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Decided I had too much written in my journal to have just one more final chapter, so this is Part III, then I will wrap it up in the Final Chapter another time.
My first two weeks in Accra at this Guest House was some of the happiest time I’ve ever spent The wonderful lady at the front desk, Angela soon become a dear friend She was always so very helpful, kind and went out of her way to ensure I was okay If anyone ever needs a recommendation for a place to stay, I would highly suggest this place. The cost was anywhere from $75 US - $130 US per night, depending on the season. The rooms were cleaned daily, the staff are amazing, the cute little restaurant served good, cheap food and the location was great! Just 10 minutes by tro tro to the closest beach, and walking distance to all downtown Accra activities.
I had been in Accra for three days when I decided I had enough of city living and needed to find a beach. I called Kingsley and we met on the street to go visit his girlfriend out in the country side. We took a taxi and went for miles and miles, like over ½ hour drive and the cost was under $5…. Absolutely unheard of here! We hung out for an hour or so, then one of Kingsley’s friends decided to join us as well and off we went to the beach.
Upon arrival at the entrance I got this strange excitement deep inside… I will see my first African sea … wow!!! I just love to be by the water and this place did not disappoint. The name of the beach is called Labardi Beach. There are maybe 5-7 open aired restaurants, maybe 4-6 vendor booths selling items, but mostly people walk up and down the beach trying to sell whatever they can carry! From toilet paper to bananas… LOL!!
So here we are sitting under an umbrella having a bottled water when I heard some Bob Marley music close by… well, well… three dreads coming our way playing guitar and Congo drum singing They were playing a song or two for each tourist table and I noticed that most either weren’t giving any money/tip or only tipping maybe .25 cents in local money! What a bunch of tight people…. I on the other hand tipped them well and bought them a drink and asked them to join our table. They stayed for 15 minutes or so and were very appreciative! My first encounter with meeting some Rasta and I was more than blessed
Some of the topics of discussion were Rasta in Ghana and how they are looked down upon so much! I was very surprised to hear this, in fact disappointed, as I always believed anywhere in the Mother Land Rasta would be welcomed on some level. I have many friends in Jamaica who would love to go to Ghana, well my advice to them is best you go to certain regions in Ethiopia cause there sure was nowhere Rasta are welcome in all of Ghana, so I was told! As time went on I saw this to be the truth… in fact my friend Seth had a completely different impression of Rasta and had been lead to believe they are only “pot smoking, lazy criminals”… wow did I ever correct him!
We chatted about reggae music in Ghana and how most associate it with Jamaican artists! They constantly big up artists like Luciano, Buju, Ritchie Spice, many others…. But the actual local reggae scene in Ghana is almost nil and if you do find it, the talent is there but the crowd participation and interest is not!
I went to a couple of reggae shows and every single time there was maybe 10 people there, too sad!
Wednesday nights on at Labardi Beach they had a reggae DJ play, the first few times going I enjoyed it, until I noticed the DJ played the exact same songs every time… not to mention they were songs from JA about 1-2 years old. Ghana need a link for new reggae music….
The musicians were on their way, and I decided to step into the sea… it’s on the Gulf of Guinea and the colour is a beautiful light blue. The water is clear and you can see your toes, a good sign! The water level is very shallow, and you can walk forever and it never goes deeper than your waist, but the waves are super high! They can go over your head, so you’ve got to be very careful… yikes! It’s salt water, so be careful for it getting into your mouth too… LOL!
I walked up and down the beach for an hour or so… then we decided it was time to leave. We shared a tro tro part way, Kingsley and his friends getting off first and he explained to me where I’d go… my first time alone in a tro tro to find “home”… I did just fine!
The next few days I went back to the beach a few times… met Seth for lunch a couple of times, as the Canadian Embassy where he works is close by my Guest House. I also visited a local market and walked around the city a lot to find some vegetarian restaurants. I was lucky to find two and soon became a regular there. A lot of Chinese and Indian restaurants and they were both very good. Some pizza places as well.. but no real western influence, as in no MacDonalds, Subway, etc… pop such as coke was easy to find everywhere, costed less than bottled water too, but I sure wasn’t going to start drinking pop again!
I needed to find a place to live on a month to month basis… Seth helped me out and so did Kingsley but we had no luck, I had to extend my time at the Guest House for another week. Finally a house became available and I was checking out!
This house was a HUGE old, beautiful home! I was blessed to be staying there for as long as I wanted at no charge! A friend of Seth’s pulled through for me…. But there was one catch, it had NOTHING inside, no furniture, nothing! Seth lent me a bed and chair and we got the plumbing going, but NO shower, so I had to wash out of a bucket and I had to fill the back of the toilet tank before I could flush. There was a very nice young African man staying on the property in a small house in the back and he helped me a lot, give thanks for this!!! I was able to live this way for about three weeks, then I got very sick… most likely due to the bathroom conditions. I checked back into the Guest House.
