BECA Travels: Ko-Sa Beach Resort
Ko-Sa Beach Resort
Saturday around mid-day, we left Kumasi for Cape Coast, the next leg of our journey. We piled into a small van called a "tro-tro" (For those who have traveled in Latin America, these work like "colectivos" - you hop in and pay a small amount on a route that the van is traveling. Eric rented the entire van for us.) that would have been just fine without our luggage. But . . . we had luggage! We had to tie down the back door of the van, and sit among suitcases. Actually, I sat in the middle of the front seat next to the driver. And there was no seat belt. And the driver, although expert, drove fast - and used his horn as much as his steering wheel. I was never so grateful to arrive in one piece - and to give up that place in the van!
Along the way, in a number of villages, we saw people dressed in black walking in large groups. A few of the people in each group wore red - or wore a combination of red and black. I asked about the attire, and Eric identified the groups as funerals - with the colors signifying levels of bereavement. The reason we saw several towns with such groups is that Saturday, when people are off work, is a common day to have a funeral, which is a big affair in Ghana. In Kpando and other places we visited, we saw posters with the photo of a recently deceased person and his or her obituary - a customary way to advertise the death of a person and to mourn.
After about three and a half hours, all of a sudden we saw the ocean, flanked by palm trees. We let out a huge cheer! We drove along this picturesque coast for a mile or two, and then the road moved out of sight of the coast and for several miles, we followed an agricultural area that also hosts refugees from the civil war in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire (or Ivory Coast, as we call it). We saw a sign for Ko-Sa Beach Resort, our intended destination, and turned toward the coast. The bumpy road snakes along watermelon fields and through a small, coast-side fishing village. And then it ends with sand, sea and palm trees!
The Ko-Sa Beach Resort was purchased five years ago by two Dutch couples who run the resort. There are simple, double rooms - with no baths or showers in the rooms - that are inexpensive for backpackers and students. And there are a few "self-contained" rooms for those who can pay a bit more. And there is a large, open "gathering area" with a roof that houses the restaurant, bar, and comfortable seats for lazing, with a view of the ocean. The students had the simple rooms and I, as the "old lady" of the group, had a self-contained room. Tired and hot from traveling - and glad to be out of the cramped van, we ran for the ocean and jumped in. We soon decided to spend the next day - Sunday - right there on the beach.
Sunday was a delightfully lazy day. We swam and sunned and walked on the beach and read and slept and ate and drank. The food was excellent - a mixture of African and European cuisine, with lots of seafood available. A bead maker - a man named "Cedi" (like the Ghanaian money) - whom we had heard about from one of our guest speakers in the spring - showed up to display his molded glass beads and colorful necklaces. I discovered a non-alcoholic beverage made from hibiscus - yes, it's common in Central America, as well, but this African hibiscus was particularly flavorful. In the evening, the students entertained the resort owners with a rousing game of charades!
Saturday around mid-day, we left Kumasi for Cape Coast, the next leg of our journey. We piled into a small van called a "tro-tro" (For those who have traveled in Latin America, these work like "colectivos" - you hop in and pay a small amount on a route that the van is traveling. Eric rented the entire van for us.) that would have been just fine without our luggage. But . . . we had luggage! We had to tie down the back door of the van, and sit among suitcases. Actually, I sat in the middle of the front seat next to the driver. And there was no seat belt. And the driver, although expert, drove fast - and used his horn as much as his steering wheel. I was never so grateful to arrive in one piece - and to give up that place in the van!
Along the way, in a number of villages, we saw people dressed in black walking in large groups. A few of the people in each group wore red - or wore a combination of red and black. I asked about the attire, and Eric identified the groups as funerals - with the colors signifying levels of bereavement. The reason we saw several towns with such groups is that Saturday, when people are off work, is a common day to have a funeral, which is a big affair in Ghana. In Kpando and other places we visited, we saw posters with the photo of a recently deceased person and his or her obituary - a customary way to advertise the death of a person and to mourn.
After about three and a half hours, all of a sudden we saw the ocean, flanked by palm trees. We let out a huge cheer! We drove along this picturesque coast for a mile or two, and then the road moved out of sight of the coast and for several miles, we followed an agricultural area that also hosts refugees from the civil war in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire (or Ivory Coast, as we call it). We saw a sign for Ko-Sa Beach Resort, our intended destination, and turned toward the coast. The bumpy road snakes along watermelon fields and through a small, coast-side fishing village. And then it ends with sand, sea and palm trees!
The Ko-Sa Beach Resort was purchased five years ago by two Dutch couples who run the resort. There are simple, double rooms - with no baths or showers in the rooms - that are inexpensive for backpackers and students. And there are a few "self-contained" rooms for those who can pay a bit more. And there is a large, open "gathering area" with a roof that houses the restaurant, bar, and comfortable seats for lazing, with a view of the ocean. The students had the simple rooms and I, as the "old lady" of the group, had a self-contained room. Tired and hot from traveling - and glad to be out of the cramped van, we ran for the ocean and jumped in. We soon decided to spend the next day - Sunday - right there on the beach.
Sunday was a delightfully lazy day. We swam and sunned and walked on the beach and read and slept and ate and drank. The food was excellent - a mixture of African and European cuisine, with lots of seafood available. A bead maker - a man named "Cedi" (like the Ghanaian money) - whom we had heard about from one of our guest speakers in the spring - showed up to display his molded glass beads and colorful necklaces. I discovered a non-alcoholic beverage made from hibiscus - yes, it's common in Central America, as well, but this African hibiscus was particularly flavorful. In the evening, the students entertained the resort owners with a rousing game of charades!
posted by Betsy J. Blosser at
7/01/2012 04:24:00 PM
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