in Ghana and is located relatively far west on the coast.

So that we could get into the Christmas spirit despite the warm temperatures and the lack of Christmas trees, we attended a church service with a Christmas concert at the neighboring school. It was a very impressive atmosphere, the children were all dressed in white and it was like a beehive. Unfortunately I can't upload videos to the blog, but I got goosebumps when everyone danced like crazy and sang a well-known Christmas song. Afterwards there were Christmas presents in advance. It was weighted and everyone received a gift from someone. I was very happy about my gift because it was made of beautiful fabric that you can take to one of the countless seamstresses for clothes, bags, etc.

Since Christmas here only starts on December 25th. is celebrated, the three of us went on December 24th. on the way to the coast. Since Ghana doesn't have a railway and our village isn't connected to the bus system, we made our way to our destination by taxi, trotro and a lot of questioning. We even covered the distance in record time, which means it “only” took us 8 hours to cover 360 km. Unfortunately, I had a bit of bad luck with the person sitting next to me as I had to give up at least 40% of my seat to her.

The temperatures are significantly warmer than at our house. Due to the significantly higher humidity, everything feels very oppressive and significantly warmer. But the sea and the beach definitely make up for it. Our biggest problem here was clearly the lack of information. Nobody can say when, where and how this street festival takes place. The hotel employee told us that the festival was over before Christmas, the next one said it would be on December 25th. starting at 12 p.m., again at 2 p.m. and the last one on December 26th. at 11 o'clock. The locals don't have it with punctuality anyway, but how they can organize such a big event or schedule is a complete mystery to me. So we spent a lot of time waiting and walked back and forth too often between the hotel and the city center. But in the end we were rewarded on both days. The costumes, the music, the colors and the mood are very difficult to describe. It was all breathtaking together. In order to convey at least a fraction of the atmosphere, I loaded a video into an online folder. You are welcome to take a look here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12j9R1G0L16TCLjbcDp-pWtNLm36SOxWd

Despite the hardships of travel, the heat and the disorganization, it was an impressive experience and definitely a Christmas to remember. I even made it onto local television with an interview. After all, you have to show diversity.

Now there are only a few days left this year. I'll work on the farm for a few more days and then the New Year will be just around the corner. As always, I'll keep you updated and wish everyone a happy new year!

All love

Veronica

The second week is already over. Again with lots of impressions and experiences.

First I was able to get to know our organization through another project. It’s called community farming. Real farming is practiced here and the harvest goes to needy families. It is currently harvest time for peppers and pineapples. The work is very physically demanding, but a lot of fun. Above all, in the end you get a very satisfactory result.

However, since I didn't come here for work, I went on a couple of day trips at the weekend. Firstly we went to Lake Volta. This is the largest completely man-made reservoir in the world. I live not too far from the foothills of the lake. We wanted to enjoy the sunset on the lake. However, on the way there it became clear to us that there would be no visible sunset because various bushfires had broken out that day and the sky was gray with smoke. But ultimately you make the best of the situation. And despite the lack of orange skies, we had fun!

The next day we went to a small waterfall. It wasn't as spectacular as others I've seen, but it definitely has its charm. Especially since you can stand in or behind the waterfall.

My personal highlight of this weekend, however, was my personal introduction to Ghanaian cuisine. The main ingredients are rice, yam, a large root that tastes very similar to potatoes, and plantains. Traditionally people eat with their hands, so the sauces are often quite thick to make them easier to eat. The sauces mainly contain vegetables we know, such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, cabbage, carrots and spinach. Spices are definitely not skimped on here and you often have to ask the locals to cook with a little less heat, as our sensitive European stomachs are not prepared for it. Cooking here is done either with gas or directly on hot coals. That was also the case for me. I was invited to cook lunch by Michael, a local I met in town. His big sister and mom were a little skeptical about how good it would be, but I really have to say that it tasted excellent. However, the whole process is very lengthy because since most people here don't have a refrigerator, all food is bought fresh. To do this we go into the village to the various stalls, mine has one vegetable, the other has the other. So it takes about an hour until you have all the ingredients together. Then it's time to cut and cook.

Yam and plantains take about 30 minutes to soften. In this case, since we are using a small grill that only has space for one pot at a time, everything has to be prepared one after the other. However, the end result is impressive.