I searched and searched for a decent place to live… let me tell you, this is an impossible task! Either the apartments that are furnished are $800 - $1,200 US a month, or the empty rooms are just horrible and about $200 a month. What was I going to do? I was panicking some days let me tell you!!
Finally I needed to get away from the city and do something fun other than stressing over a place to live. I checked my to-do booklet about Ghana and decided on the area Kokrobite, about 1 hour away from Accra. I heard that every Friday night there was a live band doing cultural music… and every Sat. night there was a live reggae band at this place called Big Milly’s, so I headed to Kokrobite on a Thursday.
The taxi driver was kind enough to drive around and show me the area and then we decided on the African Academy of Arts Hotel…. The grounds were amazing and overlooking the water! So many coconut trees and such beauty! The room on the other had was small, dark and not so nice, but what the heck! I took it and the taxi driver left… on my own in a strange, new place, very exciting!!
I started to unpack and noticed the first cockroach, yuck!! Okay, so maybe this place isn’t a good idea…. I kept my luggage zipped up and didn’t bother to unpack! I decided to go explore this little fishing village and headed out walking down the dirt road.
About 20 minutes into my walk, filled with sweat and needing a place to rest, I noticed this older jeep pulling up to a small hut, the driver got out and I immediately noticed the long, long dreads…. Okay, this is where I’ll stop… LOL!
I ordered a bottle of water and sat down on a small stool, the lady who served me was very pleasant and welcoming, little did I know then that she’d become a good friend! Around the side of her small hut were 3 other African guys chatting, they immediately included me in their conversation and we all talked for about ½ hour. I learned then and there, that Kokrobite is the area for most dreads, cause they seem to be most welcome here. The guy who got out of the jeep joined us as well, they call him T and soon become a dear friend of mine!
I was on my way promising to meet up with everyone at the Culture night show at Milly’s I roamed around the village for another hour or so, observations:
- So many beautiful smiling children
- Too many sheep wondering around aimlessly
- Funny looking goats, some very fury!
- People are even more friendly here than in the city
- The sun is so strong, can’t even look at it with shades on
- A lot of open spaces, lots of lush land even though it’s the end of dry season
- Many people walk the one main, dusty road (very few are blessed with a bike)
- Feels like the HEART of Africa out here in the country
I got back to my yucky room, was going to laid down but thought different and took a quick shower, via nozzle out of the wall right beside the toilet and no shower walls, curtain, nothing… very weird! Early when I checked in this guy working at the restaurant on site, Jerry, asked me if I wanted any supper prepared, I agreed to veggies and rice, asking that it not be made tooooo hot/spicy! Africans love their food hot. So.. after my shower I walked down to the outdoor restaurant and Jerry was waiting and ready, his food was very, very good too! A little too hot still, but I’m a ‘mild’ spice kind of girl, so anyting is too hot for me. I learned eventually to say ‘NO hot sauce, pepper, nothing hot!” LOL!!!!
After a great meal for about $3 with tip I headed to the road to wait for a taxi…. The joke was on me big time… I waited about ½ hour, not even ONE car passed by… yep, I’m in no man’s land for real! The time was only about 9pm too! Just about to give up, but oh so disappointed I may have to stay in… when a car appeared and it will filled with Africans, guys and girls about 25-30 range and they stopped to ask me “do you know where Milly’s is?”…. I said yes and that’s where I’m going too, so they said “hop in".
Now this is where I’m sure some are thinking “is she crazy to get into a car in the dark night where she’s never been with complete strangers”…. And this thought did pass through my mind for 2 seconds, then I was immediately followed with the thought “go with love in your heart and Jah will protect” and that’s what I did! We arrived at Milly’s about 10 minutes later, rather hard to find after all, as it’s very close to the water and down these terrible what we wouldn’t even call roads!
I could hear the drumming… my heart was racing… I was here! Finally… time to let go and enjoy life! This one guy from inside the car stood with me most of the night, was okay I guess but at times I was wishing I would be left alone. The drummers didn’t disappoint… I was more than blessed to being watching about 10 beautiful African men and women on the stage doing their traditional dancing, singing, chanting and drumming
The night ended very quickly, perhaps ½ hour into the show when I overheard some say it had started much earlier that night, so I guess going out at 9pm is even too late! Funny how most nights everyone is in their homes by 7pm, it’s dark at 6pm… so time for bed even by 8pm most nights! Most people rise up in the morning at 5am and believe me, after fending for food, water and just about everything else, working so hard all day… buy 8pm you are ready for bed!!!
