The World Will Be One

Ghana was our next stop up the Western coast of Africa. Ghana was a significant stop for me because my daughter-in-law (and soon-to-be a Mom) has volunteered her time and skills as a nurse in Ghana many times over the years to help care for those in desperate need of medical attention and surgery. In Ghana, medical care is a luxury most can not afford. People will line up for days to have the opportunity to see a Doctor and have needed surgery. The added bonus for them is to be under Trisha's warm, nurturing and experienced care.  It was important for me to feel what it is like to be here. She loves Ghana and the work she does here. It is a priveledge, she says. It was like coming home.

Exiting the ship, the first thing I noticed was the humidity. I felt drenched immediately. Staying dry or feeling cool was not in the cards today. It felt like I was sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley, in August, in the sun, 94 degrees, 98% humidity, and no breeze. Here we had  an air conditioned bus and clean windows. For joy! We are not in Togo anymore. Ghana is the largest city closest to the Equator. 25 million residents are feeling the humidity .... 25 million and me.

Our tour guide is a teacher, the Director of Music in a college. He has just defended his Doctorate in Music having studied the healing effects of music in health care. His daughter is in college and his son is in San Francisco, in high school, studying to be a classical pianist We were fortunate to have his delightful banter for five hours on this tour. When asked kiddingly who is going to win the World Cup, he smiled and said "Africa, of course and we will hold the title for the next 10 years."
His answer was perfect, sparing jest with jest. His words were well chosen and lyrical. His knowledge base was deep, peppering his insights with stories and proverbs. He would begin 'Once upon a time' or 'Do you know about the little ant?'. Proverbs in Ghana relate to morals, the past, and learning about life. The belief system to be one with the earth is strong. If you take, you give back. Man is depleting the rich forests in his country to use for housing and cooking, now they now have to plant 20 trees for the taking of just one. They have to process the timber in Ghana before they can ship it out. No longer can they cut and just ship out the unprocessed logs. Our guide was a Ghana highlight.

Our tour guide gave us a tiny peak into life in Ghana during the bus ride to and from Cape Coast. The two hour drive each way went quickly between listening to stories and snapping pictures of every day life along the way. Here in Ghana, again, we saw people out and about sitting by the sides of the road in make shift lean-tos selling everything under the sun that could be sold. Ghana is heads and shoulders above Togo in its infrastructure, economy and education. But poverty is high and it also has a long way to go. Education is important in Ghana. Nice to hear about that! People here want to move ahead. The recent discovery of oil here has everyone excited about the possibilities that will bring to all.

Both castles (Cape Coast and Elmina) on this tour had huge dealings in slave trade and were restored to keep the memories of what happened here alive. It helps the tourist industry too. Both started as trading settlements and ended up being used exclusively for slave trade. We all know the slave stories and history. It was horrific. When you visit you can feel the cold sheer terror from the past. The impression while walking the grounds sinks in and magnifies with each step or story told by the guides. The sick feeling, helplessness, disgust, disbelief and nausea stay with you as you feel what it must have been like in these dungeons, as they turn out the lights, as you walk to and/or touch the Door of No Return, and as you learn about the cellwith a skull where 30 people were thrown, locked up, and stayed until they died and could be carried out, no food, no water, no ventilation. I still don't know why these places are called 'castles', they are anything but.

Alongside Elmina castle was a major market with thousands of ramshackled stalls selling everything that could possibly be sold. It seemed to go for a mile in each direction with the sea as its backdrop. I have never seen so many people shoulder to shoulder haggling, bargaining and bartering their way to a sale both could walk away from feeling they each got a good price. Vendors alongside the busses swarmed the tourists again. Here they were aggressive. They befriended you. Stuck to your side and matched your pace. Where you from? What's your name? My name is.... . A simple 'No Thank You' was attacked as why won't you be my friend? Head down, long brimmed baseball cap, walk-fast-behind-the-guide trick worked well most of the time. Too much for me.

Three sea days ahead ... countdown to home ..... 16