Well now that I've joined the ranks of the "early birds", it was no difficulty to get up at 5 on Christmas eve to get an early morning tro-tro to Hideout Lodge, via Tokoradi and Agona Junction ... Four hours on a plastic seat, squashed between two large Ghanaian ladies and listening to a herbalist preaching about the dangers of lung cancer, nervous disorders and other sumptuous diseases, wasn't my idea of fun but - definitely worth it when we arrived at the Lodge!
It really looked like heaven on earth. Huge expanse of sandy beach, the Atlantic ocean beckoning, chilled-out Ghanaians to look after our culinary needs, a bungalow that was so near the beach that the waves sounded as if they were inside! So all was set for a perfect weekend - and so it turned out to be.
Christmas eve was something of a non-event with a few drummers (see the pic) and of course the inevitable singing from the rastas, but no great party on the beach. Still, Xmas day dawned hot and sunny and we spent all day congratulating ourselves that we'd found such an idyll to spend the weekend. Can you blame us?
It was strange to think that it was freezing at home and it definitely was surreal to be sitting, looking at the ocean, contemplating, when you all were dressed up with coats, hats etc!
Boxing morning got us up early to take a canoe trip allegedly to see crocodiles (we didn't), monkeys (one very frightened monkey), lizard (one and then only its tail), birds aplenty, fish (talapia), tree crabs and other little creatures, the likes of which I'd not seen before. I've put up a couple of pix for you to see how peaceful and beautiful it was.
The weather turned out to be cloudy that day so we left a day early to come to Accra so that Kerstin could replace the camera that she had had pinched at Swedru market last week. Good move - travelled in cooler conditions and then yesterday was hot so we went back to the beach ... See the pic of the thousands (probably literally!) of Ghanaians who were all in the water at the same time, just jumping the waves, as they were too big to be able to swim.
Back to Swedru today, after a bit of retail therapy at the arts and crafts market then orphanage, before going away again for New Year. Life is one big party!!
Hope all is well with all of you.
