Who will go to Ghana? Many do not even know about the existence of such a country on the map, and not everyone will decide to go there as a tourist - a long and expensive flight, scary stories about dangerous diseases - this set is not particularly attractive even to the most courageous traveler. However, something pulled me into the West African Republic. What I do not regret at all, and even with pleasure would go there more than once. What made Ghana so special for me? First of all, with your national drink!
Perhaps some of the inhabitants of this extraordinarily interesting country, rich in history and natural resources, this topic of the essay may seem offensive, but I still highly recommend starting your acquaintance with West Africa from it - the local moonshine.
African sur
A flavored, hoppy drink made from fermented palm juice, distilled to the state of strong vodka, but not losing its mild taste, was offered to me upon arrival by friends as an inside disinfectant. Indeed, despite the warning “horror stories”, I came here completely unprepared for the harsh African realities, avoiding the mandatory vaccination against yellow fever and taking anti-malarial medicines. Influenced by the adoption of such a risky decision, on the one hand, a natural feature of my character was to rely on chance, and on the other, the “go-ahead” of the same crazy friends who had been living in Ghana for more than a year and, thank God, so far safely.
After lunch with a “palm tree” seasoned with mint herbs and green hot pepper, I was invited to get acquainted with the capital of the republic. Accra hospitably caressed the sun and beckoned with lush exotic vegetation, the aroma of which intensified after a warm equatorial rain. At some point, I felt like a planter in the rich country of the Gold Coast, which the Dutch, Danish and English colonizers had once fought for. Impressively sitting in a rocking chair on the terrace of the second floor of a luxury villa, I watched black workers scurry around in the garden, open the gates with the majorda, and the driver drives the car with the USSR sign out of the garage, instead of the number. The surrealistic picture was complemented by numerous snow-white birds, similar to miniature herons, flown to "get caught" on a bright carpet of a blossoming lawn ...
We left the elite area, planted with palm trees with perfectly smooth trunks, aimed at the azure heights, with "combed" sandy streets and well-trained guards, and the car rumbled along the broken asphalt of the capital's road. Neat houses flickered outside the window, surrounded by greenery and openwork barbed wire.
At traffic lights, the obsessive street vendors did not allow them to move, but, thanks to the magical property of the previously taken drink, they seemed nice and funny to us, and the figures of the “ebony” girls walking along the roadway with basins on their heads were the height of perfection.
Mom in the fridge
I am ashamed to admit, but for everything, quite a long time in Ghana, I never once visited the National Museum, which displays a collection of African ceramics, wood and bone products, was not in the local drama theater, and never saw the ancient forts: Usher (1605, former Dutch Kroekwer), English James (1673) and Danish Christiansborg (1657-1659).
But I was invited to the funeral of the mother of a certain important native. For an ordinary European, this is not the best way to get acquainted with local customs, but why not show respect for traditions and family, if you invite? The ritual resembles festival processions - with dance music, plentiful refreshments and a sea of invited guests. It is a pity that I was not able to attend a local wedding to compare whether there are many differences in these events. They carefully prepare for the burial process, save up money, it happens within a few months, for which the deceased awaits his hour in a frozen state. And then they mark this event as a holiday. Apparently, the philosophy of the people is based on absolute confidence in achieving a better share after death. One could conclude that oh, how bad, so they live, if they are so joyfully escorted to another world. But, in fact, they rejoice in everything and always. At least, this can be seen in their sincere friendly smiles and constantly complacent mood. Or maybe palm wine produces such a positive effect on the mind, and we should also take this tool to smile more often?
... Big evil crocodiles
They do not live in Ghana. Maybe these bloodthirsty reptiles hunt in some other parts of Africa, but on the West Coast, firstly, as I said, all are good, and secondly, not particularly large. On the way from the city you can meet curious monkeys who are getting out to the roadway in the hope of making money, small multi-colored copies of crocodiles snake along the paths of the garden and the walls of the house - harmless lizards. ... Well, except that termite mounds are huge here, in which, as in " Fifteen-year-old captain Jules Verne can hide from the rain. If they are empty, of course.
Yes, even in local waters catch large tasty fish with tender juicy meat. It is baked on charcoal and served with spicy tomato and onion seasoning and the traditional national dish “fufu”, which is better to use with the palm tincture already known to us, otherwise a pampered European body can hardly appreciate this peculiar taste, and attempts can be fraught with consequences.
Calm, only calm ...
I don’t feel like talking in stamps, but what can I do - the nature of West Africa is really extremely colorful and diverse. I was extremely lucky that I managed to get to know the country not through the standard travel agency program, but from within, from people who have been living there for several years. The friends who dipped me in the icy shower of the waterfall were given to drink the local moonshine, taken to the largest reservoir in the world, Akosombo, spread over 8422 square meters. meters, surrounded by fluffy green hills, showed how the second largest river in Africa Volta flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
And taught to listen to silence. Do not even listen, but rather feel, immersed in the tranquility and grandeur of nature. I am very grateful to them for all this. But I do not tell you: "Welcome to Ghana." Indeed, while they are afraid to go to this country, and there are almost no idle tourists there, she is a miracle how good ...
