One day I woke up and left!
Sounds nomadic like a herd of cattle without a shepherd; whenever they leave without their shepherd, there are no goodbyes to be said. But the day I woke up and left, I said my goodbyes. To family and Nigeria. And said, “Akwaaba!” to my future self in Ghana.
NO TO-DO LIST:
Realising I had no to-do list on arrival to Ghana, I spent some hours of the next day on research via Google, Trip Advisor and some Ghanaian websites. I came up with a list about two hours later.
This was my list: Visit Kumasi Fort – Ghana Armed Forces Museum, Kejetia Market, Manhyia Palace Museum, Ntonso Adinkra Craftsmen, Okomfo Anokye Sword Site, Lake Bosomtwe, Bonwire (the Kente City), Obuasi Gold Mine, Asante Buildings, Adanmowase Ecotourism for Kente clothes, Kumasi Zoo, Rattray Park, Baobeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary.
I had 13 places to visit but I checked out just 5 out of my list: 38.46%. Not really impressive but let’s get down to these places; no time to throw myself a pity party.
I’ll have a pity party all to myself much later; you’re invited but make sure you bring a bottle of white wine along.
1: Kumasi Fort – Ghana Armed Forces Museum
This was one of my to-see places in Kumasi, Ghana. I spent 6 years in a military school and once I graduated, I never went back. I don’t know why; I want to – someday but not today.
So I guess I wanted to see the military again: rifles, bayonets, clubs, daggers, warships, great fighters at the Armed Forces Museum in Kumasi. It was a sight to behold.
So here are the things I could remember I saw: a cell where you’re kept as a prisoner till you die. You don’t get out till you’re dead but a woman got out and led the Ashanti Rebellion against the British colonialism: Nana Yaa Asantewaa.
I’m proud of her and I think I’ll adopt her as my great grandmother. I’ll ask the Ghanaian Embassy for the procedures for this.
Also, a picture of the first female Ghanaian diver; a picture of the uniform of soldiers in the 18th century; an Italian mortar; different sets of rifles; ancient communications systems; anti-aircraft guns; daggers; Italian machine guns; BRNO machine gun; Japenese weapons; Italian hand grenades and rocket launchers and more.
2: Kejetia Market
Touted as the largest single market in West Africa, it’s somewhat similar to Idumota in Lagos. You can buy almost anything herein: bracelets, necklaces, Kente, reading lights, locally crafted schoolbags, locally crafted handbags, etc. Melcom: a reputable supermarket in Ghana has a store here.
I bought some bracelets. Not some. Lots of them. My cousin had to save me from the spirit of bracelets hovering over my head in beady forms.
3: Okomfo Anokye Sword Site
The sword site is located in Kumasi Teaching Hospital.
There’s a legend about this place. The natives believe that Okomfo Anokye stuck a sword in the ground and no one has been able to pull it off the ground; this legend reminds me of Thor’s hammer and when he dared his friends on The Avengers team to pull it from off the ground. One of the guides at the Armed Forces Museum told us that the sword represents the unity of the Ashantis and the entire Ghana; once it gets pulled off, wars will occur in Ghana.
We didn’t arrive on time so I couldn’t take shots of the interior. I could only get the exterior.
4: Lake Bosomtwe
This was the lake where I conquered my water ‘fears’ (take note of the inverted comma). From Agogo Park which is about 20-30 minutes away from Kumasi High School, it takes about an hour and thirty minutes to get to your destination.
At the entrance, the gatekeepers charge you 10 Cedis (₦900) per head. Don’t pay that. Negotiate. Beat it down to 2 Cedis (₦180) per head – no, I’m not being cruel or uptight with money.It’s 2 Cedis for the ticket (heck, it’s written there) but they’ll always tell you 10 Cedis or 5 Cedis; we paid 2.5 Cedis per person.
About 240ft in depth (central perspective: 40 6ft guys), the lake is a sacred one for the Ashantis and they believe the souls of the dead visit this lake to say goodbye to the god, Asase Ya. This is the reason why natives are permitted to fish from the lake only on wooden planks (surprised? See the picture below).
5: Kumasi Zoo
I didn’t plan to go here. My cousin proposed, “Let’s go to the zoo.” I didn’t say, “I do.”
This is what I said: “That animal(less) zoo?” We laughed like a chatter of 0monkeys.
Earlier, a tourist on Trip Advisor had called the Kumasi Zoo an animal(less) zoo; I echoed his thought. After laughing, we went.
Kumasi zoo is close to Kejetia market and closer to the Cultural Center. At the entrance, we were billed 10 Cedis each. We disagreed. We negotiated.
We got 5 Cedis each on the grounds that we won’t go without a guide. Who does that – leave visitors with wild animals? My cousin led the way.
Yes, I was afraid – call me a coward. You’re welcome! I just didn’t see why we had to go without a guide and the area looked somewhat unprotected.
We saw a baby elephant who kept trying to come out from its cage and be with us (me love you baby elephant), two African monkeys, an eagle, two Chimpanzees (with red buttocks…ewww), two African civets (so fucking beautiful I wish I could lay on them as rugs), some ducks that kept quacking and some Green Monkeys (so cute and beautiful I wish I’d adopt them for my future girlfriend).
Those are the 5 places in Kumasi I checked off my To-See list. Pretty soon, I’m making a new list of some countries and places to see therein and…
Perhaps… …the next travelogue I’ll bring you is of Accra, Ghana or Calabar, Nigeria or Libreville, Gabon or Kampala, Uganda or Ake, Abeokuta or Nairobi, Kenya or Disneyland, China or the London, England or Vancouver, Canada. You don’t know. I don’t know. For now.
What I know is that after waking many times and leaving many times, someday I’ll return and go to bed. One day! I don’t know what day that is.
Maybe I’ll never return. Maybe I’ll never go to bed.
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