Lebwohl Ghana

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