I’ve arrived in Cape Coast. About 30 minutes from the town itself just outside of Saltpond. The house is a huge 4 bedroom house with a 2 bedroom boys quarters on top of a hill, there is a huge compound with a seating area outside for a chilled drink in the evening. It is the house of my workmate’s brother-in-law. The man died a little while ago and the house is just sitting here vacant. Really the place is so nice if it was mine, definitely a nice hideaway…I mean get-away.

We were supposed to leave at 6, so I get up at 5 get ready. My colleague is Ghanaian but born in France so was only half expecting her to be late. At 6.03 precisely I get a text message to say she will be at my place by 7.30. I go back to sleep, somehow I had a feeling that they would not get to my place until 9, so I went back to sleep. Good job as well, else I would have been sitting up waiting a very long time. At approximately 9.20 she texts me to say not to lose hope and that she’s at the gate of my estate.

While I hate waiting, I fully understand, she has a young baby who is barely a year old, but woke up way to early for my liking.

The journey to Cape doesn’t really take that long, a couple of hours. The only problem is the Mallam Junction which you have no option but to pass. We were in that traffic for like 45 minutes, bumper to bumper, for about 30 minutes of that wait I am sure we were not moving at all. Its a nightmare, but they claim things will be better once the reconstruction on the road is done. Question is, when exactly will that be? They started this project at least 4 years ago and I am seeing little progress. Unfortunately as with most things in Africa “politics dey inside” as they say. One party will start a project but if their term ends and another party comes in, the project is either stalled or abandoned completely. Why? Because the fat cats need to line their pockets and those of their people before they worry about the people of the land. But I could be wrong, just thinking out loud.

So we arrived at around 3ish and went to the nearest resort for something to eat. Now I’m not really one for beaches or places where I will spend the equivalent of what I would spend in a West End restaurant (especially when I can get a substantial meal of waakye, fish, macaroni and gari for less than 2 GHS from the stall down the road). But I have to say this was a nice resort. Abanze beach resort. Very quiet, clean, nobody forcefully trying to sell you anything. Very calming.

The service of course was very slow, but what do you expect, this is Ghana (although when I go to my local spot for a gin and tonic it takes less than 30 seconds, but I digress). We ordered 4 orange juices. Two came, another 1 came (after 10 minutes) and then we were told that they had run out of oranges (typical). So I settled for pineapple juice (another 10 minutes).

I was thinking the food would take more than an hour so went for a walk about. Amazingly, it didn’t take so long, although when I asked for some pepper sauce it took an age, at one point I think she forgot as she was standing by the counter daydreaming. I can’t blame her totally though, she was too busy running around after these two white dudes (thinking they would tip better) so while she was busy pampering them and not writing our order down, she was bound to forget something *eyes rolling*.

But slow service aside, it was a very relaxing day at the beach and very tranquil I have to say.

At around 6.30 an army of mosquitoes came knocking on my skin, it was time to pack up and come indoors, although I had the repellent on me, I was with 2 families with 2 babies and can’t have them getting malaria.

So now at home with one eye open watching a P-squared video, in the battle of Ghanaian music vrs Nigerian music, I don’t know who is winning although I suspect the Nigerians have got the edge on us a bit. But I will save that debate for another day.

Up early tomorrow, we are off to the castle, both Cape Coast and Elmina, I have never been to the Cape Coast one so should be interesting although I’m sure its a similar story. Want to go for an early morning walk also so will make my way to bed for an early night.