roadtrip to Togo

The NYU journalism program officially ended this past Sunday, but I've been sneaking back in the dorms for the occasional hot shower and the wireless internet access. Today I had my last run around Osu/Labone for who knows how many days, showered, and ate a salad. Yeah, I'm spoiled, but I figured I'd pamper myself a little before I head to Ghana's eastern border tomorrow with several people from the journalism program who decided to stay longer. We're planning on crossing the border and heading into Lomé, Togo's capital city with a population of roughly 700,000. For comparison, the population of Accra is just short of two million. I know practically nothing about Togo, but I'll blog more about it if stumble across a wireless access point within the next few days. We plan to get there via tro tro, about a three hour trip from Accra, and deal with the visa paperwork and bribery once we get to the border.

We left the NYU dorms Monday evening, and headed over to the Rising Phoenix at Akuma Village, a crazy and wonderful beachfront hotel owned by a rastafarian named Papa Jah. Located along the coast of James Town, overlooking the rocky cliffs and ocean, the place is great for meeting backpackers, and we've run into Colombians, Parisians, Canadians, and Dutch travelers during the two days we've been there. The view is fabulous in the evenings, and early in the morning the coast is dotted with traditional fishing vessels, slivers of brown and gray suspended between those panes of blue sea and blue sky.

I'm probably going to go back to Papa Jah's place after I get back from Togo, although the lack of running water and electricity is sort of a bummer. Plus it's expensive, for me. $15 a day, and I'm poor as hell. The place is like a rasta community, and everyone there wears dreadlocks and and invites us to join them on their ganga-induced meditation trips. The Rising Phoenix is also right next door to the cultural center, which I've been to once before during the first week of my stay in Ghana, but I was so tired and disoriented I didn't really pay attention to the art and the shops. I plan to go back again sometime, though, to buy Trinity a better hat because the old one is just a cheap boring imported one.

Last night I went down the street from the Rising Phoenix to the Osekan Resort, a restaurant overlooking the ocean. I've been there once before, and I think it's one of my favorite places here in Accra. The menu is pretty limited for vegetarians, but totally authentic and traditional. I went out for dinner with a Ghanaian friend and I even got to help fan the talapia we ordered while it was on the grill. I opted for the bankum, a traditional paste made from maize, usually eaten with soups or sauces. The accompanying tomato-pepper sauce was HOT. It was like a salsa, and the woman prepared it right before us using a motar and pestle. Dad would have gobbled it up! Once again, no untensils, so we used our fingers.

I feel as if I haven't done anything since I last posted except worry about what I'll be doing within the next few days and fret about whether I should go to traveling around Ghana or stay in Accra. I guesss I still haven't decided fully yet. Stay tuned.