I saw T from who I met earlier in the day, we chatted only a little and he gave me his phone number and said if there is anything he can do to help my stay easier he’s there! This guy was very cool… reminded me of a Jamaican Rasta about 40 years old… he’s Patio was ever so Jamaican and that’s because for the last 15 years he has hung out mostly with Jamaicans! This was my contact to meet some peeps from da island
Milly’s itself is mentioned in most travel magazines and books as the place to chill for backpackers, reggae and a Rasta vibe and it didn’t disappoint! I felt at some point just like I was on the beach back in the old days of Roots Bamboo in Negril when there was a big stage on the sand and we were free to wade our feet in the water while dancing to the sounds of John Holt live!
At the water shore there were maybe 15-20 very large wooden fishing boats, I was told some owners sleep inside their boats, actually lived there really and then they would hit the water far, far out to fish at 4am every day – can’t imagine that life!
I got a ride back to the room I was staying at by the same people and was asleep by 11pm. Give thanks for a glorious night!!!
I woke a few times in the night due to something crawling on me and a very uncomfortable bed, pretty much just a 1 inch mattress on a wooden plank. Must check out in the morning… was up at 5am, very sign of light…. Walked around and enjoyed the morning wake up calls of all the different birds. There must have been 100 coconut trees on this property, large and oh so beautiful… cliffs too right on the water’s edge, couldn’t really swim here – best place to swim was down the road near Milly’s.
Jerry appeared for work and I had a tea and told him I was leaving and why… he understood and felt sad because he said it was not always like this, it’s really gone down hill. Too bad really because there is so much potential!!! Oh to have money to buy it and fix things up
Jerry told me every Sunday at 3pm for 2 hours there was drumming there, for sure I promised to come by the next day! I packed up quickly and left my bag there while I wondered the streets for a while…. Finally got a taxi to take me to 3 different places, the first one was so small I couldn’t even put my bags in it….. the second one was okay but no shower, wash from a bucket and fill the toilet idea again. The third one was acceptable, and at $25 a night what can one really expect!
Walked back to the room, said my goodbyes and T came to pick me up (had called him earlier and asked him to help move me). He dropped me off at the new place, we agreed to meet up the beach at Milly’s in 2 hours. I didn’t even last 1 hour, as the toilet was not functional, nor was there any water coming from the shower head. I left the owner to fix it up and headed down the beach….
What a beautiful beach! Must like Labardi beach near Accra, but cleaner. Almost nobody around for the first 15 minutes of my walk, then upon reaching where the action was (little bars and stalls of things for sale) there were more people. I’d say the ratio was 75% locals and 25% tourists and most of the tourists are from Europe somewhere.
Met T at Milly’s and we chatted more about my experiences in Jamaica, he was very interested and has always dreamed of going…. Yep, we were going to become great friends
We parted ways agreeing to meet back at Milly’s about 9pm for reggae night.
When I returned to the hotel and there was still no water, and it had been 4 hours, I was more than upset! I hadn’t really washed the day previous to the crummy place I was in, now this!! I called T and he came to my rescue right away… we drove around but there just wasn’t anything suitable… finally at the end of the long main road, almost back at the highway heading to Accra there was a BIG sign advertising a 5 star hotel, what the heck, maybe it’s not that expensive!
T waited for me and I entered the lobby, WOW…. Very fancy and beautiful. Price please? $140US / night… sorry can’t do it and started to walk away when the man said “pls come back, how about $100US” I thought, okay this is a good sign and if I don’t do this then where am I to go? I wanted to see a room, they showed me one immediately…. Running water, great shower pressure, even hot water! A toilet oh so clean and it flushed… yippie!! LOL… laughing now, but at the time it was no laughing matter.
I took the hotel and T agreed to pick me back up at 9pm due to it being so far from Milly’s and there wouldn’t be any taxis at that time (Note to self, Kokrobite NEEDS night time taxis, good business perhaps??).
Milly’s was a blast that night… reggae music flowed on and on from about 10pm until 2am, a lot of cover tunes, with many different singers, mostly dreads and they sang mostly Jamaican music! I was “home” once again
I spoke with many different people that night, some younger back packers from Sweden and Italy, an older couple from Chicago, many locals and some of the musicians. Met my first Jamaican, a friend of T’s, this guy I’ll call him G was 19 years old and lived there in Kokrobite with his Mom, African step Dad, older sister and younger brother. G was a very interesting young man, we chatted about Jamaica for hours and found we both have our “family” in St. Elizabeth. I looked forward to seeing him again tomorrow and meeting the rest of his family, they have lived there in Ghana for the last 7 years.
Sleep came late, maybe 3am, but in such a lovely hotel, a large comfortable bed with many pillows
Must have been close to noon on Sunday when I woke, what a great sleep, give thanks! Everyting is betta when ya get a good sleep. I ate veggies and rice in the restaurant at the hotel, very good but oh so pricey compared to “on the streets”. I headed out at 3pm exactly and took a taxi to but to the first place I stay at that was to have the drumming.
