The five and a half hour drive was littered with giant potholes, rarely paved, and often caused accidental shrieks to escape our mouths as the driver didn't seem to notice these factors and rattled on at top speed.
After arriving, we were so happy to get to our hotel and find dinner waiting for us. We stayed at the Stumble Inn, a beautiful little resort complete with beach huts and outdoor dining areas.
After we found our rooms and ate dinner, we all headed to bed. We were very tired, and we knew that we had a big day ahead of us. We were told that breakfast started at 7am, so we planned to eat then to ensure an early start to an event filled day- and we set our clocks for 630.
Saturday morning we met at the restaurant to find we were the only ones there. In true Ghanain fashion, the cooks had not even shown up for work. We have quickly learned that it is silly to be concerned about time here. After about 45 minutes, she came and we were able to eat- but we felt bad for making the cab driver wait! At least we were on the road by 8 :)
Our first adventure was to Kakum National Park, situated in the tropical rainforest. It was absolutely amazing! We walked on a suspended bridge above the canopy, toured in the forest, and really felt like we experienced a new part of Ghana.
After we were finished our tours in the jungle, we started the drive back to Cape Coast. Did I mention that five of us were all crammed into a small cab? It was a pretty funny drive. We needed to stop for lunch, so we pulled into a little spot called Hans Cottage. It was a cool restaurant in the middle of a lake- famous for housing over 200 crocodiles. While we were eating we saw 3 grown crocs, and 1 baby. Some brave souls chose to sit on them, but I decided that seeing one from the comfort of my table was good enough for me!
After we got back to Cape Coast, we drove up to Cape Coast Castle. The White-Washed castle has been used for many different things, but most infamously, during the slave trade. The tour that we went on started by taking us down to the worst dungeons I have ever seen. The small, dark rooms built to hold 200 male slaves smelt grimy and wet-and really felt heavy. We were taken through 5 chambers, which all served the purpose of holding slaves for over 3 months. Due to little drainage, these people were forced to live in excrement, and we were shown the thigh-high line in which the feces and urine rose to. It was truly sickening to see the way that people treat each other.
We were also shown through the equally awful women's chambers, and caught glimpses of the tunnels that they were forced through. Towards the Door of No Return, and ominous gateway that marked the last time the slaves would ever see Ghana. Finally we were taken to the punishment chambers- rooms with no light, and put above ground to maximize the heat. With only a fraction of the number of people in these rooms that there would have been during their use, the heat was unbearable. The guide turned off the lights, and 10 seconds of the pitch black was enough for me. Sadly enough, the punishment chambers were places where the people recieved no food or water, and were left-still in shackles-until they passed away.
On the floor and walls, the desperate scratches made with these shackles can still be seen. Pretty hard to experience, but I'm glad I got to see it first hand. It was a serious reminder as to how important it is to treat others with kindness.
After the castle, we took a look around Cape Coast. It is a pretty busy town, but we found it to be less friendly than Koforidua. Our walk didn't last too long, we were all pretty tired- so we headed back to the stumble inn for dinner. At dinner, we met a couple from Germany and ended up chatting a playing some cards. It was a nice evening :)
Sunday was a good and relaxing day. We spent it laying on the beach and playing in the huge waves! It was a great way to end an eventful trip.
On Monday, we returned back to Koforidua, taking the longer and paved route :) All-in-all, it was a fantastic weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment