The Beach

Spent the weekend at the beach, west of Takoradi.  Drove past Cape Coast to a small town, then down a dirt and stone road to a small cluster of stone huts. Can't really call it a village. Walked for about 20 minutes or so through the woods to arrive at an unspoiled beach surrounded by rocks. Just beautiful.

There are some eco-friendly lodges in the area and folks working with the villagers to encourage tourism while maintaining the natural beauty of the landscape. Green Turtle Lodge hosted the weekend and is run by a great British couple. They employ a bunch of local folks and keep their profits in the community while running a turtle conservation program. According to Tom, the Ghanaian tourist board thinks that foreigners, esp. Americans and Europeans want only four star hotels and discourage any other kind of development. The last thing anyone should want is to make this coast look like Jersey (all due respect) or to see profits going to Hilton HQ instead of to the villages that will be most affected by tourism.

I camped for three nights. Yes, you heard right. Camped. I've also discovered rather late in life that I am a naturally gifted cricket player. I may have discovered my new career. It's quite a fun game when playing on a beach, with a tennis ball, and a log for a bat, and with a group of semi-drunk people from at least four continents.