Geckos & Crocodiles
A Journalist’s Diary
I began writing about my Ghanaian travels with Accra’s Central Park. And while I had planned the first real travel weekend to feature two weeks from now, schedule changes moved that to today.
My roommate, Jon, and I marked the halfway point of my month-long stay in Ghana with our first shared trip away from the hectic streets of Accra.
The journey brought us to Cape Coast and Kakum. It taught us valuable history lessons and showed us Mother Nature in the form of a rainforest, geckos, and crocodiles.
Colonial History in Cape Coast
I woke up that Saturday at 5-something, according to my journal.
But our breakfast, which consisted of white bread and fresh pineapple, had to wait until 7 o’clock. I remember those simple breakfasts with kindness. Something was refreshing and relaxing about the interlude on Gloria’s front porch that started my days, often in company.
By 8:30 a.m., we had gathered our supplies for a weekend on the road and convinced a taxi driver to shuttle us to the bus station for a whopping total of 3 $.
Our destination was Cape Town. I think the bus ride required took around two hours.
But our experience was a bit richer than a straight bus ride.
We arrived three-and-a-half hours early for the next bus and killed time by journaling (me) and reading an issue of GQ (Jon). The ride didn’t last 200 meters (about 656.17 ft) when the bus finally set off. A mechanical failure booted us off the coach. A replacement vehicle managed to bring us to Cape Coast by 3 p.m.
I remember that the itinerary for the small coastal town included one item: the castle.
We were horribly late for that, arriving at the entrance at 4 p.m., a sign informing us of its closure at 4:30 p.m.
We were happily admitted nonetheless and connected to the tail end of the tour that had begun moments earlier.
The time roaming the haunted grounds of the facility that used to be the port of exit for outgoing slaves was as educational as it was interesting and depressing.
The history of Cape Coast Castle is long and rich. If you want to learn more, I found a UNESCO-connected primer and a video about a visit by then-U.S. President Barack Obama.
A Gecko in the Shower
We fell into surprisingly comfortable beds early after a decent dinner. The most notable memory from that evening for me was the conversation with a group of American travelers who sat at a neighboring table. It was fascinating for my ears — trying to discern the differences between Canadian and American English. I wish I remembered where in the U.S. they came from, but I sadly don’t.
We ended the day early because the next day started early.
I was celebrating the first hot shower since my arrival in Ghana in my imagination. Then, I entered the bathroom at 5:50 a.m.
A baby gecko was greeting me, not what I had expected.
We somehow got along.
But as I recovered from that discovery, I realized this wouldn’t be the hot shower I had dreamed of. The water was as cold as it was at Gloria’s, and no turn of the knobs and dials at my command changed that.
We had checked out of our hotel by 6:40 a.m. and tried to find a tro-tro that would carry us to Kakum National Park.
My journal is a bit scarce in details, but that search wasn’t straightforward. We found a tro-tro, jumped in, were asked to leave, and saw the mate pay another man, who told us to follow him. And finally, we reached a square that looked like a busy tro-tro stop.
Shortly after sitting down in the tro-tro to the rainforest, a group of European tourists arrived. We had found companions for the rest of the day.
Crocodiles After the Rainforest
The stay in the rainforest was impressive. I still remember the shaky ground underneath my feet when we traversed the canopy bridges that crossed through the park. The fog added to the experience.
We stayed for a two-hour tour and left with an experience I wouldn’t want to have missed.
The final stop of our weekend in the Cape Coast/Kakum area was Hans Cottage. That’s where the crocodiles come into play. I remember a big lake, small huts, tourist shops, a decent lunch, and seeing a few crocodiles closer than ever before or after.
Jon and I were still at the dinner table at Gloria’s that same evening when we started exchanging ideas for the next weekend, our final shared Ghanaian travels. What those two days included, I will share in three weeks. Tomorrow, I’ll post a training-related update. And next week, you can expect new reading recommendations and photography.
