Catching Up!

Cape Coast Castle

the view from above

Cape Coast Beach

canons

unforgettable...

Kojo has the best smile and the most energy

Naomi, Kojo, Me- we're always running into each other!

Naomi and Isaac in front of Barclay's Bank

me and the girls trying to look brave for the camera

we were 40m above the ground. Tarzan would be proud.

Han's Cottage Botel- there are over 30 crocodiles there!

Living at Cape Coast

The bus ride went fairly smooth (crazy driving and a few bumps got me a little dizzy---not gonna lie). The only thing that made me mad was the fact that I had no music to listen to. My ipod was suppose to charge the night before we left, but we had ANOTHER power outage(stupendous). Hey, why not just kick back, and enjoy the scenery, right? Pssshhh...yeah and have my eyes burn and my throat all dried from the heat and the heavy smog...So I basically had to deal. Eventually I fell asleep throughout the entire bus ride there (about 2 1/2 hrs). You know what's funny to me though? How a passenger, including myself, can tell the bus driver to stop and pull over so they can use the bathroom...wait...I thought people usually did their business BEFORE a road trip...ESPECIALLY IF THEY KNOW THE DRIVE IS 3 HOURS LONG...well that's Ghanaian time for you...So I imagine you are wondering, "What kinda bus were you riding anyway?" Okay so let me tell you- the buses here run like The GreyHound buses. Only here in Ghana, space was an issue---because I was cramped!!! I had to sit next to my sister...of course I slept crazy and pushed her off the edge hahahahaha. But something came over me...I was soooo tired! The whole time, I had to keep tucking in the window curtain because the wind kept blowing it in my face! Oh! This Ghanaian girl was sitting behind me and the curtain just whipped her across the face!!! hahahahahahaha. she was sooo beautiful to me though, I tried to offer her some ginger snaps but she didn't want any...OOOOOOOOH! you know what is DEEEELISH? Ginger snap cookies with Fanice(Ghana's version of vanilla flave ice cream)...SOOOOO GOOD! It was a bad idea to eat all that because I got motion sickness---not cool. And because I was feeling a bit weezy, it made me that more impatient. I couldn't wait til we finally got off the bus!!!

Our first day in Cape Coast was OKAY (I missed Mama Joanna, Abe and Alaska sooo much). You know that feeling of settling in a new place and actually getting comfortable with the area? Yeah well that's how I feel about our place in Accra. I just didn't get the same vibe in Cape Coast...the people were more aggressive and got all up in your face--- "Where are you from?!" "Why are you here with cameras?!" "Give me money!" But whatever...our first tourist site was at the Elmina Castle- the slave import. There was a major holiday going on at the time so the place was packed! I felt sorry for the tour guide because he had to speak extra loud for all of us to hear. I watched his mouth and it got all chapped and dry haha. Despite all the noise, it was a grand experience. I learned about the slave trade in school, but never imagined myself stepping foot into one of history's most violent places. The thought of being taken away and separated from your family makes me feel very sorrowful. Living for months at a time with hardly anything to eat or drink, and being crammed into one cell with 300 other people with only a tiny hole in the wall for ventilation must've been unbearable for the African people(I don't even want to call them slaves). That type of mistreatment led to sickness and death for many of them. Escape was not an option for many---some had hope and others committed suicide. Women were raped and tortured for fun. The Europeans treated them like a bunch of animals. Being in the castle and seeing the conditions of each cell made me mad. I don't know how man can be so cruel to another human being. I was glad when the tour was finally over. The castle was a dark, evil place where no man, woman or child should ever again have to suffer.

Mabel's Table Restaurant

The view there is spectacular! I missed Joana's home cookin though---BIG TIME. But at the same token, who gets to eat and watch the waves crash at the beach? By dinner time, I was STARVIN!!! Getting there was hard because we were stuck in some major traffic---since it was a holiday, the chief's ceremony took place on the main road. I had a beef burger with cheese and chips!!! Mmmmm!!!

Living at Cape Coast Hotel

Creepy...very creepy...kinda reminds me of those abandoned hotels and then a group of friends decide they want to spend the night or two after a long drive or whatever...you know the rest...I stayed up for a minute choppin it up with Marcio...good times...BIG laughing/serious/scary moments. We talked I would say for a couple of hours, maybe longer...then retarded self decided to hear a scary story. That's when I started to really freak out. Marcio thought it was funny, but I DIDN'T AT ALL. I'm spooked easily. Let me tell you. And that same day I ran into clowns at the festival!!! So that made matters worse!!! OH NO! LET ME TELL YOU!!! Why did Jontonette and I get the room farthest from everyone else. We were on the other side of town for real. We couldn't do it...it was too far down the hallway...so we begged and pleaded to just have one room for all the girls. I kept hearing things at night too...the dogs howling and the leaves crunching and the twigs breaking---AAAH! I wanted to just get in my bed and bury my face under the sheets. All I had to do was think, "I'll be home Joanna, Abe, and Alaska in two more days."

Day 2 in Cape Coast

The Kakum Trail: Surviving the Canopy Walk---"Every beginning must have an end." SO TRUE! The walk definitely had to end or else I would've died of heat stroke!!! What an adventure though! I felt like I was on fear factor or an Indiana Jones Movie. I had to walk across SEVEN canopy bridges! Yes! My only worry was falling to the ground. I kept imagining the ropes snapping from all the swaying and extra weight. The tour guy was sweet. Of course he advised us not to look down---but I couldn't helt it! The whole time I was looking own and snapping pictures. Again, I don't know what came over me. Well c'mon, someone had to get over themselves, haha. Altogether the hike lasted a whole 1hr 1/1. When we finished, all I wanted to do was collapse to the ground or fall in a pool with ice cold water. I just had a bottle of nice refreshing water...then we went out for lunch at Han's Cottage Botel (croc botel basically). HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY: petting a grown crocodile!!! I touched the tail for a good 5 secs, yeah just 5---you think I was trying to get bit up? NO WAY! I was soooo sooo scared...it was worser than walking across the bridges!

Trinity Dance Theatre: What super fun! Kojo surprised us with a performance along with other dancers and drummers. It was a superb night. It was a bit loud- the banging and all- but still a great end to a long and strenuous day.

Cape Coast Castle: Like Elmina Castle, Cape Coast Castle hides a violent past. This time, the tour was more personal. We were able to explore more in depth since we were the only tour group there. The only positivity I feel I got out of it were the quotes written and posted in the children's library.

Sankofa: "We look to the past to help us move forward to the future."

"The face is the true mirror of the mind."

"Caring makes the difference between despair and hope. Fear is the mind's killer."

Leaving Cape Coast was a relief for me. There's really nothing to do out there. I couldn't wait to be back in Accra...