DAY 16: FASCINATED BY LIZARDS

 ....I am so intrigued by these little guys...

...every morning after breakfast I take my book or computer and sit outside on the terasse...  

...I think this is the female...not as bold as the male...it was really difficult getting clear pictures...

...when she encountered a little bird on the pool deck, she arched her back like a cat...

...then skittered away...

DAY 15: ITALIAN NIGHT at BELLA ROMA

...tonight...a new restaurant...service good...food good...another fun experience...

...I had Seafood Pasta Nero with a pleasant Pinot Grigio...very good!!!...`bravo`to the chef!...

...some of the others had the pizza which looked really good too...portion sizes were huge...

...finished the meal with a very good Italian coffee...

DAY 14: OUT & ABOUT in ACCRA

...Today I ventured out beyond the gated `compound`...

...Not sure what all the big deal was about.  Aside from making sure I had a reliable honest driver it was a very enjoyable day...he gave me some tips on other places to visit and stayed with me the whole day...

...my first stop was Accra Mall...

http://www.accramall.com/

...about a 30 minute drive from our hotel...impression?...a mall is a mall is a mall....did, however find a nice cocktail dress for a formal evening at Canada House next week...

...next, I had my driver take me back to the hotel to drop off my parcels...then asked him to take me to the Artists' Alliance Gallery...really enjoyable...3 floors...free...no hawkers...

http://www.artistsallianz.com/home/   

...although the curator wouldn't allow photos of the art on the second and third floors, she did let me take pictures of the famous coffins.  The one above is of a Nike Air Jordon shoe...for all the basketball fans who would like to be burried this way after they die.  My driver said that his Dad was in the Ghanaian army so he wanted to get him an Army boot to be buried in.  A little bizarre maybe but for all our Irish readers - a Guinness Can Coffin is available for you...

...as this was a gallery promoting primarily Ghana artists there was a large representation of Ashanti artifacts...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashanti_people

...and many samples of Kente cloth...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kente_cloth

..tempting as it was to bring  home a souvenir am holding out for a Masai blanket when we get to Kenya...

DAY 13: ANOTHER OF THOSE TRIPLE `S` DAYS

...after all that driving ,touring and such yesterday we decided to  stay put, find a good place in the sun and relax...

...Francois working hard or hardly working...can`t really tell...but notice that smile!...

...we dined at the hotel buffet for the first time (not bad - desserts were the highlight)..

...preceeded by a very entertaining visit to our table  from the General Manager`s charming wife...free rounds for our Canadian guests she insisted...one must be polite when receiving such a gracious invitation afterall...

DAY 12: ROAD TRIP TO ELMINA - PART TWO

...after approximately four hours on the road we arrived in  the town of Elmina and our target destination

Fort Saint-George...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina_Castle

...details of the history surrounding the early slave trade are readily available to read online (see two sites above) so I won`t elaborate here...

...one surprising detail I learned though was that the `white man`was just the middle man in the transaction...the coastal African tribes would bring them slaves captured from interior tribes to be sold and traded for goods...

...but it was impossible to imagine just how appalling were the conditions of the slaves as they waited...

 ...to be led through the famous `door of no return`...

...to where the ships would carry then to the colonies across the ocean...

 

...the Goveror`s chambers where he would have brought to him female slaves of his choosing....



...the beautiful view outside was in stark contrast to the horrors that must have gone on inside the walls ...

...African proverb... 

DAY 12: ROAD TRIP TO ELMINA - PART ONE

...today will be in two parts as the drive to Elmina was an adventure in itself...

Traffic leaving Accra early in the morning was very dense with the weekend exodus. But the colourful hawkers along the route were entertaining to watch.

...anything and everything is for sale...my concept of recycling forever altered...

...people of all ages going to market...

...many with babies strapped to their backs...

...in our posh resort environment it's easy to forget the reality of this country but once outside the protected gates, as with walking through James Town last week, all becomes very real and impossible to ignore...

...it was quite a challenge to balance good hydration and the very long drive... but stopping became a necessity not only to refuel the vehicle....

...these were two of the more luxurious `facilities`, the second providing someone a place for her daily ablutions...

...pulling into a fairly nice looking gas station gave me hope that something better lay there...

...so wrong...

...me saying: `you have to be kidding`...

...way out back, behind a wall was a urine soaked concrete floor with a small hole in one corner....bringing a good supply of toilet tissue and hand sanitizer - indeed!...

...not sure what yoga position I used - definitely yin yoga... 

...I returned to the vehicle envying the men...
...

...as we neared the shore again, the scenery became increasingling more beautiful...

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0450-d6e2-1777?ln

...next stop - Fort Saint-George, Elmina..