Ghana

Just got from Accra couple of weeks ago after spending there 8 days… Despite reservation I had about going to Ghana, it’s a good country to visit and surely an eye opener for the Westener.
To my feel, Accra is going thru a massive increase in expact settling there, due to their political stability, hence, things that used to be cheaper are now to foreigner prices. The traffic in Accra is hectic with buses carrying tons of people and street vendors almost in every intersection selling possibly everything like a supermarket.
I walked around and jumped into taxis and I have never been harassed by the locals to th extent of being annoyed like in Cairo. Actually the locals seems to be quite helpful and safe.
There’re nice restaurants in Osu where you can eat anything from steaks to seafood but expect the bill to be in US$ and not that cheap.
I went to an Ivorian restaurant called Maquis Tante Marie and it was much cheaper, good food and local atmosphere. Ask any taxi and they will bring you there for 20.000 Cedis.
I also went to Ryan’s Irish Pub for a touch of expacts and it’s ok but just way too smokey.
The open market downtown Accra are I guess an experience, although way too crowded with vendors trying to pull the tourist in all direction for a sale for stuff that you can find in your home country for the same price.
I had a driver for a day and drove all over the city and to the beach and there you can see the different pockets of Accra where poverty is also being a reality. People there though, seem despite the odds extremely hopeful, common to jump in a taxi with a driver reading the Bible and Sunday is a church day for almost the entire city.
Regarding bars, I have only been to a few. Like in Asia, girls seems to be eager to approach Western guys for a drink and dessert, just be wary that diseases are also a reality in Ghana even if it’s less than neighboring countries like Nigeria.
Health-wise, beside the mandatory Yellow Fever, Malaria tablets are a good things to take, even though I haven’t seen any mosquitoes in the city or got bitten. (As advice, don’t take Lariam, which is a weekly one. I makes you go a bit dellusional).
Money, US Dollars are accepted almost everywhere (just check the exchange rate) and make sure the bill has big heads or they won’t be accepted. You can cash out money quite easily from ATMs if you have a VISA card (no Mastercard, just VISA). When in Ghana get used to count in millions of cedis…
Kotoka Airport is all right, the arrival is small with few booths for immigration and collect your luggage. I would suggest you organize a pick up (you can also get a pick up to meet you inside the airport) to avoid facing the arrival hall with tons of locals or willing to help. Especially after a long flight is a bit too much, nothing as bad as New Delhi Airport though…
Departure are much more sophisticated with proper immigration, Duty Free, etc.
On overal Ghana is a nice African country to visit that is not too intense, rather laid back and safe to explore.

I love Ghana. travel is easy, the people are friendly. Its noisy, and colourful, tropical and the slave history is challenging.

there is a wicked african drumming / dance workhop held in ghana every year. the musicians came to the adelaide fringe and i watched them perform – ah , its be a great experience. i saw them perform 6 years ago and still am making plans to go there (when i get the $$$!)

In 1989 I spent 10 days in Takoradi thanks to my job on a merchant ship. We spent most evenings in the Atlantic Hotel, drinking beer, listening to local bands, and fending off the ladies, (mostly) :-). I have to say that all my impressions were good. I was delighted with the warmth of the people, the good spoken English, and the general good nature. Although the furthest I travelled was to the local market to buy a tape of local music, it was all good, and I’d recommend a visit although I can’t of course speak for inland or local hotels and b&bs.

In 2004 I spent 6 months in Ghana living with a missionary family.
I have never fallen in love with a country.. but I did with Ghana. I can’t wait to go back, and visit my beautiful friends, I now call my African family.
Visit Kotwi [coat-ch-wee] it is 10-15 minutes outside of Kumasi.
A village filled with exquisite people.
Ghana will change your life.
I have never experienced or seen joy in people.. until I went to Ghana. I helped out at Adullam Orphanage for a bit, and wow.. those kids had such joy.
Amazing.
Ghana truly is the “happy country”
Visit!

My father worked in Ghana for a year in the telecom business, and I went visiting him for a couple of weeks with the family.
It was an eye-opening experience of another culture so vastly different from what I’m used to, I could’ve written a book about it.
We rented a car in Accra and visited Cape Coast, Elmino, Takoradi, Busua, Koforidua and Akosombo (dam).

The impressions I’m left with today years after is salespeople at every highway selling everything from car parts to pottery to statues to food. The old toothless smiling lady we bought fruit from in a remote village. Another even more remote village where we were the event of the day, swarmed by twenty or so children. A cold guinness in the early morning at empty beach resorts with endless empty beautiful beaches. The “ghetto” in a beautiful evening surrounded by smiling content people who seemed happy to exist (in a way I haven’t seen before or after). Visiting a slave fort when it hit me, “wow, it actually happened right here”. Realizing that I had only been there for 14 days and not a year, the day we went home.

If you do one “exotic” travel in your life, I can warmly recommend Ghana. It changed me, in a good way.

I think Ghana rules in football and they should win this second half against Brazil. GO GHANA!

Really anywhere in Africa…but Ghana was where I was planning to go with Madventures, plans have been delayed (untill I can afford the time and the tickets) but they are not deleted!

I dated a guy from Accra, and he always talked about how Ghanians (sp?) are the happiest people on earth. I know other Ghanians also, and they all seem happy. I’d love to check it out.

I love Ghana. I studied dance and theatre while I was there and had an amazing time!