Even though Ghana is the second largest exporter of cocoa, you can't buy chocolate here. This is mainly due to the lack of milk, as there are no dairy cows here. That's why I prefer fresh fruit for dessert. And you can sink your teeth into this one, it’s that delicious. Papaya and pineapple in particular are currently available in large quantities and can be had for around 60 cents. As a snack between meals, I have found peanuts to be my vice. Roasted and lightly salted, the 500 g bag is available for around €1.50. There's a stand for everything you need, sometimes it's a bit difficult to find the right one in the hustle and bustle here, but the people are very nice and helpful. All you have to do is look around, a little lost, and help will be offered to you. The salespeople are always happy to have a quick chat about your name, where you come from, what you do here, how you like it... If you then throw in a few words of Twi, the main spoken language here, you often get “sample packs”. “Packed with homemade peanut butter or soap.

I won't spend Christmas here in the volunteer house, but on the coast. I'll tell you where exactly and what I'm doing there next time.

I wish everyone a merry and blessed Christmas. Enjoy the time with your families and loved ones. Eat one or two pans of raclette, pieces of meat in the fondue or cookies for me!

Very best regards

Veronica

The first week in Ghana is already over. And there were various ups and downs.

But I should start at the beginning.

This was not a good thing, because the extreme onset of winter in Munich led to my flight to Brussels being canceled several times. After several hours in the Lufthansa queue, I was finally able to start my journey a day late. So after about 10 hours I set foot on Ghanaian soil. From -5 degrees to 28 degrees with 80% humidity.

My driver also showed up after a few minutes and we continued with the most battered car in the parking lot. I have no words to describe the drive to Abetefi because I have never been on such bad roads in my life as here. 30km of the road was under construction and the replacement road consisted of more potholes than pavement. Even the highways in and around Accra had potholes in which I could have laid very comfortably. So it took us almost 5 hours to cover 160 km. Since I only arrived at the volunteer house at 11 p.m., the greeting was short and lonely.

It stayed that way more or less on the weekend, because all the other volunteers were on a trip and only 3 were still in the house. So I had the freedom to get used to the much warmer temperatures, to explore the local markets and to adapt to the much more moderate pace.

At least on Sunday I had the feeling that I was doing something useful. Kevin, an older American with incredible inspiration, has built swings out of tires and ropes for a school in the neighboring village. I was then allowed to help hang it up. It took about 2 minutes for the first children to discover us and put the swings through an endurance test. So far all the swings are still holding up and no child has fallen.

On Monday the projects finally started. I've gotten to know two so far.

One is reforestation. To do this, trees are planted, seedlings are grown and weeds are destroyed. The biggest problem here is the almost weekly bushfires. These are laid by the farmers to save themselves digging. Nothing is taken into account and we lose around 50% of the trees planted because of this. Nevertheless, it is nice to see that trees from recent years have already reached an impressive height. In addition, there is a kind of plantation where people grow seedlings. Here the work mostly consists of watering, shoveling soil and pulling weeds.

The second project is called eco-bricking. Here, a kind of brick replacement is made from collected plastic waste. This is used primarily to build benches and borders for schoolyards. The work is a bit tedious, but at least you can see the results in the end.

So far the work has been fun, even if you can't work as long as you would like because of the heat. We usually start around 7 a.m. and are usually back by midday.

So much for my projects. Details about the food, the people here and the country will be in the next post.

Very best regards

Veronica

During our journey through Ghana, we reached our destination, the Mole National Park, on the border with Burkina Faso. Our accommodation was Spartan but it was okay. Only the washroom was a bit peculiar. When we turned on the shower, red water came out. When we went down to the valley to see the elephants, we knew why. The water came from the lake where the elephants were playing. It was pumped into a cistern and filtered. Only the former slaves who wanted to see where their parents came from came to this area.

The Volta Lake has gained significant importance as a transportation and trade route since its establishment. Ferry services are operated, which frequently transport people and light goods multiple times a day. Ferry connections exist between the following towns: Adawso - Ekyiamenfurom, Kete Krachi - Kwadwokrum, Yeji - Makango, and Dambai - to the northern shore of the Oti. Regular shipping to Dodi Island is conducted from Akosombo. However, as a result, the road connection from Kumasi to Tamale via Yeji lost its significance (to avoid relying on the ferry there), and the main traffic shifted to the route via Techiman and Buipe.

