So that we can have a full day to embark on the activities on the itinerary, we set off an hour after midnight. It is a slow drive, and like clockwork, an hour later, we are negotiating the Winneba roundabout.
Yet an hour later, here we are, exiting at the Mankesim roundabout, having driven around the statues of Oburumankoma, Osoun and Odapagyan – the three gallant men fabled to have found the Fante state.
Another hour has passed, and we have just gone over the bridge at Beposo, the town at the bank of the Pra River, which ushers you into the Western Region from the Central Region.
We have just zoomed down the bypass at Agona Nkwanta, and about to make the left turn at Apimayim onto the Elubo stretch of N1 reroute to Axim. We drive past Asiama, and the other towns, which are all still sleeping, with only a trickle of people about. Dawn is fast cracking through the night sky, and the yellow hues breaking through the clouds are beginning to form some pretty aesthetics.
There’s a buzz from the back of the bus now. People are waking up from their sleep. There are about 30 of us altogether, many of whom I met for the first time a few hours ago as we boarded this bus for this journey – a three-day road trip to the Western Region of Ghana!
Some complaints from the back asked that the temperature of the air conditioning be increased as the bus was getting cold. As one of the organisers of the trip, the plan was to serve hot beverages and some fried eggs and bread with some sausages, for breakfast, at the car park at Fort San Antonio, after which we would stretch and hopefully, it would be time for the fort to open so we tick off the first item on our itinerary.
Built by the Portuguese in 1515 near the town of Axim, Fort San Antonio was captured in 1642 by the Dutch who subsequently made it part of the Dutch Gold Coast before selling it to the British when they settled to colonise the Gold Coast.
Charles, the tour guide here, tells a mean story about the fort and the shenanigans of its European occupants over the centuries. How they “stored” captured natives brought in there, and how they stole them away in ships on the trans-Atlantic slave trade to be sold into slavery.
It’s not a pretty feeling you get after hearing the story of slavery on this side. You must visit Axim, and do the ‘castle tour’ for an intimate narrative of what went down in the ancient town only a few centuries ago.
That done, we drove further on to Beyin to catch the expedition to Nzulezu. Fred and I quickly set up camp and made the fire for grilling meat we brought along which we had previously marinaded for days and frozen.
Leaving it out to thaw, as our colleague, Edem, arranged and took the gang off on the expedition on a canoe ride through mangrove on Lake Tandane, all the way to Nzulezu, the village on stilts, we relaxed for a bit, waiting for them to return so we have lunch.
Lunch was a fantastic experience! The jollof we brought along was still warm and the hot grills we served it with was just super. It is a rollicking experience. And it is only 3p.m., we’ve embarked on two key activities on our agenda quite successfully.
Now, it’s time to move to the hotel, Maaha Beach Resort. This is the facility made entirely from raffia palm, a beautiful spread of property, and when we arrived in the evening, it was illuminated with several outdoor lights, giving the ambience of a fabulous Bali-like paradise.
This was our hangout for the next two days. The excitement from the group was enough to make us organisers feel all the hard work putting this tour together was worth it.
So, we’re doing it again, come September 21, Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday weekend. We’re going west, to explore and experience Maaha and Nzulezu again. Why not join us. Reach Edem at 0202044102 or 3. Let’s go have some fun. It’s a ‘staycation!’
Source: graphic.com.gh
