At the coast...

[Disclaimer: This post is from 3 days ago, but I didn't have decent internet access until recently}

At last I had the opportunity to swim in the other side of the Atlantic. The spectacular beaches here are overwhelmed with luscious coconut palm trees. With the treatment we've been receiving at our beach resort I almost feel like a celebrity, especially with how people walk up so anxiously to greet me.

Speaking of celebrities, who should I meet today none other than the actor himself - Danny Glover. I just loved him in Angels in the Outfield and was so excited when I saw him hanging out at the coconut grove beach resort where we're staying.

We had a great buffet tonight for supper - plantains, tomato macaroni, boiled potatoes ( a rarity), chicken, and ice cream for dessert. We're gonna be going out to a "reverential night" in a little while, not sure what it's gonna be like, but we'll probably stop by for some panafest festivites afterwards.

"Looks like a prison photo" - quote from angels in the outfield

I loved this! Feeding the helper monkeys in the Tafi-Akum monkey sanctuary in the Volta region. They were so playful swinging from the branches and coming right up to you. I even tried climbing some of the vines and swinging myself. Currently it's morning here (about 8:40 a.m.) and we're staying at the Chance hotel in Ho. I think we'll be going to a church service this morning and then to see some of the villages/chiefs. We climbed the highest mountain in Ghana the other day- Mt. Afadjato - and were just meters away from Togo. I also had a blast swimming in Wli Falls. It's just so refreshing and unlike anything I've ever experienced being immersed in an enormous shower of water. Anyway, we'll be heading for Cape Coast in a few days. Until then!

Kumasi, Tamale, and the road to Volta

We've done a lot of traveling over the past few week, going all around the country, seeing a variety of landscapes, people and culture. The first image shows the crowded area of Kumasi, home to one of the largest open markets in the world.

The second picture displays the traditional style architecture of northern Ghana. The people in the north are primarily Muslim, speak a different dialect, and have way more goats running around. Some of the roads here are really bumpy, but our driver Ti-ti is great so he can handle it. At this point I've tried most of the local foods - fufu, banku, red-red, etc.

In Africa...

The first picture is of me on a road near "the family lodge," our residence for the first three days in Ghana. We saw several people out walking the streets during the day as one of the common modes of transportation. The streets are very busy in Accra, lots of people come up to the cars selling goods on the street, traffic is ridiculous at times. We saw some military vehicles, police with semi-auto just riding by in a a pickup truck, barbed wire on 6 ft. walls in the city.

The second picture is of me and my "brother" Martin in the market of Accra. We talked for a good 30-40 mins. before I had to leave to go back for supper at the lodge. I love the market or "cultural center" as they call it. There is so much to do and see there, the people are so friendly and everything is dirt cheap. As for everything else - the food is decent, soccer is huge, and our places of lodging are going to get nicer and nicer.

Getting ready to go...

The flight leaves Wednesday.