Upon arrival I could hear the drums!!! What an amazing setting…overlooking the water, about 10 drummers on stage and two African ladies dancing in front of them. Large drums, small drums, congos, talking drums, some I haven’t a clue what to call them I had such a great time for those two hours that words can’t even describe how I felt!!!
At 5:30pm the place was cleared out (not that there were many there, perhaps 5 tourists and 3 locals). I sat and meditated for a while…. Thinking this is the place to live… I called T and he came to get me and we drove around the area while I told him about my dislike of the city, the house I was at, how I got sick, etc… and that I’d like to move to this area. He said he would look out for me and try to help
The next day I was suppose to go back to Accra, but decided to stay one more night. I spent the day to myself exploring around, then hooked up with T later and we had supper at this very nice little Italian restaurant not too far from Milly’s. They served the best veggie pizza ever!!! The owner was such a nice African lady, she had recently taken over the restaurant from an Italian couple who went back to Italy for the next five years. She had a beautiful German Shepard dog and another one I’m not sure of the breed… it was just nice to be in the company of healthy, happy dogs again! They strays you see around are in such pathetic shape it breaks my heart.
Monday I spent with G and his family…. I knew I would enjoying talking to his Mom but had no idea at the time she too would become a very dear friend. They lived in Kokrobite area for the last year or so, but have been staying in the Labardi beach area for the last 6 years. I had such a wonderful visit, mostly chatting about Jamaica and my experiences over the last 14 trips there, and there life there in Ghana in comparison. MANY pro’s and con’s to living in JA vs. Ghana… my point of view pretty much matched the whole Jamaican family I was reasoning with! We parted ways exchanging phone numbers and the promise to hook up again soon… they too were going to look out for a place for me to rent.
I spent my last night quiet and alone at the amazing hotel …. Watched TV for the first time in a while and just chilled out. The next day I had my taxi guy from Accra come to get me and take me back to the guest house. I knew I could only afford to stay there for maybe one more week… and I also knew I couldn’t go back to that empty house even if it was free! What to do…. Back to reality and a little stress… finding a place here was not an easy thing!!
Finally luck had it my way and through a friend of a friend something turned up in Kokrobite! The next weekend I went back there to check it out and it just wasn’t suitable. The room was extremely small and the kitchen area a disaster with no appliances at all and no running water.. the bathroom was to be shared between me and 5 other African men… not a chance it was LOL!!!
As I was about to give up I went to the Italian restaurant and on my way there with a friend from Labardi when he ran into a very dear friend of his. G, this man was a 67 year old `white`guy from Montana and had been going back and forth to Ghana for the last 25 years, living there solid the last 3-4 years. G was very helpful and told me many things about living in that area… all of a sudden this Rasta drives by slowly on his motorcycle, G stops him as he knows him and asks about a place for me to rent. This exact Rasta (I’ll call him F) has a place… no way … can’t be!!! Yep… LOL… the next morning we agreed to meet so I could go see it as it was dark out already and I wanted to see it in the day time.
The next morning F showed up 1 hour late, the norm for most Africans and off we went to see his place. It was almost right beside where the drumming is every Sunday, that crummy place I first stayed at… LOL… on the water and such a cute wooden cabin where my room would be! Another building where the kitchen was, full fridge that didn’t work, but a two burner stove… I can live without a fridge, no problem! The shower was acceptable, but the toilet did not flush most times and you had to fill the back of the tank with water first. OH NO… not again… this is such the norm everywhere it seems!!
We discussed fixing the toilet to make it flushable and F told me he’d get a quote and call me. I went back to the city hopeful … 2 days later F called and said the cost would be about $300 US, I agreed to pay half because he offered me rent at $150 a month! I can do that… besides, the view of the water and my own private beach sold me! Having Rasta vibes on the property was another plus (F had his own little room near the kitchen building), and being in Kokrobite was perfect!
About a week later everything was ready for me to move in, took longer than expected, but hey this is very normal for anything you want done in Africa, even worse than in JA! Seth moved me to my new home and within days I felt extremely satisfied with this decision.
I couldn’t believe that I had already been in Ghana for almost three months! I had been living in and out of suitcases, from guest house to hotel, to friend’s.. moving all around the Accra and surrounding areas…. Finally I have my own place to call `home that I hope I can remain at for a long, long time. I was truly blessed, at peace, happy and starting to get more fit and healthy.
My first month in the cabin by the sea was bliss…. So many wonderful moments on a daily basis, but I didn’t keep a journal so don’t have near as many details written down.
The final instalment of my trip report will be my last two months in Ghana without the big details – soon come!
