Ghana – Home Sweet Home

The city lights flickering in the dark as we approach Accra’s Kotoka International Airport is a wonderful sensation, we know we are just about to touch down…  after 6 and a half hours flying, flight BA0081 has landed… the doors open and the hot, tropical air blasts in to greet us…

The airport staff greet us with warm smiles and “Akwaaba” – welcome, you’re home now!

The long queue in the arrival hall was a shock… quite a few flights had arrived at the same time, so you can imagine how wearisome everything was. Eventually we cleared immigration only to be told that our luggage was stuck on the plane… the doors were jammed. Finally, two hours later we see bags trickling in! Is the next one mine? No. The next one? No. Then finally – yes and yes and yes! Relief.

Leaving Accra for Takoradi as early as five am is always a great time to start your journey, to avoid the chaotic traffic at Kasoa (a market town just outside of Accra) before the market day begins! You could be stuck at Kasoa for hours!!!

Halfway through our journey, we stop at a beach resort for about 20 minutes, then, after another 2 hours of driving, we arrive safely in Takoradi. Home at last!

Plenty of emotional warm hugs, laughter, cool, cool drinks, fabulous food upon fantastic food. Everything I’ve been dreaming of is coming to the table – kenkey, nsuhu dokun, okro and garden egg stew and more. I go straight for ’traditional fried fish’ as my son calls it, and light soup with more fish, soft shell crabs and meat all in one pot… and I’m so excited all I can manage is a piece of fried fish with a thirst quenching, long drink of coconut water.

Sorry there are no pictures of our arrival… we are all caught up in the moment, a cameras is the last thing on our minds! Seeing my Ghanaian family again brings deep down happiness!

Just so happy to be home.

The early morning peace on the road out of Accra, West to Takoradi. No traffic – yea!

Once we are out of the city the lush green stretches for miles in all directions.

We stopped at Abandze beach resort, a sort of halfway watering hole. Definitely a good rest stop to stretch your legs, have a quick drink and take in the view. And what a view: colourful, busy fishing boats, a sleepy village in the distance and on the hillside the ruins of an old Dutch fort, Fort Amsterdam.

Nephew Nana Kwesi gets worldly wisdom from our driver Charles as they look for inspiration out over the Atlantic.

Look who’s back in Ghana again! Alison! Well, Ghana does that to you!

The beautiful Cape Coast shoreline, we must be getting close to Takoradi.

Somewhere along the road, happy faces seem to welcome us.

On the road to Takoradi are lots of roadside fruit and veg farmer’s stalls. It doesn’t get much fresher.

I’m feeling better already…

Home in Takoradi, at last!

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