Ghana, Part Deux

I'm back in Burkina after two weeks in the greener, cooler climes of Ghana where I frolicked on the sands of the Gold Coast and enjoyed some excellent hospitality in Kumasi, catching up with one of my best friends from home who is working in Ghana for the summer. I headed down on my own, staying in Kumasi for a few days, then continued south to the coast to meet up with some other volunteers and, finally, back to Kumasi for a few days. Here's a glimpse of my trip in photos...

Beinvenue au Ghana. Au revoir Burkina!

Our chariot.

Kumasi. The prolific pavement and traffic required some getting used to.

Leslie with some ladies at a lunch spot near the hospital where she works.



Vikki and Leslie, conducting interviews with sickle cell patients at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.




Leslie and a patient.




Anastasia doing activities with a girls' group at the hospital.



On the road again. Headed from Accra to Akwidaa.

A colonial fort on the coast. They were used by the Netherlands, England, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and Germany for defensive purposes and as centers of trade of ivory, gold, sugar, spices, animal hides, etc. They also played a significant role in the Atlantic slave trade.

Fresh pineapple, yum!

The beach!

Leslie on the beach in front of the Green Turtle Lodge, hooray for several days next to the ocean!

A photographic shoutout to Lea - Ghana misses you.

Couldn't imagine a more beautiful landscape having not seen the ocean (or any signigicant body of water) in six months.

Our accomodation at Green Turtle - all the rooms are solar powered and just comfortable enough to feel like luxury not totally incongruent with the existence of a Peace Corps volunteer.

Sarah and Giorgio beach-ing.

Jenni and I taking a moment to appreciate our environs.

Enjoying some good reading after breakfast...with REAL coffee!

We headed down the beach to the Safari Beach Lodge for dinner one night. A twilight view.

Baked brie, fresh kingfish and well-mixed cocktails. The restaurant/accomodations are owned by a Texan couple so, while the atmosphere was African, the hospitality was distinctly American.

Beth and Giorgio.

Jenni and I.

Our bill. 1,230,000 cedi. Happily, Ghana is in the process of adjusting their currency so that 10,000 cedi will now equal 1.

Back in Kumasi. Dinner with the UPenn crew and friends.

Enjoying a meal of Ghanaian cuisine.

The market.

Stalls precariously perched over a section of the market.

Produce.

Beth, Jenni and I at the cultural center in Kumasi, engaging in potentially culturally inappropriate behavior. We did some serious shopping at the array of shops at the center, scoring some excellent gifts and gorgeous batik fabric from which to have some "haute couture" tailored for our ever-growing African wardrobes.

Leslie and Anastasia's birthday party, complete with an impressive sound system and some tasty refreshments.

Leslie and colleagues.

Jenni, Theo, and I.

And the party continues...

So that was my vacation. Jenni and I weathered a 20-hour bus ride back to Burkina complete with mechanical "challenges" and a few delays...but we're back, refreshed in body and spirit and ready to commence Year 2 in Burkina.