Bless,
RG
My first two weeks in Accra at this Guest House was some of the happiest time I’ve ever spent The wonderful lady at the front desk, Angela soon become a dear friend She was always so very helpful, kind and went out of her way to ensure I was okay If anyone ever needs a recommendation for a place to stay, I would highly suggest this place. The cost was anywhere from $75 US - $130 US per night, depending on the season. The rooms were cleaned daily, the staff are amazing, the cute little restaurant served good, cheap food and the location was great! Just 10 minutes by tro tro to the closest beach, and walking distance to all downtown Accra activities.
I had been in Accra for three days when I decided I had enough of city living and needed to find a beach. I called Kingsley and we met on the street to go visit his girlfriend out in the country side. We took a taxi and went for miles and miles, like over ½ hour drive and the cost was under $5…. Absolutely unheard of here! We hung out for an hour or so, then one of Kingsley’s friends decided to join us as well and off we went to the beach.
Upon arrival at the entrance I got this strange excitement deep inside… I will see my first African sea … wow!!! I just love to be by the water and this place did not disappoint. The name of the beach is called Labardi Beach. There are maybe 5-7 open aired restaurants, maybe 4-6 vendor booths selling items, but mostly people walk up and down the beach trying to sell whatever they can carry! From toilet paper to bananas… LOL!!
So here we are sitting under an umbrella having a bottled water when I heard some Bob Marley music close by… well, well… three dreads coming our way playing guitar and Congo drum singing They were playing a song or two for each tourist table and I noticed that most either weren’t giving any money/tip or only tipping maybe .25 cents in local money! What a bunch of tight people…. I on the other hand tipped them well and bought them a drink and asked them to join our table. They stayed for 15 minutes or so and were very appreciative! My first encounter with meeting some Rasta and I was more than blessed
Some of the topics of discussion were Rasta in Ghana and how they are looked down upon so much! I was very surprised to hear this, in fact disappointed, as I always believed anywhere in the Mother Land Rasta would be welcomed on some level. I have many friends in Jamaica who would love to go to Ghana, well my advice to them is best you go to certain regions in Ethiopia cause there sure was nowhere Rasta are welcome in all of Ghana, so I was told! As time went on I saw this to be the truth… in fact my friend Seth had a completely different impression of Rasta and had been lead to believe they are only “pot smoking, lazy criminals”… wow did I ever correct him!
We chatted about reggae music in Ghana and how most associate it with Jamaican artists! They constantly big up artists like Luciano, Buju, Ritchie Spice, many others…. But the actual local reggae scene in Ghana is almost nil and if you do find it, the talent is there but the crowd participation and interest is not!
I went to a couple of reggae shows and every single time there was maybe 10 people there, too sad!
Wednesday nights on at Labardi Beach they had a reggae DJ play, the first few times going I enjoyed it, until I noticed the DJ played the exact same songs every time… not to mention they were songs from JA about 1-2 years old. Ghana need a link for new reggae music….
The musicians were on their way, and I decided to step into the sea… it’s on the Gulf of Guinea and the colour is a beautiful light blue. The water is clear and you can see your toes, a good sign! The water level is very shallow, and you can walk forever and it never goes deeper than your waist, but the waves are super high! They can go over your head, so you’ve got to be very careful… yikes! It’s salt water, so be careful for it getting into your mouth too… LOL!
I walked up and down the beach for an hour or so… then we decided it was time to leave. We shared a tro tro part way, Kingsley and his friends getting off first and he explained to me where I’d go… my first time alone in a tro tro to find “home”… I did just fine!
The next few days I went back to the beach a few times… met Seth for lunch a couple of times, as the Canadian Embassy where he works is close by my Guest House. I also visited a local market and walked around the city a lot to find some vegetarian restaurants. I was lucky to find two and soon became a regular there. A lot of Chinese and Indian restaurants and they were both very good. Some pizza places as well.. but no real western influence, as in no MacDonalds, Subway, etc… pop such as coke was easy to find everywhere, costed less than bottled water too, but I sure wasn’t going to start drinking pop again!
I needed to find a place to live on a month to month basis… Seth helped me out and so did Kingsley but we had no luck, I had to extend my time at the Guest House for another week. Finally a house became available and I was checking out!
This house was a HUGE old, beautiful home! I was blessed to be staying there for as long as I wanted at no charge! A friend of Seth’s pulled through for me…. But there was one catch, it had NOTHING inside, no furniture, nothing! Seth lent me a bed and chair and we got the plumbing going, but NO shower, so I had to wash out of a bucket and I had to fill the back of the toilet tank before I could flush. There was a very nice young African man staying on the property in a small house in the back and he helped me a lot, give thanks for this!!! I was able to live this way for about three weeks, then I got very sick… most likely due to the bathroom conditions. I checked back into the Guest House.
