From Kumasi to Cape Coast
Last day in Kumasi
On Friday, our last day in Kumasi, we went to the Ghanaian National Cultural Center, twice. I got the impression that the name of the place is about as euphemistic as one of those UNESCO "World Heritage Site" places. In other words, it's mainly a big shopping mall where each store sells a different kind of art or craft for sale. But it has its bright side, too: a well-stocked library and what looks like a great outdoor theater for cultural events. It's also quiet, compared to the bustling city just beyond the gates, and the pressure to buy is 100% times less than it is at the Cultural Center in Accra. Also, unlike the one in Accra, it's not just about the sell; you also see the artisans making the things that they're selling (like the wicker furniture maker weaving a couch, or the guys carving wooden stools by hand, or the kente weavers at work). And so why did we go there twice in one day? Well, the first time I went I didn't have enough cash to buy all the things I wanted!
After the first walk-through at the Center we went to the palace of the former and current Ashanti chiefs. We saw a brief video and then joined a large group of young Ghanaians on a tour of the old palace (no one is allowed into the one where the current chief lives). The surprised reactions of the people taking the tour left me really wondering about the state of Ghanaian history classes in secondary school education! But the artifacts were pretty interesting, in particular the remains of a carriage-like thing (shaped like a huge rounded pencil case) for one former chief, in which he was once carried (by six men, on foot) from Kumasi to Cape Coast!
In the end, Kumasi was getting me a little grumpy. It's an exhausting city. Also, our dark and gloomy hotel room lost its running water for most of the time towards the end of our stay, and I think we were both getting pretty tired of listening to the same jokes from Jefferson's well-intentioned relatives (about how funny it is that he understands but doesn't speak much Twi, and how funny it is that I speak it more than him; observations that really aren't worth so much roaring laughter in the first place, much less the third time it's mentioned). So anyway, on to Cape Coast.
Arrival in Cape Coast
The bus ride out of Kumasi showed us a different side of Kumasi; the outskirts of town resemble places like Koforidua and even Akropong, and seem much quieter and more livable. The ride was bumpy but fairly fast, and although we suffered through a bad Hulk Hogan movie, it was at least quite a different experience to be on a bus (what we'd call a bus in the US, too, not a van) that was able to show movies. We boarded Kumasi around 1pm and were in Cape Coast by 5pm.
Our hotel is wonderful! If anyone ever comes to Cape Coast, they must stay at the Sarahlotte Guesthouse. It's less than $14 a night, has carpet (!), running water (so far), and is just across the street from a huge expanse of beach. The beach! It automatically feels more like a vacation than the rest of Ghana has felt, just because there's a beach.
On Friday, our last day in Kumasi, we went to the Ghanaian National Cultural Center, twice. I got the impression that the name of the place is about as euphemistic as one of those UNESCO "World Heritage Site" places. In other words, it's mainly a big shopping mall where each store sells a different kind of art or craft for sale. But it has its bright side, too: a well-stocked library and what looks like a great outdoor theater for cultural events. It's also quiet, compared to the bustling city just beyond the gates, and the pressure to buy is 100% times less than it is at the Cultural Center in Accra. Also, unlike the one in Accra, it's not just about the sell; you also see the artisans making the things that they're selling (like the wicker furniture maker weaving a couch, or the guys carving wooden stools by hand, or the kente weavers at work). And so why did we go there twice in one day? Well, the first time I went I didn't have enough cash to buy all the things I wanted!
After the first walk-through at the Center we went to the palace of the former and current Ashanti chiefs. We saw a brief video and then joined a large group of young Ghanaians on a tour of the old palace (no one is allowed into the one where the current chief lives). The surprised reactions of the people taking the tour left me really wondering about the state of Ghanaian history classes in secondary school education! But the artifacts were pretty interesting, in particular the remains of a carriage-like thing (shaped like a huge rounded pencil case) for one former chief, in which he was once carried (by six men, on foot) from Kumasi to Cape Coast!
In the end, Kumasi was getting me a little grumpy. It's an exhausting city. Also, our dark and gloomy hotel room lost its running water for most of the time towards the end of our stay, and I think we were both getting pretty tired of listening to the same jokes from Jefferson's well-intentioned relatives (about how funny it is that he understands but doesn't speak much Twi, and how funny it is that I speak it more than him; observations that really aren't worth so much roaring laughter in the first place, much less the third time it's mentioned). So anyway, on to Cape Coast.
Arrival in Cape Coast
The bus ride out of Kumasi showed us a different side of Kumasi; the outskirts of town resemble places like Koforidua and even Akropong, and seem much quieter and more livable. The ride was bumpy but fairly fast, and although we suffered through a bad Hulk Hogan movie, it was at least quite a different experience to be on a bus (what we'd call a bus in the US, too, not a van) that was able to show movies. We boarded Kumasi around 1pm and were in Cape Coast by 5pm.
Our hotel is wonderful! If anyone ever comes to Cape Coast, they must stay at the Sarahlotte Guesthouse. It's less than $14 a night, has carpet (!), running water (so far), and is just across the street from a huge expanse of beach. The beach! It automatically feels more like a vacation than the rest of Ghana has felt, just because there's a beach.
posted by Lauren | 10:34 AM
1 Comments:
great blog...i love ghana. Also, in cape coast try FairHill Guest House- its another great place. The owners are James and Annistasia Hooper.\- great people.
--tom
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