During my two stays in Ghana, I used the ferry several times. On the first crossing (about 20 km), we started in Kpandu, and my friends and I spent most of the time on the bridge with the captain. Suddenly, I heard screams from the passengers in the second class, and smoke clouds emerged from the wooden floor where the car of the hospital was. The captain and his team ran below deck. I stayed on the bridge and, since there was only one lifebuoy, I looked for a floatation device because hardly any of the locals could swim. Although the captain reassured that it was 'only' a burnt seal, the next problem arose. The uncontrollable ferry drifted towards the tree stumps sticking out of the water. So, one of the crew members took action and jumped into the water with a rope to secure the ferry.

After the repair, we continued to Agerdeka, where we were eagerly awaited by the head of the hospital, Vienna Dr. Mtzglich, as it was already getting dark, and the journey was becoming more and more dangerous.

Then we continued to the hospital on the Donkorkron-Kpandu Rd. It was quite an experience driving through the darkness. We only saw lights from the campfires sporadically.

Although the inhabitants of these regions are generally considered to be Fantis (Akan) today, these early coastal states of the western and central parts of the Gold Coast (perhaps with the exception of Sabou) were probably largely Guang foundations, in which the Akan cultural element penetrated and flourished later. Ogua was primarily a fishing village. It was only with the appearance of the Portuguese, who established a factory at Cabo Corso, as they called it (literally "short cape"), that the trade between Europeans and the interior of the country became an essential source of livelihood. The Portuguese were followed at Cabo Corso by the British, Dutch, Swedes, and Danes, of whom the British were eventually able to establish a permanent foothold in 1664. From 1664 to 1877, Cape Coast was the capital of the British possessions on the Gold Coast (later the British protectorate, from 24 July 1874 the colony) and the seat of the British governor.

An important monument of the city is Cape Coast Castle, initially founded as a trading post, then the starting point for the shipping of the majority of slaves to the "New World".

In the 15th century, the Portuguese established a post on the site, and in the 16th century, the British arrived. The city, one of the oldest in the country, grew around Cape Coast Castle, which was built by the Swedes in 1655 and taken over by the British in 1663. Cape Coast became a roadstead port and was the British trading and administrative capital of the Gold Coast until 1877 when Accra became the capital. Cape Coast began in the early 20th century as the railways were built from Sekondi and Accra inland to Kumasi.

The port operation of Cape Coast ceased to function with the opening of the Tema port in 1962. Nevertheless, the city retained its importance as an educational center. There are several secondary schools and the University of Cape Coast (established in 1962) located there.

The Volta Lake with the Akosombo Dam completed in 1966 is the largest inland lake in the country and still the largest artificial body of water on earth. The construction of the dam was intended by the Nkrumah government to ensure the energy supply for the economic development and industrialization of Ghana. Ghana is economically significant due to its rich natural resources. Gold, which also gave the former colony the name "Gold Coast," is Ghana's most important export. About one-third of export earnings and 93 percent of production in the mining sector are related to gold production.

In the lake there are countless trees that were flooded without consideration for anything. The inhabitants, mostly fishermen who live on small islands, travel on the lake and cut down the trees protruding from the water to use as firewood, and unfortunately as deep as possible. This makes sailing on the lake with boats a dangerous business. Therefore, someone always sits at the bow and warns of the logs. We also took a boat trip. When we got in, I noticed that water was entering the aluminum boat at the bow. Caused by damage from the logs. When I pointed this out to the 'Captain', he just said that if we go faster, the bow will emerge from the water and no water will enter. I didn't want to think about what would happen if the engine failed.

During our second visit to Ghana, we were driving on a road with many bumps. Suddenly, there was a crash and we realized that the fan had been ripped off. The fan - missing all its blades - punctured the radiator. There was nothing 100 km ahead of us and nothing 100 km behind us - no villages. But we had to keep going. So we continued slowly, refilling water every 10 km. In the process, we used up all our water supply. Finally - it was already dusk - we reached a mission that had some guest rooms. However, they had never been used before. So our first task was to get rid of insects and other creatures in the room. Just to be safe, I slept with Jean, wearing a shirt and socks. I applied insect repellent to exposed areas. When I lay down on the bed, I also discovered that there was no mattress, only three wooden boards. So I had to make sure that the middle board was at the level of my buttocks. Fortunately, in the nearby town, there were some workshops. The boss inspected the situation and had the broken parts removed. Africans are true improvisers. Since the replacement fan didn't fit, they cut off the pipe and welded in a fitting one. Another mechanic took the radiator, soldered it and brought it back. After three hours, we were able to continue our journey.