I searched and searched for a decent place to live… let me tell you, this is an impossible task! Either the apartments that are furnished are $800 - $1,200 US a month, or the empty rooms are just horrible and about $200 a month. What was I going to do? I was panicking some days let me tell you!!
Finally I needed to get away from the city and do something fun other than stressing over a place to live. I checked my to-do booklet about Ghana and decided on the area Kokrobite, about 1 hour away from Accra. I heard that every Friday night there was a live band doing cultural music… and every Sat. night there was a live reggae band at this place called Big Milly’s, so I headed to Kokrobite on a Thursday.
The taxi driver was kind enough to drive around and show me the area and then we decided on the African Academy of Arts Hotel…. The grounds were amazing and overlooking the water! So many coconut trees and such beauty! The room on the other had was small, dark and not so nice, but what the heck! I took it and the taxi driver left… on my own in a strange, new place, very exciting!!
I started to unpack and noticed the first cockroach, yuck!! Okay, so maybe this place isn’t a good idea…. I kept my luggage zipped up and didn’t bother to unpack! I decided to go explore this little fishing village and headed out walking down the dirt road.
About 20 minutes into my walk, filled with sweat and needing a place to rest, I noticed this older jeep pulling up to a small hut, the driver got out and I immediately noticed the long, long dreads…. Okay, this is where I’ll stop… LOL!
I ordered a bottle of water and sat down on a small stool, the lady who served me was very pleasant and welcoming, little did I know then that she’d become a good friend! Around the side of her small hut were 3 other African guys chatting, they immediately included me in their conversation and we all talked for about ½ hour. I learned then and there, that Kokrobite is the area for most dreads, cause they seem to be most welcome here. The guy who got out of the jeep joined us as well, they call him T and soon become a dear friend of mine!
I was on my way promising to meet up with everyone at the Culture night show at Milly’s I roamed around the village for another hour or so, observations:
- So many beautiful smiling children
- Too many sheep wondering around aimlessly
- Funny looking goats, some very fury!
- People are even more friendly here than in the city
- The sun is so strong, can’t even look at it with shades on
- A lot of open spaces, lots of lush land even though it’s the end of dry season
- Many people walk the one main, dusty road (very few are blessed with a bike)
- Feels like the HEART of Africa out here in the country
I got back to my yucky room, was going to laid down but thought different and took a quick shower, via nozzle out of the wall right beside the toilet and no shower walls, curtain, nothing… very weird! Early when I checked in this guy working at the restaurant on site, Jerry, asked me if I wanted any supper prepared, I agreed to veggies and rice, asking that it not be made tooooo hot/spicy! Africans love their food hot. So.. after my shower I walked down to the outdoor restaurant and Jerry was waiting and ready, his food was very, very good too! A little too hot still, but I’m a ‘mild’ spice kind of girl, so anyting is too hot for me. I learned eventually to say ‘NO hot sauce, pepper, nothing hot!” LOL!!!!
After a great meal for about $3 with tip I headed to the road to wait for a taxi…. The joke was on me big time… I waited about ½ hour, not even ONE car passed by… yep, I’m in no man’s land for real! The time was only about 9pm too! Just about to give up, but oh so disappointed I may have to stay in… when a car appeared and it will filled with Africans, guys and girls about 25-30 range and they stopped to ask me “do you know where Milly’s is?”…. I said yes and that’s where I’m going too, so they said “hop in".
Now this is where I’m sure some are thinking “is she crazy to get into a car in the dark night where she’s never been with complete strangers”…. And this thought did pass through my mind for 2 seconds, then I was immediately followed with the thought “go with love in your heart and Jah will protect” and that’s what I did! We arrived at Milly’s about 10 minutes later, rather hard to find after all, as it’s very close to the water and down these terrible what we wouldn’t even call roads!
I could hear the drumming… my heart was racing… I was here! Finally… time to let go and enjoy life! This one guy from inside the car stood with me most of the night, was okay I guess but at times I was wishing I would be left alone. The drummers didn’t disappoint… I was more than blessed to being watching about 10 beautiful African men and women on the stage doing their traditional dancing, singing, chanting and drumming
The night ended very quickly, perhaps ½ hour into the show when I overheard some say it had started much earlier that night, so I guess going out at 9pm is even too late! Funny how most nights everyone is in their homes by 7pm, it’s dark at 6pm… so time for bed even by 8pm most nights! Most people rise up in the morning at 5am and believe me, after fending for food, water and just about everything else, working so hard all day… buy 8pm you are ready for bed!!!
