God bless our homeland

God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation GREAT and STRONG! For the first time in my life, I am willing to sing this anthem with a conviction I’ve never had before for Ghana. This is because my recent trip to Ghana was LIIFFFEEEEE! Ye ye ye, for the first time in all my visits I enjoyed myself.

On previous trips I was a student with revision and assignments to do. I was at the age that my relatives weren’t too comfortable with me galivanting around town even though I was in my 20’s. Lol. As a young woman, I was given the usual lines ‘You don’t know the country”, “You’re a girl and you can get hurt” blah blah blah. So you can imagine my relief when I was allowed to roam. I truly enjoyed!

I must confess I did do some touristy things, such as a trip to Kakum Park. That was an adventure in itself. I would advise leaving very early when trying to leave the capital due to heavy traffic that you might meet and it takes a good 3 hours to get there. I will also advice that you have a playlist that you know you’ll enjoy, I was unfortunately subjected to country music at 5am, this is not good for anyone! I don’t even think people who like country music would do this. Here’s a warning, the roads leading to Kakum Park, are bad and you’ll spend most of that trip bouncing all over your vehicle and there isn’t much you can do other than hold tight and think of the beautiful scenery you’ll get to enjoy. 

We finally arrived at Kakum, got our tickets and began the trek to the canopies. The tour guide at one point turned and said to us that the walk uphill wasn’t a struggle because he saw it as exercise and bettering himself. My friend and I turned to each and commented that the feeling wasn’t mutual. Other tourists made similar comments too. Finally we got to the canopy walk and started going across it. I won’t lie, all the bravery I had, went as soon as I started going across and realised how far up we were. As we finished the first canopy walk over the jungle, suddenly, this wind like something from the Wizard of Oz appeared, then came the rain with thunder and lightning. There’s nothing more fun than being soaked in the middle of a forest with thunder and lightning. Whoop whoop! Our tour guide decided it was best we didn’t carry on for our safety and that was the end of that. Check out the video of us trying to wait this storm out.

I definitely recommend going to Shia Hills if you haven’t, as the view is absolutely breathtaking! I can’t really tell you much about the drive because I was fast asleep but the journey took over an hour and that was including traffic but I missed all that. Shia hills is a stunning natural reserve. If you’re lucky you’ll get to see the gazelles running from the high point of your climb. Ghana’s very own version of The Lion King. You can feed an ostrich, which I was very excited about, as the previous week I tried to feed a different ostrich and it hissed at me.

Shia Hills is definitely a place to start your touristy day, get there early, around 8am when the sun is still coming out but there’s still a nice breeze to keep you cool. You get to drive through the reserve and I suggest you go on a less rainy day, so your car tires don’t get stuck in the mud. To get the view, you’ll do a nice rocky climb, there are are ropes to help you so you won’t be doing it freehand. It’s not a difficult climb either, for those of us who are allergic to any form of physical activities. After the climb you’re rewarded with a stunning view that you can enjoy and will be in awe of. I know my friend and I spent at least 30 minutes just looking out and really taking in how beautiful nature is when left untouched. You can have a moment to reflect and contemplate. 

Next I would recommend the Akosombo area. I’ve lived in Akosombo before and it’s popular for a particular type of fish called ‘One man thousand’. We went to the Royal Senchi Resort to spend the day and relax. Whilst there you can take a boat ride around these 5 small islands that the locals either live or work on. As you enjoy the ride you are filled with appreciation and a hope that you too could live the simpler life. Most of us wouldn’t be able to handle it but we can dream right?

I went to the reopening of Bloom Bar in OSU. Loved the decor! They had fairy lights, it reminded me of some of the trendy bars in the UK. Fairy lights make everything better! What I love about the bars/clubs in Ghana is there’s always food around. It doesn’t matter if the place only has a dance floor, there will always be food on offer. If I was back at home, I would order something from Dominos or try to find the nearest fast food chain. This is proof that Ghana promotes a healthy going out culture, you can drink as much as you like but do it on a full stomach. I love it! Food, drinks, dancing. What a healthy mix.

My trip was a success because I made new friends, networked and actually went out to see Ghana. Imagine, that’s all it took! Ghana is a beautiful place that needs to be explored. Yes there are things to see in Accra but I would recommend that everyone take a break from the city once in a while and venture out. I only had two weeks to explore and I did a lot, I’ve only shared some of my highlights. So those of you who have four weeks and more you have no excuse. Ghana is the place to be!