I Must Stay Young to Travel the Planet

Well Andy, you have put yourself at the mercy of the "local transport".

On the other hand, as I have done in the past, secure your own transportation ... then an old man can stop and eat, take a shit, or piss whenever he feels like it.

Ghana is much more enjoyable this way.

Hi Andy:

I once learned that the history of the word 'travel' includes the word 'travail', to undergo trial and sorrow. The word may have its roots in Roman times in the practice of impaling one's enemies with a long spear through their posterior and through their torso. The enemy was then posted on display by standing the spear in the ground. The spear 'traveled' through the body.

Mark
ItinerantWitness

has written 205 comments

Super Chuck makes full use of the Presidents club
http://www.continental.com/web/en-us/content/travel/airport/lounge/default.aspx
and other airline clubs. FREE DRINKS and I mean like bottles of top shelf booze. Beer on draft, fresh squeezed juices,exotic teas,coffee not from Starbucks etc not to mention great food and Free showers,towels,shampoo,........ hair cuts and massages available at low prices.

Worth every penny joining.Nothing like a short 6 hour nap and a shower and the top 1 of world power brokers to talk to while getting ready for that second leg of the Super Chuck travel itinerary.......not sure if they have Presidents clubs in The Congo you may want to double check.

PS must have drank and ate at regular human airport rates $500 worth of food and booze on my 16 hour layover last time in Tokyo plus hostess wrapped a few sandwiches for the flight to BKK........

Gadget from has written 916 comments

I have been thinking about this comment,
-- you have put yourself at the mercy of the "local transport".

I must stay young, I am not old yet, so all these scenarios are not a problem. I would like to drive for one reason, to take photos, I purchased a motorcycle in Togo a few years ago, but just do not like the idea of crossing borders this way, so I sold it again..

Am I at the mercy, I think I would be at the mercy of police checkpoints with a car, but in a Tro Tro I am free.

I am very lazy, maybe minimalistic, I have zero desire to take care of a car, so I doubt I will every buy one, unless just to prove you can drive the smallest car in the world across Africa with zero problem.

I have been hiring or chartering cars, I chartered the whole van on the way to Noe, in Cote d'Ivoire. I have become an expert at buying the whole front seat, I did it the whole way today.

The trip took nine hours to get JUST to Takoradi, the Kumasi bus station took four hours for transit, truly SNAFU.

A lot of owning a car is control, or wanting control, I do not want control of anything, I know the bottom line is, you sit in a seat for x amount of hours, and you arrive in a new place.

Andy, you should really consider visiting Cape Three Points while you're in the area, they have a small hostel there, about 10 cedis per day. You can take a foot path over to Princes Town, which is about a one half of a mile away. This place is very secluded and remote. Also, there is an old Lighthouse there that is still operating, they crank up the generator at sunset till dawn, so there is electricity available all night.

There is also the Cape Three Points Forest Reserve located right next to the Lighthouse, a very unique coastal rain forest.

Here is some video footage of Cape Three Points I took a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd86EXTIEn0


p.s. Elubo sucks.

Gadget from has written 916 comments

Cape Three Points sounds great:

Cape Three Points is known as the "land nearest nowhere" because it is the land nearest a location in the sea which is at 0 latitude, 0 longitude and 0 altitude.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Three_Points
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_Town,_Ghana - You NEED to copy and Paste - Wiki has a comma in URL.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixcove

Busua may be a tourist trap, Ghana feels to be sprouting them like flease since my first time here five years ago, the type of hotels that cater to all the NGO or Resume packers in the country. a.k.a. paste colored whites and pay USA dollars. This one may be ok but hard to tell, there is no easy and fast escapes. Being I would be with a girl, these empty resorts could be better..
http://www.ellishideout.com/Websidor/page2res.html

There are hundreds of beaches in Africa with nobody on the beach and 99 percent of the white look too white for a beach, I am amazed they can avoid the sun.

-- Lonely Planet information:

PRINCESS TOWN
Despite the relative difficulty getting here, or
perhaps because of it, Princess Town draws
travellers to its abandoned beach and Fort
Princess Town (admission C5000, still/video camera fee
C5000/10,000 h9am-5pm), a castle perched magnificently
at the top of a hill on the eastern
edge of the village. Originally called Gross
Friedrichsburg by the Prussians who built
it in 1683, the partly restored fort is made
from greyish local stone and this, together
with the lush vegetation surrounding it,
makes it one of the most attractive forts on
the coast. There are superb views from the
ramparts over the sandy bay and towards
Cape Three Points, Ghana’s southernmost
point. The fort’s caretaker can help arrange
excursions in the area, such as canoe trips
on the nearby lagoon, and trips up the River
Kpani to visit a palm-wine distillery.
The only accommodation in Princess
Town is at the fort, where simple rooms
with shared bathroom (bucket showers)
cost C25,000 you can also camp with a
tent for C15,000. At the start of the short
trail up to the fort is a terrace bar and restaurant
where you can get cold drinks and
cheap seafood meals. Odds are you’ll be approached
by self-appointed guides, though
they’re not necessary.
The junction for Princess Town is about
15km west of Agona junction any tro-tro
heading west from Agona can drop you
there. From here, it’s about 18km to Princess
Town along a scenic but rough dirt
road. Shared taxis run reasonably regularly
between the junction and the town. There
are also direct tro-tros from Agona to Princess

Andy, The Hideaway is okay, but check out Kedas Lodge at Miemia Bay.