I saw T from who I met earlier in the day, we chatted only a little and he gave me his phone number and said if there is anything he can do to help my stay easier he’s there! This guy was very cool… reminded me of a Jamaican Rasta about 40 years old… he’s Patio was ever so Jamaican and that’s because for the last 15 years he has hung out mostly with Jamaicans! This was my contact to meet some peeps from da island
Milly’s itself is mentioned in most travel magazines and books as the place to chill for backpackers, reggae and a Rasta vibe and it didn’t disappoint! I felt at some point just like I was on the beach back in the old days of Roots Bamboo in Negril when there was a big stage on the sand and we were free to wade our feet in the water while dancing to the sounds of John Holt live!
At the water shore there were maybe 15-20 very large wooden fishing boats, I was told some owners sleep inside their boats, actually lived there really and then they would hit the water far, far out to fish at 4am every day – can’t imagine that life!
I got a ride back to the room I was staying at by the same people and was asleep by 11pm. Give thanks for a glorious night!!!
I woke a few times in the night due to something crawling on me and a very uncomfortable bed, pretty much just a 1 inch mattress on a wooden plank. Must check out in the morning… was up at 5am, very sign of light…. Walked around and enjoyed the morning wake up calls of all the different birds. There must have been 100 coconut trees on this property, large and oh so beautiful… cliffs too right on the water’s edge, couldn’t really swim here – best place to swim was down the road near Milly’s.
Jerry appeared for work and I had a tea and told him I was leaving and why… he understood and felt sad because he said it was not always like this, it’s really gone down hill. Too bad really because there is so much potential!!! Oh to have money to buy it and fix things up
Jerry told me every Sunday at 3pm for 2 hours there was drumming there, for sure I promised to come by the next day! I packed up quickly and left my bag there while I wondered the streets for a while…. Finally got a taxi to take me to 3 different places, the first one was so small I couldn’t even put my bags in it….. the second one was okay but no shower, wash from a bucket and fill the toilet idea again. The third one was acceptable, and at $25 a night what can one really expect!
Walked back to the room, said my goodbyes and T came to pick me up (had called him earlier and asked him to help move me). He dropped me off at the new place, we agreed to meet up the beach at Milly’s in 2 hours. I didn’t even last 1 hour, as the toilet was not functional, nor was there any water coming from the shower head. I left the owner to fix it up and headed down the beach….
What a beautiful beach! Must like Labardi beach near Accra, but cleaner. Almost nobody around for the first 15 minutes of my walk, then upon reaching where the action was (little bars and stalls of things for sale) there were more people. I’d say the ratio was 75% locals and 25% tourists and most of the tourists are from Europe somewhere.
Met T at Milly’s and we chatted more about my experiences in Jamaica, he was very interested and has always dreamed of going…. Yep, we were going to become great friends
We parted ways agreeing to meet back at Milly’s about 9pm for reggae night.
When I returned to the hotel and there was still no water, and it had been 4 hours, I was more than upset! I hadn’t really washed the day previous to the crummy place I was in, now this!! I called T and he came to my rescue right away… we drove around but there just wasn’t anything suitable… finally at the end of the long main road, almost back at the highway heading to Accra there was a BIG sign advertising a 5 star hotel, what the heck, maybe it’s not that expensive!
T waited for me and I entered the lobby, WOW…. Very fancy and beautiful. Price please? $140US / night… sorry can’t do it and started to walk away when the man said “pls come back, how about $100US” I thought, okay this is a good sign and if I don’t do this then where am I to go? I wanted to see a room, they showed me one immediately…. Running water, great shower pressure, even hot water! A toilet oh so clean and it flushed… yippie!! LOL… laughing now, but at the time it was no laughing matter.
I took the hotel and T agreed to pick me back up at 9pm due to it being so far from Milly’s and there wouldn’t be any taxis at that time (Note to self, Kokrobite NEEDS night time taxis, good business perhaps??).
Milly’s was a blast that night… reggae music flowed on and on from about 10pm until 2am, a lot of cover tunes, with many different singers, mostly dreads and they sang mostly Jamaican music! I was “home” once again
I spoke with many different people that night, some younger back packers from Sweden and Italy, an older couple from Chicago, many locals and some of the musicians. Met my first Jamaican, a friend of T’s, this guy I’ll call him G was 19 years old and lived there in Kokrobite with his Mom, African step Dad, older sister and younger brother. G was a very interesting young man, we chatted about Jamaica for hours and found we both have our “family” in St. Elizabeth. I looked forward to seeing him again tomorrow and meeting the rest of his family, they have lived there in Ghana for the last 7 years.
Sleep came late, maybe 3am, but in such a lovely hotel, a large comfortable bed with many pillows
Must have been close to noon on Sunday when I woke, what a great sleep, give thanks! Everyting is betta when ya get a good sleep. I ate veggies and rice in the restaurant at the hotel, very good but oh so pricey compared to “on the streets”. I headed out at 3pm exactly and took a taxi to but to the first place I stay at that was to have the drumming.
