ok here we go and I bet no one has done this before...I am overseas as a reservist currently deployed to the Horn of Africa (East Africa) and I am electing to spend my leave or R&R(military term for vacation) in Ghana. There are about a gazillion hoops to pass through since the goverment is willing to pay for my round trip airfare...I must apply for something called a Country Clearance and a Theatre Clearance since i need thier approval because I am in the military. Then we apply for a visa required by the country of Ghana....here is where it gets sticky(and stupid)...I cannot get a Country Clearance until I show prove of a visa, but the visa application requires a flight number for my round trip, but I cannot book a ticket until I have the clearence and around and around we go!!!
Stand by for more...
Ok without me boring you with details, I have worked out the issues and have received my visa and approval to travel to Ghana...I have made lodging arrangements at the LA-Paradise Inn and the Crystal Hostel in Accra which are end opposite end of the spectrum just for experience. I have a couple friends that I will be spending my visit with and now I am looking for a company that I can hire a car\driver for 16 days.
My agenda for this trip will an be exercise in multi-tasking; relaxing, site seeing, clubbing and enjoying good company.
1 FEB 2012-Yes I did find a car\driver for this trip that I hired and it was with a tour company called Ayikoo Tours...so arrived Sunday afternoon and right there at baggage claims was the FOREX for money exchange. How convenient this was for me to change about $900 to GHC. I picked up my one bag which was actually pretty light because I wanted something to carry my gifts back.
OK so Eric my driver welcomed me to Ghana and he took me to my first lodging which is the La-Paradise Inn, so I told Eric to drop me off and come tomorrow to take me around town. I was met by the owner of the Inn named Donna, who by the way was very helpful via email answering all my questions. I got settled in and relaxed the rest of the day, meeting some other quest here and most of the very friendly and helpfull staff. I had the instant feeling of comfort becuase how they treated me. I met one young man who swas Swiss here working on his PHD thesis on African politics and very interesting meet with a man of indian decent from London here on business\holiday visit. I had the only room that was on the 2nd floor that oversees the main street and the beach from outside my room door. For the last 3 days I would wake up to hearing the children, dressed in typical school uniforms, making there way to school. My second day Eric my driver took me to the Accra Mall so I can pick up a few things since I for got my toiletry bag which had ny shaving kit in it amongst other things. Traffic here is pretty conjested like Ethiopia, but they do have traffic signals here, but I still would not want to drive here. Lots of motorbikes here and to my surprise they have helmet laws here. I visited the mall which was pretty typical traditional like in the states...food courts, electronic shops, jewlery shops and some major stores. Oh yes and a cinema with first class major production Nollywood movies being shown. I ate lunch at the food court, then called Eric to pick me
ok so after Eric picked me up from the mall I relaxed and later that evening one of the inn's service guys took me out to a bar restaurant called Vienna City and I invited his brother to have dinner with us. So Nana and his brother Fred and I had dinner and drinks until later on this evening, which was very quiet. We strolled down the main street which at this time around 11:30pm was full of streetwalkers looking for a date. We just looked of course, but I was amazed at how much they looked more classy than trashy as I would have expected. We finally went back to Vienna City for drinks and now it was starting to get full of people with about a ratio of 5 females to every male and they were on the hunt.
