After traveling in the hot and humid inland, the coast of Ghana was paradise...slightly cooler (but still humid) with a refreshing ocean breeze...sandy beaches, palm trees, and warm salt water...we were soon wading in the warm water---of course, the kids were wading and swimming!
the is the one shot of the hotel grounds that I took---the hotel we stayed at on the coast at Elmina was deluxe ....
a woman walks down the beach---carrying a load on her head--a typical sight in Ghana
Before heading back to Accra--Shirley Mae had arranged for one more adventure for all of us---a dugout canoe ride through the Amansuri wetland to Lake Amansuri and the Nzulezu Stilt Village.
The only way to get to the Nzulezu Stilt Village is to travel 5km on the lake in a local dugout canoe.
The dugout canoe ride takes you through areas of marsh and open pools fringed with palm thickets and opens out into the vast expanse of the lake.
All 23 of us got into the dugout canoes and local guides paddled---
This is a local fish trap in the wetlands.... we canoed on by...
once out on the lake--we all began to sing to urge our canoe on...."row, row, row your boat..."
Then after about an hour long canoe ride, we came to the Village....
Nzulezu Stilt Village is an amazing community built entirely on stilts in the middle of Lake Amansuri. It is constructed out of wood and raffia with one central walkway and about two dozen houses on either side. Presently the village has a population of between 500 and 600 people.
We had brought supplies for their school, so we met with the Village leaders and the children presented copies of the book they wrote and the school supplies-- we met the teacher, and we each shook the Village leader's hands....
the village school
then we walked back down the boardwalk on stilts and climbed into the canoes for a pleasant canoe ride back...
I had expected it to be hot on the lake--but the air was a little cooler and the whole day was a real treat....I doubt I will ever have another ride in a dugout canoe in Africa--but who knows???
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4 comments:
What an interesting trip you are having. I'm enjoying it too. I know you are liking being on the water. Thank you for sharing.
Well, one can hope that one canoe ride in Africa is enough, right?!
I visited Nzulezu just over 2 weeks ago, but didn't have any pictures. I was happy to find your site so I can show others what it was like. Our canoe was filling with water shortly after we departed, so we had became stranded ashore for awhile until they got new canoes for us. It was a very unique place!
Thanks for sharing, so nice to be inspired by other free spirited vagabonds, as i am one too. I went to Ghana almost 13 yrs ago, specifically to an Ewe village ( Alavonyo Kpeme) to learn traditional drumming, and to a Ga and Dangbe village to volunteer with villagers on organic farms,learn language, visit potters, drum makers, markets, funerals, ceremonies, cook with women, pound foo foo, drum and danced into the night. Visited slave castles as well. Life was hard and i almost died (got malaria), but everything made sense there unlike in the states (call me a "white" afro-centrist if u will. I was only there 3 months but it changed my life..not a day goes by without thinking about it. Thank you for rekindling happy memories- Ya/Aku Cheryl
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