Upon arrival I could hear the drums!!! What an amazing setting…overlooking the water, about 10 drummers on stage and two African ladies dancing in front of them. Large drums, small drums, congos, talking drums, some I haven’t a clue what to call them I had such a great time for those two hours that words can’t even describe how I felt!!!
At 5:30pm the place was cleared out (not that there were many there, perhaps 5 tourists and 3 locals). I sat and meditated for a while…. Thinking this is the place to live… I called T and he came to get me and we drove around the area while I told him about my dislike of the city, the house I was at, how I got sick, etc… and that I’d like to move to this area. He said he would look out for me and try to help
The next day I was suppose to go back to Accra, but decided to stay one more night. I spent the day to myself exploring around, then hooked up with T later and we had supper at this very nice little Italian restaurant not too far from Milly’s. They served the best veggie pizza ever!!! The owner was such a nice African lady, she had recently taken over the restaurant from an Italian couple who went back to Italy for the next five years. She had a beautiful German Shepard dog and another one I’m not sure of the breed… it was just nice to be in the company of healthy, happy dogs again! They strays you see around are in such pathetic shape it breaks my heart.
Monday I spent with G and his family…. I knew I would enjoying talking to his Mom but had no idea at the time she too would become a very dear friend. They lived in Kokrobite area for the last year or so, but have been staying in the Labardi beach area for the last 6 years. I had such a wonderful visit, mostly chatting about Jamaica and my experiences over the last 14 trips there, and there life there in Ghana in comparison. MANY pro’s and con’s to living in JA vs. Ghana… my point of view pretty much matched the whole Jamaican family I was reasoning with! We parted ways exchanging phone numbers and the promise to hook up again soon… they too were going to look out for a place for me to rent.
I spent my last night quiet and alone at the amazing hotel …. Watched TV for the first time in a while and just chilled out. The next day I had my taxi guy from Accra come to get me and take me back to the guest house. I knew I could only afford to stay there for maybe one more week… and I also knew I couldn’t go back to that empty house even if it was free! What to do…. Back to reality and a little stress… finding a place here was not an easy thing!!
Finally luck had it my way and through a friend of a friend something turned up in Kokrobite! The next weekend I went back there to check it out and it just wasn’t suitable. The room was extremely small and the kitchen area a disaster with no appliances at all and no running water.. the bathroom was to be shared between me and 5 other African men… not a chance it was LOL!!!
As I was about to give up I went to the Italian restaurant and on my way there with a friend from Labardi when he ran into a very dear friend of his. G, this man was a 67 year old `white`guy from Montana and had been going back and forth to Ghana for the last 25 years, living there solid the last 3-4 years. G was very helpful and told me many things about living in that area… all of a sudden this Rasta drives by slowly on his motorcycle, G stops him as he knows him and asks about a place for me to rent. This exact Rasta (I’ll call him F) has a place… no way … can’t be!!! Yep… LOL… the next morning we agreed to meet so I could go see it as it was dark out already and I wanted to see it in the day time.
The next morning F showed up 1 hour late, the norm for most Africans and off we went to see his place. It was almost right beside where the drumming is every Sunday, that crummy place I first stayed at… LOL… on the water and such a cute wooden cabin where my room would be! Another building where the kitchen was, full fridge that didn’t work, but a two burner stove… I can live without a fridge, no problem! The shower was acceptable, but the toilet did not flush most times and you had to fill the back of the tank with water first. OH NO… not again… this is such the norm everywhere it seems!!
We discussed fixing the toilet to make it flushable and F told me he’d get a quote and call me. I went back to the city hopeful … 2 days later F called and said the cost would be about $300 US, I agreed to pay half because he offered me rent at $150 a month! I can do that… besides, the view of the water and my own private beach sold me! Having Rasta vibes on the property was another plus (F had his own little room near the kitchen building), and being in Kokrobite was perfect!
About a week later everything was ready for me to move in, took longer than expected, but hey this is very normal for anything you want done in Africa, even worse than in JA! Seth moved me to my new home and within days I felt extremely satisfied with this decision.
I couldn’t believe that I had already been in Ghana for almost three months! I had been living in and out of suitcases, from guest house to hotel, to friend’s.. moving all around the Accra and surrounding areas…. Finally I have my own place to call `home that I hope I can remain at for a long, long time. I was truly blessed, at peace, happy and starting to get more fit and healthy.
My first month in the cabin by the sea was bliss…. So many wonderful moments on a daily basis, but I didn’t keep a journal so don’t have near as many details written down.
The final instalment of my trip report will be my last two months in Ghana without the big details – soon come!
Bless,
RG
and the little cabin sounds so wonderful 
I found myself longing for the pictures, and yet I see it in my minds eye because of the detail in which you wrote it. Thanks again for sharing. Please don't leave out too much detail in the last instalment 
MY camera getting stolen was for sure one of the biggest downfalls about my trip 
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