Part 2: Cats and Dogs/Children of the Lighthouse/Art and Soup
Cats and Dogs
Say hello to my little friend! Found this guy sleeping on a bench at Eco-Lodge near Cape Three Points where we stopped for lunch and a swim.
There was something peculiar about this trip when it came to cats and dogs. Everywhere we went there were friendly approachable cats and dogs. Most people don't have pets in Ghana, although the interest is growing. Most of the dogs and cats you see are run free and don't come into contact with people much. They're very skittish and you wouldn't want to reach out to them. From the first day at Busua Beach there were dogs and cats hanging around looking for food and being very friendly. They were very calm and gentle and welcomed a little rub behind the ears. It was very soothing to have the company of a small animal in such a relaxing environment. It felt more like home. I imagine it's because this area gets a lot of tourists where animals are domesticated and also for the fact that a lot of the business owners who run the hotels and guest houses are foreigners from Canada, Germany and the U.S. At the African Rainbow where we stayed there were two resident dogs who were named Steven and Peace. They were very cool.
Children of the Lighthouse
We got to Cape Three Points on a Sunday just before lunch. It was pretty rough road but we made it in one piece. I've been pleasantly surprised by how well my Toyota Yaris has been handling the terrain in Ghana. When we arrived there were a group of children hanging around the property. All the adults were still at church so we got a tour from a couple of the boys. Our main tour guide was Charles Atta who lived on the property with his family. The other children who were around were kids from the village down the hill from the lighthouse. There's a portrait of Charles in the slideshow below. It was a spectacular view from atop the lighthouse. We were able to see the three points of land as well as the miles of beaches that we would explore later in the day. The lighthouse, which was built in 1925, is situated on the southern most point of Ghana. Next to the lighthouse is the original wood burning short lighthouse tower built in 1875. You can find more info here:
http://ghanatravels.wordpress.com/2009/10/page/6/
This guy did more research than I was able to do during my visit. Things haven't changed much since then.
This was another location where I couldn't help but think of the TV show Lost once again. The architecture along with the palm trees and terrain had the same feel. I was expecting to see a cage with a polar bear but there was nothing of the sort here. The only thing missing were the "others." It did feel weird that there were only children there though. I saw a group of kids swinging machetes in the distance so of course my wild imagination went right to Children of the Corn and Lord of the Flies. Once we got closer we saw that they were hacking through some coconuts for an afternoon snack. They were shy but friendly and we made it out alive.
Art and Soup
After our trip to the lighthouse and a visit to the Eco-Lodge for lunch and a swim we headed back to Busua for dinner. I went for the fish soup with Banku this time at a local establishment on the main strip that was decorated with paintings that the owner had made. He painted on grain sacks that were stretched on a wood frame like canvas. His work was much like the paintings that you see almost everywhere you go. He did have a few original pieces that were reflective of the region that were nice but I was running low on cash and there was no ATM for miles so I had to pass for now. Once he heard that I was a photo professor he kept on bringing paintings for me to take pictures of during dinner. I obliged.
The soup was spicy and awesome! The fish was fresh and the Banku was as it should be. I prefer Fufu but they were out of it by the time we got to dinner so Banku it was. I've been really enjoying the variety of soups that I've had at various places. I'm starting to taste the nuance of flavors from all of the different restaurants where I've had Fufu and Banku with soup. I'd have to say my favorite is the palm nut soup. More on that later.... After a satisfying dinner we headed back to the hotel to watch the Superbowl.
At this point we were the only people staying in the hotel, but there was another group of expatriates who booked a room just to watch the game since this was the only establishment with satellite TV. Of course all of the TV sets in the hotel were tied to one satellite tuner so we all had to watch the same channel. Fortunately all of the patrons which amounted to our room and the other group of Americans wanted to watch the game. I was hoping for a better game, but the team I was rooting for won so I really can't complain. It was on late at night with the time difference so we didn't get that much sleep which proved to be a little inconvenient with our plans the next morning to reach the stilt village Nzulezu. The final chapter coming up next......