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Travel notes from Accra, going home
Hi Everyone,
It just under two hours from now I shall be jumping into a taxi and going to the airport to catch my overnight flight back to London via Lagos and Zurich.
This last week I have spent relaxing along the coast and hanging out at beaches. I went off to Ada about 120 km east of Accra in search of this isolated beach camp. I arrived there and found that the sea had washed it away. The owners had rebuilt a new beach camp but it wasn't in an isolated place but along the coast with all the other hotels and camps.
It was still a nice place and I spent a couple of nights there. Also staying there was Carlos from Spain who is also on the same flight as me to Zurich tonight. We've been hanging out for most of this week, as our plans have been fairly much the same. It is turtle season at the moment and all along the white sandy beaches turtles are hauling themselves up onto the beach to lay their eggs. We spent a night walking the beach by moonlight looking for turtles. We found plenty of tracks and after walking about a mile or so we finally found one laying her eggs.
I was going to take the riverboat from Ada up the Volta River to Akosombo but that has been cancelled until further notice due to engine problems. So instead Carlos and myself headed back towards Accra stopping for a night at Coco Beach about 10km out of the city. We stayed in a very nice guesthouse where we managed to negotiate a room at a discount of 75%.
On Friday we took a taxi back into Accra and I have spent the weekend in the city having fun. Thanks to the Internet I have also met up with a couple of American travellers who I met about four weeks ago in Mali, Teresa and Tara. The four of us have been hanging out taking life easy. Friday and Saturday were shopping days and on Saturday night we went out of town to a beachside bar where there was a really good local band playing. It was an excellent last night sitting outdoors by the beach, the waves crashing on the rocks below us and the warm night breeze blowing off the ocean.
This morning I woke feeling a little hung over, hot weather and beer just don't mix with me. Every day in this city I say it's the hottest place I've been to. Sweat just pours out of your body as soon as you walk out into the street. Last night while driving out to the bar the thermometer in the car was reading 30'c and it felt pleasant and cool. I think I will be freezing tomorrow when I get back to London.
The elections passed off peacefully on Thursday. Results are still being counted as I type but the shock result so far is that the opposition National Patriotic Party (NPP) is winning in both the presidential and parliamentary races. The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is losing its grip on power. Its all been a stark contrast to what is happening in the elections today across the border in Ivory Coast. A state of emergency was declared earlier this week and the security forces have shot dozens of people.
I'm going to really miss Africa. I will be coming back to sub-Sahara many times over the next few years. I'm hooked on this place. I don't want to go home.
Oh well, until next time, safe travelling everyone, wherever the road may take you.
Regards
Geoff.
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