( EDITED this appears to be 50 - 75 US Dollar per night)
http://www.kedaslodge.com/kedas.html


There is nothing that compares to Cape Three Points, trust me, I spent 5 years searching every corner of Ghana.

Another amazing place is Axim Beach Resort, but it is a bit pricey.


p.s. you link for Princes Town directs to Princes Town Trinidad, not Princes Town Ghana.
(Wikpedia link is wrongly constructed, it has a comma, need to copy and paste.)

Oh yeah, Busua is a tourist trap, stay away lest they "chop your money".

Cape Three Points is deserted 75 of the time, especially this time of year, it is quite remote.

At Princes Town, you will be hounded by the locals, it's the only place in Ghana that I didn't feel comfortable staying overnight ... in the end though, we didn't have any problems.


Kedas Lodge is a deserted beach also, but this is a great time of the year to visit, as the water is clear, and you can do a little Whale Watching as they tend to hang out there this time of year.

tropicalguide from has written 112 comments

Sent the url of this good article on to a 40+ travelers group I moderate and give some free advice on once in a while. I am now well over 60 and wish that I was 30 years younger every morning I wake up. I quit drinking Alcohol 35 years ago, I should have quit smoking the same time, did not do that until 14 months ago, in the hospital with pnuemonia, damages done.
If I had contracted Malaria, I would find a place I could rest and relax for at least 5 days or so before resuming overland travel, take caution.
These days if I get stressed in a situation, unless cornered, try to avoid the person or persons, place or thing, walk away or get on a bus and ride away, whatever works.
My long term friend over in Guatemala feels and does the same, she is way up in her 50s.
My Brother in Law in States is 58, he has been ill for a few weeks., however he drives everywhere, like many up in the States, rarely goes hiking.
After 50 most of us feel it more, I walk a lot and have been walking a lot for years, of course many over 50+ are in really good helath, they have taken care of their physical bodies, mental and spiritual health over the years, come to El Salvador and Guatemala and climb volcanoes like Superman, like a speeding bullet, while far younger people huff and puff their way up!!!! Bravo to you. Traveling overland every day on 70 power. At any rate to you and your readers
Happy New Year 2011.
Donald Lee, Ex Pat, Comedian and Survivor in Central America, yes, comedian, sometimes travel experiences can be really funny, most in hindsight!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the repeated post Andy, another excellent place is Ankasa Forest Reserve, they have a couple of "rustic" research cabins deep within the forest, one of the only places in Ghana where you can see Chimpanzes ... and Forest Elephants. The best as I can remember, you pay a one time fee of 40 cedis and stay as long as you like, within reason of course. The Forest Rangers, about 5 of them, stay in an adjacent old "barracks" ...with a few ladies who do the cooking and cleaning. The Rangers are some the nicest men that I have met in Ghana, they will guide you deep into the rain forest if you desire ...this is an old growth forest, and some of the trees are of tremendous size.

You can see parts of Ankasa in my video here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAaOYjHb9K0

Gadget from has written 916 comments

Tyler or maybe Brent, I think you had a car.

The Lonely Planet sucks because it assumes I have a car, and will send me on a trip that is not possible unless I have a car.

This is all interesting, but the videos and information needs to have the transportation and prices of hotels to be of true value to me or the readers.

I cannot find prices for Kedas Lodge? And Ghana is a brother to Nigeria.

This place appears to 50 - 75 Dollars per night
http://www.kedaslodge.com/

I found many rates for Hotels for Ghana, I cannot ssnd the direct link because they make the web site wrong and put spaces: - Select "Western Region" for Kedas
http://allghanahotels.com/hotels.php

Ghana people are sneaky with these deserted lodges, I cannot justify going anywhere unless I can find prices.

Please tell reader and me prices, specific locations and how to get there by transportation.



Thanks, Andy Graham

Okay Andy, as of 2008 a fellow named Kevin Gallagher owns Kedas Lodge, he's from the UK, he is married to a lady from Ghana named Wesi ... and no, Kevin is not a brother to Nigeria.

You can call Kevin and Wesi at 233-242-32728 (0242-32728 in country)

Directions from Takoradi

- Take the "Angona - Takoradi" road to Angona, at which point it turns into the "Angona - Elubo" road or (Axim - Elubo Road) ... continue on from Angona for about 10 - 12 miles to a place called Anyaano. Disembark from Tro-Tro at the Anyaano Check point #32, there will be a Kedas Lodge sign on the right hand side of the road pointing your way, hail a passing cab driver for the last 15 miles to the coast.

Call ahead and they may have someone in Takoradi on business who can give you a ride out to Kedas.

Room rates are negotiable. $25 - $75.

Gadget from has written 916 comments

Thanks Tyler,

Now we are helping Ghana, lack of clarity makes tourist afraid, me and you are the 1 in a 1000, but the average joe blow is scared to death of Ghana.

Kevin was a tourist probably before he became a Hotel owner. My list of places to go is endless, why go to anyplace that has too many questions. I do not get tempted by videos. I get tempted by clarity, who, when, where, why, what and how much..

You just gave the good skinny, but then again, I do not want to go pay 25-75 dollars to talk to an American in Ghana, but the majority of traveler do, anything to find America inside of Ghana.

Sounds like a great place to woo a rich Ghana girl, I am still into trying to convince them I am poor, and making it on personality,

Now, go to bed, it is way to late in the USA, about 1:00 am.

Fun stuff, and very good, Thanks